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Global Marketing

Integrated Marketing Communication: Disney

Disney uses an integrated marketing communication strategy to create a unified message throughout all of their global operations. Integrated marketing communication involves the process of ensuring that all marketed goods and services contribute to a brand that remains consistent and relevant to the consumer over time. To ensure a consistent message to their consumers, they market each of their new products, movies, rides, etc. across all of their platforms.

One example of their integrated marketing communication strategy involves their promotion of movies. When Disney releases a new movie, they create similar advertisements to display across all of their platforms.  In each of their theme parks, they display posters and create merchandise for the movie in which they only make slight changes to the design, such as language.  To further promote the new movie, they use their Disney+ streaming platform and their cable Disney Channel to play trailers.  In their Disney stores worldwide, they also create videos of the new movie to play. As you can see in the image below, when Disney started to promote Star Wars, they used multiple communication channels to create an integrated marketing campaign across all their platforms.

Another example of Disney’s international marketing communications strategy involves their #DreamBigPrincess campaign.  When Disney faced backlash from their stereotypical portrayals of women in their princess movies, they created the #DreamBigPrincess campaign to highlight their actions toward change in the industry.  To create an integrated message across all of their platforms, they recruited 21 young women from 13 different countries to create video shorts of female trailblazers.  These shorts were promoted on all of Disney’s social media outlets to communicate a message of empowering women to share their stories. They created a sense of inclusivity across their global brand by involving a diverse group of women to partake in the design of the campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHNPzyDD50I

Overall, Disney uses cross-cultural marketing communication to promote their brand in theme parks, movies, TV, and games. They have continued to market their brand through global expansion by introducing more theme parks around the world and expanding the availability of their streaming platform Disney+.  To create a globally integrated message, they use all of their channels to promote new goods and services, including newspapers, magazines, and social media. To further strengthen and communicate their international presence, they have also created characters that are representative of different cultures, such as Mulan and Moana.  Additionally, considering their international operations, they have remained adaptable to local considerations by partnering with domestic or local brands and vendors to create merchandise specific to cultural needs. Ultimately, they incorporate an international vision with a local strategy to heighten the effectiveness of their international marketing communications.