Walt Disney Company Analysis and Marketing

WALT DISNEY COMPANY PROJECT

With a dream and an ambition, a young man, Walt Disney arrived in Santa Fe California with a cartoon character named Alice. Within months after the Alice cartoon became a hit, Walt and his brother created the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, which after a couple of years was renamed to Walt Disney Studio. In 1928, five years after his arrival to California, Walt was able to introduce a new cartoon character, Mickey Mouse. With this introduction, people were seeking amusement and to get their minds away from the gloom of depression. Since then, Walt's ideas and involvement in cartoons led to further success. And success did not stop there, it progressed to what we now known as one of the most creative empires with theme parks around the world and entertainment for many.

Since opening its doors to Disneyland Resort and other Disney resorts around the world, Disney was able to grow and spread its imagination and then it was able to dominate the family entertainment market. With the organization's ability to create a brand name, slowly Disney began to diversify its markets and began to cover a wide variety of products and services ranging from DVDs to more theme parks and resorts to their own cruise ships. Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries compromise an entertainment company that operates four different business segments. These business segments include Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment and Consumer products (Mergent). With its diverse segments, Disney Company "aims to combine imaginative material with masterful marketing, as it delivers popular culture worldwide. The core business strategy feeds a cycle of content creation that allows the company to leverage its franchises across multiple media and entertainment platforms" (Net Advantage / S&P).

LOCATIONS

Since opening its "First House of Mouse" (Marketing, P308) in Anaheim, California, the site of Disneyland in 1955, Wlat did not stop jst there. With more ideas and plans, Walt decided to expand is horizons and build a larger theme park in Orlando, Florida. With ability of having a large amout of land Walt built Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney MGM Studios, and Disney Animal Kingdom on the Orlando location between 1971 and 1998 (Marketing, 308).

With a desire for the patrons to stay longer and to spend more money at the theme parks, Walt proposed the building of hotels, shopping areas and restaurants on the premises of the themeparks. In California this was known as Downtown Disney (Marketing, P308).

Do to increasing number of turists from around the world to Disneyland and Disney World, especially by the Asian tourists, Walt's imagination and horizon has broadened and Walt decided to go into contract wth a Japanese company called Oriental land and opened the doors to to Tokyo Disneyland. This international idea then followed by the opening of Disneyland Paris and Tokyo DisneySea. And to make these parks a success, mny of the most popular rides of the California and Florida theme parks were replicated and installed at he above locations (Marketing, P309).

With the help of the internet, not only did Disney open up many stores around the country, but it also posted and interactive web-store, where a person can purchase anything from a towel to a theme park ticket to a vacation on one of their cruise ships.

PRODUCTS

From the first cartoon character designed by Walt to theme parks, the product line has deviated tremendously and has diversified and expanded. Today there are about to hubdred Disney stores that are targeting the children between the ages of four and ten and display items for purchase such as clothes, toys, and videos. Disney also owns TV stations and radio enterprises. Among these are ABC network that has aired Who Wants to Be A Milionaire. Disney also owns sports franchises which includes the hockey team Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and a baseball team Anaheim Angels (Marketing, P310).

TARGET MARKETS

Today, Disney corporation with its many diverse networks is targeting almost every possible target group that ranges from a two year to a older population. Through its Disney stores it is targeting young todlers and children with its toys and videos. Then with its TV networks, it is targeing both younger and older crowd. The networks consist of TV-Disney which targets the kids with the entertainment of showing cartoons and many of the Disny's popular movies to its ABC network which targets many of the adult vievers. Another way that Disney targets both the children and adult is by having the people cme to the stadium to watch their Anaheim Angels, and to the hockey rink to watch their Mighty Ducks play.

To increase the number of their visitors and to meet the demands of their visitors, Disney has created a website that allows people to chose many options and create their own experiences.

At the Disneyland website, a family can create an experience that best suits them. A family member can choose an experience that ranges from a family experience with toddlers or kids or with teens. For a vacation with the toddlers, the families are recommended attractions that emphasize fun instead of fright, and to take them to live shows and parades with the Disney characters, then where to have all the meals for the day and where to shop for toys and gifts. For those with the kids, they recommend different restaurants and attractions that are suited for that age group, which include thrillig rides and interactive shows. And finally or the teens, they recommend highest, fastest and most thrilling attractions.

When compared to the previous experiences, the Walt Disney World Resort offers a few more choises. Disney World Resort has added an experience for active families that will enjoy attractions that involve maximum thrills, recreation choices that are filled with physical challenges, and finally dining and entertainment for an adult appeal. Another difference that is present at the Disney World Resort target those that are in search of romance and relaxation. The resort offers heartwarming experiences, recreational expriences for those who want to unwind and to take it easy, and finally dining recommendations that appeal to adults in search of a romantic dinner and an evening.

Another way how the parents and their children cn enjoy their vacation together is by sailing on a cruse to many destinations. Just as in on the land resorts, the floating cruise ship resort offers many activities