Editor's Note: Blaine flew off the handle when a client wanted him to shoot a new site about some guys trying to pick up a girl in a van. When he told them "Don't do it!" they asked "Why not?" Here's a look at some of the reasons he gave them. ~ Stephen
It looks like lately a few of the bigger companies are starting to figure out where we are heading in the industry, and they're scrambling: “reality” content some people are calling it, still others call it "exclusive” content – but either way they are right about the trend.
The old business model doesn’t work: You take a picture for a buck, sell it for $10, and then sell it to 200 people. That's an incredible 2000% profit, and there is no business in the world that can work on that model – well at least not for long. Why? Because of value: 'Economics 101' boys and girls – supply and demand shift until eventually they meet and dictate fair market value, and it has already happened. So basically "video has killed the photography star…" – big deal; it's called progress.
What you have to keep in mind is where are we all going with this? Since everybody is now buying “reality content” – is this all the future holds? Simply, no. Reality content is only a trend, simply the flavor of the month, and people had better start wrapping their heads around this idea. The future is in exclusive content; because as time goes on, everybody will have reality content; supply will meet demand, and everybody will be bored. Think about it; if everybody aired the same show on TV, you wouldn’t have to change the channel – and if you bought cable service, you’d be pissed off because the programming choices are the same as when you're not paying for them.
So how do you plan for the future? By providing exclusive content and by doing something different. Why? Because a couple years ago somebody had a different idea: get a van, drive around and pretend to pick up some dumb, unsuspecting, real looking girl and fuck her in the back of the bus. Hmmm. Brilliant? Nah, I saw it ten years ago. I actually even saw it in Boogie Nights – but it was 'different.' So where is the creativity?
Now go back and look at Bang Bus: The girls are all hot, the pick up is scripted, the plot is always predictable and they always get laid. It has progressed in to a formula. Other sites have a real pick up and then the minute they get back to the “room” it is professionally lit and shot.
What’s my point? Well things are progressing and there is competition, plus the amateur market is being played out because tastes change, there's a new economic climate, and social shifts – but forget all that – think about this: Why did they have so many Jean Claude Van Damme movies in the 80’s and not a single one today? Because people got sick of them and they died out... But if you look at history, it does the funniest thing – it repeats itself – over and over again.
A few years ago the “porn star” industry slowly faded and "amateur" girls were all the rage. Anybody and everybody could shoot in their house and make money and become a starlet. You didn’t need fake tits, a tan or blond hair; you were the girl next door and everybody loved you. Well guess what? people are getting sick of the girl next door and they want Jenna again. They want the fantasy and the reality both.
So in about a year people are going to be looking for an escape from all this reality, and History will once again repeat itself: Fake tits, big hair and tan lines will all be the rage. Slowly it will change, but not overnight. It isn’t cheap producing one of these sites – and a few companies can’t figure out why their “reality” site isn’t converting. Too much competition is the likely culprit.
The adult Internet industry is like the beverage industry; there are a million different drinks out there, but only two colas: Coke and Pepsi. Everybody keeps on trying to make a different cola and to compete in the same market place until somebody decides to do something different – they bottle water and sell it for more. Eventually there will be a “new” beverage and it will be all the rage.
People want something different even though it has always been around. It is the same with porn; they want something new, but also something that has always been around.
When was the last time you looked at TV or the Internet and saw something that was completely different? Exactly. Ride the reality train now and you will be no further in a year then you are now. People buy porn. They like to see girls get fucked hard – but they want to see something different. Take a chance and be creative; it will pay. If you don’t believe me, ask the guys from Ox Cash if doing something different paid off for them.
Stay tuned to learn where this technology is taking us and about the newest trend in porn!