What’s playing on your Taser MP3 holster? ‘Shock the Monkey’?
Posted by: in Marketing and AdvertisingFiled under: Products and services, Marketing and advertising, Taser Intl Inc (TASR), Stocks to Buy
News out of TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) has been … how shall I put it … somewhat odd as of late.
First, a few days ago, we heard of Taser Parties. Indeed, like Tupperware Parties, Taser Parties have women gather in someone’s home. They get a demo of the recent TASER C2 and even try it out for themselves (on targets, not each other). While this isn’t exactly a TASER official marketing strategy, rather a saleswoman’s vision, it may not be a stretch to see the stun gun maker endorsing this as one sales tactic out of many.
In fact, TASER has already adopted the concept for its booth at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, where Taser Parties were held. TASER didn’t just throw “parties” at CES, but brought Playboy Playmates to … ahem … sign autographs.
But wait, that’s not all in the odd tidbits realm. At CES, TASER also showcased designer colors for the TASER C2 in addition to the classic black model: fire-engine red, blue, silver or pink. Pink, by the way, in some sort of a “girl power” thing is actually the company’s biggest seller. The company also unveiled a new Taser holster in leopard print with a built-in 1 GB MP3 player (preloaded with songs from AC/DC, Shock G, Lightning Bolt and S.T.U.N. … not really). The reason for the MP3 player, you may ask? “You’re more likely to carry it, and it will be there when you need it,” VP of communications Steve Tuttle said. How’s that for marketing?
The latest moves aren’t surprising. As Taser’s sales across police and law enforcement agencies around the world — 43 countries and more than 12,500 police agencies in North America — increase, the company is trying to shift some focus to the civilian sector for future growth.
I have such ambivalent feelings about the company; it’s hard not to with all the bad publicity and recent events such as the incident at the Vancouver International Airport. Having said that, there is still much room to grow in the non-civilian market and as for the C2, which is legal in most U.S. states, the civilian market is in its early stages. I therefore do like the stock and the story even more today.
The stock has increased in value over 63% in the past 52-weeks and was gaining over 4% earlier today. However, the shares gains have narrowed with the market’s slump and TASR closed up 1.3% to $13.28 and
Ad executive: “Guys, guys! I got an idea about how we can change the market’s perception of our company and move 
Entries (RSS)