How can we not talk about Disney while discussing about strategic marketing, the brand that is known for its amazing marketing and storytelling skills! The company that made a whole world around its characters, it is not just visual entertainment anymore, it has transcended to real life experience. For years now Disney has been known for its captivating marketing techniques. It is one of the pioneers in strategic marketing, often using nostalgia and customer emotions to create brand loyalty. It will not be an exaggeration to call it a part of our childhood we always want to revisit.
I cannot recall how many times I have rewatched the same old Disney movies remembering the good old days, and thanks to Disney Plus I can find everything on one platform. Disney has been around for a very long time and throughout this time it has managed to keep itself relevant and always on top of their market. We can safely say that they are doing something right.
So, what has Disney been doing all these years to stay on top of their game?
One of the first and main strategy used by Disney is branding with emotions. They use the sense of nostalgia of its customers to create brand loyalty. Parents often take their children to have them experience the movies they grew up watching. With the launch of Disney Plus, they have all the content available at one platform making it easier for parents to experience their childhood again with their children. Disney has formed a strong relationship with its customers over the period of several years using this technique. Another strategy used by Disney is targeting different market segments using different channels.
For example, if you look at Disney’s Instagram page, the content posted there is not specifically to target kids but to target the younger adults. Majority of the content on their page is focused on Marvels, Star Wars, or Disney’s live action movies. In fact, they recently released a documentary on the highly celebrated band ‘The Beatles’ and there were several posts promoting it as well. The documentary is called The Beatles: Get Back and it was released on Disney Plus (casually mentioning it here because it is a must watch)
Social media is commonly used by people over the age of 14 years; therefore, they are the main target audience for their posts. But what about the kids? They target kids using the merchandise of their favorite Disney movies. They often partner with stores like Hamleys to attract the kids and create a buzz. In 2019, when Frozen 2 was about to be released, Hamleys transformed its store into a castle inspired by the movie itself. I can clearly see kids running around Hamleys to get their hands on the new Elsa and Anna figurines and Olaf plushies.
Another example is the Hamleys store in Moscow where there is a separate section just for Disney-
These strategically thought-out marketing techniques enable Disney to spend their money on the right campaigns and target the right audiences. Due to this, they are able get the return on their investment pretty quickly while still maintaining good customer experience.
____________ Surabhi SRIVASTAVA
Word count: 530
Work Cited-
Ellie. (2021, April 06). Disney Marketing Strategy: How Disney Becomes the Entertainment
King Retrieved from www.mageplaza.com: https://www.mageplaza.com/blog/disneymarketing-strategy.html
Tas, G. (2020, October 22). How Disney Uses Digital Marketing Strategy Successfully? Retrieved from Digital Agency Network: https://digitalagencynetwork.com/how-disney-uses-digital-marketing-strategy-successfully
Other Websites-
https://twitter.com/hamleysofficial/status/1194926741422247936
https://www.instagram.com/disneyplus/