OBJECTIVE:
Drawing on your own creative talents, suggest three new and unusual strategies that might be used as market fonts and explain the potential benefits of each strategy.
1. Streaming Fonts Site:
With the power of the web and high speed Internet connection one idea would be a subscription site. Designers could subscribe to a font site and have a direct stream that gives them access to all or certain categories subscribed to. This site would not actually download fonts to a subscriber’s computer, but rather use screen fonts for quick reference of proofs. Designers could quickly browse and experiment with a large selection of fonts in their layouts. Once a designer would decide on a font it would be downloaded to his computer in a specified folder. The advantage of this type of site would be the ability to browse thousands of fonts and actually have them applied visually to your design without actually having them on your computer. This site would really focus on specialty fonts that designers would probably only use once on a special project. – Marketing this product would be though graphic design magazines and possibly offering a trial period with graphic software.
2. Free Fonts CD banner ad/ Email blast.
Sending out a promo disc with a limited family would give designers a taste of what fonts are offered. The disk could be a offered through a “request your free font disk” banner ad through Google. A database of individuals requesting the disk could be collected for targeted email blast marketing. The disk would contain fonts that could be installed on a users computer for free, but would not have all the styles available in the family. Additional styles of the font would be available for purchase from a corresponding website. Special programming would post a link in the styles window to direct the user to the site and font for instant purchase. Discount codes could be sent to subscribers though email blast to encourage and remind users about fonts. – Additional Marketing could be in the form of bumper stickers, t-shirts, and referral perks that are sent out with a requested free fonts CD.
3. Annual Subscription RSS Feed.
Designers would subscribe to an RSS feed that would continually download the most recent fonts. When fonts are added to the system, a subscriber is prompted to download or decline. The subscription could add additional users, which would allow a designer to have fonts downloaded to multiple computers. This service could be advertised in graphic design magazines, billboards, and even commercials. This product could also be partnered with software companies and offered with software purchase.
4. Font sharing community-
A web community similar to istockphoto, but for fonts. This site would allow users to upload fonts for credits, or pay cash for credits to download fonts offered. This community would make fonts available for a very affordable price and if you are a font designer you could actually trade fonts for credits and get new fonts for free. – Marketing this product would be through web advertising, design magazines and networking
5. Web fonts source.
Although flash has improved the ability to use a larger variety of fonts, standard web coding has limited designers with their choice of fonts. Creating a web fonts source that web designers could browse and link to style sheets to add a large selection of fonts to a website would be a great way to expand creativity on the web. The site would basically be a host for fonts. Designers could program the link in the style sheet and have access to thousands of fonts that are browser friendly. Designers could even load or submit fonts to their account for use. – Marketing this product would be a large-scale advertising campaign. It would be very user friendly so the demand would be very high once people were aware. Airing commercials, billboards, and even direct mail would make the public aware of this great new product.