I'm growing concerned with the ads

[Steve Piranha 29,420]

Hey, we are practically only a month away before the movie premieres. I think it's about time we see Lionsgate to take the promoting job more seriously don't you think . Perhaps I'm a bit negative on it, but I can help but to think that these comments about Lionsgate not taking it's promoting job seriously may have at least some truth. 

Just in case, I propose we do our part to spread the word. I highly doubt we should spread love for the movie, but instead, hate. It's simple: we encourage people to freak out that a movie about ponies is really coming out,  the haters will swarm, and spread the word in a poor attempt to boycott it, but we all know well it'll backfire; JUST LOOK AT THE EMOGI  . Go to 9gag, facebook, or any social media you can think off. DON'T, PROMOTE, THE, MOVIE; at best you should be vague about your love of ponies, like: "Hey, is this real? :shows the trailer:" or "Hey, apparently there will be an MLP movie". But expressing disdain and hate, I believe will work best, at least in more public places like 9gag. In the latter, encourage everyone to spread the word, so they'll attempt to boycott it like I've mentioned. It should work

[FirePuppy 735]

There's something I have to warn you about: Paramount Animation planned a movie (The Little Prince) once, and they canceled it ONE WEEK before its scheduled release in theaters. There's a slim possibility Lionsgate might do this as well.

By the way, we're actually 38 days away from the film today, and already, there's a TV spot for at least one different film set for release on the same date as this one, Blade Runner 2049 (October 6).

Edited August 29, 2017 by FirePuppy

[heavens-champion 1,905]

Let's hope all of that merchandise Hasbro's selling is enough.

[cmarston1 5,959]

I don't really think there is need to worry about this.

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

So your thought on how to get people interested in the film is to go and spread hate and anger about it?

Sounds legit. It is like you have no confidence in the film at all to carry itself.

• The people who plan to see the film are going to go see it. (Or catch it later in some alternative method)
• The people who have no plan to see the film are not going to go see it. (Unless they are forced to for some reason)
• The people who are on the fence will wait until they have more information before deciding what they want to do.

Spreading the word it sucks will just sway them away even more from a theatrical release which is the whole point of building up hype. There may still be people unaware of FiM and as such, the film... but I don't think slandering it and creating a smear campaign to try and get people curious is the way to go. You have to remember for the most part, those not in the know, see MLP as ONLY a little girls cartoon, and as such it will carry that stigma to the general casual movie going crowd. The Emoji movie was aimed at everyone in the current cellphone/online/digital world.... male, female, young, old, etc...  It did not have any stigma attached to it, people could just go to see it just to see if it was really as awful as their friends said... MLP is going to be that movie a lot of people (in the casual audience) don't want anyone to know they went and saw. The more hate you spread, the more likely you will dissuade them from going. You are better of promoting the positive aspects of the cartoon and hopefully the film, encouraging those uninformed to check it out.

[Steve Piranha 29,420]

1 hour ago, GrimGrimoire said:

 

Spreading the word it sucks will just sway them away even more from a theatrical release which is the whole point of building up hype. There may still be people unaware of FiM and as such, the film... but I don't think slandering it and creating a smear campaign to try and get people curious is the way to go. You have to remember for the most part, those not in the know, see MLP as ONLY a little girls cartoon, and as such it will carry that stigma to the general casual movie going crowd. The Emoji movie was aimed at everyone in the current cellphone/online/digital world.... male, female, young, old, etc...  It did not have any stigma attached to it, people could just go to see it just to see if it was really as awful as their friends said... MLP is going to be that movie a lot of people (in the casual audience) don't want anyone to know they went and saw. The more hate you spread, the more likely you will dissuade them from going. You are better of promoting the positive aspects of the cartoon and hopefully the film, encouraging those uninformed to check it out.

Guess you're right, Emoji was commercially successful because the concept appeal to the masses, something that ponies still don't  . Well, I also think that the trailer can be shown to show them that these horses mean business, but I think it's better to approach all with skepticism or just neutral. Neither love nor hate, just to build curiosity  

[Kaneki 1,073]

I think that this movie will appeal to bronies and the target audience as well, so what is there to be worried about?

There are a lot of bronies around, so I really don't think the fandom will be dying out any time soon. While yes, it is good to expose people to something you really care about, I believe there's really nothing to be worried about on that end. Quality-wise though, we'll just have to wait and see. I'm not worried though, I'd probably enjoy it anyway.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,392]

Wouldn't spreading hate the for the film be entirely counter-productive? Why not be open and positive about it all? If Lionsgate won't, then we sure can. I bet there will be a big boom in advertising shortly before the film's release, but the current lack of ads worries me that they might not be taking this movie as seriously as others.

[Mirage 24,752]

The last thing we want is for MLP to be 'mainstream'. That would be a complete disaster. I'm in agreement with others here - leave it be and enjoy it for what it is. It doesn't have to be a smash out blow out - it just needs to be genuine FiM.

