Rushfield at the Ankler hits yet another home run.
= = = = = START QUOTE:
For the past decade, Hollywood’s greatest product has been volumes of chatter about ourselves, our problems, our shortcomings. There are important points to be made and problems to be addressed to be sure, but ideally those conversations would happen in the context of an industry that’s very focused at winning over customers. It’s no coincidence that the audiences appear to be abandoning Hollywood at the same moment when Hollywood has all but forgotten about them.
Let us not forget as much as the fools and demogogues will be pushed in our faces, if this country is ever going to heal and get past this miserable period, we have a role to play that no one else can do — to console, comfort and re-connect the world. No small thing but that is what entertainment at its best is for.
There are few members of the entertainment industry who don’t consider themselves part-time poltical strategists, secretaries of state and all-purpose commentators, and plenty who think the balance of democracy hangs on them getting one more zinger into their X feed. If this industry is to go on, it has to be able to reach everyone. An industry that has told half to two-thirds of America they are IDIOTS and we want NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM, is not an industry that is able to support very many more lunches at The Palm every month.
= = = = = END QUOTE.
In a later podcast, Rushfield hits the point even harder:
“At a time when the world is on the fence about whether Hollywood is needed or not, calling them names will help them decide.”
This old Chevy film for salesmen makes the same points in nearly the same form.
1. Ask questions.
2. Let the customer talk. Find out what he needs or wants.
3. Don’t argue. Arguing just makes people mad. You don’t get people to buy things by making them mad AT YOU.
4. Concentrate on the main objection. Answer it to the customer’s satisfaction.
What’s (4) the main objection to Hollywood? It’s (3). The main objection to all modern entertainment, movies or TV or novels or politics, is that it BANGS US OVER THE HEAD AND CALLS US IDIOTS AND RACISTS AND HOMOPHOBES AND LOW-INFORMATION AND FASCISTS AND A THOUSAND OTHER GROTESQUE INSULTS.
If we could RELY on books and movies and TV to just fucking ENTERTAIN, without constantly PUNCHING US IN THE FACE, we might come back. But the RELIANCE is going to take a LONG PERIOD of serious compensation and UNCEASING UNQUESTIONABLE ASS-KISSING BOOT-LICKING RESPECT. We need to know with ABSOLUTE IRONCLAD BLOOD-OATH CERTAINTY that EVERY SINGLE BOOK AND TV SHOW AND NOVEL will reliably provide what it says on the label, instead of revealing a toxic centipede after we’ve consumed half of the glass. No more Gusano Rojo.
= = = = =
Carmakers provide good examples of the long compensation. Chrysler did it in 1963 after several years of low quality and weird styling. They cleaned up the quality, offered serious warranties, and brought in Engel to clean up the styling. Ford recovered from the crappy 70s with Quality is Job 1.
Slogans aren’t enough. Big Science and Big Politics constantly pretend to seek Better Messaging. Messaging isn’t the problem. Torture and genocide and starvation are the problems. Until you stop torturing and strangling and impoverishing and disemploying and slaughtering us, your messaging only makes things worse. We’re not idiots. We know when we’re being ruined.
Polistra's Mill 