Announcing Project: Feedback!

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Rockhammer
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Announcing Project: Feedback!

Post by Rockhammer »

Dear Action Force collectors, I'd like to invite you to participate in Project: Feedback!
This project inviolves taking a survey the results of which will be used to write a feedback report for Hasbro regarding their 3 3/4" G.i. Joe line. We seek the input of fans world-wide. More information can be found below.

Fellow 3 3/4" G.i. Joe fans and collectors:
Please read this entire post. Here is your chance to make a difference and
have your opinions heard by Hasbro.

Project Feedback is an effort by collectors and fans to provide Hasbro with
the most accurate, precise, concise and representative feedback report
possible.

Several circumstances prompted this effort, chief among them the recent policy
change at Hasbro regarding no direct communication between executives and the
collector base. We feel that our only chance to be heard as a community will
be through a formal feedback report that includes up to date, comprehensive
and accurate original research data. We wish to assist the Hasbro 3 3/4" G.i.
Joe team's decision-making by providing them with this feedback report.
Our goal is to ensure the team fully understands what the collectors desire,
how the fruits of their labor are percieved, and what direction the community
would like the toy line to take.

To this end, we are requesting that every single 3 3/4" G.i. Joe fan and
collector take the Project: Feedback! survey at:
http://www.cobrabivouac.com/

WARNING: This is a long, very thorough survey. The questions total 84 (the
first question being your name, town, etc.). Please allow sufficient time to
complete it. We regret that we have nothing to offer to entice your
participation other than having your voice heard. Your opinions will be
critical in the writing of the Feedback Report.

The results of Project Feedback (namely, the Feedback Report) will be
published on line at the Cobra Bivouac website (http://www.cobrabivouac.com/),
shortly after paper copies have been presented to Hasbro 3 3/4" G.i. Joe team
members at the G.i. Joe convention in July at Disneyworld. A Project Feedback
representative will be present to explain the spirit and nature of this report
as he hands the hard copies out to Hasbro.

The preferred method to fill out a survey is through the www at
http://www.cobrabivouac.com/
All online surveys must be completed No Later Than May 31st, 2004.

If you do not have regular access to a computer with an internet connection,
you may snail mail a completed survey (as a last resort). Go to the Project
Feedback webpage at:
http://www.cobrabivouac.com/
for more details.

This project constitutes the community's best chance to clearly and
unequivocably outline to Hasbro the direction we wish the toy line to take. It
cannot be done without you!

Please participate and have your voice heard.

Disclaimer follows:
-----------------------------
It has come to our attention that a segment of the on-line collecting
community perceives the Project Feedback survey as biased and misleading.

It was never our intention to be misleading in the wording of a question, nor
to present a biased opinion of either the old or new line. The choices
presented for selection were based on common statements made by collectors in
many different on-line discussion forums. Many hours were spent developing
the survey, and the draft was subjected to an extensive peer-review process.

We realize that not every opinion is represented, nor have we pre-written
every possible answer to a question as a choice. We wrote what we believed
would be the most popular response to any given question. We are sorry if you
believe your point of view was left out of every single question, and we
cannot stress enough that was not our intent. In order to ensure that every
fan was able to voice their specific comments in their own words, we included
the ability to write in an answer.

The input we are looking for is from ALL collectors, and your input is
extremely valuable. We realize this means going an extra mile for some, but
we hope that collectors who have not yet done so will take the time to provide
their input so we can ensure that the survey represents the community as a
whole.

That said, Project feedback is much more than a simple survey: It will also
produce a feedback report that the GI Joe design team can use as a ?report
card? as to their efforts. There are statements that keep appearing in the
various on-line forums regarding what collectors like, dislike, and would like
to see in the future. Some of the questions in this survey put certain
statements to the test. These are mostly specific questions, such as "Do you
think that the Joe Vs Cobra, Spy Troops and Valor vs. Venom body design is too
muscular/bulky?" While a question such as this may appear biased at first
read, it is based on a statement that can be seen in almost every GI Joe forum
to date, and is a topic which is often debated. Your response will either
validate or negate the argument, thereby eliminating the bias and providing a
valid result that will present factual information to the GI Joe design team
and (hopefully) put the issue to rest within the collecting community. If none
of the answer choices reflect your view, then a space is provided for you to
make your voice heard--we guarantee that it will count.

