What Happened to Big Idea? (Part 2)
November 15, 2004
BHAG in hand, I entered 1998 on a mission. No longer would Big Idea be simply Phil's film company making Phil's films. I would proactively grow it to the point where it could encompass the work of multiple storytellers working in film, TV, publishing, and whatever else we could think of. I was particularly driven by the impact I saw the Disney Company and Nickelodeon having on kids across America. Coming out of nowhere in the early 1990's, Nickelodeon had grown so large by the end of the decade that half of all kids watching commercial television at any given time were watching Nickelodeon. Since the average American kid was watching more than three hours of television per day, the impact Nickelodeon's programming and intentionally subversive attitude (Nick marketers freely admitted that their strategy was to position themselves as a kids “true ally” and to exclude parents from the conversation) drove me to do as much as I could, as quickly as I could. In my mind, Big Idea couldn't be built fast enough. America's kids needed it that badly.
I was aware, however, that I was a bit skinny on business experience. If Big Idea was to have the impact I hoped for, I needed serious help. So over the course of 1998, I assembled a group of experienced business folks to help. I didn't have the industry connections or the money or prestige to pull people from Hollywood to suburban Chicago, so most of our executives were from the Chicago region and came primarily from large financial services and packaged goods companies like Kraft, Coca-Cola, Motorola, GE Capital and Price Waterhouse. It really was a pretty impressive group with tons of business experience. While they lacked traditional entertainment experience, the fact that VeggieTales was a product sold from store shelves made us all believe packaged goods experience would be just as valuable. (In fact, the growth in importance of Wal-Mart at that time had inspired even giant studios like Disney and Warner Brothers to hire packaged goods experts from places like Proctor & Gamble and Kraft to help shape their strategies.)
By the end of 1998, things looked promising for the “new” Big Idea. We had a hit product. We had an experienced, fired-up leadership team. We had a mission, and a big, hairy, audacious goal. What we were missing was a plan.
“No Man's Land” threat number one, according to Inc.'s experts: Small companies, experiencing rapid initial growth, attempt to make the leap to being “big” without having a clear plan for sustaining that growth. What got you to $10 million in sales won't necessarily take you to $100 million.
We sold something like seven million VeggieTales videos in 1998. Unable to imagine selling more than that, I assumed future growth would need to come from other areas like television and feature films. Unfortunately, the executive team I put together had no experience in television or feature films. Rather than wade into unknown waters, they figured future growth would come from selling even more VeggieTales videos using marketing techniques they had learned in the world of packaged goods. The team quickly discovered through research that even though we had sold seven million videos that year, only one-quarter of American mothers of young children had even heard of VeggieTales So, they reasoned, growing awareness would result in increased sales.
Enter 1999. I began the year investigating the TV and feature film businesses, looking for points of entry for Big Idea. I was working on these efforts more or less alone, though, as my executive team was busy building a large marketing group to launch an even larger VeggieTales awareness campaign. Between 1998 and 2000 our marketing department grew from 1 person to 30 people. We gave away 400,000 VeggieTales videos at the grand openings of malls and Target stores and took out two-page ads in People magazine to introduce America to the concept of VeggieTales. As a result, our marketing expense grew from $3 million in 1998 to $13 million in 2000. No problem, though, since the team estimated the increased awareness would double our sales within 24 months.
Except for one thing: The projected sales growth never happened. After 1998's amazing 7 million video mark, sales actually declined in 1999 and 2000. Our marketing costs exploded, but our sales didn't. That was a bit of a problem.
Meanwhile, I wasn't having much more luck getting us into new businesses. Intrigued by the strategic possibilities of having a home in television, I began talking with the newly launched family network Pax TV about taking over their entire Saturday morning block. They seemed genuinely interested, given VeggieTales' huge success. I spent time crunching numbers and identifying other shows that could fill out a block alongside VeggieTales and be introduced by Bob & Larry. The pieces were falling into place, when suddenly Pax announced they weren't interested in a Big Idea Saturday morning block, but would much rather we supply them with an hour of programming for prime time. Since none of the shows I had been considering for Saturday morning would work well in prime time, I was back to square one.
As a hedge against the possibility that a TV strategy might not pan out, I was also trying to chart a course to take our animation studio toward feature film production. In late 1998 we put Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed into production, our most cinematic half-hour video yet. It was my plan, in fact, that it would be our last half-hour video. With that in mind, I had already put Mike to work on an elaborate 45-minute script based on a classic Bible story that would take us one step closer to the world of feature films. The story was Jonah and the Whale.
Continued in Part 3 >
Posted in Big Idea and VeggieTales News, Phil News
September 12th, 2006 at 10:48 am
[…] Continued in Part 2 > […]
September 25th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
phil ya should have pulled the program. If you deny Him before man He will deny you before the Father. Your vision and ministry has been blessed thus far, why wouldn’t God open another door with a better opportunity. So often we miss out on His best because we feel our best is what matters.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:10 am
I remember now the marketing push, in the late 90’s. I was thrilled to see VeggieTales in Tarpet and Kmart, but when tons (not just some) of marketing started happening, I remembering thinking you guys didn’t have as much integrity. Some how, tons of marketing says you’re “selling out”, maybe just a little. I am blessed that you guys stayed with it and God has given the increase - WOW - NBC!
April 19th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Well Phil I think that it was a good idea that you had going into the movie and TV business I was a big fan of veggie tales ever since I was 4 in fact larry-boy and the rumor weed was the first veggie tales video I bought I’m also trying to do my own movies to
May 31st, 2007 at 6:45 pm
I think I should stop reading here until I finish the book, I am hooked though.
