The Walt Disney marketing mix element describes the famous Disney marketing secrets, business operations, and marketing communications mix that has helped the American multinational mass media company to reach desired heights in the media and entertainment industry.
Walt Disney’s marketing communications effectiveness has resulted in customer loyalty, Disney company’s brand exposure, a large number of business partners and the company’s competitive performance in the international market.
An effective marketing mix contributes to the brand success in the company’s target market by focusing on Disney’s business diversification activities, retail industries, marketing campaigns, company’s product mix, Disney’s theme parks, Disney’s characters, Disney Magic, Disney World, movie theaters, Disney stores, market-oriented and value-based pricing strategy and promotional mix.
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Introduction: The Walt Disney Company
# The Walt Disney Company
- Origin Country: United States of America
- Founders: Walt Disney, Roy Oliver Disney
- Owners: The Vanguard Group (7.4%), BlackRock(6.2%)
- Founded: 1923
- Headquarters: Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, California, U.S.
- Employees in 2023: 220,000
- Annual Revenue in 2023: 84.415 billion USD
- Net Income in 2023: 3.320 billion USD
- Market Cap in 2023: Â 182.92 billion USD
- Company’s Brand Value in 2023: 57.06 billion USD
The Walt Disney Company is a renowned conglomerate associated with the mass media and entertainment industry. The company was formed as Disney Brothers Studio and operated under several names like Walt Disney Studio, then Walt Disney Productions and lately The Walt Disney Company.
The American multinational mass media company is the market leader in the animation world after creating the world-famous Disney characters Mickey Mouse, Olaf, Rex and Donald Duck etc. Mickey Mouse was the first sound cartoon and Disney character created by the brand and later became the company’s mascot.
The Walt Disney Company has been ranked 53rd on the Fortune 500 List 2022 of “Biggest Companies in US by Revenues” and has been the winner of 135 Academy Awards. It was also ranked 17th in the Forbes list of World’s Most Valuable Brands 2021.
Target Market: Walt Disney Marketing Mix
The marketing mix of Walt Disney has created a comprehensive Disney marketing strategy that focuses on its target audience and target market. The brand has a diversified product portfolio through which it targets boys, girls, men and women with equal ease.
Its primary target audience comprises young children especially between the age of 4 years to 12 years that are fans of cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and Disney merchandise. The Walt Disney Company also targets older children especially girls with Disney Princesses like Rapunzel and Ariel and boys with Disney Heroes.
The Walt Disney Company targets the family audience with the help of Disney’s theme parks which are equally popular among adults and children.
The secondary target of The Walt Disney Company is men and women between the age group of 30 years to 55 years who are the caretakers of the primary target and have already experienced the thrill of Disney rides. The company targets this secondary audience with media and entertainment products, Marvel Movies, online video content and direct-to-video content.
Disney’s Marketing Strategy & Walt Disney’s Marketing Mix (4Ps)
An effective marketing mix contributes to the well-being of the company and that is what the Disney marketing strategy and marketing mix of the Walt Disney Company has done. Disney has been a dominant force because of Walt Disney’s marketing communications effectiveness in the company’s target market.
Disney’s marketing mix and marketing strategy focuses on consumer products, retail industries, media and entertainment products, theme parks, movie theaters, Disney stores, pricing strategies, the actual or perceived value of the product and promotion mix to increase its market share in the global market with help of subsidiaries like Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Studios.
The company has been adapting and moulding the Disney marketing strategy over the years to boost the company’s competitive performance and increase customer loyalty. The Disney marketing communications mix, tactics, strategies and plans have given positive brand exposure among the target audience in the global market.
Disney Product Strategy: Walt Disney’s Marketing Strategy
The marketing mix of Walt Disney focuses on Disney’s business diversification policy which has encouraged the studio entertainment and mass media company to spread the company’s product mix to various other fields. After becoming a success because of Disney Characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, The Walt Disney Company stepped into television, radio, the music industry, live-action films and theme parks.
