Disney Brand Loyalty

[Brad Bishop]

I was thinking about this in reference to the "Has Epcot Failed?" thread:

A lot of us grew up with various versions of Disney:
- if you're really old: Disney made a talkie!
- Disney makes animated features!
- Old Disney cartoons
- The War (II) effort.
- Disneyland
- Davy Crockett
- The Wonderful World of Disney
- Walt Disney World
- re-releasing movies to the theaters on a 7-year time table
- Epcot (I think it was a boost - maybe just because I grew up in FL)
- Revitalizing Disneyland
- The Disney Channel
- MGM Studios
- "The Disney Decade"
- re-releasing movies to whatever video format on a 7-year time table
- Animal Kingdom
- DCA
- DCA rebuild (how dumb is that?)

... Then it kind of drops off....
- Not much happening at WDW or their parks
- Disney-specific movies kind of die off with more flops or "meh" than hits. Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Home on the Range, etc.
- Disney Channel becomes the "Boy Meets World" (and other ABC reruns) channel
- Mickey Mouse cartoons are no longer "adult funny" or even "adult relatable" and now are just "Playhouse Disney" faire.
- They target girls more than boys.

Then they start buying other properties like:
- Marvel
- Star Wars
- Pixar

My point to all of this is that they long cultivated a generational following for decades and, from what I can tell, it's not happening like it used to. I love having a Mickey Mouse plush when I was a kid. I wanted the T-shirt and all the rest. I wanted to go to WDW.

Maybe I'm blind to it but I don't see the same "Disney Brand Generational Cultivation" like they used to have. It really is more just the notion of, "They were Disney children once. Now they'll bring their kids to our parks and those children will then be Disney children." It just doesn't seem like it's taking to me. Yep, there are those that fall into this, but not like it used to be.

 

[Hakunamatata]

If you don't think Frozen built a Disney generation.......

 

[Brad Bishop]

If you don't think Frozen built a Disney generation.......

I thought about that but I think a one hit wonder (OHW) doesn't quite cut it. Shrek was awesome but who still thinks of that.

I think that the cultivation is on-going. The "Disney Decade" is a good example of that but the older Disney experiences are as well (Wonderful World of Disney/Color, Davy Crockett, etc).

I don't think Frozen really compares to a decade-long cultivation across many decades with kids just wanting to have Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, etc. items.

That being said, you could make a pretty good argument to Disney failures NOT cultivating generations past like:
- horrible animation in the late 1960s through Little Mermaid in 1989.
- a lot of rather crappy movies during that same time (Cat From Outer Space, Black Hole, etc.)
- Not a lot happening from Epcot opening until MGM studios. Technically 7 years but still, it doesn't scream excitement.

 

[21stamps]

Jake, Princess Sophia, Doc McStuffins, Miles, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.... Pretty much everything Disney Junior related............

I think I went to 6 Jake and the Neverland Pirates birthday parties when kiddo was 4, including his own.lol

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Just curious on why you said "DCA rebuild (how dumb is that?)"? Did you like the original version of DCA better or just don't like DCA?

 

[bpadair32]

I was thinking about this in reference to the "Has Epcot Failed?" thread:

A lot of us grew up with various versions of Disney:
- if you're really old: Disney made a talkie!
- Disney makes animated features!
- Old Disney cartoons
- The War (II) effort.
- Disneyland
- Davy Crockett
- The Wonderful World of Disney
- Walt Disney World
- re-releasing movies to the theaters on a 7-year time table
- Epcot (I think it was a boost - maybe just because I grew up in FL)
- Revitalizing Disneyland
- The Disney Channel
- MGM Studios
- "The Disney Decade"
- re-releasing movies to whatever video format on a 7-year time table
- Animal Kingdom
- DCA
- DCA rebuild (how dumb is that?)

... Then it kind of drops off....
- Not much happening at WDW or their parks
- Disney-specific movies kind of die off with more flops or "meh" than hits. Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Home on the Range, etc.
- Disney Channel becomes the "Boy Meets World" (and other ABC reruns) channel
- Mickey Mouse cartoons are no longer "adult funny" or even "adult relatable" and now are just "Playhouse Disney" faire.
- They target girls more than boys.

Then they start buying other properties like:
- Marvel
- Star Wars
- Pixar

My point to all of this is that they long cultivated a generational following for decades and, from what I can tell, it's not happening like it used to. I love having a Mickey Mouse plush when I was a kid. I wanted the T-shirt and all the rest. I wanted to go to WDW.

