????如果你急不可耐地要欣賞比爾博?巴金斯的歷險(xiǎn)旅程，不想等到圣誕假期，玩具公司樂(lè)高（LEGO）可以讓你先睹為快，一瞥即將推出的搭賣玩具。在根據(jù)J.R.R.托爾金的同名小說(shuō)《霍比特人》（The Hobbit）改編的電影上映之前，多家公司就試圖利用中土世界（Middle Earth）來(lái)大賺一筆，樂(lè)高只是其中之一。上個(gè)月，這家公司宣布了今年晚些時(shí)候即將上市的幾款新產(chǎn)品。問(wèn)題是，玩具公司通常很少在7月份發(fā)布重磅產(chǎn)品。

????改變從何而來(lái)？答案是圣迭戈的國(guó)際動(dòng)漫大會(huì)（San Diego Comic-Con International）。這項(xiàng)覆蓋科幻和奇幻方方面面的年度盛事創(chuàng)始于1970年，近年已經(jīng)吸引了大量電影、電視和游戲粉絲。導(dǎo)演們?cè)谶@里試映即將上映的電影和電視劇，粉絲們則只想先睹為快?，F(xiàn)在，這類年會(huì)也已經(jīng)成為公司發(fā)布新產(chǎn)品的重要場(chǎng)所。

????今年樂(lè)高專門給粉絲們上演保留節(jié)目，而不像以往那樣把全部新產(chǎn)品的發(fā)布都留給行業(yè)展會(huì)，比如2月份在紐約舉辦的美國(guó)國(guó)際玩具展（American International Toy Fair）?！斑@一重大轉(zhuǎn)變的發(fā)生就源自于粉絲的新聞傳播能力，”科技和游戲資訊公司TechSavvy Global的首席分析師斯科特?斯坦伯格說(shuō)。“他們?cè)诓┛蜕嫌懻?，在社交媒體發(fā)帖，談笑間就傳播了新聞。他們的聲音史無(wú)前例的強(qiáng)大，所以很多公司意識(shí)到在封閉的活動(dòng)中發(fā)布新品已經(jīng)毫無(wú)意義?！?/p>

????這樣一來(lái)，同人大會(huì)和行業(yè)展會(huì)之間的界限開(kāi)始變得模糊。從前只在特邀記者參加的官方發(fā)布會(huì)上宣布的消息，現(xiàn)在也直接傳達(dá)給鐵桿粉絲，這樣的方式更加有利可圖。《行業(yè)展會(huì)完全傻瓜指南》（The Complete Idiot's Guide to Trade Shows）一書的作者琳達(dá)?馬斯格羅夫直言，這就是為了直達(dá)目標(biāo)受眾。“對(duì)那些吸引粉絲群的產(chǎn)品來(lái)說(shuō)，這樣做很有道理，”她說(shuō)。“在行業(yè)展會(huì)上，總是只有你自己和競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手面面相覷；只有在核心粉絲群聚集的大會(huì)上，你才能出點(diǎn)風(fēng)頭?！?/p>

????因此，很多公司開(kāi)始重新評(píng)估同人大會(huì)的影響，這包括全美各地的動(dòng)漫大會(huì)以及視頻游戲大會(huì)。本周雷神大會(huì)的參與者已經(jīng)從1996年的1,100人上漲到今天的將近1萬(wàn)人，其中大多數(shù)是鐵桿游戲迷。其他人此時(shí)會(huì)去歐洲一周游，他們卻常常自己駕車，到德州的達(dá)拉斯參加為期三天的盛會(huì)，除了游戲還是游戲，再有就是熱烈的游戲討論。

????他們對(duì)視頻游戲公司來(lái)說(shuō)就是夢(mèng)寐以求的癡迷受眾。貝塞斯達(dá)軟件公司（Bethesda Softworks）制作了熱銷游戲《天際》（Skyrim），公司公關(guān)及營(yíng)銷副總裁皮特?海恩斯指出：“粉絲們?cè)诶咨翊髸?huì)這類展會(huì)上有機(jī)會(huì)接觸到我們即將推出的新游戲。”

????除了能夠吸引眼球之外，同人大會(huì)還有其它好處。簡(jiǎn)單的說(shuō)，這不是行業(yè)展會(huì)。去年的電子娛樂(lè)展（Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3）吸引了4.7萬(wàn)人，要想脫穎而出何其困難。斯坦伯格說(shuō)：“像美國(guó)無(wú)線通信展（CTIA Wireless Show）、電子娛樂(lè)展和消費(fèi)電子展（Consumer Electronics Show, CES）這樣的行業(yè)展會(huì)上，人們只有不擇手段地去吸引關(guān)注?！?/p>

