I love John Lasseter. Not only does he have the coolest job ever on the planet ever, but he has always understood the people he is entertaining. He, and Pixar, are stand-out examples of consumer-centricity best practices.
This piece in the LATimes http://bit.ly/6ohRus offers a view into his thinking about merchandise and product development. His understanding and respect for kids is paramount to making the products compelling to play with, but also his insistence that all the characters are given their due.
Whether he calls it Design Strategy or not, he surely understands the rational and emotional drivers of a brand and how they should be translated into the rules and tools designers, manufacturers and marketers need to use. Be sure to read about the use of light green in the development of the new Princess Tiana products associated with Disney’s new “The Princess and the Frog”—spot on and defendable.
This, of course, is informed by his inherent understanding of storytelling and the connections made with audience and consumers. When Bug’s Life came out, our daughter was very young. Over time we collected plush doll of all the characters. Some were easier to find than others, but they were out there and that complete collections is somehow satisfying to us and our daughter. You see, people define a brand and the brand needs to give them the opportunity and voice to do so.
That’s the reason Toy Story is still relevant and will continue to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment