Harness The Hype: Disney+
As it turns out, someone wished upon a star, and their dream to have a streaming platform with solely Disney content came true.
In November 2019, Disney Plus hit the market and, unsurprisingly, it was a success. Despite the launch leading to a number of computer crashes and frustrated fans, the streaming platform surpassed expectations and competitors by garnering up to 15 million subscribers by Thanksgiving day. Predictions assumed Disney Plus would reach around 60 million subscribers sometime in the decade, but, after its successful launch, the likelihood of hitting 60 million earlier is much higher.
Marketing Disney+
Disney’s marketing throughout this process has really been the showstopper. But why join the streaming market if it is already too saturated and overwhelming for consumers?
Disney already has a loyal fan base.
Disney is worth up to $130 billion, consistently beats itself in the box office by billions of dollars, and even Disney World is the most visited vacation resort in the world with an annual attendance of 52 million. Needless to say, their fan base is huge...so they didn’t really have to sell the audience on why Disney Plus was worth the money.
Streaming platforms aren’t new to Disney’s audience.
Since 69% of people already have a streaming subscription, Disney did not need to convince the public to invest in streaming services...so, it was only a matter of time until Disney conquered the streaming industry themselves.
Disney already has the content.
With ownership of most assets we hold near and dear to our hearts such as ESPN, Hulu, LucasFilm, Marvel Studios, Pixar, etc - all Disney had to do was convince the public why Disney+ was the streaming service to purchase.
What made Disney+ a success and what lessons can brands take away from Disney’s playbook?
#1 - Disney+ Capitalized On Nostalgia
Younger generations like Generation Z and Millennials love the past. From fashion to music taste, consumers get obsessed with time traveling to a different era. Whether it is their disdain for the present or fear of the future, something about the past feels safe.
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There is a reason why even adults save up for a trip to Disneyland or praise the Freeform Disney movie marathons on weekends…these magical places and movies make people feel!
Disney capitalizes on hitting the heart strings through fantastical adventures, emotional triumphs, and relatable characters - creating momentous memories for fans to cherish forever. Disney+ aggregates all of the older Disney content to allow viewers to relive their childhood and visit a simpler time. Childhood is normally care-free...no job, no worries (basically Hakuna Matata all the way). Revisiting these childhood staples triggers an emotional response that evokes feelings of security, comfort, and trust in the brand. Basically, nostalgia is everything.
If you’re living in this day and age, chances are one of the first things you saw was Disney related. Millennials grew up with some of Disney’s best work - the Renaissance period - but, even before, the cultural influence and impact of Walt’s show, “Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color,” had a significant impact (one of the founders of Pixar, Ed Catmull, who created some of the first 3D animation that lead to Toy Story, owes everything to obsessing over Walt’s show). Walt was a cultural phenomenon, influencing people and companies to pursue their dreams.
People want to see the company’s transformation. They want to have access to the archives and the resources that eventually molded into what we know as Disney today. The shows and movies are sought after, and Disney+ is even playing up that infatuation with their original series content. Picking up on the success of the Disney Channel Original Movie, High School Musical, Disney+ created a show shot like “The Office” to ride the fandom and to create new fans!
Disney fans pretty much lost their minds when Hilary Duff announced her return as Lizzie McGuire in the reboot. In a world where celebrities are influencers and major staples in our hearts and minds - people want to see these beloved characters grow up...and, especially, grow up with them. Lizzie will be navigating her early 30’s in the show - which is about the same age as her original viewers.
Lesson Learned:
Pay attention to what your target audience cares about! If numbers indicate a specific interest in a trend, then explore that. If there are behavioral patterns that are worth capitalizing on, such as Millennial/Gen Z interest in nostalgia, rethink strategies.
#2 - Disney Expanded Their Brand
By offering content from Marvel Studios, Pixar, LucasFilm, National Geographic, and so much more, Disney+ has a little something for everyone. From your 60 year old dad who wants access to every episode of the Simpsons, to your superhero loving children, Disney leadership wanted to make it clear that Disney+ was for more than just a family-oriented audience.
The streaming service expands even deeper into the Disney catalogue - allowing Disney creators (and fans) to dig deeper into universes like Star Wars by creating video content like the Madalorian.
Lesson Learned:
If you know who your brand is and what your audience cares about, you can expand and grow.
#3 - Disney+ Is Accessible
Disney+ is not just for families - meaning it is accessible to the general public. The platform also offers convenient access to everything Disney. With all of the movies/content in one place, fans don’t have to go out into the blistering LA heat or numbing NY winters to rent a movie from Redbox, or scramble through their parent’s untouched dusty attic to find old VHS tapes with ripped covers and old stains in order to watch a classic favorite.
Convenience is everything in the modern world - that’s why we have apps that pay for parking, simplify dating, manage bank accounts...you name it! People would do almost anything to stay in when it comes to streaming tv.
Minimizing efforts on the consumer’s end entices people to favor a brand. Disney+ is only priced at $7 currently, making it the cheapest streaming platform and, thus, more accessible to larger audiences. Since it already has Disney classics and will eventually have movies like the $1 billion box office-selling favorite, Frozen 2, the purchase is worth it for fans.
Lesson Learned:
The easier an action is to take, the more likely people are to take it. In other words, brands that make their product offerings or services easily accessible to the consumer are adopted faster and used longer.
#4 - Disney+ Encourages Experiences
The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to “entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds, and innovative technologies that make ours the world's premier entertainment company” and the brand promise is to create magical experiences that lead to happiness.
Since Disney’s beginnings, the company has always known what they stood for. Even when it expanded into sports entertainment or theme parks, Disney was still creating experiences that aimed to make people happy.
From theme parks to broadway shows to being an excuse to spend a night in binging cartoons with friends, Disney is all about experiences and feelings.
The content itself is so loved that it has become a cultural phenomenon where fandom is celebrated at all ages - ranging from children during Halloween to adults of all ages at Cons. Disney+ gives viewers access to the older catalogue to catch up and the chance to obsess over and cosplay over the newer characters.
Lesson Learned:
The more content you build, the more experiences you can create for fans. Evaluate what your audience likes the most and build an experience around it.
Disney+ (and Disney in general, really) is a prime case study of a company who successfully asked questions like “what more can we do;” “how can we service our audience further;” and “how can we push this brand to the next level?”
There are so many possibilities with Disney, and the brand has certainly leveraged that in every way possible. Disney didn’t need a theme park, but it built one anyway. It was all part of the Disney brand and experience. Disney didn’t necessarily need a streaming platform - especially since the content could exist on Netflix - but it was the next logical step for the brand as an outlet for their endless content, creativity, and funds.
Not every brand has the funds or fanbase equivalent to the Disney empire, but brands can use Disney as inspiration to figure out the next step…and how to fit that next step into the brand’s mission and vision.
How can you take the next step in your brand’s journey?
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