My son loves Veggie Tales, we have the Veggie Tales 10 Commandments memorized, it is fun.
Keep up the good work in all your new endeavors Phil, God is definitely not through with you yet.
August 2nd, 2007 at 3:43 pm
sherrywaldrip.comPhil,
I have loved watching hours of Veggie Tales with my little grandsons.
I just have a funny story for you. I’m an author and a few years ago I was doing a reading at a special event for a Christian bookstore in the Seattle area. I had a semi respectable size crowd….until Bob the Tomato & two of his sidekicks strolled in to do something for the kids.
You always hear scary stories of tomatoes being thrown at someone on stage but I may be the first one that the tomato was not a projectile but a pied piper! It still tickles me that I was upstaged by vegetables.!
On a serious note. It was such amazing timing for me to hear you this morning on Midday Connection. Your testimony is just what my heart needed, just what the doctor ordered…better than vegetables! I’m going to get your book tonight!
Blessings!
Sherry Waldrip
http://www.sherrywaldrip.com
September 9th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
Wow. I am so very sorry that your brainchild was usurped by the classic greedy market of man’s buisness, when all that you were achieving reached so very many folks with such great positivity. Please keep on keeping on, because you are in our hearts and prayers. Thank you very much for helping our family to be better human beings. Renato Potato Pangelina
November 10th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
i have been so happy with what veggie tales has become, and i get so happy and excited that there are still a few good companies out there. i wish i could work for you!
January 15th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
“…so most of our executives were from the Chicago region and came primarily from large financial services and packaged goods companies like Kraft, Coca-Cola, Motorola, GE Capital and Price Waterhouse.”
This is what killed Big Idea. The same move almost killed Apple a decade before. A media company needs a media executive. A newspaper or magazine exec would have done far better than packaged goods people. The reason? Because packaged goods are *consumables*. People can’t use up a video (or a newspaper or magazine for that matter) like they can a bag of chips. Consumables need to be everywhere and heavily advertised, media just needs a hook. I’m sorry you got caught up in the consumable marketing money sink.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Dear Phil,
I’ve read your story and now I understand what really happened to Big Idea. I just want to let you know that Veggie tales had touched our hearts and our lives. We were missionary teachers for many years and have seen hundreds of kids from different religion and background watched Veggie tales with awe and excitement. I believe in my heart those kids will always remember what they have learned from watching Veggie tales. God bless you and your family.
March 27th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
[…] Continued in Part 2 > […]
May 11th, 2008 at 4:11 am
You got greedy.
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:12 am
I haven’t watched the said veggie tales videos, it was never aired here on Philippine TV, but I’d really be glad to see one. I just saw mp3 files of songs this week and liked listening to it.Then, i researched about the “veggie tales” and ended up here, found out that it was a Christian-oriented song and was glad of it.
Phil, your heart was good towards the mission of “telling stories”…I myself am a “testifier” of how God changed my life. But as someone said, “I pray an hour a day, except for busy days - that’s when I pray for 2-3 hours”. The bigger the work, the bigger the help you need from God. When we work, God stays; when we pray, God works. It was a BIG task that needed a BIG God.
From what you said, “Meanwhile, I wasn’t having much more luck getting us into new businesses. ” Don’t depend on luck, man. If you’d depend on God, depend on Him COMPLETELY, otherwise, you are not depending on Him at all.
Don’t worry. If this is what you believe God told you to do, you’ve done your part. I remember a short story being told. God told a man to push the rock, but the man can’t move it. The man told God he can’t, but God was only asking to push it, for God will be the one to move it. Do your part in what God tells you. I’m absolutely sure, your work will not be in vain.
Bless God.
April 11th, 2010 at 12:28 am
He did not get greedy - he thought outside of the box and wanted more for our children, a Godly approach to reaching kids through media vs. the crap you see on Nickelodeon.
April 16th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Why don’t you break your contract with Classic Media and start working for VeggieTales again?
April 24th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
My children grew up watching Veggie Tales and loved them. I remember when Jonah came to the big screen - it was so REFRESHING to have a Christian message being played in the theatre. I think its good to dream BIG (love that your business name was even built on that - “Big Idea”). It seems like a pretty big fall, but I hope you dust yourself off and ask God for what’s next. I’m particular happy to see the recent DVDs out on teaching kids more about the Bible. I’m really looking for more on apologetics for kids and this is a start. Chin up - God isn’t finished with you yet.
April 30th, 2010 at 12:17 am
Hi Phil! I love Veggie tails, it realy apeals to my weard sense of humour. Larry is my favorite and the peas. I have read your book, Me Myself and Bob several times (which is amazing for me, I’m not that big of a reader). Autobiographys are usualy boring and I never normaly get past the front cover, but from the moment I started reading, I was hooked from the first page. I was interested in the rise and fall of Big Idea, But what is realy got me, is how you shared the lessons you learnt from those mistakes. I got so much out of your book. The wish I have for my own life is to be in the centre of god’s will, in short, I want to be like the jelly fish
May 8th, 2010 at 2:26 am
Hi Phil;Great reading you’re book. So refreshing to hear timeless truth brought out in the culture of the day. You’re life lessons, not the vegetable stories. Today I read your take on “can’t add anything to God” in my other prayer book by Garigou Legrange on Providence. We are one in the Spirit.