Offer Closed – Mascot Mojo Launches January 3rd 2013
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This is a VERY time limited deal and you’ll need to do something about it right away if it lights you up, so please pay attention. If you’ve been on my list any length of time then you probably know you need to jump in and get it now.
A couple of weeks ago I told you about the Mascot Creator Toolkit and I had a great response – lots of emails saying thank you.Β It was something that really appealed to me – that you could go in and edit some graphics and end up with something fairly original – there are lots of combinations of mascots you can create.
It’s a very good solution for you to be able to create mascots for your website or for clients.
But I gradually realised that its limitations were that it was only a single male model and that you really needed PhotoShop to get the best out of it.
If you know anything about me, then it’s that I can make good ideas better. While I live my life by the 80:20 rule, I also know that attention to detail when it counts is something that’s just as important.
And while Prian’s toolkit is very good, I believed that I could do something better.
And I have.
It’s still a work in progress, but I’d like to show you what we have so far and what my intentions are, and also give you details of a killer deal I’m offering you over the next 2 days.
I think you may end up telling everyone it’s the best deal you ever bought into.
I’m doing this early bird deal because:-
#1 – I *like* to give you the best deals ahead of anyone else – I like to look after my subscribers, you’re important to me.
#2 – I want to show my new illustrator the kind of response we can expect to get when we open the doors on launch day. She’s a lovely person and is very excited at the prospect of being paid for doing exactly the kind of illustrations she loves to do.
So here’s a few details of how it will work.
- The mascots will be generated onsite – no need for PhotoShop.
- The site will be membership based.
- On the opening day there will be a minimum of one male and one female model plus costumes and accessories.
- Planned costumes are dentist, construction worker, general tradesman, chauffeur, chef, beautician and so on, with any suggestions gladly accepted.
- There will be new models, styles or accessories added every few days as they’re created.
- Planned models will be people, animals, and “humanised” objects such as trees, vehicles and buildings with faces.
- The price to the public will start at $10 per month for 20 generated mascots or a 1-day pass at $5 for 3.
- The site will officially open on the 21st August but may be available before then as an “alpha” for you to try out.
The price I’m offering to you over this next 48 hours is $27 for 6 months access or $47 for 12 months with no limits on the number of mascots generated, and with your membership period starting on the 21st August.Β After your initial membership is up, you’ll automatically go onto a special $5/month “access all areas” rate so you’ll continue to be able to generate as many mascots as you like as long as you continue to be a member.
This is a huge saving if you buy in immediately.
Why am I pushing for payment up front, right now?
The answer is #2 above.Β I want to show my new illustrator how good a response we’re going to get and I want to prove to her that she has a full time position doing this.
By offering you a killer deal for acting quickly, I have that proof.
Starting tomorrow (Sunday) at 2.00pm GMT (9.00am EST) and for 2 days afterwards (closing on Tuesday lunchtime) you can pick up this one-off deal – there won’t be a better one than this.
-Frank Haywood
Frank, Sounds fantastic, the business idea sounds good and hopefully will fund future development and fix fixes…
Hopefully we can gain some type of 3D effect that we could “turn” the mascot to face in or out for page area. Also, I hope we can “name” and save the character we create so we could make FAST changes for other parts of the project website (same character, different clothes). And I hope we have expressions and hand positions available to relate to a headline or call out. This would be a great avatar idea to create multiple persona’s.
Looking forward to the BUY button…
Hi Scott,
Thanks for that. There are always going to be limitations as to what we can do initially, but I think in time we’ll be able to add all sorts of very cool stuff.
Our first goal is to produce plenty of costumes for the two models which should satisfy a lot of people. Then we’ll start adding in a variety of different models so that they don’t all like the same – for example instead of the super sized heads, we’ll go for more conventional dimensions.
Your suggestion about naming and saving is a good one and we’ll definitely do that. Different hand positions and expressions will be in there too from day 1 of opening. e.g. Set your actor to point to a call out, or be holding a banner and so on.
What we want to do is give you as much choice as possible to customise the actors, and that’s our first priority. Then we’ll build on what we’ve done and release more and more new actors.
My illustrator is really stoked about the project as she loves doing what she does, and she’s also very smart which is a scary combination. π
-Frank
Awsome Idea Frank, I’m totally hooked.
Unfortunately I, only a couple of days ago, spent my whole budget for July so I’ll have to see you in August when you go public.
Thanks for the opportunity, it really is a great Idea.
