disneylandtermproject-blog

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Post 13- Promotions

With so many active global Disney fans and with a company that just keeps growing, it’s an understatement that the company’s marketing team is doing something right. Disney has been making an emotional imprint on people’s lives since its beginnings. To harness these emotions as a marketing technique, Disney has mastered the use the reminiscing on old classics such as The Jungle book and Beauty and the Beast. Which remaking these movies and making the trailer so similar, it has established a strong sense of nostalgia among current parents, thereby enticing them to take their own children to experience the same fairytales.

The Walt Disney Company has claimed they do intensive research to learn about its target market, enabling the company’s growth in opportunities on a global level. Disney's corporate officials have mentioned they are committed to staying current and updated with technologies children use, with shows they are watching, and how they incorporate technology in their lives. For instances, Disney offers advertising discounts on Twitter, YouTube, and games on Facebook. It makes sure that its licensed characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Spider-Man are advancing to new platforms. If you are someone who is an active user of social media or if you have children who are updated with technology you’ve typically have come across a Disney promotion.

References:

“Disney Marketing Strategy - A Perspective on the Happiest Place on Earth.” Zephoria Inc., 23 Apr. 2019, zephoria.com/disney-marketing-strategy/amp/.

Ramjee, Priti. “Disney's Marketing Strategies.” Bizfluent, 11 Mar. 2019, bizfluent.com/info-7750486-disneys-marketing-strategies.html.

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Post 12- Place (Distribution)

Disneys Media Distribution, is responsible for The Walt Disney Company’s branded and non-branded filmed entertainment distribution, which is now distributing more than 30,000 hours of content to over 1300 broadcasters across 240 territories worldwide. The company is ran by Disney's Direct to consumer and international division.

As I’ve mentioned The Walt Disney production is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. The company’s key products and services including Media Networks, Theme Parks, Resorts, studio entertainment, and of course consumer products.

References:

Miller, Daniel, et al. “Disney to Offer Two Streaming Services and End Its Movie Distribution Agreement with Netflix.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2017, www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-disney-earnings-20170808-story.html?outputType=amp.menu

“Olbermann.” Live Business News, 25 Jan. 2009, livebiznews.com/fortune-global-companies/entertainment/walt-disney-company/walt-disney-major-products-and-services/.

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Post 11- Trends/Pricing

The Walt Disney Company has built a diverse empire since the early 1920s, producing a large range of profitable products in a number of marketplaces. As the largest mass media in the world, Disney is best known for its film, TV productions, and of course their theme parks. The Walt Disney television arm controls with the ABC television network, with eight owned and operated broadcasting stations, as well as a number of cable networks such as Disney Channel and ESPN. Disney has faced numerous of competitors with various of markets, such as Time Warner, 21st Century Fox, Sony, CBS, and Comcast being its main competitors. These companies compete with The Walt Disney's productions mainly through television cable and other media markets such as Blue-Ray, video games and the internet. The growth of all the multichannel and video programming network distributors today, the cable networks have increased the competitive pressure for Disney. As Disneyland prices continue to raise, with an average increase of eight percent, but prices vary by ticket. The one-day adult peak ticket price rose from $135 to $149, while the price of the one-day regular ticket, which blocks out some dates, rose from $117 to $129. The price of a one-day value ticket, which blocks out numerous dates, rose from $97 to $104. The most affordable but with limited use, is an annual select pass has increased from $369 to $399, while the most elite annual premium pass has increased from $1,579 to $1,949. Prices will only continue to rise.

References:

Bhasin, Hitesh, et al. “SWOT Analysis of Disneyland - Disneyland SWOT Analysis.” Marketing91, 16 May 2018, www.marketing91.com/swot-analysis-of-disneyland/.

“Disneyland Raises Prices Ahead of Star Wars Opening.” CNN, Cable News Network, 7 Jan. 2019, www.cnn.com/travel/amp/disneyland-price-increase-2019/index.html.

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Post 10- Services

We all know you don’t have to visit Disneyland every day, weekend, or even every year to remember the impact it made on your life. Experiencing the Disney magic for the first time changes you, whether you’re a child or an adult. Disneyland’s cast members are trained from day one to deliver a great experience and exceed customer expectations, so plenty of positive memories are created. With decades of life changing experiences under their belt, it’s simple to understand that Disney is the guiding light for customer services. Disneyland doesn’t just offer in person customer service but also in entertainment. Disneyland Park has taken on several marketing strategies to create and maintain its high brand visibility. Its ads are shown via television, radio, newspapers, magazines, hoardings, and billboards. The theme park has even created its own official website that offers regular updates about offers, coupons, new rides, main attractions and special events.

References:

“Olbermann.” Live Business News, 25 Jan. 2009, livebiznews.com/fortune-global-companies/entertainment/walt-disney-company/walt-disney-major-products-and-services/.

