Disney is a symbol of American brands. They have created family entertainment since SteamBoat Willie’s release.

Without a strong marketing genius, it’s difficult to scale up to the size and scope of the Walt Disney Company. Disney has been a market leader for many years because of its marketing strategy.

This article will show you some of the most famous Disney marketing secrets that have made the company so successful and profitable over the years.

Disney Marketing Mix (4Ps) Analysis

The marketing mix of The Disney Company is an important factor in the company’s success in different industries. The combination of strategies and tactics used by the company to reach its target market: Price, Place and Promotion.

A well-planned marketing strategy will increase the corporation’s ability to compete with other businesses such as Comcast Time Warner, Viacom and Sony. This marketing mix is used in Disney’s worldwide operations and its subsidiaries like Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Studios.

The general 4P application was created in accordance with the enterprise’s synergistic dependence and the divisions that make up the Walt Disney Company’s corporate structure. The marketing mix of the company is based on the needs of the various operations within the parks and resorts as well as entertainment and mass media and consumer products and retail.

Product mix

The product lines of Disney are represented as groups that produce the product mix. The Disney corporation is an international company with a broad range of products. This diversity in the company’s product portfolio is made possible by strategic acquisitions of other businesses. These products are now handled by Disney under the following categories:

• Media networks (cable and television, radio, and radio)

• Studio entertainment includes direct-to-video content (motion pictures, music recordings, and stage plays).

• Parks and Resorts: Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Paris and other themed hotels

• Consumer goods & interactive media: books, comics, magazines, videos, merchandise, and online content

Previously, Disney products were only available to the entertainment and media industries. The company has expanded and diversified its product offering to include products in the resorts and parks industry. It also sells consumer products at its stores and amusement parks.

This segment of Disney’s marketing mix will continue to grow, along with strategic refinement in business operations. The corporation could acquire other companies in the future to bring in new products and product lines. This part of the marketing mix shows the extent of Disney’s business diversification.

Pricing strategies and prices

This marketing mix covers pricing strategies, corresponding price points, as well as price ranges, that are tailored to each market and industry. The pricing strategy for media and entertainment, parks, resorts, consumer products and the retail market can vary based on development, saturation, risk, business opportunities, and other managerial concerns. For its diverse product range, Disney follows the following pricing strategies:

• Market-oriented pricing strategy
• Pricing strategy based on value

For products such as movies, Disney employs the market-oriented pricing strategy. Prices are determined based on industry standards. The value-based pricing strategy, however, is used for other products such as memorabilia from the company’s resorts and parks.

Value-based pricing is determined based on the perceived or actual value of Disney’s products for their target audience. This pricing strategy allows multinational businesses to optimize their prices, provided they maintain a strong brand image and effective marketing campaigns. This part of the marketing mix will likely increase profit margins, especially in cases where products are not as good as they could be.

Place/ Distribution in Disney’s 4P

This marketing mix element describes where the company strategically places its products to customers in entertainment and mass media as well as retail and consumer products. These markets and industries are the essence of Disney’s products.

Because merchandise products are physical, such as books and magazines, companies need channels to transport and store these products in order to reach their global audience. These are the locations that Disney uses for product distribution:

• Cinemas
• Disney stores (Disney Gallery and Disney Baby, among others)
• Mobile apps
• Official websites (Go.com, and other)
• Licensees and other parties (cables, satellites, telecommunications servers providers and many more)

Disney has a wide range of places where it can place its products, which is a good thing for the variety of its product line. This is a large part of the marketing mix. It depends on the products offered. Movies are, for example, allocated by movie theaters or multinational digital content distributors like Apple.

Licensees and other parties make up the majority of Disney’s revenue, such as the ESPN TV programming revenues via cable networks. This system also includes company-owned and third-party venues like resorts and theme parks. This makes the marketing mix a strategic combination of businesses to maximize reach on the global market.

Promotional elements in the marketing mix

This part of the marketing mix includes the company’s communication strategies, and tactics for the target market. Depending on the product being promoted, Disney uses different strategies. Advertising is, however, the most prominent and easily observed strategy, as shown in the Marvel movie advertisement.

The company is responsible for ensuring that the business’s operations are effective in reaching multinational audiences through a mix of local and international marketing communications. Below are some tactics and strategies that make up the marketing communications mix:

• Advertising
• Direct selling
• Sponsorship
• Sales promotion
• Public relations

Advertising is a classic strategy that has a significant impact on Disney’s marketing communications effectiveness. The company uses advertisements to promote its parks and movies, as well as resorts, especially for special occasions and occasions.

Direct selling involves direct communication with other companies to explore different opportunities offered by Disney, such as brand exposure in Pixar movies and Marvel movies or Disneyland parks and resorts.

Sponsorship is another part of this marketing mix. It refers to the company sponsoring different activities such as community development programs for non-profit organizations. This sponsorship helps to manage stakeholders’ expectations and markets the company’s products.

Disney also uses sales promotion. This can be seen at its Disney Outlet stores as well as in package deals. Public relations are also used to preserve a strong image of the company’s brand. This is a crucial part of the international market. This marketing strategy highlights a popular approach that makes use of the company’s attractive products, deep pockets and network of business partners.