Maybe I'm blind to it but I don't see the same "Disney Brand Generational Cultivation" like they used to have. It really is more just the notion of, "They were Disney children once. Now they'll bring their kids to our parks and those children will then be Disney children." It just doesn't seem like it's taking to me. Yep, there are those that fall into this, but not like it used to be.

My kids all have a ton of Disney stuffed animals and love the characters. They are also obsessed with Frozen, Cars, Toy Story, Star Wars etc. I think there is plenty of loyalty being built with the younger generations. Kids never like the same things as their parents, times change, you may not like what Disney is doing, but it is definitely not alienating the youngsters.

Jake, Princess Sophia, Doc McStuffins, Miles, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.... Pretty much everything Disney Junior related............

I think I went to 6 Jake and the Neverland Pirates birthday parties when kiddo was 4, including his own.lol

Ditto

 

[Brad Bishop]

Just curious on why you said "DCA rebuild (how dumb is that?)"? Did you like the original version of DCA better or just don't like DCA?

Sorry, no. I meant it as, "They did it on the cheap to begin with and had to rebuild it all just a few years later... How dumb was that?"

I was at DCA about 9 months back and I thought it was really good. If I were to rate it:

1) MK / DL
2) DCA / DAK
...then it starts getting bad.

 

[Brad Bishop]

I guess with regards to things like Playhouse Disney, I get that they're identifying with small children but how long does that last as the kids grow?

With the regular Mickey Mouse Cartoons (of years past) they appealed to both young kids (colorful moving picture and "Hey, it's Mickey!" essentially) and adults who identified with Mickey Mouse at various levels (typically the "every-guy" image that was portrayed). It's like Looney Tunes with it's vaudeville bits: it appealed to folks of all ages.

I don't think Playhouse Disney does that. I think kids growing up would soon think, "Disney is for babies!"

 

[21stamps]

I guess with regards to things like Playhouse Disney, I get that they're identifying with small children but how long does that last as the kids grow?

With the regular Mickey Mouse Cartoons (of years past) they appealed to both young kids (colorful moving picture and "Hey, it's Mickey!" essentially) and adults who identified with Mickey Mouse at various levels (typically the "every-guy" image that was portrayed). It's like Looney Tunes with it's vaudeville bits: it appealed to folks of all ages.

I don't think Playhouse Disney does that. I think kids growing up would soon think, "Disney is for babies!"

No, then they move up to Disney XD.

I also do think Disney movies still can appeal to children and adults. We finally just watched Zootopia. I liked it too. Same with Inside Out. The story line is a little above a young child's head, but it gives us great talking points with them after the movie is over. I hated the Good Dinosaur though. Mostly because it was the Lion King all over, and maybe even more sad. Plus, I just thought it was dumb that they were farmers.lol

 

[21stamps]

I guess with regards to things like Playhouse Disney, I get that they're identifying with small children but how long does that last as the kids grow?

With the regular Mickey Mouse Cartoons (of years past) they appealed to both young kids (colorful moving picture and "Hey, it's Mickey!" essentially) and adults who identified with Mickey Mouse at various levels (typically the "every-guy" image that was portrayed). It's like Looney Tunes with it's vaudeville bits: it appealed to folks of all ages.

I don't think Playhouse Disney does that. I think kids growing up would soon think, "Disney is for babies!"

I was thinking more about this, and I do agree with you on the fact that Disney has become more for young kids. DCL/WDW are limited time frame commitments for me. I know that soon my kid will love universal/IoA and cruise ships with rock climbing walls and water parks. Doesn't mean we won't go to WDW, just means that we won't go there for as many days.

Now with the addition of Marvel and Star Wars it will keep kids, especially boys, in a "Disney phase" longer. But not a Mickey Mouse one.

I absolutely adored the Mickey Mouse Club growing up, but times are different now. Kids want more stimulation. If that's a good or bad thing is very debatable, but it is definitely the case now.

Also parents have changed. The amount of money we spend on kids now is ridiculous. I talked about it in another thread. Disney is one of many companies who are capitalizing on our new spending habits and kid focused vacays. Build a Frozen ride and parents of Princess lovers will come. Build a Star Wars land and parents will spare no expense to bring their SW obsessed boys. Star Wars was an absolutely genius acquisition. The Star Wars universe reaches more people than a princess ever will.