With time The Walt Disney Company has diversified into several business operations that include a film studio division (Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios etc.) broadcasting, television, theme parks, resorts, streaming media, publishing, consumer products and international operations. Channels running under the Walt Disney Company include Disney Channel, A+E Networks and Freeform.
Disney’s Products (Product Mix) of Walt Disney Marketing Mix
Disney’s marketing strategy for its products is very clear. The Walt Disney Company is a studio entertainment and mass media company and has adopted a policy of business diversification. It has taken the help of business partners to create a vast product and service mix
The product and services in the marketing mix of Walt Disney Company include Amusement parks, Disney Cruise Line (Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, Disney Wonder and Disney Magic) Disney World, Disney Resort (Disneyland Paris and Disney Tokyo), television, streaming services, publishing, licensing and broadcasting services etc.
The Walt Disney Company owns and operates several businesses in the international market like the
Broadcasting and Media Networks
The marketing mix of Walt Disney Company for the segment Broadcasting and Media Networks includes ABC Television Network, ABC Entertainment Group, ABC Owned Television Stations Group, Disney Channels Worldwide Disney Media Distribution and ABC Family
Walt Disney Studios
The marketing mix of Walt Disney Company for the segment Walt Disney Studios includes Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Disneynature, DreamWorks Studios, Touchtone Pictures, Disney Music Publishing, Disney Live, Disney on Ice and Disney on Broadway.
Cable Television Networks
The marketing mix of Walt Disney Company for the segment Cable Television Networks includes Disney Channel, FX, Freedom, ESPN, National Geographic
Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Services
The marketing mix of Walt Disney Company for this segment includes direct-to-video content and online video content. Â Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Services include Hotstar, Hulu, ESPN+, Star+ and Disney+
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products
Disney’s marketing mix in the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment includes 4 ships in the Disney Cruise Line (The Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, Disney Wonder and Disney Magic), 43 Disney Resort (The Walt Disney World Resort, Aulani Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii, Disney Resort in California and Disneyland Paris), 11 properties in Disney Vacation Club and 11 Theme Parks (Walt Disney Land and Walt Disney World). The Walt Disney Company has stakes in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Shanghai Disneyland Resort.
Publishing, Theater, Musical Recordings, Merchandising
Consumer Products, Interactive Media Games and Publishing operates under Disney Parks, Experiences and Products division and includes musical recordings and Disney merchandise. Consumer products include t-shirts, toys, books, home décor, stationary, beverages, apps and console games etc.
The interactive media games business of The Walt Disney Company is inspired by Marvel Movies, Disney, Lucasfilm, Pixar and 20th Century Studios. Disney Publishing Worldwide is the world’s largest publisher of children’s books and magazines with a licensing structure in 45 languages and 68 countries
Place Strategy in the Marketing Mix of Walt Disney World Resort
The marketing mix of Walt Disney has created place and distribution strategies that are based on its vast product and service offerings. The company has to allocate the goods and services to the customers and needs strategic placement of goods in the global market for that.
The retail footprint of The Walt Disney Company can be seen through mobile apps, official websites which includes the shopDisney e-commerce platform, local and global third-party retailers, lifestyle and outlet location, Disney outlet stores (Disney Baby, Disney Gallery etc.) and Disney Parks.
Place and Distribution Strategy: Marketing Mix of Walt Disney Company
The distribution channels in the marketing mix of Walt Disney Company include
Movie Theaters
The marketing mix of Walt Disney focuses on the distribution channel movie theaters so that the customers can see the movies which are the products of the brand
Disney Outlet Stores
Disney Outlet stores include Disney Baby, Disney Gallery etc. Customers can easily purchase desired products from these stores
Mobile Apps
It is easy to purchase several products via the mobile apps for instance customers can book tickets for Disney Gallery, Disney Magic or Disney Baby via the mobile apps
Official Websites
The official websites for every product and service are different and the company distributes its offerings through these individual websites as well as the shopDisney e-commerce platform
Licenses and Third Parties
Disney offers licensing agreements to third-party retailers for selling its products
Price Mix of Walt Disney’s Marketing Strategy
The marketing mix of the Walt Disney Company realizes that if the pricing strategies are not up to the mark then the product sales will go down and so will the revenues. The company has a wide range of product and service portfolio that helps it to earn revenues from different channels.