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Post 9-Brand Detail

There are 3 major products mix of Walt Disney. First and foremost is its production company which is involved in making movies and cartoons with stellar characters like Mickey and Minnie mouse, Goofy, Donald duck and others. Walt Disney production is also involved in various movies like beauty and the beast, Aladdin, Jungle Book and countless others. The Walt Disney production company drives the magic of Disney as all the movies are magical and they rope in the audience making them a lifelong follower of Walt Disney. However, Walt Disney’s company theme park Disneyland, which is a major attraction. This theme park was built under the commands of Walt Disney and since its conception there have been several expansion plans. The theme park includes different land areas referred to as theme lands and occupies nearly one hundred acres of land. The lands are divided into specific areas and have different entertainments, rides, excitement, dining options and characters associated with it.

References:

Adamson, Allen. “Disney Knows It's Not Just Magic That Keeps a Brand on Top.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 15 Oct. 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/allenadamson/2014/10/15/disney-knows-its-not-just-magic-that-keeps-a-brand-on-top/amp/.

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Post 7- Packaging

In addition to park touring and dining, Disneyland has lots of gift shops including tons of toys and plenty of Disney souvenirs to choose from. When it comes to changes, in September, 2016, Disney incorporated the Smart Packaging Initiative (SPI) to initiate environmentally sustainable product packaging. The SPI sustainable packaging measurement and design tool intends to better the environmental performance of toy packaging in ways that are objectively  measurable, entirely visible, in order to optimize on-shelf inventory control.

“Disney Smart Packaging | Environmental Leader Project of the Year.” Environmental Leader, www.environmentalleader.com/projects_of_year/disney/.

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Post 6- Competition

The biggest threat before Disney is the competition from other media and entertainment brands. Disney faces a number of competitors across its various markets, namely, Time Warner, Sony, CBS, Netflix just to name a few. These companies compete with Disney’s products mainly through TV, DVD/Blueray, video games, and streaming videos. Programming network distributors and cable networks are competing with Disney for viewers at all age groups. In the theme-park market, major rivals to Disney include Six Flags and Universal Studios. Recently Universal opened a Harry Potter themed land which has boosted visitors at that park. Disney manages to maintain its competitive advantage through the innovation, high-quality service, and entertainment they offer. They also have a clear strategy in order to increase the value of their name brand. On March 20, 2019, Disney finalized the purchase of 21st Century Fox for $71.3 billion. This gives Disney access to a large number of successful movie franchises with which to compete with companies like Netflix in the profitable streaming world of entertainment (Schwartz).

Schwartz, M.S. "Disney Officially Owns 21st Century Fox." NPR, 20 Mar. 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/03/20/705009029/disney-officially-owns-21st-century-fox 

Segal, Troy. “Who Are Walt Disney's Main Competitors?” Investopedia, Investopedia, 12 Mar. 2019, www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/052115/who-are-disneys-dis-main-competitors.asp.

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Post 5- Target Market

Disney targets children and their families, by using a multisegment targeting strategy. Disney interests people of all ages, whether it is a child, teen, or parent. For small children Disney offers animation films, toys, and other goods from their consumer products division. For older kids such as tweens and teens, Disney has live actions films such as Pirates of the Caribbean, which also attracts adults. Furthermore, in order to target adults Disney uses a "family approach." Disneyland also offers packages, special offers; military discounts and seasonal passes as an essential part of its marketing strategy. Disney theme parks were built for the whole family to enjoy and they do a fine job stressing that (Bhasin).

As you can see, Disney does not have a specific target market. Its focus is on each family member. There are numerous  actors that have played into the success of Disney since Walt Disney started it. One factor of course was Walt’s ability to convince people into buying into his vision from the very beginning. His skill translated into one of the companies key factors to its success, namely, understanding its target market (Aggressivegrowth...).

Bhasin, Hitesh, et al. “Marketing Mix of Disneyland Park - Disneyland Park Marketing Mix.” Marketing91, 11 May 2018, www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-of-disneyland-park/.

Aggressivegrowthmarketing.com, www.aggressivegrowthmarketing.com/blog/how-disney-understood-its-target-market-and-became-successful/.

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Post 4- SWOT Analysis

Reviewing Disneyland’s SWOT analysis, I came up with a few ideas that the Walt Disney company needs work on.

Strength-

- Differentiated Services: Walt Disney’s theme parks consist of six vacation destinations with 12 theme parks and 52 resorts located across North America, Europe, and Asia.

- Focus is on experiences and not the product. People attend Disneyland to disconnect from reality and through a rich world of characters and fairytales Disneyland offers a chance to escape everyday life.

- Walt Disney’s continuous improvements and updates (Bhasin).

Weaknesses-

- Disneyland’s workers are undervalued, disrespected, and underpaid. It’s been reported that some employees don’t get paid enough. They’d be considered homeless.

- Disney's immense investment in physical plant and attractions are exposed to the potential political instability of the countries in which they are located.   

- Balancing the image with the costs. The park has to spend millions to design themes and rides that can hold the attention of the target audience (Bhasin).

Opportunities-

- Disneylands biggest opportunity would be expansion into emerging economies like India, China, Brazil, and Russia(Bhasin).

Threats-

-  The biggest threat before Disney is the competition from other media networks and local theme parks such as Netflix, Universal Studios, Six Flags, and Knott’s Berry Farm.

- The increased competition creates financial pressures since a larger number of brands are competing for market share and revenue (Bhasin).

