Introduction:
The Walt Disney Company is one of the most exalted brands on a global level, with every individual affected by the company’s utilization of content, services and consumer products one way or the other.
Marketing is the most important tool that helps Disney promotes their most creative, innovative and entertaining experiences and products, to generate the need and demand effectively (About Walt Disney Company, 2016).
One of the most celebrated characters of Disney is Cinderella and the following report will focus on the evolution of this legendary character through time and the marketing impact to create and maintain the essence of the character for such a long period in the minds of the consumers.
The marketing definition as stated by American Marketing Association (AMA) is ‘the activity, set of institutions, and processes for customers, clients, partners and society in general (Definition of Marketing, 2016).
Princess Cinderella:
The legacy of the company is embedded in creating stories and experiences that connect with every member of the family, and carrying the tradition that initiated in the 1920s, the story of Cinderella was retold by Walt Disney by reimagining the original Cinderella from the 1920s and till today it is referred to as a classic and considered one of the most adored princesses (Velez. L, 2015).
Marketing starts with a great product and in the form of Cinderella, Disney hits the bull’s eye in terms of creating a character that every girl aspired to be, the gradual changes in the costumes starting with the dress have been part of the marketing tactics of the colour catching the consumer’s eye (Velez. L, 2015).
Merchandising is the cornerstone of generating revenues on a global basis for Disney, and in this regard, the marketing tactics of partnering with nine global luxury shoe designer to generate buzz leading to last year’s March 2015 release of the latest Cinderella movie by creating a collection of the iconic Cinderella glass slippers are a case in point in relation to the marketing acumen of Disney (Millington. A, 2015).
The marketing connects from the start has been to connect the slippers with a symbol of transformation and help imagine every girl a Cinderella moment, the selection of the target market is of paramount importance and in the aforementioned merchandising strategy for Cinderella it is females aged 35 to 55 because of the exorbitant price of the glass slippers.
The marketing focus of Cinderella is to focus on not so young princess at heart and this can be gauged from the merchandise offered on the online store of Disney that includes $600 14 karat gold charm, $15 tiara for kids, prom dresses, necklace, mugs, lamps and books to name a few (Cinderella, 2016).
The 2015 movie adaptation of Cinderella was marketed with successful launch of limited edition lipstick, eye, shadows and glitter products of M.A.C, and an integrated marketing strategy that utilized, style magazines, fashion bloggers and makeup fans to create a frenzy and demand for the branded products that escalated a $16 lipstick to $132.50 (Harwell. D, 2015).
Product endorsement as a marketing tool has also been utilized for Cinderella and in an episode of The Bachelor, a Cinderella themed date coupled with the film’s clip showcased, similarly, in the popular reality TV show Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the film was promoted and also at London Fashion week (Harwell. D, 2015).
The marketing strategy clearly showcases the intent to not only promote, but to connect with the right target audience and create an experience that relates to the target consumers in an emotional manner to create that ‘Cinderella Moment’.
Retail is vital for the success of Disney merchandise, the marketing success if the products are evident in the numbers that Disney have been able to generate over the last decade and more, with Cinderella being the key cog in the Disney world.
The amount generated by Disney Consumer Products division was $300 million in 2001 and by 2012 the earning was a mind boggling $3 billion on a global level for the Disney Princess franchise (Vincent, 2013).
The 2015 Cinderella movie is an epitome of the content strategy, however, Disney does a reverse, and i.e. the company first creates a brand story through a movie and then build products around the story.
This strategy is clearly visible with the 2015 Cinderella movie launch, all the activities related to promoting the movie, included, product development in all genres as mentioned earlier and then using the story as the hero connect with the merchandise and promotional tactic.
This resulted in the mega success of the 2015 movie, by delivering a $132.5 million on global debut, besides, breaking the Chinese market with$25 million dollars revenue (McClintock. P, 2015).
Conclusion:
Cinderella is an iconic product that has been generating revenue and strengthening Walt Disney’s hold in the market on a continuous basis, and the marketing techniques adopted to promote products in lieu of the Cinderella portfolio are adopted as per the requirement.
References:
About Walt Disney Company (2016). Our Mission. Retrieved from https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/
About AMA (2016). Definition of Marketing. American Marketing Association. Retrieved from https://www.ama.org/AboutAMA/Pages/Definition-of-Marketing.aspx
Cinderella (2016). Disney Store. Retrieved from http://www.disneystore.com/cinderella/mn/1000014/?CMP=KNC-DSPCharCinderellaGoogle&s_kwcid=AL!4279!3!58145295552!e!!g!!disney%2520store%2520cinderella&ef_id=gNNQJxTGfksAAFvE:20150311141951:s
D23 (2012). Disney History. Retrieved https://d23.com/disney-history/
Harwell, D. (2015). What $4,595 “glass slippers” say about Disney’s princess sales machine. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/what-4595-glass-slippers-say-about-disneys-princess-sales-machine/2015/03/11/b58f28f6-c29d-11e4-ad5c-3b8ce89f1b89_story.html
Millington, A. (2015). Disney takes consumers to the ball with shoe designer tie-up. Marketing Week. Retrieved from http://www.marketingweek.com/2015/02/10/disney-takes-consumers-to-the-ball-with-shoe-designer-tie-up/
McClintock, P. (2015). Box Office: 'Cinderella' Lives Happily Ever After With $132.5M Global Debut. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-cinderella-lives-happily-781558
Velez, L. (2015). Cinderella: The Fashion Transformation of History's Favorite Party Dress. Movie Pilot. Retrieved from http://moviepilot.com/posts/2752492
Vincent, NG. (2013). How Disney Princesses Became a Multi Billion Dollar Brand. MCNG Marketing. Retrieved from http://www.mcngmarketing.com/how-disney-princesses-became-a-multi-billion-dollar-brand/#.V2sYgjWmFgA
