The brand Disney legacy, 2024 marketing plans and ROI.

Back to school week has wrapped up. For those with children and young adults, we hear the collective sigh of relief from your desks. How many children went back to school with fresh pencil cases adorned with Moana and Lightning McQueen? Or had parents prying off that Elsa costume with earnest in exchange for a school uniform?

This year Disney celebrates its centenary. The brand, the stories, the way of life, is entrenched in households across the world. It's no coincidence Disney is the largest independent media company globally. Walt Disney built a brand based on delivering experiences to his audience starting with Mickey Mouse. Since then, brand Disney has turned into a magical behemoth and crack for kids worldwide.

Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said; “A strong brand is something that creates almost a chemical reaction in someone as soon as they hear that name or that brand name. If I say to you ‘Disney’, you know exactly what it is. There’s a feeling inside you, either because you’ve consumed the brand in some form, or it’s had an impact on your life.

You immediately have a visceral feeling about it. What that says is that a strong brand is something that is very identifiable in terms of its qualities, its attributes, its values, what it stands for.”

The CEO Magazine Global broke down the five areas of marketing success for modern day Disney; storytelling first product second, culture of loyalty, know your audience, retain quality control, continuing to change. We've included the analysis in this week's Friday Five below.

And if you fancy a skip down memory lane, this exhibition opens in October to commemorate 100 years since Micky Mouse was born...and everything in between.

1. Brand Disney

?? Disney notches up its centenary this year. In those 100 years in business, it's become one of the most recognised brands worth $160-billion and is the largest independent media company in the world. Here are the five key areas that have led to the sustained global success of the brand.

2. The chip theory

?? Economists are more optimistic about what 2024 will bring now inflation is starting to slow. This article by Grace Kite in Marketing Week suggests while the outlook is 'meh', marketing plans needn't follow suit.

3. Marketing kitty

?? On that note, where there's a marketing plan, there's a marketing budget. Raconteur | B Corp? suggests the marketing purse strings have been fairly immune to spending cuts in 2023 and the year ahead should be about measuring and demonstrating the ROI. Here's their report.

4. Employee engagement

?? Recent research by Gallup shows employee engagement in the US is up two percentage points on this time last year. But there is one area that's raised a red flag. As the retransition back into the workplace continues, remote workers are becoming more detached from company purpose and mission. Take a read of all its findings here.

5. Fashion manifesto

?? If you're local to London, or London bound soon, the V&A unveils its latest exhibition; Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto, next week. The brand Chanel has stood the test of time with its consistent, considered approach to understanding its customers. Gabrielle herself invented the LBD ('little black dress') which was dubbed the Ford of dresses thanks to its far-reaching appeal, and has nailed a product so well it's had the same iconic two-toned heel on its shelves for 66 years. Grab tickets here.

Until next week,

The Bright Space Team.