When New and Improved isn't Necessary or Better

Years ago there was Coke and Diet Coke, and then a funny thing happened. The Coca-Cola Company decide to change the formula, to change with the times to make it new, improved, better and it would break into the Pepsi drinkers market. New Coke did none of those things. Yes on paper it looked like a good idea. The marketing gurus were sure of it, they said it tested well, but somehow New Coke did nothing more than make people yearn for the original Coke. Yes there would always be Pepsi drinkers who would never ever drink Coke, no matter what they tried. Why did they even mess with it was the biggest cry from their customers. But by bringing back the original formula under pressure from their consumers it not only brought back the loyal soda drinkers that love their Coke just the way it was, but also brought in some new customers. Like to think it was because they saw Coca-Cola admitting that consumers knew the products better than they did and know what they like. It didn't make a difference if they knew what Coca-Cola secret formula was, they just like the way it was. Because tweaking and changing little bits and lots of bits created something that might have looked like Coke, but was nothing close to it. It didn't have that specialness that made it Coke.

And in a way, the same is for Hollywood. On November 11, 2005, an article ran on Jake in the most unlikeliness of place, the Wall Street Journal. Entitled "Will Jake Take?" and it was talking about how Hollywood was pushing Jake to the front to be a leading man. This ran right after Jarhead's premiere in the U.S. and before Brokeback.

To quote reporter John Lippman, "But for the moment, there's a gap between how he is being perceived, packaged and promoted in Hollywood and the degree to which the public likes or even is aware of him." Even then there were plans in place. Sometimes Hollywood picks you to fill that gap. "Demographics in part are playing a role in Hollywood's interest in Mr. Gyllenhaal. The cohort of serious young male actors in their mid-20s is very thin, giving the 24-year-old Mr. Gyllenhaal a leg up when it comes to selecting movie projects. 'There are not a lot of people right now under the generation of Tobey and Leo.' "

So slowly we have seen the repackaging of Jake happen over the last two years. But was there a need to repackage Jake? Has this repacking, perception and promotion made him better? Or has it made him like the New Coke. Has taking the indie out of him taking away the charm? Was Nailed his chance to do something edgy once again? Was his ambiguity the part of the secret formula? Or was it that "real thing" that made people want the Classic Coke, or Classic Jake back in this case?

Why does Hollywood feel that new and improved equals better?

There are some that want to know what it is that's put in Coke to make it Coke. And it is right on the label for everyone to see. You just don't know how it is mixed. And frankly you don't care, you just like the end result. In a way Jake was like that. All the ingredients were right out in the public, if you looked, but no one knew how they mixed together exactly to make a Jake. But they like the Jake that was there. Now you see everyone from both sides of the aisle looking for Classic Jake again.

In February of 2005, only 21% outside of Hollywood knew who Jake was, and his "Q Score," which measures how much people like a performer, was a tiny 8%. While it was predicted that those numbers would rise after Jarhead and Brokeback. And they did but did they rise enough, or did this most current Hollywood repackage plan of devoted and straight boyfriend sink his battleship, and see his Q Score drop?

Now some will argue that he has grown up, matured, changed. Yes there is a big difference in years in your twenties. Many would say that he is participating in this that he is responsible. But the real question is: Why does Hollywood force the actors to change when they are successful? Why do they feel that there is such a need to repackage their stars?

Sometimes new and improved isn't necessary or better. Coke learned this the hard way, and unfortunately Jake is starting to learn this too.

Hollywood stop telling us what we want, and let us decide for ourselves. If there are consumers that can bring down the most recognizable brand name product in the world, and teach Coca Cola a lesson, moviegoers can do the same thing.

Middle America doesn't have as much of a problem as you think they do, it's just what you marketing guys tell you. You are never ever going to get all the Pepsi drinkers to drink Coke, and you are never going to get all of your audience to embrace Jake. But the formula you have now is just making more and more look back to the Classic and some looking for a new drink.

UPDATE 2:55 EST: Announced Jake "crowned Prince of Persia"