Let the Memories Begin

“Let the Memories Begin” was the first campaign where

Disney used real guests. They wanted guests to share actual

experiences and their most loved Disney moments. There-

fore, they used things like guest home videos and photos in

their television ads.

Social media was a large aspect of this campaign. Disney

encouraged guests to share their videos and photos on Dis-

ney’s Parks Facebook, Myspace and YouTube pages. In addi-

tion, they created an online Hub on their website where

guests can share their experiences and stories.

Overview

Disney is one of the most recognised and successful companies in the world. This success is

due to passion and genius of Disney’s founder, Walt Disney. Walt Disney was a true marketing

mastermind due fact that he really understood the human heart. He focused his campaigns and

strategies on wooing and winning someone’s heart, because he realised that ultimately, that is

truly what it is all about (something most companies should think about doing).

One of Disney’s largest successes are its Parks and Resorts, which are located all across the

globe. The two most well-known parks are Disney Land and Disney World. Disney Land was the

first park to be built and is located in California. Disney World is the largest of the parks and is

located in Florida. Since the opening of the Disney Land, in the 1950s, Disney’s Parks and Re-

sorts have been referred to as “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

To this day Disney’s Parks have maintained the legacy of being the happiest place on Earth and

it campaigns still focus on winning someone’s heart.

.

Disney Parks and Resorts Disney World Disney Land

Location Lake Buena Vista, Florida , USA

Anaheim, California, USA

Opened 1971 1955

Size 27,258 acres 515 acres

Theme Parks Magic Kingdom Epcot Disney’s Hollywood Studies Animal Kingdom

Disney Land Park Disney California Adventure

Annual Attendance 52.5 million 24.7 million

Year of a Million Dreams “Years of the million dreams” was not so much

a campaign, but more of a celebration. More

than one million very special dreams were

granted to guests who visited Walt Disney

World Resort and Disney Land Resort. It was a

giveaway that allowed cast members to give

away dreams big and small to guests who

were chosen at random. Some of dreams in-

cluded a family having The Magic Kingdom to

themselves for a day and guest spending a night at Cinder-

ella Castle.

Up to 500 photos a

day are projected on-

to Cinderella Castle at

the Magic Kingdom

Disney’s guests usually use the behaviour extensive decision-making. This is be-

cause going on vacations to one of the parks is usually expensive, infrequently

bought, and some guests are unfamiliar with the parks.

For guests that are not so familiar with the parks, Disney offers numerous resources to make the decision making process easier. For instance, a guest can order a Disney Parks Planning Video or call one of their travel agents for free.

Emotions Disney influences buyer behaviour primarily by appealing to people’s emotions. They tap into their inner child, their hopes, and dreams. They not only do this in their marketing, but also when guests are actually at the theme parks.

Appealing to emotions is a good way to influence buyer behaviour. This is because emotions can greatly influence or determine decisions.

Disney Buyer Behaviour Word Of Mouth Theory

Word of mouth is considered the most valuable form of marketing. Disney is such Legacy, they don’t really have to do much marketing; they gain most of their business by word of mouth. When a guest comes to a Disney Park they will have experiences like no other and they will want share their experiences with their friends and family. Today, with the growth of social media, it’s even easier to share not only with friends and family, but with the whole world. Disney realized this and that is why their past campaigns focused so much on them wanting real people to share their stories thorough social media.

Social Cognitive Theory

Social Cognitive theory is another theory which Disney uses in their marketing efforts to influence buyer behaviour. The main concept of social cognitive theory, when used in mar-keting, is that people are most likely to follow behaviour modelled by someone they can identify with. This is why some of Disney’s ads have celebrities in them. For instance, during Disney’s most recent campaign they asked internet sensation Grumpy Cat to visit Disney Land and share her experience.

Each Year the Themed Enter-

tainment Association releases the fig-

ures for annual Amusement Park

Attendance for the top companies. For

the past couple years Disney has domi-

nated its competition. All of the top

ten visited amusement Parks in world

are owned by Disney, with the exclu-

Tips to be a success

like Disney

1. Provide a promise, not a product:

2. Always exceed customers’ expecta-

tions

3. Pursue your passion, and the money

will follow:

4. Stay true to your company’s mission

and values:

5. Differentiate your offer

6. Lead by example and delegate

7. Defy convention:

8. Leave behind something to grow

*List by Bob Hill* (Hill 2010)*

Show your Disney Side “Show Your Disney Side” is Disney’s latest campaign. It is fo-

cused on people embracing their Disney side through social

media. Social Media Director for Disney, Thomas Smith,

said “A person’s ‘Disney Side’ is the side of you that says

'yes' more often, laughs louder and lives life to the fullest.”

When people embrace their Disney Side that Disney magic

allows adults to feel like a child again, right along with their

children.

Disney fans are requested to share their "Disney Side" on

social media sites using the hashtag #DisneySide.