Hi Alan,
Thank you and I understand your position. I’m sure that when we open the doors in public you’ll want to allocate part of your budget to this. The deal won’t be as good (for example no unlimited mascots), but still affordable. π
-Frank
Hi Frank,
I am interested in your MoJo project.
What format will the mascots be saved in ?
Will we be able to chose the format they will be saved in? How about a transparent background ?
Does your site use Photoshop to produce the Mascots ?
If so can they be saved as PSD filed?
I have Photoshop and would like to have the PSD to tweak myself if I want to, is this possible ?
Can they be animated in anyway ?
Regards,
Robert
Hi Robert,
Thank for your questions, it’s good ones like this that get my brain a-thinking. π
The mascots will be saved in transparent PNG format so this makes them usable in 99% situations. When we get to the point where we can add animations (winking, smiling, nodding head) they’ll have to be saved as transparent GIFs as that’s the only format that supports animation.
So I would say that from day 1 of opening you’ll have a choice of saving them as PNG or GIF, and I don’t see why JPEG should be excluded either. More work for the programmers.
The illustrator uses PhotoShop and saves the files as high resolution PSDs but then they’ll be converted for use in the site editor, and finally when you want to download them, pieced together from hi-res (not PSD) versions on the server before being delivered to you. There’s a bit more to it than that, but that’s essentially it.
So you’ll be given the finalised versions typically in PNG format by default unless you choose otherwise. You’ll then be able to load them up in PhotoShop or any other graphics editor and tweak them.
My intention is that where there are signs etc held in the actors hand, or they’re pointing at them, then you should be able to add your own text within the editor before download.
That *should* cater to most people’s requirements and hopefully yours too.
-Frank
Great stuff Frank,
My question would be what rights to we get to them ?
can we in turn sell the creations to are lists or on a site of are own ?
cheers
Albert
Hi Albert,
I just retrieved your comments from spam. I’m afraid you can’t sell any mascots you generate, but you can use them on all your own sites and on sites that you develop for your clients – within reason of course, for instance a handful of mascots would be okay. Going through loads of different combinations and compiling them all on a single site or as a product is absolutely NOT okay.
All the best,
-Frank
Sound really great Frank.
Looking forward to join. I am mostly working in Photoshop and want to hopefully also get some part where the psd also can be part of the deal. Easier to make a unique part to website/blog
Take care / Lars
Hi Lars,
Thanks for that.
It’s not my plan to supply the PSDs as that can open a whole different can of worms. If I supply them I have to support them and release them as we make changes. I’m not saying I won’t ever do that though, as maybe I’ll supply them to long term members when we consider a model set complete with no more changes to it.
Having said that, I *really* don’t think you’ll have any problems integrating transparent PNGs into your own designs in PhotoShop. Edit them to taste in the Mascot Mojo editor, save as PNG and load them into your PhotoShop design would be the workflow.
I hope that helps your decision to join.
-Frank
Frank I did buy the Mascot Creator Toolkit. I not really used it as yet: IE I have the free copy of Photoshop. And donβt really know how to work it? Yes I am going to learn it.
But now that you are bringing this out: I want it.
Another BUT: I canβt pay for it until the 25th, which goes passed your entry date:
Would you mind keeping it open for me until then?
I do want it, as although struggling with my offline business would you mind looking over my website http://www.ads4localbusiness.com you will find itβs a business directory of sorts, where I sell an optimized web page for local customers.
I feel with your set on Mascot Creator Toolkit will help me a great deal. More so with you adding extra characters that I can sell to local business
Please say YES
Colin Jeffrey
Hi Colin,
This is part of the problem with PhotoShop in that first it’s very expensive (essentials is cheaper) and second it can be a bit challenging to get to grips with it. π
I’m glad that you see the advantages of using a web based interface that we can constantly update without unsolvable problems. I’d thought about releasing a program that ran on your local machine but I realised it would be a monster, have to be constantly updated and would be a pain to support. By keeping it all on our web site it becomes much easier to maintain and support – “all” we have to do is make sure it’s cross-browser compatible. Ahem.
Your business case is exactly the initial market I’m targetting with Mascot Mojo. It’s perfect to enhance both your own site and your clients.
I like your site, I think the colour scheme is perfect and just what I’d choose myself for a similar site. Is it script driven?
The only change I’d make is to move your clients ads further up the screen so they’re immediately visible when people open the page.
