According to LA Times writer Patrick Goldstein's May 26th article, IMAX is finally coming around, this is following another off-the-cuff statement to Goldstein from IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond where the Executive insulted bloggers...
"The bottom line is: We're listening to our customers. We're commissioning a study from a Hollywood market research firm, who's going to see how big of an issue this is. Is it just a few bloggers or is there really a bigger adverse audience reaction?"
It's that last sentence that was the slip. Mr. Gelfond, any 10 year old with a twitter account can tell that your original problem was a massive PR disaster. You were written up in every major news source and if you did a analytic search on any major site from facebook to google, you'd see that the lack of disclosure on screen size seriously ticked off hard core IMAX fans, your core audience base. If your topic is big enough for bloggers, especially Celebrity bloggers, it's a problem period, let alone New York Times, LA Times, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, MTV, and more. It is absolutely amazing to me that a major corporation like IMAX can so blatantly and repeatedly blow off it's core audience.
Consider the following...
First, they rolled out screens without disclosing to IMAX fans that not all of the screens were traditional size and charged a premium on the new screens.
Then, when their core audience started complaining, the company reaction was of complete arrogance and denial instead of simply addressing the problem, it could have been wrapped up in one news cycle. Clearly Gelfond, wasn't thinking with his business cap on and took Aziz Ansari's rants personally.
Then after realizing there was a mistake, the Gelfond suggests that they are going to conduct a survey to make sure it's an actual problem? Seriously?
That's just plain stupid or at least stubborn. Know your core audience dude. (Eye roll.)
During a followup lunch mentioned in the same article, Gelfond returned and changed his position...
"I want to be clear," he said. "We're going to do something about disclosing information. Period. The market research survey is really just to help figure out what to do, not if we should do something. We are going to give people more information -- it's just a matter of how and where."
Whew. Thank goodness, looks like somebody finally got through to him.
