Pixelotto

[Coding Monkey]

Just wondering what you good folks think will happen of Alex Tew now that it seems Pixelotto has "failed", in that it's come to a complete stand still, having reached not quite 10% of its intended amount of $2m and no purchases within weeks. Of course, by anyone's standards, selling pixels for $150k is an achievement, but surely it's in some way dented his reputation as an entrepreneur.

If anything, hopefully it's a sign to those wannabe's.

 

[fastfences]

I don't think he'll lie down. Within a few weeks I believe it will be 're-launched' among a hoo haa of bells and whistles.

I don't base this upon fact, but upon the make-up of a person (Alex) who seems not to accept failure.

Cheers, Nigel

 

[Optegris]

I agree Alex will try something else but I think the failure of the idea was caused simply as it wasn't original. The MDH was completely unique and that's why it succeeded...

 

[Kelly @ Shop4thelot]

I had never heard of it until now - didn't do so well in the media then?

To be honest I didn't get MDH when it came out

 

[garyk]

I dont think it will dent his reputation, every successful person has their fair share of failures, if you dont try you will never know. As above it wasnt unique enough to be an interesting or newsworthy item. MDH was a fantastic idea I thought.

 

[pebblebf]

If Alex Tew had came up with pixelotto first, it would have been even more of a success in such a short space of time, yes the concept is the same as the first except with 2 differences (encouraging more people to click on the adverts) and (the chance to win $1,000,000 which is 500k in todays conversion if you happen to be the one that wins the money. Still I would grumble if I won it Although maybe, people are just feeling like yes, he is offering 1million dollars to a lucky winner, but he is also getting a cool million out of it himself from a spin off idea. It may have been more of a success to give 1 million dollars to charity, and 1 million to a winner, while generating 2 million dollars of interest from his efforts.

 

[JustOneUK]

I think he missed the fact that not many people would want to advertise for a shorter (and shortening all the time) period.
I am happy to be there with my tiny advert for the full year, and be one of the few.

Hopefully the page will just sit there forever like the original... and there will be no "reloaded draw"
If he changed it tomorrow and said that, I think it could well fill up, have a draw for $1M and sit there as a piece of internet history, just like the first... instead of a piece of internet failure (if you can call $150k profit a failure)

James.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Alex is a pretty good Businessman I would say. However even with what he's managed I can still sense an essence of naivety in what he's said and how he has approached some of his ideas.

 

[10Yetis]

This will no doubt bite me on the ass and he will go on to become the Prime Minister but... I think he has had his moment.

Like in music with the all important 2nd album, the second business idea is the vital one as it has to demonstrate the first was not just a flash in the pan and this has (for the moment) bombed.

He used his fantastically good media links to get the second one off the ground but he was not able to leverage anywhere near as much coverage, or should I say sustained coverage for it to even touch MDHP.

With MDHP he was lucky in that he got a tiny bit of coverage in the UK to get some funds in (and I cannot wait to read his book where he is apparently going to give his side of the story as to how he got the coverage at the start, rumours are aplenty in the PR industry) and then he used that money to buy the services of a good publicist in the USA and get a high profile media tour over there (yes, shocker, he paid for all that), which in turn got him the second wave of UK print and TV coverage as the British media followed up on the USA coverage about this successful young Brit.

Part of me thinks/hopes Pixel Lotto is maybe part of some bigger master plan because since MDHP he has consistently told everyone he was working on his second business which was going to be a killer of a new idea that needed monster funding but then he launched Pixel Lotto which disappointed many.

I think I secretly want him to succeed just to prove to everyone that he was not just lucky with his first idea, but at the minute I am not convinced.

Does anyone know by the way, was he the first to ever do a pixel advertising site?

 

[Eagle]

Greed.....

 

[SillyJokes]

People liked the quaint naivety of the MDHP, it was a good human story of British ingenuity, but the second one as Eagle said, simply smacked of greed.

Plus we had all seen numerous copycats already so it seemed pathetic for him to be just as bad as them.