Licensees and third-party channels are also responsible for generating a significant portion of the total revenues. ESPN television programming revenues are earned via cable networks and contribute greatly to the total revenue of The Walt Disney Company. Just like the ESPN television programming revenues, third-party and company-owned revenues from theme parks, resorts, cruise lines etc. have been high earners for the company in the global market.
Pricing Strategies: Disney Marketing Mix
Walt Disney’s marketing mix has adopted a market-oriented pricing strategy as well as a value-based pricing strategy for its vast product portfolio. The pricing strategies include price ranges as well as relevant price points based on the corresponding markets.
The two pricings strategies adopted in the marketing mix of Walt Disney include
Market-Oriented Pricing Strategy
Walt Disney’s marketing mix has adopted a market-oriented pricing strategy for some of its product offerings like the movies. In this type of strategy, the product price is based on industry standards to maintain price uniformity throughout the industry
Value-Based Pricing Strategy
Walt Disney’s marketing mix has adopted a value-based pricing strategy for some of its product offerings. The value-based pricing strategy is based on the actual or perceived value of the product in the global market. Moreover, the company prefers budget-friendly pricing strategies to ensure better sales so its products are reasonably priced in the market.
Promotional Strategy (Promotional Mix) of Walt Disney Marketing Strategies
The Walt Disney Company is a globally renowned company that uses a multi-channel strategy for promoting its products and increasing customer loyalty. Disney marketing campaigns have been created specifically for the promotional mix of Walt Disney so that Disney fans can connect viably with the brand.
The promotional tools used in the multi-channel strategy of the company include
Advertising Through Traditional Media
The promotion mix of Walt Disney uses print media and digital media tools like television, radio, newspaper, magazines, pamphlets, flyers, billboards and hoardings to advertise the product and services in the market.
Sales Promotion
The Walt Disney Company takes sales promotion very seriously and offers incentives like coupons, discounts, free rides and free merchandise occasionally to lure in new customers and maintain the existing customer base.
Social Media Platforms
The Walt Disney Company utilizes various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to display meaningful campaigns and connect with the customers
Direct Selling
The promotion mix of Walt Disney includes direct selling of products and services like toys, merchandise, theatre ticket etc. to the customers
Community Development Programs
The Walt Disney Company realizes how important it is for the company to give back to society. It is part of community development programs and even encourages employees to take part and contribute to it. The brand has spent $140 million in the year 2022 on programs that are working diligently for underprivileged communities. The brand has also hired 12,500 veterans via the Heroes Work Here program in 2022
Digital Campaigns – Notable Digital Marketing Campaigns
# ShareYourEars
The ad campaign “ # ShareYourEars” was a social media campaign in which Disney fans were encouraged to wear costume ears and upload a photo. For every uploaded photo with the hashtag the Walt Disney Company donated $5 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation
Discover a Life More Magical
The ad campaign “Discover a Life More Magical” was tapping the adults’ nostalgia for Disney experiences
Dream Big Princess
The campaign “Dream Big Princess” was launched in the year 2018 and invited women filmmakers to show a short film about the women who had inspired them. The Walt Disney Company donated $1 to the Girl Up program for every share or like of the videos posted on the social media platforms
Key Takeaways from the Disney Marketing Mix (4Ps)
The immense success of The Walt Disney Company has been attributed to its comprehensive marketing mix elements that have helped to company to achieve desired business goals. The key takeaways from the Disney marketing mix and marketing strategy are
A wide portfolio of products and services balance leads to different types of target audiences and an increased customer base
- Pricing strategies are relevant to product offerings
- High brand recognition in the market has led to better revenues, gains and a competitive advantage
- Multi-channel promotional strategies have resulted in marketing success for the brand
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