Al Lutz reporting marketing push for 2011

[MiklCraw4d]

The only bear Disney should market is:
Big Al

This.

With the possible exception of Humphrey bear.

Duffy, I do not understand. I can't believe they'd push something that has no connection to anything aside from being a stuffed animal they want to sell. One that, ironically, already failed to sell in the US. Of course, I guess if they figure people will shell out for Vinylmation they'll shell out for anything. It's obvious I'm not the target market - I can't fathom waiting in line to buy an expensive and decidedly unspectacular teddy bear just because Disney told me to.

 

[sublimesting]

You're delusional if you honestly believe that. A great many people skip Disney. And I think a lot of people give Disney too much credit. A good portion only visit for a few days, which is why it isn't until after what, 5 days, that each additional day is only $3. I know people who only go to Disney maybe one or two days, and those are the ones with small children. Disney isn't the only thing in Orlando, and people know this.



Prove it is a fad.



Star Wars and Harry Potter both have fan bases that could rival each other in terms of passion...and possibly even numbers. They both have their detractors as well. But I'm not convinced that Star Wars could really rival Potter, as its heyday is long over. The new films didn't really create any new fans. And Star Wars merchandising is pretty limited. Jo Rowling created such a diverse world, merchandising opportunities are endless.



Prove it's a fad. I'm sure Star Wars was considered a fad as well. Disney is making a huge mistake if they think princess-related merchandise will compete with Potter. That merchandise will appeal only to girls (and a few select boys), whereas Potter's merchandise appeals to every demographic.

Star Wars far excedes HP in terms of popularity and fan base. Its heyday is far from over There are tons of new young fans of the SW universe....note the merchandising of toys, clothing, posters, etc. Not to mention new shows such as the high rating Clone Wars, the up coming live action show as well as the upcoming Star Wars weekly sitcom type show coming up.

I like HP alot but without the books and movies and now Universal there isn't much going on with it. It doesn't appeal to as large of an audience.

If Disney was wise they would dedicate a huge portion of HS to SW. That would absolutey crush HP at Uni.

 

[DisneyNut2007]

Ehh... bad taste.

Really, this whole thread is pathetic.

The online community is quickly becoming a parody of itself. The fact that this thread has gone on for so many pages with nothing but negativity over a VERY MINOR marketing push speaks volumes.

No wonder Disney could care less what the fanbois think.

If board members would approach subjects with a little less rabid negativity, maybe Disney would give us the time of day.

It's like 90% of you disagree just to disagree.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[AndyMagic]

Star Wars far excedes HP in terms of popularity and fan base.

With what data are you basing that statement on? Everything I've ever read has stated the opposite.

 

[JimboJones123]

With what data are you basing that statement on? Everything I've ever read has stated the opposite.

HP wins respectability, but Star Wars wins marketability.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

HP wins respectability, but Star Wars wins marketability.

The main difference in that argument is actual and potential.

 

[_Scar]

Ehh... bad taste.

Really, this whole thread is pathetic.

The online community is quickly becoming a parody of itself. The fact that this thread has gone on for so many pages with nothing but negativity over a VERY MINOR marketing push speaks volumes.

No wonder Disney could care less what the fanbois think.

If board members would approach subjects with a little less rabid negativity, maybe Disney would give us the time of day.

It's like 90% of you disagree just to disagree.

Yes, exactly. Because always being positive, optimistic, and cheery about Disney's actions means things will change.

HP wins respectability, but Star Wars wins marketability.

Harry Potter stores in the park are jam packed with people. Give the franchise time and it will surely give Star Wars a run for its money or perhaps even beat it. After all, aren't most Star Wars "toys" just collectibles? You usually don't play with things unopened.... so they're toys?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm not going to sort thru this whole thread right now because I don't have time. I saw a few posts and thought I'd throw this out there. Forgive me if it's repeat info.

I don't see this being *THE* marketing campaign for 2011 as in "Year of a Million Dreams" or "What Will You Celebrate?". From what people are saying about Disney wanting to grab more merch dollars out there and knowing what I do about Duffy, this is most likely going to be aimed as the next big merchandise craze as in pin-trading, vinylmation, etc.

