Soul Doubt, you are not alone in your dislike; I don't really care how much they buy from our industry or how successful their business model is, after all, Al Capone and the Krays ran good businesses if you think market share and profits is the only criterion you use to judge them.
I don't like them because of their deception in terms of that phony UKPBA; it gives a distorted view of that company to customers that know no better ... if they are as successful as you say Missy [and I gladly take your word for it] then why stoop so low as to tell outright lies in their promo? .. you don't see Planet lying their ass off to get sales .. they market professionally with no attendant BS.... I think their outfit stinks, not because they are market dominant, it's because they invent a paintball association and pass it off as an independent whilst at the same time orchestrating both their company and the UKPBA ...... it stinks !!!
I haven't seen the promo, but my question would be; 'Does it work'? If it does, and they aren't breaking the law, then that would be classed by many as smart business.
I feel I need to make myself clearer - You don't have to like Delta Force (most don't). I have run fields where they were my competition, and I didn't appreciate their street-sales tactics much, especially when the players showed up at our field to redeem their vouchers.
My first point is that the Industry has ostracised and bad-mouthed them for years (unless they've been selling to them). They are pretty much universally hated, and receive no help or support from any organisation in the UK (that I know of), in fact they can only expect the opposite - to be knocked and kicked for whatever they do. So, with that in miind, why should they care about the fed's, or the traditional industry group's, or any other organisation's feelings? They simply aren't interested in all that stuff, and don't consider it. They have no friends to keep happy, so they do what they want. They are simply operating in their own business-bubble, and making moves to increase their player base. Just like everything else they do, we may not like it, but there sure isn't a law against it, and it would be classed as common in many other business sectors.
Your example of Planet is not 'apples to apples', as Planet sell a brand, and need to maintain a positive profile in a global industry, and to do that you have to strive to get along with everyone and be seen to further the common good. These guys don't operate in that same category.
My second point is that the Delta Force model works. If you believe that they give their first time players a terrible experience and put them off for good (I have heard this a lot, and even said it myself) then what does that say about their marketing model?
If they are able to spend 20 years packing paintball fields and making them very successful businesses (more than most), without retaining any customers, then I believe that makes their marketing model even more impressive - bordering on miraculous actually. Are they really able to find new people to shoot 1,000,000 balls per week? Really? Wow! How come the UK industry isn't one of the healthiest on the planet? I think it's far more likely that they do retain many of their clients. With that said, and the plethora of threads on your site with people scratchin' their heads and wondering how to expand the game at grass-roots, it makes me wonder why people think that they 'don't care about paintball at all'. If nothing else, if I was earning half a mil per year from Paintball, I would care an awful lot about it. There is a lot to be learned fron the Delta Force model. It may not be perfect, but it's the most effective one I have seen in my 25 year tenure.
I get that you don't like DF, and why. I don't like Smart Parts, and you know why, but I never thought they were bad businessmen, or didn't care about paintball, etc.
