Corporate Alliances
Protecting the disney brand
The Disney Company is enormous and is made even more enormous through Corporate Alliances. Corporate Alliances allow for companies to mutually benefit from one another by using the other companies abilities and strength. Many companies align with each other for reasons such as health and sports initiative or environmental reasons. Usually, it is a large and very successful company aligning with a smaller, fairly, successful company. It is hard for two huge corporations to align for legal issues, and therefore smaller and bigger companies tend to align. Disney is a huge company and is very successful. Therefore, they tend to be aligned and partnered with some smaller companies. However, the companies Disney aligns with are not random. Rather, each company they associate themselves with benefits the company in some type of way. Through the alliances Disney has with various companies and the branding they advertise, they are able to promote the company to various types of people and generations.
Is the partner’s message relevant to Disney’s? This is a question the corporate alliance team thinks of before partnering with a company. The Disney brand is so well known and has seen so much success that who they choose to partner themselves with directly reflects the values of the company. Coca Cola, a company that has been sponsoring the Disney theme parks since the opening in 1955, is simply a sponsor and not a mutual benefactor of the company. However, both Disney and Coca Cola are able to directly benefit one another, and because of this the two companies continue to partner together. However, when companies who promote substances such as Muscle Milk attempt to align with Disney, it is rare they create a corporate alliance. That is why companies who are involved with the Disney Company often see such great success. It is simply an honor to be aligned with Disney because they value their mission of telling a story. It is not so much about who will benefit the company economically, but rather are the two companies stories connected.
Corporate Alliance goes hand in hand with branding. Branding is something that Disney does not promote within their company even though many brands are aligned with their company. Since Disney is such a large corporation the alliance has to work with Corporate Brand Management to protect the Disney brand. There are various legal issues that go into Disney Corporate Alliances and specific regulations this branch of the company has to follow. For instance there are no brand names in the park, besides rides that are sponsored such as Test Track and Rock and Roller Coaster. These rides have fairly small logos on the ride’s sign and that is how the companies that sponsor this ride are promoted. However, one will notice when they enter a Disney park the branding of the companies that produce the food and make the clothing are fairly hidden. This is to create the utopian experience. The outside world is not supposed to exist at Disney theme parks and by taking away the branding a greater distance between reality and Disney is created.
The Corporate Alliance team has to follow various rules in order to promote the company in a more positive manner. Although some of these “rules” may seem drastic they do not maintain to the story the company is telling, and therefore they have to be followed. For instance, there is no lettering or language allowed on the castle because this detracts from the castle being a place where a princess sleeps. Also, Corporate Alliances is also not allowed to make any deals with pharmaceutical companies because this is such a highly sensitive area with teenagers. Since Disney is looked at as a family, entertainment company, the Corporate Alliance team is very careful with whom they choose to select deals with. Disney does not want to convey the wrong message to the consumer by aligning with pharmaceutical representatives. Since Disney tends to target parents with children they need to stay legitimate and relevant with both of these generations. Parents have a great impact on their children and if they are not okay with a brand Disney chooses to align with then a broad range of customers are lost. Through being particular Disney is able to partner with some of the most successful companies in the twenty first century.
Through branding, Disney and its partners are able to mutually benefit each other in a positive manner. However, there are different levels of partnership a company can have. For instance there is an alliance partner, such as New Balance Athletic Shoe that is able to market specifically with Run Disney. There is also a cornerstone partner, which falls below an alliance partner. Through these partnerships the companies are able to work together to figure out how they can effectively meet messaging. Disney sees success within each of the companies they align themselves with because of the unique messages each company can promote. Whether it is C- Men, which works on all the back of the house magic with lights and electricity, or Coca-Cola which provides beverages for families, each brand benefits the company in some type of way. There are instances in which Disney is forced to end relationships with a brand because their mutual message is no longer the same. This happened in 2006 when Disney theme parks chose not to align themselves with McDonald’s. By working with McDonald’s, Disney was in a sense supporting the message of child obesity and the company could not have that. This just shows how important the message Disney is promoting is to them. If the company is not sending the right message then Disney cannot work with them. By being particular about with whom they partner with Disney has seen an immense amount of success with Corporate Alliances.