[StrawCherry 1,673]

I don't think you should spread hate about it, of all things. But really, does it matter much who get to watch it?  I will watch it, I'm sure you will too. There are so many bronies out there who'd like to see it, either in the cinema or some other way. Many young children love My Little Pony, so they will go as well together with their parents. I don't even see why promoting it in any way is necessary. As long as you get to watch it and maybe enjoy it, what do other people matter?

[Gestum 2,493]

Bronies have been around for way to long for the "hate campaing" to work. 

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

52 minutes ago, Mirage77 said:

The last thing we want is for MLP to be 'mainstream'. That would be a complete disaster.

Why would that be a disaster? Isn't that what most bronies would seek from the show someday? For it to be more mainstream, accepted and viewed as "normal"?

Being viewed as more than what it is by people is how the show has gotten exactly where it is 7 years in. 

[Mirage 24,752]

26 minutes ago, GrimGrimoire said:

Why would that be a disaster? Isn't that what most bronies would seek from the show someday? For it to be more mainstream, accepted and viewed as "normal"?

Being viewed as more than what it is by people is how the show has gotten exactly where it is 7 years in. 

It's just my opinion. I'm new to the brony scene, so I don 't know what the 'fandom' in general wants. But what I see is fierce criticism when the content is bland or superfluous or pandering - and a lot of excitement when it's edgy(in a cute way), original and creative. 

And when I see 'mainstream' I think  - the masses of people that don't really think for themselves and just do things and buy things because everyone else is doing it, political correctness and lame tropes about current events.

[FirePuppy 735]

2 hours ago, Kyoshi said:

Wouldn't spreading hate the for the film be entirely counter-productive? Why not be open and positive about it all? If Lionsgate won't, then we sure can. I bet there will be a big boom in advertising shortly before the film's release, but the current lack of ads worries me that they might not be taking this movie as seriously as others.

That's not the only bad thing we know. Coco, which by the way, gets released in theaters in November, already has gotten some TV spots before this movie, as so has a different movie set for release on the same date as My Little Pony: The Movie.

Edited August 29, 2017 by FirePuppy

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

59 minutes ago, FirePuppy said:

That's not the only bad thing we know. Coco, which by the way, gets released in theaters in November, already has gotten some TV spots before this movie, as so has a different movie set for release on the same date as My Little Pony: The Movie.

Why are those bad things? What does a movie coming out an entire month later and an action sci-fi film have to do with the success or failure of the MLP movie?

2 hours ago, Mirage77 said:

It's just my opinion. I'm new to the brony scene, so I don 't know what the 'fandom' in general wants. But what I see is fierce criticism when the content is bland or superfluous or pandering - and a lot of excitement when it's edgy(in a cute way), original and creative. 

And when I see 'mainstream' I think  - the masses of people that don't really think for themselves and just do things and buy things because everyone else is doing it, political correctness and lame tropes about current events.

The fandom is all over the place with it's wants.. but in general most of it does want to see continued growth in the fandom and more acceptance from the general public. Growth in the fandom can lead to more increased and varied content as well as expanding the franchise in new directions. Of course it can also lead to the franchise becoming watered down and bland as well... but that can be avoided by clever writers and toymakers that continually try to evolve their ideas instead of sit on the same joke for X years because it got a laugh once upon a time.

[Mirage 24,752]

37 minutes ago, GrimGrimoire said:

The fandom is all over the place with it's wants.. but in general most of it does want to see continued growth in the fandom and more acceptance from the general public. Growth in the fandom can lead to more increased and varied content as well as expanding the franchise in new directions. Of course it can also lead to the franchise becoming watered down and bland as well... but that can be avoided by clever writers and toymakers that continually try to evolve their ideas instead of sit on the same joke for X years because it got a laugh once upon a time.

I agree - I too would like to see the ponies stay popular and attract more fans - just not at the expense of content. But that doesn't necessarily mean it needs to go mainstream - please no.

[Goat-kun 2,527]

Nah, hatred doesn't work that way. I should know.

 

Wanna brew a real shitstorm? You too can do it by following the 34 easy steps. Oh, you'll get your public disdain alright.

[Ganondorf8 11,295]

I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet because of a lack of advertisement regarding the movie. Besides, Hasbro has been doing things that aim to promote the movie without relying on television ads/commercials so I would like to think they know what they are doing. I know Lionsgate is involved with the project but it ultimately falls onto Hasbro to deliver as the IP belongs to them.

[FirePuppy 735]

12 minutes ago, Ganondorf8 said:

Hasbro has been doing things that aim to promote the movie without relying on television ads/commercials so I would like to think they know what they are doing.

Hope so, but I still think we need some TV spots for this film.

[PinkiePie97 913]

I doubt Blade Runner will hurt the MLP movie. Both movies have different target demographics. As for the TV spots, it's not unusual for them to start about a month before the movie is released. I'm aware Disney is already advertising Coco, but that's Disney. I would guess that the TV spots will start next week, if not, the week after. There also is a commercial for the swimming Pinkie Pie toy that mentions when it will be in theaters, so I think that's at least a start. I think the movie is fine.

