Anna Daniels
Look, $2.7 million dollars is a lot of money by any stretch, and the question has to be asked: did Disney make the right decision, or should the studio have cashed in using a more conventional marketing campaign to introduce Baby Yoda? Now that we’ve posed the query, let us answer with a hearty laugh and the assertion that yes, the Mouse House absolutely made the right choice.
First of all, it stands to reason that including Baby Yoda in the marketing push for The Mandalorian may have set Disney back a comparable amount of cash. The show’s shooting schedule may have had to be shuffled around to make sure that certain shots would be available for marketing materials, different one-sheets from the ones we got would have to have been produced, and additional funds would have to have been shelled out to advertising types to develop a marketing strategy for the little tyke, just off the top of our heads.
Second, the fact that toys weren’t available for the holiday season doesn’t mean that those who want them won’t purchase them when they are available. Heck, when Baby Yoda plushies showed up for pre-order on Disney’s online store, the allotted number initially made available sold out in a matter of hours. Disney was prepared for the character’s popularity; by the time Baby Yoda action figures and toys are widely available between March and May of 2020, everybody who wants one will be able to get one, and that basically means literally everybody.
Finally: $2.7 million dollars may be a lot of money, but to Disney, it’s freaking pocket change. This is the studio that released Avengers: Endgame last spring, and that flick made $2.7 billion dollars. The movie was one of six Mouse House releases to make more than a billion bucks in 2019. Its theme parks and merchandise generate billions in revenue every year; Disney+ picked up 10 million subscribers on its first day. Disney is doing just fine.
No, we’re thinking that the approach to Baby Yoda’s marketing was absolute genius, and it’s all down to a pleasant conversation that Favreau and Glover had, discussing Beyoncé on their coffee break. Now, if Queen Bey’s next surprise video would feature a dancing Baby Yoda, we’d really have something. We’re pretty sure we’re the first to have that idea; we’ll take a nice fruit basket as a thank you, or $2.7 million dollars. Whichever is easiest.
Written by: Looper
