"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." - Walt Disney
Task: on Vimeo, find a place/space video that highlights brand equity at that place/space.
Disney is one of the world's most recognisable brands, with a range of successful product offerings in film, television, music, merchandise to name a few. But did you know that a whopping 31% of Disney's revenue comes from its theme parks? For this place branding exercise I decided to look at Disney World's brand equity to understand what makes Disney theme parks so successful.
I chose a video showcasing Disney World in Orlando from the perspective of a family vacation. After sifting through various time-lapse and professional grade videos from Disneyland/Disney World, I found this one resonated with me the most. Not because it had the best footage, or editing, or imagery - but because of the people.
From the second the video starts, we are transported into the family's life. In the pitch black of the early morning we hear the parents wake up the sleepy kids to break the exciting news to them. This is how the Disney family holiday narrative starts - surprising the children with an out-of-the-blue trip to the happiest place on earth. Because going to Disney World is a child's dream come true, and the surprise part is essential to the experience - I know that, you know that, and Disney knows that. It's the kind of salience most brands only ever dream of achieving.
One of the first things that highlights Disney World's brand equity is the kids. As children are Disney's largest target market, adults (as the purchase decision makers) must first perceive Disney World to be a kid friendly place, a story that is clearly told in this video. And whether you like kids or not, children are (at least through a certain lens) adorable, and looking at Keller's CBBE model they appeal to us as consumers on an emotional level. Also when it comes to marketing kids give us strong impressions of innocence, sincerity and wholesomeness, which are characteristics Disney wants you to associate with their brand.
The next thing that stood out to me was the roughness of the video. It is clearly homemade and not professionally done, which adds a level of authenticity to it that paid ads struggle to achieve. This builds on the sincere, down-to-earth and genuine brand personality being conveyed. But there are also elements of excitement mixed in, with creativity and joy being key elements of the brand persona and hence its value offering.
Finally, the biggest element of Disney World's brand equity highlighted in this video is quite simply that it is experiential marketing in action. This involves consumers having an experience which builds their connection with a brand, that they want to share with others - essentially resulting in brand resonance, engagement and loyalty. The fact that this family, and many other families, make videos showcasing the magic of Disney World completely of their own accord, is the essence of brand equity.
And if brand equity is in the mind of the consumer, then Disney World must truly be the happiest place on earth.
This blog post was made for a MKTG3023 assessment task.
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