As for keeping this deal open until the 25th, if I get a couple more people asking me to do so then I will. I hope you think that’s fair. π
-Frank
Thanks Frank,
I have bought through your offer and look forward to use it in about 4 weeks from now when I am back from travelling.
Take care / Lars
Hi Lars,
Thanks for that, I just spotted it. Wherever you are in the world right now, I hope you’re enjoying it. π
All the best,
-Frank
Hi Frank,
I am really liking it as I got the mascot creator on warrior forum and listened to the video and have a few questions in regards to the overall release of mascots as could you not please everybody as we get the image in high def psd and then other format as well, but most of all could we not pay more money for the designer to make the base models we would like personally?
I know it may cause little mayhem if everybody submitted there request at once but it would keep the money flowing in and set limits to the request as in one every 3 month as I am more into my own personal mascots for sales pages to be different than the rest, let me know your thoughts as I am eady to sign up for the bargain price of a year…….
Hi Albert,
We could possibly do you a special yes, for instance if you supplied us with a photograph of yourself we could probably put something together for you as a one off, but it wouldn’t be cheap. These designs take a lot of time to construct – there’s about 40 hours work gone into the models so far.
All the best,
-Frank
Hi Frank,
Not sure if my last message submitted ok, but anyway could we have both the work the illustrator does and the high def .psd?
I am interested in if we can submit requests for styles to be done as mine are just personal stuff for sales copy and images and would have to set a limit to control it but a request even every 6months and that is set at a price for the character and not part of the membership ?
Cheers
Albert
Hi Albert,
(I retrieved your messages from spam.) I answered the PSD request from someone else – it’s not my intention to provide them as it opens up a whole can of worms in terms of support and maintenance and that’s a route I’m not prepared to go down. The membership will allow you to create mascots via the use of an online tool by making selections from a drop-down and that’s it.
I answered your request for specials in my reply to your other comment. π
-Frank
Hi Frank,
I will be good for the 25th, also.
Hi Alan,
Okay, vote noted. π
-Frank
Hi Frank,
Plus:
I like the idea, especially because you have considered different positions and expressions.
Cons:
I don’t like the subscription model for something to be used eventually.
Best,
Diego
Hi Diego,
Thank you, we’re really stoked about it. π
I understand you not liking a subs model, but this pre-order deal IS very low for what you’re getting – $5/month for an ever increasing amount of models and unlimited generation of them for your own sites and your clients. It won’t stay that way. π
-Frank
Oops, Sorry Frank π
Thanks for asking π
Well, look. I have my mascot’s requirements covered for a while thanks to Mascot Creator so it would silly to subscribe.
Just in case: Currently I would love to find some cool graphics in form of packs of images and large icons to use them beside short descriptions, to complement page sections, posts, etc. Mainly about these subjects : Software, SEO Services, Hosting, Productivity, Concepts, Tendencies, People faces… I have a lot of layered Photoshop file collections related to marketing but really cool graphics intended for more general purposes are not so easy to find. Not at least at the price range of the Warrior Forum π
All the best,
Diego
Hi Diego,
There’s nothing to apologise for. π
Do you have any specific examples of the kinds of graphics you’re looking for? If you have then I can probably get them made up.
As for WSO prices, well, they spoil us don’t they? They’re quite unrealistic for the amount of effort that go into *some* of the products on there (and I’m guilty of that here on my blog). $10 for what should be $30-$50 products. I know that higher prices sell almost as well as the lower ones, and often better, and that’s the territory you’ll see me treading in more and more – that and the mass market with memberships like Mascot Mojo. At one point we were selling 2-3 copies a day of SmartDD at $97 and that’s not to be frowned at. If you have good tools then the price is irrelevant if they do exactly the job you need them for.
(SmartDD v4 is going to be pretty wonderful.)
I don’t like a lot of the made-for-wso stuff that appears there though, and I’ve noticed that a lot of junk that would traditionally have been sold via a sales page and ClickBank is now appearing on there too. It’s like there’s been a mass migration of the junk merchants.
I look at a lot of WSOs, buy many, but recommend very few. And I often see you asking all the right questions on there too. π
If a WSO is full of fluff and doesn’t say exactly what it does, then avoid it like the plague – it’s hard to get that through to many newbies though and it’s a damn shame. It’s even more of a shame when I see the “blind leading the blind” and people who don’t know any better saying how great a product is which then causes even more people who don’t know any better to do the same.
Ho-hum.