????不過(guò)，現(xiàn)在某些同人大會(huì)已經(jīng)在規(guī)模上超過(guò)很多行業(yè)展會(huì)了，至少在出席人數(shù)上如此。圣迭戈的動(dòng)漫大會(huì)起初并不起眼，但逐年穩(wěn)步增長(zhǎng)，觀展人數(shù)已經(jīng)達(dá)到近13萬(wàn)人，現(xiàn)在是北美排名第二的行業(yè)活動(dòng)。而消費(fèi)電子展在今年1月剛剛創(chuàng)下15.3萬(wàn)人的觀展紀(jì)錄。

????當(dāng)然，它也帶來(lái)了風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，包括排隊(duì)的長(zhǎng)龍、人滿為患的會(huì)議室，特別是向熱心粉絲解釋新產(chǎn)品的時(shí)間變短了。有的公司開(kāi)始四處出擊了。來(lái)自數(shù)碼市場(chǎng)調(diào)研公司M2 Research的比利?皮金指出：“任天堂（Nintendo）除了出席圣迭戈的動(dòng)漫大會(huì)，還要去紐約參加小型展會(huì)，這是他們的營(yíng)銷活動(dòng)的組成部分?！薄懊磕暝冢ɡ咨翊髸?huì)），我們都會(huì)召開(kāi)簡(jiǎn)短的技術(shù)會(huì)議，然后是瘋狂而有趣的粉絲贈(zèng)品派送，”顯卡廠商英偉達(dá)（Nvidia）的發(fā)言人布萊恩?德?tīng)?里佐說(shuō)。“7月份我們?cè)诓ㄌ靥m參加了PDXLAN游戲大會(huì)，8月底我們還會(huì)去西雅圖參加PAX游戲展（Penny Arcade Expo）。”

????For those who can't wait until the holidays to experience the adventures of Bilbo Baggins on the big screen, LEGO has offered a peek at its upcoming tie-ins. The toy maker is just one of several companies looking to cash in on Middle Earth ahead of the release of the upcoming film based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Last month the company announced several new products that will be available later this year. Thing is, July is usually a dead zone for toy companies making big product announcements.

????What changed? The power of San Diego Comic-Con International. While the annual event for all things sci-fi and fantasy has been taking place since 1970, in recent years it has attracted movie, TV and video game fans who come looking for the latest dish on what they'll be watching and playing in the months to come. It is where directors preview upcoming movies and TV shows. Now, conventions like it have become crucial for companies launching new products as well.

????Instead of unveiling all its products at industry only events, such as New York's American International Toy Fair in February, LEGO opted this year to save something for the faithful. "Why you're seeing this paradigm shift is really because of the fans ability to spread news," says Scott Steinberg, principal analyst for TechSavvy Global. "They talk in blogs, post on social media and generally spread the news. That voice is more powerful than ever, so for many companies there is no reason to announce it at a closed event anymore."

????As a result fan conventions are now blurring the line with industry trade shows. News that was released in an official press conference with vetted reporters is instead provided -- more profitably -- directly to diehard fans. It's a matter of going to where the target audience is says Linda Musgrove, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Trade Shows. "With those products that appeal to the fan base it makes sense," she says. "At industry shows you get caught up with competitors where at a convention with a core fan-base you can stand out a little more."

????As a result many companies are re-evaluating at the convention circuit, whether the various Comic-Cons that are held throughout the United States or events such as this week's QuakeCon video game convention, which has grown in size from around 1,100 attendees in 1996 to nearly 10,000 today. Most are hardcore gamers. Instead of traveling to Europe for a week's vacation, these fans often drive Dallas, Texas to take part in three days of intense gaming and discussion of gaming.

????For video game companies this is practically a captive audience. "Shows like QuakeCon offer fans an opportunity to get their hands on the new games we have coming out," says Pete Hines, vice president of PR and Marketing at Bethesda Softworks, maker of the hit game Skyrim.

????While companies go to the shows to generate buzz, conventions have additional advantages. Namely, these aren't trade shows. With nearly 47,000 attendees at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show, it can be difficult for companies to break out. "At traditional trade shows such as the CTIA Wireless Show, E3 and the Consumer Electronics Show many companies are jockeying for attention," says Steinberg.

????Still, some of the conventions are now bigger than many trade shows -- at least in number of attendees. San Diego's Comic-Con started small, but has steadily grown over the years reaching almost 130,000 attendees. With those numbers it actually only is closing in on the Consumer Electronics Show -- the largest trade event in North America -- which attracted a record 153,000 in January.

????That poses a risk, including long lines, crowded conference rooms and a less time to talk to excited fans about new products. Some companies have begun going to both. "Nintendo has been going to the Comic Cons in San Diego as well as the smaller one in New York regularly and this is part of their marketing," says Billy Pidgeon of M2 Research. "Every year at [QuakeCon], we host a short technology session followed by a crazy and fun fan giveaway," said Bryan Del Rizzo, Nvidia spokesperson. "In July, we did PDX LAN up in Portland, and at the end of August we will be heading up to Seattle to do Penny Arcade Expo (PAX)."