I’ve recently got back from a vacation at Walt Disney World. I’m always amazed at the Disney brand. This time I kept my eyes out for areas where Disney presented it’s brand or marketed itself in a way that amazed me. Here’s what I found…
Cha
racters – People will wait in line (I was one of them) for up to an hour just to take a picture with a Disney character. The chief among them, Mickey Mouse, even though we ALL know it’s just a person dressed up in a costume. Now THAT’s a brand!
Pins – If you’ve been to Disney you’ve seen them. “Cast Members” (those are folks who work for Disney) wear pins and you can buy your own (ranging from $6-$20) and trade with them.
You don’t wear these pins any other time than at Disney. This is another ingenious idea to generate sales and excitement about the brand. The pins “promote” all the different Disney characters, rides and events. Of course it’s fun to collect, but again it’s a huge area of profit for Disney.
Strategically Placed Fans and Sales Booths – I noticed this at the Animal Kingdom park (although this can be seen at ALL the parks). As you get off a ride all excited after the adventure, you are deposited into a shopping area to buy more stuff. Also, small carts are located close to fans so you can cool of and BUY MORE STUFF.
These are just SOME of the things I noticed.