Do you remember the first time you saw a light saber, or a picture of Yoda? Do you remember wondering what these things were? Most people do not, and for this reason, it seems as if everyone was born with some type of basic knowledge of what Star Wars is. But why is this franchise common knowledge, and how do people know what Star Wars is, even if they have never seen it? Why is the ratio between the amount of people who know what the movies are, and the amount of people who have actually seen them, so dramatic? And what is so appealing about the franchise that qualifies it to be so successful in the first place? The answers to these questions can be theorized in many different forms. However, in terms of how most things become popular in American culture, publicizing and merchandising may be the easiest way to explain them. In the Webster’s Dictionary, Publicizing is defined as “causing something to be publically known” or “to give information about something to the public”, and merchandising as “the activity of selling products that are related to something in order to make money” (Merriam- Webster). For example, publicity would qualify as the appearance of a movie on TV or in a newspaper. Merchandising is any physical object associated with said movie, including toys, tee shirts, or posters. These terms are the two main tools that film industries use in order to develop their popularity, and gain profit. …show more content…
Once success in merchandising and publicizing is attained, that success has the potential to develop into such a high level of popularity, that the film becomes a landmark in film culture, and possibly even impacts or alters the culture of a society as a