Movie marketing and merchandising is a rather touchy subject for one. One of the reasons I really don't care for DreamWorks Animation is it's marketing. For example, every time a Shrek movie comes out, you see that annoying green ogre on every box of cereal, bag of chips, and box of candy for three months before. When it finally comes, you feel like you have to go just to get him out of your head.

Pixar and Disney do marketing, but it's much less a barrage of the senses from all sides. Also, it's tasteful. Today I was a the Mall of America, and a couple months ago they added large video screens to the tops of the mall directory stands in the middle of the halls. For a while they promoted the Phase II Expansion, but recently they've been running content from CBS Outdoor, including ads and some CBS network content. Well, anyways, today they were running almost non-stop the Ratatouille full trailer. I like that. It's not plastering the ads everywhere, but it's hitting you softly with actual real content that will show you what the movie is about.

Which is better? A movie that's desperate for your attention or a movie that just is offered for your viewing pleasure? Often, you'll find that the overhyped have little substance but the well-marketed actually are enjoyable and meaningful, I think.