Success History of Disney Company

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When Disney first started, many did not believe that it would be the company that it is today. For a while, the company struggled to stay afloat while it produced short live-action and animated films. Success began once loveable characters such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, and Pinocchio were introduced. Kids instantly fell in love with the entertaining characters and investors began to fall in love with the company. Years later, the company has become one of the strongest and most influential in the entertainment business.

Countless films, adaptations, and music labels easily climb the ranks while their theme parks and cruises around the world rake in billions by captivating consumers. Brand acquisitions have doubled and tripled the company's outreach over the years and there seems to be no end in sight. Disney's success is attributed to great customer service and creating fun and trustworthy relationships with its investors and consumers. Disney mastered the art of Marketing and will continue to create lifelong memories to ensure its legacy.

Disney has succeeded because it never stopped expanding into different markets.

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While the cartoons, animations, and films were profitable, Disney decided to merchandise characters from films to find a new source of revenue (D23). Merchandising began when a man offered Walt Disney, one of the founders of the company, $300 to put Mickey Mouse on pencils (D23). This soon led to "Mickey Mouse dolls, dishes, toothbrushes, radios, figurines almost everything you could think of bore Mickey's likeness" (D23). Mr. Disney also believed that there should be a place where both children and adults can have fun (D23).

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This led to the creation of the many theme parks that are operated all over the world. Since then, Disney has amassed sprawling markets in theatre, television and the internet.

Today, technology has expanded so much so that many individuals cannot live without it. Thus, the company uses it to an advantage to market products. Disney owns Walt Disney Imagineering, which is "the most diverse creative design and development company in the world" (Wdwnews). This group is responsible for the creation of all "Disney resorts, theme parks and attractions, real estate development, and new entertainment venues" (Wdwnews). From a 360-degree motion picture technology to state-of-the-art vehicles that move through three-dimensional environments, Disney has won the hearts of its consumers by presenting them with technology they have never seen before and competitors don't have. The company exposes its customers to a vast array of innovation that creates a need for people to come back and see what's new. The "maximum utilization of this technology enhances the customer experience (Adamson). This is why "Disney reported a record annual profit of $12.6 billion on $59.43 billion in revenue" (Schwartzel) in 2018.

While the expansion of markets and technology have propelled the company forward, great customer service is what best connects the company to its customers. In 2010, Disney set a goal to "be relevant to every guest, every day, every time they interacted" (Adamson) with the brand. The company wants customers to trust them because trust leads to better relationships, increased brand recognition, and cash flow. Disney believes that "understanding what is relevant to a guest can only be achieved if you listen to these guests" (Adamson). Disney believed this goal could be completed if they switched from Customer Relationship Management to Customer Managed Relationships. This means creating initiatives that "put the guests in control of telling Disney what was important in a Disney experience" (Adamson) rather than keeping customers in line to a company's beliefs and standard practices. Giving people a say in the company makes people feel important. This is what makes Disney so trustworthy. The company's openness to change, recommendations and feedback leads to the increased personalization of each customer's experience and creates happiness through "magical" experiences.

An example of the customer feedback at work is the creation of the "MyMagic+" which is a vacation planning system. MyMagic+ makes it easier for customers to book dinner, meet and greets for children and preselecting seating at various events at the various theme parks that the company owns and operates worldwide (Adamson). These guest friendly tools have made it easier for customers [adults] to enjoy their vacation. This and other tools such as MyDisneyExpereince.com were created to "help visitors have more fun with the greatest of ease" (Adamson). Disney believes that vacations should not be stressful and essentially have adopted the idea and phrase of "Be my guest and let us do the rest" from Russell Salvatore.

Thorough details, kind, bubbly and friendly staff, cleanliness, immersion, theming, the assertive ass-kissing of customers, and having a consumer-oriented is what makes Disney and its subsidiaries such a dominant force in the multiple markets it deals in. A company can't succeed if it fails to connect with customers. Disney will remain profitable and successful if it's many businesses can continue to create strong brands and future growth opportunities in the era of consumer relationships.

Over the last few decades, Disney has acquired other brands to increase its range of business. After purchasing Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox, Disney earned billions of dollars because of their strong grasp on the industry. This also includes "$8 billion from sales of movie tickets, the highest any studio has made in a year" (Whitten). All of these positions lead to stronger brand equity, strength, and public visibility. With this comes greater market exposure. Dipping its hand in video games, consumer products, movies, concerts, and live performances, Disney has been able to connect with its audience in many ways across vast consumer divisions (Kotler). The company has done this to make everyone happy. Certain markets become interested when what they like is created. That is a simple fact. For example, most males tend to like SCIFI, action movies, superheroes, and video games. Most females tend to appreciate romance, and drama. Disney has realized this separation and has created movies, games, and songs to appease both genders. This leads to higher profit and a stronger consumer base. Disney recognizes the downside of alienating customers. Focusing on only one or very few markets and ignoring others may alienate customers from watching, talking about, and spending money on what the business is trying to sell. While this risk has cost other companies millions, Disney seems to always find a way to keep most of its market interested in their new creations.

Disney has stayed true to its brand. The company appears to mainly focus on its customers rather than promote a political or controversial cause. Popular fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is currently soaring, but past political comments made by its COO Dan Kathy alienated consumers that did not agree with his politics. This led to boycotts and pressure that still swarms to chain to this day (Balla). Disney's motto is "The happiest place on earth" it seems that making people happy is the company's main goal rather than taking sides that separate people.

With popular ideas and creations comes competition. Companies such as CBS, Viacom, Warner Media, Six Flags, and Universal are all competitors of Disney (Owler). Thus, acquiring other brands may be a risk since it will lead to increased competition. The products that Disney makes has to be of quality since chronic defeats could tarnish Disney's image among consumers. This could lead to competitors overtaking the company's market share.

Disney is unstoppable. While it is alarming to see that it has bought out and acquired many companies, one cannot say they aren't successful. Disney's grasp on society rules the childhood of many Americans and others around the world. From the small office occupied by Holly-Vermont Realty in Los Angeles in 1923 (Walt Disney Studios) to the sprawling city-like theme parks, Disney has made a name for itself that appears to have future momentum. Great marketing management made Disney the 13th most powerful brand in the world (Kotler). The company will remain on top as long as it retains its stalwart customers through innovation, inclusion, and creating memories that last a lifetime.

References

  • Adamson. (2014, October 15). Disney Knows It's Not Just Magic That Keeps a Brand on Top. Retrieved from
  • Balla. (2014, January 24). How to (Not) Alienate Your Customers and Damage Your Brand. Retrieved from
  • D23. (2013, April 24). Disney History. Retrieved from
  • Kotler, & Keller. (2016). Marketing Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
  • Owler. (n.d.). Disney Competitors, Revenue and Employees Company Profile. Retrieved from
  • Schwartzel. (2018, November 8). Walt Disney Posts Record Annual Profit. Retrieved from
  • Walt Disney Studios. (n.d.). History. Retrieved from
  • Wdwnews. (n.d.). Disney Blends Imagination and Technology to Deliver Landmarks in Theme Park Innovation. Retrieved from
  • Whitten. (2019, August 6). 14 years, 4 acquisitions, 1 Bob Iger: How Disney's CEO revitalized an iconic American brand. Retrieved from
Updated: Oct 10, 2024
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Success History of Disney Company. (2019, Dec 03). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/success-history-of-disney-company-essay

Success History of Disney Company essay
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