Edited September 1, 2017 by PinkiePie97

[Jeric 46,851]

On 8/29/2017 at 0:55 PM, Mirage77 said:

The last thing we want is for MLP to be 'mainstream'. That would be a complete disaster. I'm in agreement with others here - leave it be and enjoy it for what it is. It doesn't have to be a smash out blow out - it just needs to be genuine FiM.

I understand what you are trying to say, but being genuine and appealing to a broader base can be part of an encompassing motif ... they aren't mutually exclusive. 

Hasbro is actually banking on increasing revenue slightly from broadening interest in the toy line, so their goal is to bring it a little more mainstream. I say slightly because they have realistic earnings goals that they delivered to investors -- and the fans generally do not.

The fandom -- especially in this sub forum -- seem hell bent on declaring anything sub 60m opening weekend an abject failure. This isn't like any other animated film. 

So, I wouldn't worry about the film creating a deluge of new fans that alter the direction of the show. Hasbro wants to sell more toys to kids that generally don't give a rat's add about what most of the adult fandom hyper focuses on. Those 8-10 year olds are likely not going to be a vocal social media component demanding alterations.

15 hours ago, PinkiePie97 said:

As for the TV spots, it's not unusual for them to start about a month before the movie is released. I'm aware Disney is already advertising Coco, but that's Disney.

Yes! This is an important thing. I said on a Discord chat to chill about the lack of TV spots. I said that analysis usually shows that they are more effective two weeks prior to opening day. That comment yielded a steady stream of proof that a person can use Google to search "Frozen TV spots". 

And at that moment, I realized what the heck is really wrong with the internet and people who debate on it. As Qui-Gon once said - the ability to speak (or type out your thought) does not make one intelligent.

Critical thinking guys. And also, when you are certain you are right, and base that on your ability to do grade school level research you are probably wrong. I hear mturk is a good place for transcription. 

On 8/29/2017 at 5:58 PM, FirePuppy said:

Hope so, but I still think we need some TV spots for this film.

I'm going to illustrate a point at exactly how useless the internet can be for some things, unless you are already trained in a particular field. 

Why? Why is this important? 

[Mirage 24,752]

50 minutes ago, Jeric said:

I understand what you are trying to say, but being genuine and appealing to a broader base can be part of an encompassing motif ... they aren't mutually exclusive. 

Hasbro is actually banking on increasing revenue slightly from broadening interest in the toy line, so their goal is to bring it a little more mainstream. I say slightly because they have realistic earnings goals that they delivered to investors -- and the fans generally do not.

The fandom -- especially in this sub forum -- seem hell bent on declaring anything sub 60m opening weekend an abject failure. This isn't like any other animated film. 

So, I wouldn't worry about the film creating a deluge of new fans that alter the direction of the show. Hasbro wants to sell more toys to kids that generally don't give a rat's add about what most of the adult fandom hyper focuses on. Those 8-10 year olds are likely not going to be a vocal social media component demanding alterations.

We can only hope that the creators remain genuine in order to broaden appeal - but these two spirits can become exclusive if one loses site of the other. We've seen this happen in entertainment all too often - right Bono? REM? Nightmare on Elm Street? I think what I'm most worried about is a 'sell out' to be 'popular'. If becoming more popular (and let's not kid ourselves, MLP is popular) means compromising its 'spirit' - then it will burn up like a Roman candle - and probably have a little hiss and puff and the end too. The fandom, I suspect, will ensure its death - no matter how much vinyl is pressed into the storefronts. On the other hand, the fandom needs to stay sane. Lots of intelligent ponies in the fandom - and quirky, and dorks like me, but I do my best to, what can I say, represent the spirit of the show by being kind, polite and forgiving - and not so ostentatious as to alarm moms and dads to the point of mistrusting little toys...

And so, can the creators bring the masses to itself with good content, or are they going to throw a Hail Mary into pop culture to get noticed?

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

I may not have seen much straight up advertising for the movie, but I have seen a lot of merchandise for the movie. It makes more sense when thinking this way. You gotta remember, MLP is first and forenost a toy based property and Hasbro is a toy company. They probably want to focus on advertising through the toys. Which yeah is odd by a movie perspecive, but I never predicted this movie bringing in big numbers anyway.

And I wouldn't go as far as say the movie is gonna get canceled. It would be really awkward for that to happen now, especially after the art book, the junior book, the official movie concessions, and the many toys have already been released for it. Unless something really controversial happens involving the movie or someone involved with it in the coming weeks, then I wouldn't worry. 

[FirePuppy 735]

Only one month left now... and still not a single TV spot anywhere! 

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

I thought that the second trailer would be shown this Weekend.

Edited September 10, 2017 by Buttonmash1973