Say what you want, the Twilight films have been a huge commercial success for Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the phenomenon. Recent reports claim the Vampire vs. Werewolf saga’s latest release, New Moon, has raked in over $280 million domestically with some sources suggesting a worldwide haul of over $450 million. With numbers like that, even the harshest critics would have a hard time arguing the commercial success of the films. And the best news for Summit is there are at least two movies left in the franchise.
Twilight’s success, however, has not come without some opposition. Husbands and film critics everywhere are smearing the characters and plot line in a whole host of creative ways. (Here are some examples: 1, 2, 3.) Though creative, the naysayers don’t even put a dent in the Twilight machine. In fact, many of the self-proclaimed haters will inevitably end up in the theater along with everyone else. (I saw it just a couple weeks ago with my wife).
And while it is been center stage lately, this polarization between raving fans and adamant critics is not unique to Twilight. We see it all the time in the marketplace. If you bring a successful product to market, or create a recognizable brand, you can be certain you will have opposition. Not just competition, but real, in your face opposition. This is the lesson we can learn from Twilight: You cannot please everyone, and what’s better, you don’t have to.
Know your consumers, know what they want, and then deliver it.
That's one way marketers really fail--trying to please everyone and not paying enough attention to the real target market. Good thoughts. Thanks.
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