I first read about Duffy on Jack Spence's blog on Allearsnet a few months ago. Scroll down a little ways and you'll see it here. ((Moderating Gods, that link is not to boost bandwidth...it's for informational purposes. Please forgive the linky-pooh.)) After I read the blog I was intrigued, naturally, considering I'm a doll-collector and love toys and such. I went to eBay to do more looking around. What I've been able to gather from my hunting is that Duffy is not the same as the Disney Bear. First & foremost, he's bigger at 17" vs. Disney Bear typically at 13". Also, go search for Duffy on eBay. Last one I saw was going at $1000 USD. It's a collectible. They will market it as such. It won't be just for kids, just for girls vs. boys, etc. Duffy is for everyone!

It makes sense that Disney bring Duffy to WDW. Ever wonder why no Build-a-Bear at WDW? There's Build-a-Dino but that's not the same. Most everyone had a teddy bear at some point in their lives. I know plenty of adults (not just doll collectors) that collect Build-a-Bears. This is a great way for Disney to cash in on another new collectible that has a broad appeal.

Duffy is huge in Tokyo. I think I read he has a female counterpart sold at Tokyo Disney Sea named Tilly or Tilly May or something like that. There are groups of people who make clothes/costumes for their bears then show them off in the parks.

I'd looooove to see Duffy at the US parks. Well, maybe not so much because I'll be broke as a joke. But I'm excited. This is super duper awesome news for me. Personally, I can't wait!

Again, I don't see Duffy being a bad thing. I don't think he'll be the focus of a year-long promotional campaign. I think Duffy is another collectible that is going to be introduced in the hopes it takes off like it has in Tokyo.

I'm in! :sohappy:

 

[SleepingMonk]

There are groups of people who make clothes/costumes for their bears then show them off in the parks.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Harry Potter stores in the park are jam packed with people. Give the franchise time and it will surely give Star Wars a run for its money or perhaps even beat it. After all, aren't most Star Wars "toys" just collectibles? You usually don't play with things unopened.... so they're toys?

Yes & no. My 30 year old brother-in-law is a Star Wars collector (among other things). A friend's husband who is my age-ish (30-something) is a Transformers and Star Wars collector. Both of these guys tend to buy 2 of everything when it comes out. One is to keep mint in the package & the other is to open up and put the accessories on and pose on the shelf (aka "playing" for adults). They both do this with both vintage and new figures, toys, sets, etc. Plus, when 30-something Star Wars collectors have children they sorta inherit the love. My friend's little boys have all their own toys like Daddy's and they run around with their Star Wars guns "pew'ing" everyone. There's a trickle down. HP is a new generation of Star Wars geeks. :wave:

 

[stlbobby]

HP wins respectability, but Star Wars wins marketability.

Not true at all. Star Wars, what latter became A New Hope, is one of the most respected films in history. It is a cultural and cinematic milestone still taught in film schools across the country. It won six Oscars, was nominated for Best Screenplay, Best Picture, and Best Director, a huge coup for a genre picture, and received a Special Achievement Award for sound effects because the art was so revolutionary the academy didn't have an award for it at the time.

It is #14 on IMDB's Top 250 user's poll. And it is considered by most cinefiles to be the second best film of the trilogy behind The Empire Strikes Back, which ranks at #10 on IMDB. None of the Potter films crack the top 250.

Beyond the accolades, reviews, and intense academic studies Star Wars became part of the fabric of American society in a way few media ever do. The film was not only a stunning achievement in its own right, but it changed the way the industry thought about movies. Marketability, opening weekends, sequels, and blockbuster potential, for better or worse, all became considerations in movie production. The way films were released and the make-up of the release calendar still reflects the changes wrought by Star Wars.

The re-releases in the 90's were major events.

There are very few film trilogies that reach the heights of respectability that Star Wars achieves.

Roger Ebert reviewed the film twice, upon it's release in 1977 and again at the end of the 20th Century. In '77 he wrote, "Star Wars taps the pulp fantasies buried in our memories, and because it's done so brilliantly, it reactivates old thrills, fears, and exhilarations we thought we'd abandoned when we read our last copy of Amazing Stories."

In '99 he penned, "Like Birth of a Nation and Citizen Kane, Star Wars was a technical watershed that influenced many of the movies that came after. These films have little in common, except for the way they came along at a crucial moment in cinema history, when new methods were ripe for synthesis."

You can read the full reviews at:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19770101/REVIEWS/701010315/1023

and

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990628/REVIEWS08/906280301/1023

And you should because they are representative of the critical acclaim heaped upon Star Wars and how it's place in cinematic history only gets larger as time passes.

