Cassidy LeDonne

Journal 12

4/24/17

Marketing of Harry Potter

In the article “Truth is Stranger than Magic: The Marketing of Harry Potter”, author Anne Galligan talks about all the positive and negative things being said about the marketing of Harry Potter.  Galligan talks about the decisions J.K. Rowling made and she allowed or didn’t allow some things to be marketed.   J.K. Rowling created a global phenomenon in Harry Potter. As an author, she has the right to market her phenomenon the way she wants to.  I completely disagree that some parents, nutritionists and other health-advocacy groups were upset that J.K. Rowling allowed a partnership between Coca-Cola and Harry Potter.  Galligan states “One nutritionist declares that the partnership between Coca-Cola and Harry Potter ‘is a sad example of unconscionable marketing’.”  J.K. Rowling has a right to market the way she wants too and Coca-Cola were to offer that nutritionist a “three-year, eighteen million dollar campaign” for something that they published, I doubt that nutritionist would say no either.  Besides, just because J.K. Rowling agreed to the campaign with Coca-Cola, it doesn’t mean she’s promoting unhealthy eating just like some of the health-advocacy groups were claiming.  Kids shouldn’t have to worry about drinking Coca-Cola at a young age, and it’s not like J.K. Rowling was allowing Harry Potter to be in the drug market campaign.

Putting the negative thoughts about the critics of Coca-Cola aside, there were many other critics to J.K. Rowling’s global phenomenon.  Author, Anne Galligan, states that other people like conservative groups “charge that the books/films are anti-Christian, promoting witchcraft and Satanism.”  J.K. Rowling has defended her Harry Potter series time and time again, stating that she is a Christian herself and she actually puts hints of bible verses throughout the books.  I feel like people have nothing better to do with their lives but be jealous and constantly be a critic of someone else who is succeeding more than them.

Aside from the negative critics about how J.K. Rowling markets Harry Potter, there are many positive critics and other positive things happening from what J.K. Rowling is doing.  Anne Galligan states that J.K. Rowling has a “willingness to contribute to selected charities.”  At the end of the day, J.K. Rowling is benefiting herself by getting Harry Potter more globalized but at the same time she chooses to benefit others as well as herself.  From all of J.K. Rowling’s willingness to contribute to charities, she was then labeled as a hero author.  Galligan states “Rowling received an OBE and an honorary Ph.D. after HP4 for her services to literature.”  Though Rowling is doing positive things with her marketing of her Harry Potter series, she is also benefiting from it like no other.  J.K. Rowling is one of the richest females in the world.  With all the marketing she is doing, she has to be a billionaire by now.  Lego paid J.K. Rowling $100 million for the construction license and Coca-Cola paid $150 million for its food license.  These aren’t even counting how much money she made from all the movies, Harry Potter World in Florida and other various other Harry Potter items.

Rowling has done a brilliant job marketing her Harry Potter world. She has turned down the right people when she needed and has never said no to an amazing opportunity. Anne Galligan states in her article that “Twice a year she negotiates with Warner on possible Potter products and claims success in vetoing particularly crass prototypes.  The Moaning Myrtle Toilet Seat, for example, did not eventuate.” J.K. Rowling has, in her own way, made Harry Potter as famous as he is with help through marketing.  She turned Harry Potter into a well-known, any aged global phenomenon.