I agree with mostly everything that Rich & Walt have said here, with one exception.
A TV spot can be important if it was totally generated and coordinated by your team. NBC10 put us on the news and commercials because of our two day interactive FIRST display. This example goes beyond just being on TV.
But with that being said we cut it out of our submission for other things we felt were more important to communicate to judges. Hence, Rich's robot weight analogy.
My only point being that it is a difficult task to decide. I actually don't want any more characters, just like I don't want 8 weeks to build our robot.
My point is that you have a choice to make between volume and heart. We always choose heart over volume. We want the judges to connect with our team, like you connect with a person. The problem is that you may encounter a judge that is floored by big numbers, from a big team.
That is the challenge and the choice of direction upon which you must decide.
Good luck to all at regionals on and "off" the field.