The 4 Key Marketing Strategies of Disney

Disney stories inspire and resonate.

Disney is a master storyteller. Take the example of Inside Out. This movie teaches us a valuable lesson about embracing our emotions and realizing them. To market the film, the company made a series of memes that were relevant to current events and seasons. These funny memes look very happy and fun at first glance, but they are also very practical. They create a brand experience and a difference that’s not just commercial.

How do you implement this strategy?

What is your company’s story? What can your brand’s image teach customers? You can learn that information and create stories that have the same impact as Disney.

Disney World and Disneyland are sacred destinations.

Nearly all children will be excited to visit Walt Disney World and Disneyland. These destinations can be considered sacred by children around the globe because of the unique experiences that Disney offers.

Disneyland and Walt Disney World go through constant changes throughout the year, adding new themes and events to their existing attractions. Because there is always something new to discover and enjoy, this strategy creates an unforgettable experience for returning guests.

The Frozen theme, for example, is aimed at adults and children who love Elsa. This theme will continue to be used until the Frozen hype is gone, and then a new theme will be developed for other trends.

How do you use this strategy?

It is a great way to make money and I am certain that your customers will return. You need to offer more than you are able to regularly. Disneyland, for example is more than just a ride and a vacation. It also includes interesting and entertaining stories. Your company should offer more than just a trip and rides around; it shouldn’t be boring.

Imagine that your business sells wedding cake. Your website should not be boring. Instead, make it entertaining and attractive to help customers choose the right cake. An auto-responder can also be used to keep your customers interested in the process of making their cakes.

To increase customer loyalty, Disney uses nostalgia

Since its debut in 1923, Disney has had an emotional impact on millions of lives. Disney capitalized on nostalgia by reviving classics such as the Jungle Book. It generated $900 million in revenues when it was published in 2016. Disney can use nostalgia to promote their brand by combining classic stories with modern technology.

How do you implement this strategy?

This strategy can be used to market your product. It must have some nostalgia. Harry Potter would say that the memories we have of the past can be relived through the foods we eat and the clothes we wear. Marketing strategies that tap into our memories can be very effective, making nostalgia-centric campaigns successful.

Disney sticks to its themes

You can say that Disney isn’t unique without its themes. The themes make magic happen. The theme of Disney is simple but elegant. To make the trip more real, scents are pumped out for each trip: Brine is for Pirates of the Caribbean; honey for Winnie-the-Pooh. Their parking lot is called Puma Parking or the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure.

Their characters’ autographs are also themed accurately. The signature of Belle should be the same in Disneyland as it is in Disney Tokyo. The cutlery and knobs of their doors are shaped like Mickey’s head. Every detail is designed to make you feel as though you are in a completely different world when visiting Disney.

How do you use this strategy?

Every business has a voice and you must ensure that it is heard across your company. Your persona should be included on your About page, typography, as well as 404 messages. Your persona should be easily recognized by visitors to your website. No matter what your tone, don’t change it. Keep it consistent. Let’s give your audience multiple ways to get to know you.

Amazing Examples of Disney Marketing Campaigns

1. #DreamBigPrincess campaign

Popularity has grown for Disney’s princess culture in recent years. Some have criticized the outdated and stereotypical tropes used by its most prominent female characters. Disney took action to make its princesses more powerful by using marketing campaigns such as its #DreamBigPrincess campaign.

The campaign features 19 female photographers representing 15 countries. It aims to create positive images of strong female role model women, such as the youngest female speaker at the UN and the Brazilian surfing champion. Every time an image was shared on social media, Disney contributed $1 to UN’s Girl Up campaign.

The campaign helped Disney combat negative stereotyping, and brought out the positive and strong qualities of its princesses like Merida’s courage and Moana’s touchy nature.

2. Reboot of The Jungle Book

Disney is known for its ability to promote films in a perfect way. Trailer for the 2016 Jungle Book reboot features no songs, little Baloo and many scary and moody moments.

A series of stills and videos was also created to highlight the voices behind the characters. This approach to parents and older people resulted in a wide appeal that lasted three weeks at the top.

3. Mickey Mouse’s 90th Birthday Exhibit

In honor of Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday, Disney opened an immersive art exhibit. The interactive museum, which measured 16,000 square feet, was located in New York City. It featured Mickey-themed artwork by both contemporary and historic artists. Other installations included an ice cream shop and a steamboat.

The exhibition was also accompanied by a range of merchandise collaborations between Disney and fashion and footwear brands such as Vans and Forever 21. A capsule collection was also introduced in Disney Stores.

Popups were a great way to show Disney fans how much they love Mickey Mouse.

4. Pop up Disney in the West End

For many years, Disney products such as Aladdin or the Lion King have been a mainstay in London’s theatreland. To rekindle interest in the shows, Disney created a popup experience for the capital in summer 2018.

You can enjoy a variety of free events every day at the Disney in the West End popup event, including performances by cast members and stage make-up masterclasses.

Popups allowed loyal and new fans to enjoy some Disney magic in a unique way, increasing the expectations for people with tickets and encouraging people who don’t want to book.

Last words

Although your brand may not enjoy the same brand equity or recognition as Disney, you can still learn from the marketing success of the company. Find what sets you apart from your competitors, and use it to inspire your next product release.