pickin_grinnin
Explorer
As I said, it's not as well known as the famous superheroes, but if it can obtain just 1/100th the level of recognition, it's a sizable and valuable market to go after.
Being aware of the existence of something is not the same as having strong, positive brand recognition. D&D suffers from some pretty negative connotations, even when you cut out all the old BS like the Satanism and suicide scares. It's popularly viewed as a dorky game played by geeky teenagers, and not in the current "geek chic" way.
I have no doubt that they will make some sales from their big cross-media/products push. The big question is whether the sales will ultimately justify the cost of doing so, when you figure everything in. Without a really strong brand, my bet is that it won't be worth it in the long run. We'll just have to see how it pans out.