Avatar will be much more than movies in the future
 

So think JC and Jon Landau. They've just hired a big gun in the industry to "guide the Avatar brand".

Excerpts:

Kathy Franklin has been named President of Franchise Development at Lightstorm Entertainment. Announced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, the hire signifies Lightstorm's commitment, in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox, to building the franchise and brand of AVATAR beyond the traditional licensing and merchandising avenues.

Cameron commented, “Anticipating the exponential growth of the Avatar universe, we looked for someone who could lead a team that will cement Avatar as a world class brand across all platforms and markets. Kathy’s experience, coupled with her drive and vision for what Avatar can be, made her the right choice.”

Franklin is a seasoned leader with a proven record of designing and implementing industry-leading branding, growth and communications strategies. As Vice President of Global Studio Franchise Development for Disney Consumer Products, she led the strategies that drove the Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, Cars and Toy Story franchises while building integrated partnerships with film, television, and online divisions of The Walt Disney Company.


There's more, for the whole article, click here

That's good news, there's no such thing as too much Avatar :D

Avatar is so much more than a movie - we know it, JC knows it, Jon Landau knows it... it will be good if the whole world knows it!

(then we can always show them our tongues & say: "See? See? We told you!" :P)

Great news!

Cool.

Now please don't lose your soul to marketing and advertising.

kthxbai.

Brands have no soul. It is the way of things.

I guess someone's a little money hungry.

I don't care if it's a brand or not. I don't really care about brands. It's copyrights that get me down :(

I have no real care for such branding either. I'm fine without more merch. In fact all this talk of licensing, platforms and markets...I'm not sure how I feel about it.

The best Avatar-related things I have aren't the kinds of things you can just pick off a store shelf.

It depends. If it means things like the book, good. If it means more good quality merchandise, very good :).

If it means Avatar is going to go the way of ST/SW (tonnes of non-canon written by randoms, some good, much OK, some very bad), then VERY bad.

I suppose hopefully it can inspire some creativity amongst the general population.

Yeah it's more of the way you live your life, and what goes on in your head and heart. It's not about marketing the latest blah, blah, blah, yackety-smackety.

You go out there everyday to make a difference. You may get bruised and battered, but you pick up your shield, sword, and bow clean yourself up for the next days battle.:war:

I'm surprised that people are taking this so positively.

Each sees what one Sees. Yeah, I am enthusiastic about the world knowing more about Avatar - thru whatever it takes, including marketing & advertising even. "Here, this makes you living your life flying high - have some!" :) On the other side, after reading posts here, I got a bit upset: "Will the magic be killed by money??" One of my best friends was actually turned off Avatar precisely by all the noise about it: Avatar fashion, Avatar mobiles, Avatar cars... whatcha on about! (but I got her to see the CE a week ago & she loved it ;))

On the third side... when I walked in some clothes store (not typical of me) in Autumn 2010 I was pleasantly surprised, even awed, by the abundance of Pandora colours. Beautiful pinks, purples, green... Especially here in Catalonia where people choose black or brown in winter! For me it was such a feast seeing these shades...

So I am thinking: if Avatar reaches people thru something even so seemingly superficial as fashion... why the bleep not?? After all Spirit is all that matters. I side with all people here who say: "What you feel matters; how you live matters, what goes on in your heart & mind matters". Life is life, no more no less; the world is what you See in it.

A part of me is saying that the more that Avatar permeates popular culture, the better... That maybe more people will latch on to it's message, it's philosophies and it's encouraged ways. And while I do agree that what we have from the Avatar experience is something a lot more than just a high-street selling point, the other side of me also arges that it will "lose the magic" as a result. I know for a fact that many people would buy into it just because it's cool, or new, or fashionable, and will never really discover the message in the long run, and that to push such blatant marketing is actually a betrayal of the original intent itself.

But then, having said that, maybe the money would go back into the film so giving the 'wider audience' thing again... Or charities... but it could just go into their pockets...

I don't know, this is a difficult one. I think it's safe to say either way though, that i'm more than happy having no physical Avatar merchandise, but rather something far more valuable.

hope for this!

ah but it's up to them... depending on Seeing...

well this makes my face like this :hmm::S *violently scratching my head & hissing* - this is what I am afraid of! but I daresay the risk - if it brings the message across - will be worth it. Or no? I am full of doubts here but I hope...

arrgghhh again "personal choice".

I respect your opinion. In mine... erm... can it be both? *tugging at Pandora Blueskins T-shirt*:P (I feel quite Home in it...)