Disney Extends Its Brand Presence Everywhere
July 1, 2007 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Marketing
It’s been a long time since Walt Disney’s dream of creating entertainment and places for parents and children to enjoy together was the most important part of the Disney company’s strategy. In fact, I think that part of their agenda is at the bottom of their list of priorities and fading fast. The corporate behomoth currently known as The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has expanded into just about every line of business one can think of with no signs of stopping anytime soon, but for those Disney fans out there, like myself, I bet you never thought you’d hear Disney was entering the liquor industry.
In its ongoing attempt to diversify into the adult marketplace who is not enamored with Mickey Mouse and the family-oriented reputation of Disney, the Disney company will stake its next claim in their liquour cabinets. This isn’t Disney’s first foray into targeting adult consumers with what they call more sophisticated, non-character products. Here’s a list of some of their recent ventures that leave Mickey Mouse and most of what I thought Walt Disney stood for behind:
- Chardonnay with Costco
- Lighting products with the Minka Group
- Fashion bath and bedding collection with Dan River
- Outdoor tabletops and entertaining products with Zak Designs
- Furniture with Drexel Heritage
- Bridal gowns with Kirstie Kelly
- Disney jeans (with and without characters)
- Sporting line (with and without characters)
Disney plans to funnel a lot of money into developing their brand presence within ”more sophisticated” demographic segments. In the meantime, their core business is suffering. Ultimately, I think they’ve lost focus. I visit Walt Disney World at least once per week with my family, and I could rattle off a long list of attractions, restaurants and cast members that need an overhaul. It’s time to spend some money to refurbish Walt Disney’s dream and leave the licqour to Kendall-Jackson.
What do you think? Has Disney lost sight of it’s core brand image or is their diversification strategy a good thing?
Photo courtesy of Flickr.
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Check out what others are saying about this post...[...] this month, I published a post called Disney Expands Its Brand Presence Everywhere and talked about the upcoming launch of a Disney wine. It looks like that was just the beginning [...]
[...] month, I published a post about Disney’s (NYSE: DIS) plans to enter the wine market (read Disney Extends Its Brand Presence Everywhere). Luckily, it seems like they’ve come to their senses and plan to back out of the wine [...]