In addition to this Disney has various family brands. Each of these brands is owned by Disney and promotes the company by targeting specific audiences. These brands include Marvel, ABC, Radio Disney, Disneyland Resort, and many more. Each of these brands targets a different audience. For instance, Marvel targets people who love comics and superheroes, while ABC may target an older generation of people. By having such a wide variety of companies, from theme parks to radio shows, Disney appeals to various generations. This also promotes the theme park because children watch the Mickey Mouse Club House and want to go meet Mickey and since the theme parks exist, they can do this. Each of these companies is able to promote one other. With such a wide variety of audiences, Disney succeeds in appealing to existing and new generations, and also in getting people to come to Disney. By watching the television shows or listening to the music, children begin to learn they can actually see this all in person, and then eventually they make their way to one of the Disney theme parks!
Disney is able to reach out to a broader range of audiences through Corporate Alliances. In addition to this, they are able to create strong relationships with successful companies. Disney maintains and builds Corporate Alliances to strengthen the power of the company. By signing with new companies such as Sub-Way and Pandora a different audience is engaged and in addition to this the product changes and becomes fresh. What is most important about Corporate Alliances in the theme parks is that branding is not promoted. Although Disney economically sees success with various brands that is not the point of their partnership. It is how the partners will be able to benefit the utopian experience that matters most to Disney. When stepping into a park few brands are seen and that is what is important. Even though Disney is partnered with various companies it is still the same message that is being promoted, but different people are being targeted.
Although Disney is such a large corporation they could not succeed within the parks without sponsors. They need a company to manage their food, electricity, waste, transportation and more. Without Corporate Alliances the theme parks could not run efficiently. The companies Disney works with are flexible and understand that within the park a story is being told. Their flexibility of not having their logo flashed on each cup and each light bulb allows the company to succeed. There would be no maintaining of the story if these alliances did not exist. Corporate Alliances benefit the Disney theme parks by allowing the story to be maintained and new messages to be created by each partner.
Sources Cited:
Darrow, Antoinette. "Corporate Alliances." Interview. n.d.: n. pag. Print.
"What Are Disney Alliances?" Familiescom. NetworkMedia.com, 25 Nov. 2012. Web. 08 May 2015.
Is the partner’s message relevant to Disney’s? This is a question the corporate alliance team thinks of before partnering with a company. The Disney brand is so well known and has seen so much success that who they choose to partner themselves with directly reflects the values of the company. Coca Cola, a company that has been sponsoring the Disney theme parks since the opening in 1955, is simply a sponsor and not a mutual benefactor of the company. However, both Disney and Coca Cola are able to directly benefit one another, and because of this the two companies continue to partner together. However, when companies who promote substances such as Muscle Milk attempt to align with Disney, it is rare they create a corporate alliance. That is why companies who are involved with the Disney Company often see such great success. It is simply an honor to be aligned with Disney because they value their mission of telling a story. It is not so much about who will benefit the company economically, but rather are the two companies stories connected.
Corporate Alliance goes hand in hand with branding. Branding is something that Disney does not promote within their company even though many brands are aligned with their company. Since Disney is such a large corporation the alliance has to work with Corporate Brand Management to protect the Disney brand. There are various legal issues that go into Disney Corporate Alliances and specific regulations this branch of the company has to follow. For instance there are no brand names in the park, besides rides that are sponsored such as Test Track and Rock and Roller Coaster. These rides have fairly small logos on the ride’s sign and that is how the companies that sponsor this ride are promoted. However, one will notice when they enter a Disney park the branding of the companies that produce the food and make the clothing are fairly hidden. This is to create the utopian experience. The outside world is not supposed to exist at Disney theme parks and by taking away the branding a greater distance between reality and Disney is created.