 

[10Yetis]

Plus we had all seen numerous copycats already so it seemed pathetic for him to be just as bad as them.

As ever, a good point made by Caroline... after all, it was Alex himself who went public on Shell Livewire several months ago having a pop at those who copied his pixel idea in some form or another and telling people that they should come up with something fresh and new... and then he launched another pixel site.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

I completely agree with Andy's first post on this thread, I was just too afraid to say it

 

[JamieM]

I'm sure it's not doing as well as he planned but hey, nobody's perfect.

You can't write him off for making one 'mistake'. Jeezz, how many have we all made? (and learned from) For some reason it seems easier to be negative towards someone who has had a large previous success. :|

Personally, I think Alex will be a long term success and I expect you'll be able to read about his pixelotto business in his impending book.

 

[10Yetis]

I just realised I have turned into the British media stereotype in that I b uilt him up and then knocked him down.... grr... I need another satsuma and to think about what I have done.

 

[Faith28]

Unfortunately it seems in business/politics/work, you're only as good as your last job.

And though he has made a great name for himself, I think that some will view this as a failure. Nevertheless, the more you fail the more chance you will succeed...again... in his case!

 

[Spiritus]

I have to disagree here.

Alex Tew is not the business genius everyone seems to think he is.

He was inventive enough to come up with an idea that was original and clever enough to maximise it's potential. The business model for the MDHP was as flimsy as hell. The people who advertised on it didn't get much business from it. The only person who profited was Alex himself.

He was only able to achieve this by studiously contacting every radio station, newspaper and TV station with his story of being a penniless student and how his new website would help to to pay of his debts and to be perfectly honest it could be argued that many of the advertisers who paid for pixels on his site did so out of charity.

I'm not having a dig at the guy the only point I'm making is it was a flash in the pan, a one off. I'll be very surprised if he can come up with something as succesful ever again.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

I have to disagree here.

Alex Tew is not the business genius everyone seems to think he is.

He was inventive enough to come up with an idea that was original and clever enough to maximise it's potential. The business model for the MDHP was as flimsy as hell. The people who advertised on it didn't get much business from it. The only person who profited was Alex himself.

He was only able to achieve this by studiously contacting every radio station, newspaper and TV station with his story of being a penniless student and how his new website would help to to pay of his debts and to be perfectly honest it could be argued that many of the advertisers who paid for pixels on his site did so out of charity.

I'm not having a dig at the guy the only point I'm making is it was a flash in the pan, a one off. I'll be very surprised if he can come up with something as succesful ever again.

I actually agree with you and I have thought this for a while. He's smart and cunning but not necessarily a good businessman.

 

[cjd]

The pixel idea was a one off novelty.

It was spun really well and generated enough hype to attract the gullable but there was never a sustainable business model there.

Now, let's all foget about one hit, instant wonder businesses and get our nose down hard for ten years of hard graft developing real businesses.

 

[JustOneUK]

Now, let's all foget about one hit, instant wonder businesses and get our nose down hard for ten years of hard graft developing real businesses.

Ouch! that sounds like hard work.
Let's get down to some serious delegation, and watch the cash roll in from the beach

James.

 

[DotNetWebs]

I agree with all the comments about it being a one-off novelty and him getting lucky through media sympathy etc.

I believe a follow up pixel site was a HUGE mistake especially considering the comments he has made about copycat sites etc.

I think Alex would have done much better selling 'himself'. The book, film, after dinner speaking, 'motivational' courses.. that sort of thing. I am sure with the right guidance he could have made a career out of it.

To do another pixel site is a bit like Jade Goody going back into the Big Brother house. You can't be sure the public will love you the second time around. She should have stuck to Hello magazines etc.

Regards

Dotty

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

I believe a follow up pixel site was a HUGE mistake especially considering the comments he has made about copycat sites etc.

You're right. However he masked this from himself by introducing the concept of advertising for companies and rewards for clicks, he even said on the BBC news once that it's a complete success and an endless cycle, it can just keep going and going. Even the laws of physics explains his problem, it's impossible to create perpetual energy.