Industrial

With Star Wars superfans apparently satisfied with the choice just announced of J.J. Abrams to direct the next movie in the franchise, the folks at Disney must be feeling some relief. According to MTV News, at least TheForce.Net is with them. The curator of that fan site, Eric Geller, told its reporter that “J.J. Abrams is a huge Star Wars fan and will bring respect and familiarity to the job.” For those needing a refresher on “the story so far,” Star Wars’ creator George Lucas sold his empire back in November for $4.05 billion, handing over to Disney all rights to the Star Wars brand and properties. The latter promptly announced plans to launch a third trilogy of Star Wars films in 2015, a move that will keep the brand alive and serve as a platform for selling products to a new generation of fans. But for deeply loyal Star Wars fans—and there are many of them—the news seemed to occasion more angst than excitement. Said one: “I feel sick. It’s like having your Mum have an affair and remarry.” Another appealed to George Lucas to save his baby from Disney’s worst excesses: “Please don’t make us regret this George. You still owe us big time for introducing us to Jar Jar Binks.” Another registered doubts with a phrase featured in many Star Wars movies: “I have a bad feeling about this.” Customer loyalty like this might seem like a nice problem to have—and it is. But it creates real challenges for the brand that is so admired. It would be one thing if your product’s biggest fans loved it unconditionally. But they don’t; they expect that love to be rewarded with respect for their preferences. And if they perceive that you are “selling out”—sacrificing the purity they value for higher revenues—they are quick to punish. (Taken from the source).