The Corporate Alliance team has to follow various rules in order to promote the company in a more positive manner. Although some of these “rules” may seem drastic they do not maintain to the story the company is telling, and therefore they have to be followed. For instance, there is no lettering or language allowed on the castle because this detracts from the castle being a place where a princess sleeps. Also, Corporate Alliances is also not allowed to make any deals with pharmaceutical companies because this is such a highly sensitive area with teenagers. Since Disney is looked at as a family, entertainment company, the Corporate Alliance team is very careful with whom they choose to select deals with. Disney does not want to convey the wrong message to the consumer by aligning with pharmaceutical representatives. Since Disney tends to target parents with children they need to stay legitimate and relevant with both of these generations. Parents have a great impact on their children and if they are not okay with a brand Disney chooses to align with then a broad range of customers are lost. Through being particular Disney is able to partner with some of the most successful companies in the twenty first century.
Through branding, Disney and its partners are able to mutually benefit each other in a positive manner. However, there are different levels of partnership a company can have. For instance there is an alliance partner, such as New Balance Athletic Shoe that is able to market specifically with Run Disney. There is also a cornerstone partner, which falls below an alliance partner. Through these partnerships the companies are able to work together to figure out how they can effectively meet messaging. Disney sees success within each of the companies they align themselves with because of the unique messages each company can promote. Whether it is C- Men, which works on all the back of the house magic with lights and electricity, or Coca-Cola which provides beverages for families, each brand benefits the company in some type of way. There are instances in which Disney is forced to end relationships with a brand because their mutual message is no longer the same. This happened in 2006 when Disney theme parks chose not to align themselves with McDonald’s. By working with McDonald’s, Disney was in a sense supporting the message of child obesity and the company could not have that. This just shows how important the message Disney is promoting is to them. If the company is not sending the right message then Disney cannot work with them. By being particular about with whom they partner with Disney has seen an immense amount of success with Corporate Alliances.
In addition to this Disney has various family brands. Each of these brands is owned by Disney and promotes the company by targeting specific audiences. These brands include Marvel, ABC, Radio Disney, Disneyland Resort, and many more. Each of these brands targets a different audience. For instance, Marvel targets people who love comics and superheroes, while ABC may target an older generation of people. By having such a wide variety of companies, from theme parks to radio shows, Disney appeals to various generations. This also promotes the theme park because children watch the Mickey Mouse Club House and want to go meet Mickey and since the theme parks exist, they can do this. Each of these companies is able to promote one other. With such a wide variety of audiences, Disney succeeds in appealing to existing and new generations, and also in getting people to come to Disney. By watching the television shows or listening to the music, children begin to learn they can actually see this all in person, and then eventually they make their way to one of the Disney theme parks!
Disney is able to reach out to a broader range of audiences through Corporate Alliances. In addition to this, they are able to create strong relationships with successful companies. Disney maintains and builds Corporate Alliances to strengthen the power of the company. By signing with new companies such as Sub-Way and Pandora a different audience is engaged and in addition to this the product changes and becomes fresh. What is most important about Corporate Alliances in the theme parks is that branding is not promoted. Although Disney economically sees success with various brands that is not the point of their partnership. It is how the partners will be able to benefit the utopian experience that matters most to Disney. When stepping into a park few brands are seen and that is what is important. Even though Disney is partnered with various companies it is still the same message that is being promoted, but different people are being targeted.
Although Disney is such a large corporation they could not succeed within the parks without sponsors. They need a company to manage their food, electricity, waste, transportation and more. Without Corporate Alliances the theme parks could not run efficiently. The companies Disney works with are flexible and understand that within the park a story is being told. Their flexibility of not having their logo flashed on each cup and each light bulb allows the company to succeed. There would be no maintaining of the story if these alliances did not exist. Corporate Alliances benefit the Disney theme parks by allowing the story to be maintained and new messages to be created by each partner.
Sources Cited:
Darrow, Antoinette. "Corporate Alliances." Interview. n.d.: n. pag. Print.
"What Are Disney Alliances?" Familiescom. NetworkMedia.com, 25 Nov. 2012. Web. 08 May 2015.