Strategizing the market
What are marketing strategies and how do they benefit a company such as the Walt Disney Park and Resorts company?
What are marketing strategies and how do they affect a company in both a positive and negative manner. A marketing strategy is one in which a fundamental goal of increasing sales is established and from that a competitive advantage arises. Various companies use marketing strategies in different ways. Most companies have one major goal for the company and branched below this one goal are multiple strategies to achieve this goal. As times change the goals often change in order to appeal to new generations. For instance as a company begins to attract a specific group of people they tend to alter their audience in order to broaden the company. This alteration usually comes with the changing of the marketing strategies the company has. Companies continuously have to change these strategies in order to maintain a high level of performance.
This is exactly what Disney does, they continue to alter the shows they produce and the events they create to continue to stay successful. Specifically looking at Disney World, the corporation continuously has to change their strategies not only yearly but also as the seasons and holidays change. Different people are attracted to Disney World at various points in the year and the company has to take this into consideration in order to maintain their goal of being the happiest place on earth. Although Disney on the surface may look like a silly company that simply wants to attract children and sell Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwiches, it is much more than that.
Disney theme parks continuously adapt their marketing strategies to appeal to the new generations that attend the parks. Not only do the theme parks as a whole change, but also specific theme parks change in unique ways due to the audience they attract. For instance Disney Land guests tend to be season pass holders, meaning that 80% of the people who attend Disney in Anaheim, California. This means that majority of guests at Disney Land go there multiple times throughout the year. Whereas in Lake Buena Vista, only 20% of the guests are annual pass holders. Therefore this changes Disneyland and Disney World’s strategies to appeal to their audience.
Different companies use different marketing strategies to maintain their company goal. However each of these goals has the same purpose of not only maintaining the company goal, but also appealing to various types of people. No company wants to attract a small group of people, but rather they want to attract a variety of people. The Disney Corporation is able to use the theme parks as a way to advertise their company. People who come to Disney have either watched the television channel, or seen a Disney movie, or even listened to Disney radio, or maybe the children’s parents have been to Disney and want to take their children there. Disney theme parks are able to advertise the company in a positive light because of the message it prevails as being a theme park, not an amusement park that is the happiest place on earth. Disney World specifically is able to use employees, corporate alliances and events in order to maintain a steady audience of new and existing generations at their theme parks while simultaneously creating a utopian experience amongst their guests.
Sources Cited:
Tracy, Ryan. "Disney's Powerful Marketing Machine." NewsWeek. NewsWeek LLC, 3 Nov. 2010. Web. 10 May 2015.
Heffernan, Paul. "Marketing for Business'" Interview. n.d.: n. pag. Print.