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What is Spinrads "thing"?

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Ixal

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« on: <11-29-18/0842:30> »
Every mega, even though they have their fingers in every pot, has something that makes them unique to us players.
S-K is the dragon corp, Aztechnology the bloodmages, Ares the gun (and bug) guys, etc.

So with Spinrad replacing "the matrix corp" I wonder what their unique feature(s) is? Certainly it won't be the matrix. Maybe Cyberware? That doesn't seem to be claimed by any other mega, although cyberware has fallen into the background a bit.
What else? Being "The Johnny Spinrad Show"? Or is there anything else special about Spinrad I have missed?

Beta

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« Reply #1 on: <11-29-18/0914:51> »
I don't know if it qualifies as a 'thing' but they are the dominant corp in the arabian penninsula, and are quite aggressive in Africa -- areas which SK had somewhat viewed as its backyard.  Although Johny himself is of European descent and the Spinrad side of things started off in Europe, I'd guess that the centre of gravity of the company (in terms both of operations and profits) is well south of any of the other big 10.  For sure they are still going to be big in cyberware and fashion and more broadly 'lifestyle,' but for big parts of the globe they may also seem less of an outsider than are the other big 10.

Crimsondude

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« Reply #2 on: <11-29-18/1818:43> »
Wait.

Mirikon

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« Reply #3 on: <11-30-18/2346:36> »
But speculation is fun, Crim!

Anyways, Spinrad has been big in the cyberware and other tech type circles for a while. Maybe not bleeding edge stuff, but they definitely have the cool stuff, with some hot marketing. Depending on what they grabbed from Novatech's assets with the golden ticket, there's a good chance they could have some new matrix chops, as well, with stuff from the Fuchi days that Villiers held on to.
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Crimsondude

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« Reply #4 on: <12-01-18/0040:14> »
But speculation is fun, Crim!
Of course. I should've added that there's a media book in the pipeline, but I'll be honest and say that there's far more written and discussed that could fill its own book. I summarized every AAA in one word and not lightly.
« Last Edit: <12-01-18/0042:20> by Crimsondude »

Mirikon

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« Reply #5 on: <12-07-18/1426:28> »
But speculation is fun, Crim!
Of course. I should've added that there's a media book in the pipeline, but I'll be honest and say that there's far more written and discussed that could fill its own book. I summarized every AAA in one word and not lightly.
Oooh, another book like Attitude or Corporate Guide? Color me intrigued!
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PiXeL01

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« Reply #6 on: <01-08-19/1752:57> »
When is this pearl of a tome estimated to be available? Quarter estimations suffice :D
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Boring7

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« Reply #7 on: <01-12-19/0320:18> »
To be fair, a lot of megas seem to overlap each other.  When Shiawase's "thing" is (and I quote the Core Rulebook) "Shiawase has its hands in nuclear power, environmental engineering, biotech, heavy industry, technical service, minerals, military goods," and S-K's "thing" is "heavy industry, chemicals, finance, and aerospace with a presence in many other areas" it starts to run together. 

SpinGlobal though...a friend of mine made the joke-that's-true, "SpinGlobal is 50% the entirety of Global Sandstorm and 50% Johnny Spinrad himself, the rest of Spinrad Industries was a rounding error."

Aside from his overwhelming ability to grab the attention of everyone in the dang world, Johnny's business has always been catering to (and fleecing) the elite.  From Omega-level clinics to his insanely over-priced commlinks everything about Johnny Spinrad is about the neo-royalty of the 6th world.  The Incorporated Caliphate is a perfect springboard for that, being a merging of royal families, religion, "divine right of kings" and overwrought opulence. 

Meanwhile his "cyberzombie without the penalties" augmentations challenges Evo on it's home turf, his positioning geographically reaches into Wuxing and S-K's zones, his sheer PRESENCE as a public figure pees on Horizon and Aztechnology's territory, and having access to fanatics in large numbers is equal to any reputation of having scary or impressive paramilitary groups like the Red Samurai. 

Ixal

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« Reply #8 on: <02-08-19/0535:34> »
To answer my own question a bit, No Future has some stuff about SpinStorm. As expected it is mostly about its media presence, but fashion is mentioned together with the Grand Tour.

And SpinStorm is indeed playing up the personality cult strategy. Their entertainment goes more into the direction of (scripted) reality trideos featuring Spinrad (doubles).
Same for their news industry where they are creating "trusted faces" for their various agencies.

This setup requires of course a very good protection for those people both from bodily harm and blackmail and apparently the Storm part of the company is quite good at that.

SpinStorm also seems to have inherited some of the Villers curse together with the golden ticket as it is made up of several different factions which are not on good terms with each other. Mainly Spinrad and several arabic families with different levels of conservatism.
So far it works as SpinStorm is successful and the families are united in their hate for Johnny.