Some questions in the survey are more general in nature. These were designed
to gauge the community's feelings regarding aspects of the line that are not
discussed frequently, and differ from past incarnations of the toys. Which is
better? Which is worse? You answer that, and if none of the choices presented
reflect your views...you know what to do. As long-time collectors of the GI
Joe line, we felt it was necessary to compare the old line to the new. These
questions, however, are more an exploration of terra incognita regarding
specific changes between the lines than a check on which is better than the
other as a whole.

There are also questions that were designed to provide a ?rule of thumb? such
as most of the coloring questions. We clearly understand that there are
exceptions to every rule, so please keep in mind these answers are meant to be
general. Choose the best option provided, or write in your own.

If there are points you did not see, things you wish to expand on, or other
points you wish to address, you may enter these within the section comments or
at the very end of the survey. We realize that this survey takes time, but
unfortunately that is the sacrifice that must be made in order to have your
views heard. The choice to provide them is yours.

We pledge that the Feedback Report will be written fairly, and based on the
responses to the survey. If, for example, the majority believes that the
figures should all be painted strictly in neon colors, or have no
distinguishing features, then that is what Hasbro will see in the report.
Moreover, we will include a complete copy of every single survey in an
appendix so Hasbro can look at the questions, choices, and write-in answers to
re-evaluate our conclusions if they choose.

It is not our intent to antagonize or attack the current 3 ?? Hasbro team, nor
the product they produce. We are all dedicated fans of the GI Joe product,
and have a definite interest in the line continuing. Our goal is to inform
them of the general consensus of what collectors like and dislike both in the
old and new lines. We also wish to point out what details the collecting
community really cares about, and the overall direction that we as a total and
unified community would like the line to take in the future. Rest assured,
that the results will be presented strictly in a professional and COMPLETELY
unbiased manner. The results will be made available to the entire GI Joe
community, so there will be no question as to the validity of the results.
For privacy reasons, personal information will not be included in the report
that is made public on the Internet.

Lastly, some collectors are challenging the validity of our statement
regarding Hasbro's recent policy change of executives and designers not being
allowed to post on forums or answer to fan feedback via e-mail. Below is a
link to a Transformers website that published an e-mail from Hasbro regarding
the situation in that particular toy line.

http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=1974

It is only logical that the policy applies company-wide, but if you require
further verification a copy of an e-mail to Joe Harris from G.I. Joe executive
Derryl DePriest can be found below. Joe Harris is a long-time fan that
e-mailed Mr. DePriest and got a very similar response:

Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2003 14:02:54 -0500
From: "Depriest, Derryl" <e-mail address removed to protect DDP's privacy>
Subject: RE: Just a few questions
To: 'Joe Harris' <jman@sport.rr.com>
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2657.72)
X-Virus-Scanned: Symantec AntiVirus Scan Engine
Original-recipient: rfc822;jman@sport.rr.com

Joe - we should have something set up soon as a way for fans to interact and
submit questions to Hasbro. As it is now, our press liaison handles inquiries
from the different news outlets (magazines, sites, etc).

My email was nothing against you at all - new policy is that Hasbro brand
teams won't talk directly with fans, and that we'll set up another way for the
voices to be heard. This is so that everyone gets an even treatment and access
to information.

Please don't take anything personally - I've enjoyed getting the updates!

Derryl D. DePriest
Director of Marketing - Boys Toys
Hasbro, Inc.

Furthermore, Patrick ?not Picard? Stewart sent us the following note:

"At the time this (Transformers) press release went out to Transformers fans,
I noticed that DDD (Derryl D. DePriest) had stopped posting to the (G.I. Joe)
newsgroup. There is no doubt about it. Hasbro isn't allowing this anymore.

Hopefully that will help alleviate some of the confusion and miscommunication
as to the purpose of Project Feedback and this survey. Remember, in order for
this project to be the success that we know it can be, we need your input!

Rockhammer
Project: Feedback! Coordinator

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