And while I am not familiar enough with Harry to judge there is a whole segment of the population that feels Rowling just ripped off Tolkien, so the respect for Harry isn't as universal as you'd like to portray it.

As I said before I'm not here to kill Harry Potter, but it really isn't in the same stratosphere as Star Wars in terms of popularity, artistic adoration, or marketability, but then few things are.

 

[stlbobby]

Harry Potter stores in the park are jam packed with people. Give the franchise time and it will surely give Star Wars a run for its money or perhaps even beat it. After all, aren't most Star Wars "toys" just collectibles? You usually don't play with things unopened.... so they're toys?

There are many collectors that buy the toys and, "leave them on the card," but there are way more kids and adults that play with them just like any other toy. I think the sheer diversity of the Star Wars universe and continuing production of cartoons, comics, and books will make it hard for anything to even come close to the overall success of the Star Wars toy line.

 

[misterID]

And while I am not familiar enough with Harry to judge there is a whole segment of the population that feels Rowling just ripped off Tolkien, so the respect for Harry isn't as universal as you'd like to portray it.

As I said before I'm not here to kill Harry Potter, but it really isn't in the same stratosphere as Star Wars in terms of popularity, artistic adoration, or marketability, but then few things are.

Whoever said HP is ripping off Tolkien is an idiot... Or a bunch of idiots. And to be honest, I've never heard of anyone saying this, let alone a "whole segement of the population."

I think HP has staying power. And its not a fad. I'm not a fan of the franchise but someone would really have to have their head buried deep in... the sand to not see how big of a franchise it is. This is aimed at the people who think that for more than decade that HP is just going to suddenly die out in a year, like they've said, is really fooling themselves.

What's bigger, I don't know, but HP is on the same level as Star Wars and Tolkien.

 

[_Scar]

Half the Star Wars films are deemed incredibly stupid. Harry Potter will have a total of 8 films and if all goes to plan these last 2 films will be the best of the bunch. All 6 so far have had critical acclaim and that's hard to get when it's just an adaptation of a book series original.

To say HP is not even in the same category or is somehow ripping off LotR (.) is so incredibly stupid that 'stupid' is the only word I can think of when describing whoever claims this. Sorry. The facts are all there.

Harry Potter is already the top grossing film franchise ever. Star Wars is third. This doesn't even count book sales.

 

[DisneyParksFan1]

I think the perfect counterattack TDO could use for Potterland would be not just the FLE, or the 40th Anniversary and coaster, but also a Star Wars themed land. They would have to get everything down to the last detail like with Potterland, and have immersive areas and attractions. And not a bunch of M&G's.

 

[stlbobby]

What's bigger, I don't know, but HP is on the same level as Star Wars and Tolkien.

HP is not anywhere near the artistic, cultural, or money making enterprise Star Wars is. The two are not even in the same discussion. Star Wars literally changed the world in multiple ways. It is studied on college campuses around the world. HP is huge, but other than Star Trek, I can't even think of anything that would come close to the impact of Star Wars.

Harry Potter is already the top grossing film franchise ever. Star Wars is third. This doesn't even count book sales.

You're forgetting that ticket prices have increased drastically since Star Wars was released so the raw grosses aren't an accurate measure. And if your counting book sales then you need to count the over three hundred Star Wars titles that regularly make the best selling trade paperback lists, and the hundreds of comic books and graphic novels.

As I said earlier I am not familiar enough with HP to make a judgement on it vs. Lord of the Rings. But the most ardent Middle Earth fans despise the boy wizard. There are undeniable similarities, does it rise to the level of rip-off I can't say, but here are two excellent and evenhanded comparisons:

http://www.haftamag.com/2007/07/10/harry-potter-vs-the-lord-of-the-rings/

and

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/09/great-geek-debates-the-lord-of-the-rings-vs-harry-potter/

Also here are two lists of the similarities:

http://www.mugglenet.com/hpvslotr.shtml

and

http://baheyeldin.com/literature/jk-rowling-borrowing-from-jrr-tolkien.html

 

[_Scar]

HP is not anywhere near the artistic, cultural, or money making enterprise Star Wars is. The two are not even in the same discussion. Star Wars literally changed the world in multiple ways. It is studied on college campuses around the world. HP is huge, but other than Star Trek, I can't even think of anything that would come close to the impact of Star Wars.



