One lesson that applies to every individual and cultural institution is that your public image is a fragile thing.
That goes triple for businesses, even the biggest, most powerful megacorporations.
But still your house is built from cards arranged on a wobbly table.
I’d add, “Just ask Deadspin,” but I’m not sure it still exists.
And so it is with Disney.
Over the past … few years?
… their brand has become damaged.
As the lawyers say, “you’re able to’t unring a bell.”
How about if we do a live-actionSnow Whiteremake?"
Sexism, I guess ?Not being empowering enough to women?
Promoting the male patriarchy?
Forcing fairy tale princesses into Handmaid’s Tale-style servitude?
I’m not sure.
Parks that are already swarming with a disturbingly high ratio of childless adults.
Not to mention the fact the entire Disney empire began with that universally beloved film.
And it was not well received.
Not at all:
Bravo.
The video debuted five days ago and already has close to 2 million views 105,000 likes.
Making the ratio of views to the original 1-to-3, but the ratio of likes, 2.6-to-1.
That number will only get worse as this goofy work of art increasingly goes viral.
Your brand is seen as toxic.
And making fun of it becomes sport.
A sport more fun than the lazy, uncreative, assembly line dreck you’ve been churning out.
Who knows if Disney can turn this ship around.
But we know almost to a moral certaintySnow Whitewon’t be the thing that wins their audience back.
