To what extent is Marvel’s success due to only one character, Spider-Man? How can Marvel develop its lesser-known characters?

1. MBA 646 Marvel Marketing in a Dynamic Environment Dr. Sheng
TEAM
PURPLE
Michael Joe Cornely
Ahmed Hassan
Grigory Shershukov
Felicita Menendez
Wemberg Estil
Marvel Enterprises Inc.
Question #5

2. MBA 646 Marvel Marketing in a Dynamic Environment Dr. Sheng
5. To what extent is Marvel’s success due to only one character, Spider-
Man? How can Marvel develop its lesser-known characters?
Spider man is the most successful in terms of box-office performance
* Spider-Man: the animated series (was introduced in 1994-1998)
was a success almost overnight
* Was one of few handful of characters who obtained the level of
‘Superheroes’
To make other lesser-known characters more developed, Marvel must:
1) capitalize on the motion pictures licensing and distribution, which is fastest growing line
2) Analyze customer needs and carry out a market research of its audience psyche from a
superhero prospective
3) to Capitalize on the strength of prominent characters but at the same time also focus on
the lesser known characters and try to turn them into potential blockbusters
4) must increasehe Low-market share
a) must acquire other publishers and diversify outside of comic book
5) Elimination of unprofitable business lines
6) Marvel needs to take a strategic risk in investing its own capital and cash flow into the
proper target researched characters.
a) investing their own money is more risk, but comes with the ability to make greater
profits.

3. MBA 646 Marvel Marketing in a Dynamic Environment Dr. Sheng
5. To what extent is Marvel’s success due to only one character, Spider-
Man? How can Marvel develop its lesser-known characters?
Marvel can also leverage existing equity of core heroes to introduce new content
with lesser-known heroes/characters in Exploratory movies
Team Composition = Core + lesser known characters
Goal of these Exploratory or Test introduction movies: is to Discover potential
core heroes ( Black Widow avengers but doesn't have her own movie)
why? Evaluate major channel alternatives with the lesser known heroes who find
success in movies will become the future core heroes and be produced by
Marvel
Marvel must keep manufacturing new figures of those lesser-known characters
and must:
a) allow artists & editors to have exclusivity contracts
b) Characters to be licensed for movies
Finally, Marvel must go ahead w/new characters and slowly phase out older ones
- or introduce them very sporadically

4. MBA 646 Marvel Marketing in a Dynamic Environment Dr. Sheng
Who would be the target audience for an upcoming superhero movie?
First ones are same people who already know and like the protagonist from comics.
So it is logical to promote the most popular ones first. Marvel already have that
information - sales information
And after establishing brand recognition with it, promote lesser-known with a link to
them (from the studio that brought you Spider-Man
Comic fans are very passionate people. They care for the characters and the correct
storyline.
Selling rights to movie studios is an example of a nonequity alliance in which Marvel
doesn't have as much control over character
5. To what extent is Marvel’s success due to only one character, Spider-
Man? How can Marvel develop its lesser-known characters?