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Bravery and Wall-e
sethgodin.typepad.com — Pixar, recently purchased by Disney, could crank out multi-billion dollar confections . . . And with just one movie a year, they certainly must have been under huge pressure to do just that. And yet, instead, they make a great movie. A movie for the ages. A film, not 90 minutes of commerce.
rustybrand- 37 diggs
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- rustybrand, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Marketing too often is focused on "marketing", not giving a great product. Kudos to Pixar.
- nickgwyn, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2What about the the heaviest Facebook marketing I've ever seen? I'd say that counts for something.
- sptrobb, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0Seth is right on as is pretty typical.
- pixelbud, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1We saw the same thing with Ratatouille too. Pixar focusing on making great films. Not a commercial promotion. Otherwise we would see " Buy N Large " the movie. :P
- fedex22, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0I'm trying to apply that same philosophy from an ad agency. Imagine what the clients say...
- wendellwit, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0"Cars" was Pixar's one BIG compromise to merchandising. And a merchandising success it is. And there will be a "Cars II". But sometimes that's what you have to do to get "Ratatouille" and "Wall-E" made.
- zenbeaver, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0I think Seth should take his own advice, when you have nothing to say, be silent. Although he is obviously a v smart guy, his increasing tendency to trip himself up in tautology can be a little, well, redundant. Be cool, be splendid, a fellow marketer.
- paulmerrill, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0It was an interesting movie - yet I left feeling like I missed something. But the slams on WalMart and obesity were excellent.
- stevevance, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0I feel that these references could not have been more obvious. I wonder if children were able to get the message.
- jsinkeywest, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1All I know out of the top 100 blogs someone is in my seat;)
http://potpolitics.com - oscargamble, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0While I see Seth's point, I wonder how brave Pixar really is in this instance. This is an established brand with a devoted following. Any movie they put out now will require very little marketing in order to become a success. Bravery would be an unknown brand forgoing the fancy marketing campaigns and hoping that somehow their product would be discovered, purchased, and talked about.
- Cyberpawz, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Pixar was a failed company when it first was bought by Steve Jobs, it is now a powerhouse. The one that amazes me it that people say that Pixar is an established brand while it only has less than a dozen full length movies out, this is a phenomenon that has hardly ever been duplicated.
Pixar is a massive powerhouse because it is careful what it produces, Pixar has a perfect record upon creating movies that recoup all production costs and then provide capitol after the fact. We can't say the same for Paramount, and others of the sort.
Wall-e to me was marketed very smartly, it didn't overflow the market with advertisement, it placed whatever advertisement it had very smartly, and what ever merchandise there is out there for Wall-e I think probably will not stay on the shelves for long. I would possibly expect Apple to get involved somehow with this, but I may be wrong.
I personally am waiting for the opportunity to go back to the theater to sit at the bench and take a picture of myself near Wall-e and Eve. The movie was very well done, it made some Mac people like me smile, it also had some things in there that only the life long Mac people perhaps can take away from it, but otherwise this is a true kids movie, there are no real double entendres, no real things to look towards, etc... it was a simple and fun movie, and I for one enjoyed it.
Sure there are Pixar fans, but how many times can you actually say that there are people a fan of a movie company, and not the producers, or the characters themselves?
If people are going to watch a movie because they know the company that developed it is good, I say that is a very good thing, and I wish Pixar and now Pixar/Disney all the luck in the world. I just hope that Disney doesn't influence Pixar's view of things too badly in the long run. I personally don't think Steve Jobs will allow that, but that is me.- rustybrand, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1It is interesting. The only other movie company that I can think that has similar fans is . . . Disney (at least, historically).
- cbordeaux, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0I disagree with Pixelbud on Ratatouille. That was marketed strong. My kid has so many Remy's and Emile's, etc. around the house it isn't funny.
I haven't seen as much with Wall-e though. I was skeptical about how good it would be. I have to see it now. As of right now, it is #6 on the Top Rated Movies of all time by imdb.com and it actually has a higher raw score than any movie. Could it eventually overtake The Godfather for the #1 spot? Only time will tell, but I need to go see it.- conradsalvador, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1Wall-E is hands down the best film of the year so far. Go see that movie now, there is nothing else worth watching.
- pampelmoose, on 07/02/2008, -0/+0Here's another POV on Wall-E http://www.social-cache.com/2008/06/wall-e-conscio ...
- skyeguy, on 07/04/2008, -0/+0Pixar is like a band that takes chances. Not cranking out the same album over and over-but challenging their audience as they experiment with different sounds and genres. The reason they are brave is BECAUSE they are established and successful. They don't rest on their laurels, yet they have much more to lose. I went to see Wall-e with my 7 year old with very low expectations. The limited advertising that I saw showed very little. I had no idea as to the dark themes of this film. I was concerned that my daughter would lose interest, but of course that was not the case. To be able to tell a story that captivates both a 47 and a 7 year old is quite a feat! Let me know when the next album comes out!
- agentzoey, on 07/09/2008, -0/+0I'm happy as a PR professional and a mom that this movie has a message with substance. I tire easily of mindless movies that really were made just for the marketing opportunities. Zenbeaver...you are an oxymoron. It is quite obvious Seth had something to say as did Pixar: a message of social consciousness...Did you not get that part? Of course as the saying goes (loosely), "Those that need to heed advice are often the one not listening."
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