It’s nice to see you asking some of the harder questions of WSO sellers though. π
-Frank
Here’s another vote for Wednesday. If you can’t extend, then I probably won’t be able to buy in.
Okay Brad, it looks like Wednesday it is then.
I *do* listen. π
-Frank
Hi Frank,
I was going to comment under the XD Themes post, but the page just shows error code, also when I click on any comment links at the side of the page relating to it.
This is the error code by the way:
Fatal error: ob_end_flush() [ref.outcontrol]: Cannot use output buffering in output buffering display handlers in /home/frankh/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 2494
Just wanted to say I was on the road from a few hours before you announced the special until the night after it finished, so only found out on Sunday long after it was over.
Any chance of a repeat for your list? It was very short notice!
Paul
P.S. I keep going back to sshcool.com/affiliates, but only saw that it was to go live on 29 March, now I don’t even see that. Any news on that?
Hi Paul,
Sure. You’re right it *was* a fast sale offer. π
I’ve re-set the price to $10 for a few days – I’ll put it back up again on Saturday so that should be plenty of time to get to it. Use this link:-
https://www.jvzoo.com/b/p/11722/8
As for the page errors, try clearing your cookies for this site. I’ve seen that exact same error myself intermittently and I can’t work out what’s causing it. I have a bad feeling I’m going to have to back everything up and rebuild the site at some point. It’s very strange, because if I deactivate a plugin (different ones do it – there isn’t one issue) and then look at the page it’s fine, but if I reactivate the plugin it doesn’t work again. I’m hoping it will come to me eventually because searching for that error message to find a solution hasn’t helped at all.
The affiliate scheme IS live but not unified yet. I’ve had to settle for a traditional site-by-site scheme. I’ll flip it over eventually. The PluginGreat.com site is almost ready – I’ve had my assistant working on it to get all the plugins up and running with FastMember and I reckon we’re about a week away now. Promoting that site will earn you commissions on any of the products on there – that’s the best I can do for now.
But please do sign up on the shhcool.com/affiliates page as that’s the list I’ll keep all affiliates notified on of any changes as we make them. What I’m also trying to do is come up with a plan for a plugin that will accept your affiliate link(s) and then allow you to choose which products to promote. Then we’ll bounce any traffic you send around the relevant schemes until sending them to the sales page they clicked for.
I don’t yet know how long this will take as it’s still swirling round my head and hasn’t yet congealed. π
All the best,
-Frank
Awesome! Thanks! Have you checked out my 30 day gratitude project yet? I’d love to have you join me. http://TheGratitudeProject.info .
Hi Brad,
Ah! That’s very clever. Now *that’s* what I call joined up marketing. π
But it’s not for me. I actually just wrote what feels like a short essay on the greetings card industry but decided not to publish it.
Some people like to send and receive cards, but not me. Let’s leave it at that. π
All the best,
-Frank
Hi Frank,
I went to buy the 12 month membership but when I went to check out in Paypal it said 240 days (8 months) and 5$ a month after?
Can you have a look a t this and let me know once it’s fixed.
Thanks
Hi Pierre,
D’oh! Fixed. Well spotted that man. You’re the first person to notice that including me and I tested it all out! I’ll have to do a manual fix later on for all those that have joined with the original link.
Thank you!
-Frank
Ahhh I always miss out on your bigger product promo’s. I just came to check out your post on the recent email (since 16/07/2012 – as mentioned in another post it looks like I’m not getting some of your emails and they are not going into my spam folder etc.)
Oh well snooze you loose. I’ll just have to finish working on my own mascot package – I had this idea about 15 months ago but due to ill health, it got left behind in the doldrums of my hard drive lol.
Hope you are enjoying the great English summer while it lasts (for 1 week).
Take care.
Val
Hi Val,
I emailed you – check your spam box. π
-Frank
Hey Frank.
Is the website active to login to yet? I purchased, but I think I might have missed the actual login information. I just figured that it wasn’t while you were rebuilding it after the fun you had. LOL.
Take care my friend.
James Dunn
Athens, GA USA
Hi James,
It isn’t yet no. The design is currently being done and you can see the rough sketch on this link here:-
http://www.frankhaywood.com/wp-content/uploads/mascot-mojo-01.jpg
After the PSD has been produced it will take about a week to convert it into a working theme.
I’ll do an updates video and put it on the site later today as there have been quite a lot of updates to both the male and female models since my last one. We also now have a very slow prototype of the web interface. It’s all looking great. π
-Frank