 

[Flippin'Flounder]

- Not much happening at WDW or their parks I'll give you this, althoigh they are working on it
- Disney-specific movies kind of die off with more flops or "meh" than hits. Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Home on the Range, etc. Those were all pre-DCA rebuild, so I'm not sure why they're here. Current animation has been doing amazingly. Zootopia, BH6, Frozen, Wreck-it-Ralph, Tangled. Pixar as well with Inside Out and Finding Dory.
- Disney Channel becomes the "Boy Meets World" (and other ABC reruns) channel When did this even happen? Disney Channel currently has tons of original programming. It might not be very good, but it's not reruns.
- Mickey Mouse cartoons are no longer "adult funny" or even "adult relatable" and now are just "Playhouse Disney" faire. Maybe that's because they air on Playhouse Disney Disney Junior? What do you expect?
- They target girls more than boys. This is again not really true. As you mentioned, they bought Marvel and Star Wars, both boy-centered franchises. Many recent animated films are also targeted to boys, or are neutral, like Wreck-it-Ralph, BH6 and Zootopia.

 

[cheesecake]

One thing I think Disney is actually really great at is marketing towards all ages.

Young children (babies to 5-7) have Disney Junior. Not only does the channel play classic movies from before their audience was born, like Peter Pan, Lion King and princess movies, but they've integrated them into their new shows like the Lion Guard, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Sofia the First. They have Mickey Mouse Clubhouse which is of course introduces Mickey and Co. And of course, the movies.

In addition to the movies, school age kids to young teens have DisneyXD, and the Disney Channel. Between shows, they have Mickey Mouse cartoons that are animated in a way that is more contemporary and popular with young kids (I don't think it's anime. Is it kawaii?)

There's also the nostalgia factor. If you look at tumblr or pinterest, you'll see loads of young millenials still talking about the movies of their youth. The Disney Renaissance years were just that good. The Disney College Program is as popular as it is because these young adults loved Disney so much as kids, they want to experience the magic first hand and help the next generation do so as well.

As for the parks, I would agree that more roller coasters/thrill ridea would be a positive thing. But I don't think they're losing too much business over it.

 

[Schneewittchen]

I'm trying to reflect on my youth and my family's evolving relationship with Disney media, products, services, etc.

As a child of the 70s/80s, I consumed a lot of Disney stuff - classic animated films were frequently re-released, the live action films that my parents loved and grew up with were on VHS (Johnny Tremaine, Davy Crockett, Swiss Family Robinson), the Disney Channel was constantly rotating and repackaging old cartoons and films and I swear my parents took me to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs live on stage around 1980... I had this album.

I had a few Disney-ish toys, a few princess themed cakes, and some very beautiful hand-made Snow White and Aurora costumes for Halloween. The Wonderful World on Disney was still on TV every weekend. My mother gave me her set of cherished books:

And in 1985 they took me on my first trip to WDW. So even in the dark days, my family and a lot of my friends were still big fans.

I'm convinced that my current obsession has a lot to do with how much my parents, children of the 40s/50s, loved Disney and shared it with me.

And I think I'm doing the same thing to my kids, only more so:
Yearly trips to WDW
About 70 Disney DVDs in the collection (yay, Disney Movie Club)
Vintage Wonderful World of Reading books from the 70s/80s/90s
Disney toys
Disney clothes
Disney stuff for birthdays and Halloween
And it's not all Frozen all the time, I think Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Peter Pan and Beauty and the Beast are their favorites.

I'm rambling a bunch, but I think I'm trying to say that brand loyalty isn't just about producing good films and building a nice amusement park. I think it's all about the perceived values of the company, parents buying-in to it, having the nostalgia and sharing it with their kids. The Disney Institute has some pricey classes that cover these topics.

 

[Matt_Black]

... Then it kind of drops off....
- Not much happening at WDW or their parks

Aside from major development at DHS, DAK, and Disney Springs, yeah not much happen.

- Disney-specific movies kind of die off with more flops or "meh" than hits. Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Home on the Range, etc.

Even if we just count that period of 2000-2006, you've got at least one major hit in Lilo & Stitch. The past 5 years or so, WDAS has been on fire, with big hits like Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia.

- Disney Channel becomes the "Boy Meets World" (and other ABC reruns) channel

Well, if the new Elena of Avalor series does well, we might see a change in that.

- Mickey Mouse cartoons are no longer "adult funny" or even "adult relatable" and now are just "Playhouse Disney" faire.

Have you seen the new Mickey Mouse shorts on Disney Channel? They are delightfully insane! They did a Spaghetti Western homage with DANNY TREJO as an evil pinata set on ruining Mickey Mouse's birthday.

- They target girls more than boys.

Even if we disregard for the moment that many boys like "girl media" (see also- Bronies), both Wreck-It Ralph and Big Hero 6 kind of throw a wrench into that theory.