I would say influencing is one way of affecting. Marketing and branding are far more than simply converting purchases. Despite me trying to remain self-aware, I undoubtedly have stronger positive mental associations for Lego related things after watching the movie. I would be surprised if you didn't also, regardless of your lack of intent to purchase :)

And it was most definitely quite fun, both on a surface level and for sparking discussions like these. They did quite an impressive job.

Well, I guess I can't necessarily disagree since your explanation requires admitting things that cannot be proven. I can say that I don't "feel" more inclined to purchase LEGOs, movie or not, then before. I see lots of the Ninjago show on Netflix because my daughter likes it, but I don't buy them that often and she doesn't ask for them.

I guess I would say that any positive mental associations I have is for the entertainment factor as I liked the movie and the Ninjago show. It certainly hasn't resulted in a positive enough influence to make purchases. That's the focus of my comments, that the article that started this discussion seems off to me because it suggests that the LEGO movie is just a huge branding effort to convince people they must buy LEGOs. Your comments are much softer than that viewpoint so I think I'd be more agreeable to your viewpoint than the article's.