Bhasin, Hitesh, et al. “SWOT Analysis of Disneyland - Disneyland SWOT Analysis.” Marketing91, 16 May 2018, www.marketing91.com/swot-analysis-of-disneyland/.

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Post 3- Strategy

The unique qualities of the Walt Disney Company products allow the company to pursue a competitive advantage in the entertainment, media, and theme park sectors of the economy. Disney’s generic competitive strategy is based on varying its products from those of its competitors. When it comes to Disneyland prices, they raised prices ahead of its anticipated summer opening. A CNN article states, “The average increase is eight percent, a company official said, they also vary by ticket. The one-day peak adult ticket price rose from $135 to $149, while the price of the regular one-day ticket, which blocks out some dates, rose from $117 to $129. The price of a one-day value ticket, which blocks out even more dates, rose from $97 to $104.” Just recently Disney completed the purchase of the 21st Century Fox Corporation for $71.3 billion dollars which adds to its movie making capabilities. 

 Bhasin, Hitesh, et al. “Marketing Mix of Disneyland Park - Disneyland Park Marketing Mix.” Marketing91, 11 May 2018, www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-of-disneyland-park/ 

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Post 2- Disneyland Park

Disneyland is worldwide popular theme park in the Untied States, famously known as "the happiest place on earth," and is marketed especially towards families with children. The theme park offers its guests many ways of enjoying their visits, for instance, the lands of Disneyland. Inside the theme park are several areas called “lands.” These include such place as Fantasyland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Main Street, Mickey’s town, and a few others. Each land has its own characters. For example, Mickeys Town is where Mickey Mouse lives, a character invented by Walt Disney himself. The rides, the variety of restaurants, the musical shows, the animated characters, and the firework shows are just a few more of the attractions the park has to offer.

Disneyland is just one of The Walt Disney marketing mix strategies. Along with Disneyland park the company offers toys, merchandise, broadcasting, movies, resorts, and other theme parks around the world. However, “Walt Disney primarily is the production house and it is known by the name of The Walt Disney Studio. It generally makes cartoons and movies” (MBA marketing strategies).

The Disneyland park, originally Disneyland, is a popular theme park found in Anaheim, California, US. It was first opened in July 17, 1955, by a man named Walt Disney, and they recently celebrated their 60th anniversary. Hugo Martin, In a Los Angeles Times article, states, “Disneyland officials won't discuss daily attendance numbers, but theme park experts estimate that the 85-acre park draws an average of about 44,000 people a day.”

Although Disneyland is very famous, known around the world, and has had very obvious amounts of success, the Walt Disney company has had its downfalls when it comes to its employees. According to Merritt Kennedy, “Disneyland employs about 30,000 people, according to the company. The surveyors say they heard from about 5,000 employees representing nine unions at Disneyland. One in ten reported that they have been homeless in the last two years, or haven't had their own place to sleep. Nearly three quarters say they don't bring in enough money to cover their monthly basic expenses.” With the park's profits continuing to rise, the union report states Disney’s total profit increased by more then 500 percent. With the park's revenues last quarter being "increased 13% to $5.2 billion," according to The Walt Disney Company. And although the profits continue to rise, the employees' pay decreased.

References:

Martin, Hugo. “Disneyland Prepares for Crush of Visitors during 60th Anniversary Celebration.” www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-disneyland-crowds-20150519-story.html. Los Angeles Times, May 2015.

Kennedy, Merrit. “Some Disneyland Employees Struggle To Pay For Food, Shelter, Survey Finds.” www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/28/589456403/some-disneyland-employees-struggle-to-pay-for-food-shelter-survey-finds. NPR, NPR, 28 Feb. 2018

“The Walt Disney Company Reports First Quarter Earnings for Fiscal 2018.” www.thewaltdisneycompany.com/walt-disney-company-reports-first-quarter-earnings-fiscal-2018/. The Walt Disney Company, 6 Feb. 2018.

Zigu. “Walt Disney Marketing Mix (4Ps) Strategy.” MBA Skool-Study.Learn.Share., www.mbaskool.com/marketing-mix/products/16826-walt-disney.html.

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Post 1- Disneyland

Disneyland has always been one of my favorite amusement parks since I was a child, so deciding to go with Disneyland as my business to feature this semester project was an easy choice. The Walt Disney company is known throughout the world as a leader in entertainment, wether it’s with movies, resorts, or theme parks. When someone mentions a theme park, ultimately Disneyland is the first park that comes to mind. Disneyland has kept their customers loyal by using a variety of strategic marketing planning. A main focus for Disney is the competitive Advantage, Disney’s generic competitive strategy is based on making its organization different from those of competitors. Also, using the marketing mix, which is a set of four decisions which have to be taken before launching any organization. Also known as the four P’s of marketing. These four variables help make strategic decisions necessary for the smooth running of any organization. The Walt Disney target market strategies varies from children, tweens, teenagers, and even adults. Specifically with their media networks, animated cartoons, and merchandise in the theme parks.

Disneyland has been around for over 60 years now, and I’m eager to understand how they’ve kept customers loyal for so long even with the continues price increase in the theme park entrance alone.