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ACParadise.com. Cosplay Based Promotional Services. What is Cosplay?.
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ACParadise.com Cosplay Based Promotional Services
What is Cosplay? • Cosplay (コスプレ kosupure?), short for "costume roleplay",[1] is a type of performance art whose participants outfit themselves, with often-elaborate costumes and accessories, as a specific character or idea. Characters are usually sourced in various Japanese and East Asian media, including manga, anime, tokusatsu, comic books, graphic novels, video games, and fantasy movies. Other sources include performers from J-pop, J-rock, visual kei, fantasy music stories (such as stories by the band Sound Horizon), novels, and objects from cyberspace or the real world that are unique and dramatic (especially if they have or can be given an anthropomorphic form). * *(From Wikipedia) • Translation: People making/wearing costumes from their favorite series
Acparadise.com • Divided up into three websites:
About ACParadise.com • Started in 2000 • Number of staff: 2 • Targeting only North American Cosplayers • Convention coverage began in 2007 • Relations with Industry began in 2008 • Current clientele includes Bandai Namco, Del Rey, Atlus USA, NIS America, Aksys Games, Square Enix, and FUNimation
Registration Process • Users register for an account and create a profile • Users upload pictures of their costumes • Costumes are screened by staff for inappropriate contact, then categorized by series and character • ??????? • PROFIT!
Obligatory Statistics • 36,128 registered users • 2,698 active cosplayers, 25,251 costumes • 1,910 series covered • 5,143 videos available on site • 8,117 Youtube subscribers • 1.5 million views per month • Viewer traffic easily doubles during peak periods (summer convention season) • Power level: 9001
Now the Good Stuff: • Companies want to promote their existing and upcoming titles • There is a limited budget to promote these titles • Cosplayers are walking billboards for the titles they’re cosplaying from • How do companies take advantage of this opportunity?
Meet ACParadise:Working Hard for Your Titles! (Picture not representative of actual product - thankfully)
Cosplayers and Industry:Mutual Benefits • Cosplayers get more recognition than they would just walking around in costume • Companies get extra publicity • Corporate image is softened – Fans no longer see you as being unapproachable • Cosplayers get to make costumes they normally wouldn’t have a chance to
Online Cosplay Contests • One month before a title’s retail date, ACParadise announces a cosplay contest for the show • Users have three weeks to submit their costumes, then all costumes are displayed on a contest page • Users vote for their top two choices, and winners are announced to coincide with the release date
Cosplayer Events • ACParadise members will make/wear costumes from a specified title and promote it at conventions • Promotion types include handing out flyers, managing lines during autograph sessions, and drawing in crowds • Events are customized on a per-title basis
Example Promotion 1: Ouran Host Club (Anime Expo 2008) • Cosplayers from ACParadise dressed as the cast of Ouran Host Club and entertained during designated “Host Club Hours” • Cosplayers managed the autograph lines and made the wait more bearable for attendees by doing picture and pose requests
ACP Cosplayers vs Paid Models • Cosplayers will make the costume of the show if they like it, regardless of incentive • More enthusiasm – Models are at a show because they’re paid to be, cosplayers are at a show because they WANT to be • Cosplayers appreciate recognition from the official company of the show = good PR • Cosplayers actually KNOW about the show they’re promoting • Cosplayers are more approachable to the fans
Example Promotion 2:Code Geass (Otakon 2008) • Cosplayers from ACParadise dressed as the cast from Code Geass and drawing in attendees to participate in a dating game with the characters • An online costume contest was held one month before the convention, with the winners being showcased at the exhibition hall in front of the booth. • Cosplayers entertained attendees during autograph sessions by posing for pictures
ACP Cosplayers vs Voice Actors • Voice actors are available only for specified times and locations, while the number of cosplayers keep growing • Cosplayers are interchangeable, guaranteeing a steady presence • COSPLAYERS ARE CHEAPER
Example Promotion 3:Romeo x Juliet (Anime Boston 2009) • Cosplayers dressed as the cast of Romeo x Juliet and handed out promotional postcards as well as invitations to the RxJ Dub Premiere • At the convention’s Formal Dance/Ball, ACP members meeted and greeted the guests in costume and acted in-character • During the masquerade, ACP members performed a skit showcasing Romeo x Juliet in front of an audience of approx. 4,000 people, with a trailer for the show following shortly after
ACP vs “Our Competition” • We are the only major website offering live photo coverage during major conventions as they happen • Our sorting system means users can quickly find photos of their favorite shows and characters, and it generates repeated traffic as users race to see who can sort the most photos • We hold the largest collection of cosplay-related videos anywhere • ACP Events make a much larger and lasting impression than any promotional item or banner ad • We do not rely on third party advertising services (Google adsense, etc) – visitors are more inclined to pay attention to our ads • NO OTHER WEBSITE BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN COSPLAYERS AND OFFICIAL COMPANIES LIKE ACP