You're forgetting that ticket prices have increased drastically since Star Wars was released so the raw grosses aren't an accurate measure. And if your counting book sales then you need to count the over three hundred Star Wars titles that regularly make the best selling trade paperback lists, and the hundreds of comic books and graphic novels.

As I said earlier I am not familiar enough with HP to make a judgement on it vs. Lord of the Rings. But the most ardent Middle Earth fans despise the boy wizard. There are undeniable similarities, does it rise to the level of rip-off I can't say, but here are two excellent and evenhanded comparisons:

http://www.haftamag.com/2007/07/10/harry-potter-vs-the-lord-of-the-rings/

and

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/09/great-geek-debates-the-lord-of-the-rings-vs-harry-potter/

Also here are two lists of the similarities:

http://www.mugglenet.com/hpvslotr.shtml

and

http://baheyeldin.com/literature/jk-rowling-borrowing-from-jrr-tolkien.html

That's only your opinion on what is personally better. Checking the actual numbers, it's a fact that they are all on the same level and I'd go as far to say as Tolkein not anywhere near the level of SW and HP. :shrug:


And I've never heard of those even being compared before. From the movies, I can say that the two are nothing alike- but I'm not a big reader to know full depth.

 

[stlbobby]

That's only your opinion on what is personally better. Checking the actual numbers, it's a fact that they are all on the same level and I'd go as far to say as Tolkein not anywhere near the level of SW and HP. :shrug:


And I've never heard of those even being compared before. From the movies, I can say that the two are nothing alike- but I'm not a big reader to know full depth.

This isn't my opinion. The money portion is easy enough to prove. The Star Wars movies themselves are some of the most profitable ever. Not only was Star Wars the reigning box office champ until ticket prices shot through the roof it was produced on a shoestring budget. Master Yoda stated on another thread today that the Star Wars toys alone have made over $9 billion. Besides the films there are hundreds of books and comic books that always sell well. The money question is undeniable.

The cultural impact is easily documented. Just search You Tube for Star Wars and Harry Potter homages, or track down the number of documentaries and books written about each, or look at how many college classes cover the each. The fan base for Star Wars literally reaches across three generations and shows no sign of slowing down. The icons of the series have been woven into the very fabric of American life.

Harry is very popular, but most still consider it children's literature, albeit very good children's literature. It has a huge following, but is not part of the vernacular the way Star Wars is.

Artistic is somewhat more subjective, but I spent post number #146 detailing how both respected film critics and IMDB users consider Star Wars a classic.

I think some of the posters aren't old enough to remember or have forgotten just how massive Star Wars was when it opened. I can't even find something in today's society that comes close to the phenomenon of Star Wars. Lines wrapped around theaters weeks after the movie opened. Television news crews covered the theatrical run week after week. The characters, plot, and catchphrase were well known by everyone. Imagine a movie as technically innovative as The Matrix, as massively popular as Spiderman, and as critically acclaimed as the Godfather all wrapped up in a single film.

As far as the comparisons between HP and LOTR I posted two lists and two essays examining the similarities. Some are more obvious than others, but the stories definitely share some aspects.

 

[lebeau]

Over 30+ years, Star Wars had grossed more money and had more of a cultural impact than HP has in... however many years its been around (too lazy too look it up).

Irrelevant.

Right now, today, HP is more "in demand". Star Wars may have a larger fan base. But they aren't as devoted as the current HP fans. And Star Wars fans have had their demand for Star Wars product met for decades. Potter fans have been starving for this stuff.

In 10 years time, the demand for Potter may have cooled off. But the demand for Star Wars may have cooled too unless Lucas does something to stoke interest. If it weren't for the success of the Clone Wars cartoon series, I think Star Wars would likely be back to it's early 90s state of dormancy.

As I stated before, I'm a huge Star Wars fan and I don't have any interest in Potter. But even I can look at this objectively and say that Potter is currently the hotter franchise.

 

[Chester&Hester Enthusiast]

HP is not anywhere near the artistic, cultural, or money making enterprise Star Wars is. The two are not even in the same discussion.

You keep saying that you're not very familiar with the Harry Potter franchise, but then you decide that you can make statements like that? Don't admit that you don't know much about something and then try to assert an incredibly flawed opinion on others.

For the record, Harry Potter based curriculums are also taught on college campuses. As in, entire courses devoted to the series... not just blurbs in film and cinematography classes.

*shrug*