Commercialization of Star Wars

[KMFJD]

So many commercials and tie ins with Star Wars is really putting me off on the franchise...nothing special about it any more.



/end rant

 

[BoomerD]

It's nothing new...Star Wars has been commercialized since the first movie...but the tv commercials thing is newer...since the LAST movie IIRC.

 

[MtnMan]

Uh... isn't it all about making money?

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Nothing says opposition to imperial rule like a Nissan Sentra.

 

[zerocool84]

It's nothing new...Star Wars has been commercialized since the first movie...but the tv commercials thing is newer...since the LAST movie IIRC.

Yea seriously, tons of toys, a damn Christmas special, nothing new here.

 

[KMFJD]

Like what tf does Star Wars have to do with selling cars...

 

[KMFJD]

Yea seriously, tons of toys, a damn Christmas special, nothing new here.

that makes sense, cars/suvs?

 

[mikeymikec]

Star Wars's original purpose was to sell merchandise, so complaining about the commericalisation of it seems a little pointless.

 

[destrekor]

It's nothing new...Star Wars has been commercialized since the first movie...but the tv commercials thing is newer...since the LAST movie IIRC.

Agreed.

Yea seriously, tons of toys, a damn Christmas special, nothing new here.

that makes sense, cars/suvs?

None of this is really new though. Popular characters are attached to merchandise all the time and yes, even in ads to sell vehicles. The Peanuts gang has sold countless things before.

I mean, it's kind of annoying, but it's been happening forever, both to the Star Wars franchise itself, and to all of the media industry. Not much different than a star from a movie about a thing, hawking some product on screen, rarely as an authentic individual but as a character or even caricatures of themselves.

 

[quikah]

the star wars fans of the 80s are buying cars today. make sense to tie it in.

 

[KMFJD]

Agreed.





None of this is really new though. Popular characters are attached to merchandise all the time and yes, even in ads to sell vehicles. The Peanuts gang has sold countless things before.

I mean, it's kind of annoying, but it's been happening forever, both to the Star Wars franchise itself, and to all of the media industry. Not much different than a star from a movie about a thing, hawking some product on screen, rarely as an authentic individual but as a character or even caricatures of themselves.

Good point, just wanted to rant as i was forced to watch all the crappy commercials during football....

 

[snoopy7548]

the star wars fans of the 80s are buying cars today. make sense to tie it in.

And their children want all the Star Wars toys. Double win!

 

[shortylickens]

So many commercials and tie ins with Star Wars is really putting me off on the franchise...nothing special about it any more.



/end rant

Umm, welcome to 1977?

 

[Chaptorial]

 

[GagHalfrunt]

So many commercials and tie ins with Star Wars is really putting me off on the franchise...nothing special about it any more.



/end rant

Any more? Any more?!?!?!?!??????? You're just getting turned off now? Where have you been for literally the last 40 years? Lucas had the merchandising rights sold six ways from Sunday before the first movie opened in 1977. That first year Star Wars Halloween costumes sold out, the Christmas toys sold out and Hasbro was actually selling IOUs, taking money to promise delivery of the toys sometime after Christmas. Even Burger King had Star Wars glasses way back then. And they were real glass.

 

[sdifox]

So many commercials and tie ins with Star Wars is really putting me off on the franchise...nothing special about it any more.



/end rant

err whut? SW was the pioneer of merchandising. It's like complaining water is wet.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It really is sad how commercialized it has become. People are forgetting the true meaning of Star Wars.

 

[Zorba]

The real problem is that Nissan's ads suck and they show them over an over again. I wouldn't be surprised if 50% of the price of a Nissan is in advertising.

Meanwhile, VW knows how to make a Star Wars ad.

 

[Starbuck1975]

I don't get the Nissan commercials, especially the one where the young girl almost rear ends another car, and the father exclaims, bewildered, "it stopped for you." WTF

 

[KeithTalent]

Well episode 7 was fucking awful but it seems like star wars has only become more popular since that pos for whatever reason. Feels like there are two different companies with star wars ads at every commercial break these days. Drives me crazy and has pretty much made me hate the entire franchise now, which is sad.

KT

 

[Sonikku]

Star Wars's original purpose was to sell merchandise, so complaining about the commericalisation of it seems a little pointless.

No it wasn't. They hardly made any toys at all for Star Wars. They were so caught off guard by the demand that they were selling pieces of cardboard for Christmas with a "promise" of getting you your figures once they were able to get production going the following year.

 

[mikeymikec]

No it wasn't. They hardly made any toys at all for Star Wars. They were so caught off guard by the demand that they were selling pieces of cardboard for Christmas with a "promise" of getting you your figures once they were able to get production going the following year.

It doesn't change the fact that George Lucas secured the licensing/merchandising rights before Star Wars was released. Considering that the Star Wars franchise pretty much invented merch, and that he thought of doing this in advance (poor initial execution aside), it's the reason why he's a billionaire today.

 

[Jon-T]

It doesn't change the fact that George Lucas secured the licensing/merchandising rights before Star Wars was released. Considering that the Star Wars franchise pretty much invented merch, and that he thought of doing this in advance (poor initial execution aside), it's the reason why he's a billionaire today.

Yes he took a gamble in going for the toy rights, they were crumbs that no one else wanted and he got lucky. The movie was not made with the intention of selling toys, that concept in marketing had not been invented.

Toy sales were the effect of Star Wars, not the cause.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Yes he took a gamble in going for the toy rights, they were crumbs that no one else wanted and he got lucky. The movie was not made with the intention of selling toys, that concept in marketing had not been invented.

Toy sales were the effect of Star Wars, not the cause.

WTF planet are you living on? Disney was merchandising the shit out of their movies for almost 50 years before Star Wars came along. Star Wars managed to take it to the next level because that was the first franchise that successfully sold toys to adults as well as kids.

 

[shortylickens]

WTF planet are you living on? Disney was merchandising the shit out of their movies for almost 50 years before Star Wars came along. Star Wars managed to take it to the next level because that was the first franchise that successfully sold toys to adults as well as kids.

Yeah Disney actually gets some of the very best businessmen in the world working for them. They know how to market like no one else and they find ways to make money where others dont see it, or have previously tried and failed. Disney's people are brilliant actually, I just think sometimes they destroy perfectly good entertainment in pursuit of the almighty dollar.
The new batch of movies are written specifically to pander to the nostalgic crowd, but I was actually hoping for some original stories. I think some folks forget the reason the original 3 movies are so loved is they told (at the time) some kinda sorta new stories and they were well made. Lucas had almost no original ideas in his next set of films and I was glad he sold the rights to someone else, hoping they'd get a fresh start.

I was wrong.