It’s fairly safe to assume that The Walt Disney Company has taken over pretty much everyone’s childhood. You can’t turn a corner without seeing a poster of Frozen and we’ve all owned a pair of Minnie Mouse ears in our time, right?
But, aside from the memorable storylines, awesome characters and cheerful music (anyone who claims they can’t remember the lyrics to Hakuna Matata is telling one, massive lie) what can current brands learn about digital marketing through the magic of Disney?
Snow White and client engagement
(Credit: photobucket)
So, we’re all familiar with the story of Snow White – but for those who aren’t, let’s recap:
- The Evil Queen is bitterly jealous of Snow White’s beauty and disguises herself as an old woman in the hope of tempting Snow White into eating a juicy, poisoned apple *SHOCKER*.
- Snow White takes the apple, which results in her falling into a sleeping coma – a coma that can only be broken by true love’s kiss *cue all of the awwws.*
- But, before any of this happens, Snow White meets seven dwarfs who she looks after, manages and keeps in order to ensure that everything runs smoothly – sound familiar?
Conclusion
A fundamental aspect in digital marketing is that agencies should always treat their clients fairly. After all, structure improves efficiency and enables the client’s strategy to meet its desired goal. Without organisation – and everyone doing their bit across all departments – there would be chaos.
Sleeping Beauty and productivity
The storyline in Sleeping Beauty – otherwise known as Aurora – is strikingly similar to that of Snow White where villain, Maleficent, is envious of Sleeping Beauty’s good looks and sweet nature.
But, there are a few differences that need to be pointed out:
- The plot sees Aurora in a sleeping curse for the majority of the film. However, she was hypnotised and lured into the trap of pricking her finger on a spinning wheel by Maleficent – sassy or what?
Conclusion
In a case like this, it’s a good idea for brands to take charge of their own goals and see them through. There is nothing wrong with being influenced by what another brand is doing, but ultimately stay on the straight and narrow and don’t lose focus.
Results don’t just come to you. Be productive, set yourself a list of aims you wish to meet and strive to achieve those aims through dedication and research.
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Belle and brand development
Technology has come a long way since PC’s and internet-less phones and Belle certainly isn’t afraid to think outside the box herself.
- In Beauty and the Beast, Belle looks past the Beast’s exterior and is able to see the goodness within…awwwww!
- She doesn’t fall for the usually handsome Disney prince, instead opting for something and someone completely different.
Conclusion
It’s easy for brands to shy away from trying new things and being open-minded when it comes to advanced technology. For example, by opting for social media management, your brand can be recognised across varying channels and attract a widespread audience.
Our Communications Director and social media queen, Olwen Shaw, says:
‘These days, for brands to really create impact on social media it’s essential that social media advertising is incorporated into their digital strategy.’
‘Thanks to advanced targeting capabilities, brands can now ensure that their campaigns are directly reaching the audiences most valuable to them, as well as carefully tracking a user’s journey, measuring conversions, analysing the most receptive demographics and much, much more!’
4. Jasmine and honest relationships
(Credit: Disneys Dreamings)
- Princess Jasmine is one of the more feisty Disney princesses and isn’t afraid to go after what she wants.
- Fed up of living a sheltered life, she flees the palace and finds adventure and new opportunities in the great, wide world with a prince that isn’t in fact a prince – *GASP*.
Ok, so we’re not saying invest in a pet tiger and go jumping from one rooftop to the next with a bloke you’ve just met (sorry Aladdin) but we can learn from Jasmine and Aladdin’s troubled and corrupt relationship that honesty is paramount.
Conclusion
Brands should always be genuine with consumers in order to build trustworthy and reliable relationships. If you break this level of trust between your consumers and clients, they will more than likely notice the inconsistencies and you could risk losing them altogether.
Take Coca Cola, for example. Their main aim is to “sell happiness” and this is shown through their brilliant marketing campaigns and reliable service to consumers.
5. Pocahontas and communication
- Pocahontas, much like Jasmine is less of a damsel in distress and more of a warrior at heart, refusing to marry the man her father suggests and generally being an all-round free spirit kind of gal.
- During this film, Pocahontas teaches John Smith that ‘we are all connected to each other’ and in digital marketing, this is at the very core of everything.
Conclusion
Fortunately, we are able to stay in touch with clients and interact with them efficiently now more than ever before. This could be through social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook, or through advanced technology that allows you to use video conferencing and instant messaging no matter where in the world you are.
6. The Little Mermaid and varying methods
- In The Little Mermaid we see Ariel, the youngest of King Triton’s daughters, break away from tradition and venture into an unknown world – quite literally!
- Not content with sticking to the path in which was forced upon her, she quickly realises that there isn’t just one road to your goal.
Conclusion
This is relevant in digital marketing because although every business ultimately has the same end goal give or take, everyone has a different way of getting there depending on the industry and the strategy that’s in place. You might opt for a path that isn’t the easiest, but that’s not to say that your goal can’t still be achieved.
If Ariel can go from swimming in the sea to walking perfectly fine using both legs in one day, so can you (or you know, something to that effect).
7. Rapunzel and digital strategy
(Credit: Degrassi)
- Apart from her impressive mane, Rapunzel didn’t have a whole lot going for her in the beginning.
- Trapped in a tower, friendless and controlled by her ‘mother’, she spends the majority of her life in isolation with only a pet chameleon to socialise with – you can imagine the struggle…
- However, one benefit that came from being stuck in a tower was that Rapunzel had time to think about what direction she wanted to go in and learnt how to be patient. She was able to focus and develop on her skills and come up with a strategy that would work for her.
Conclusion
Strategy is important in digital marketing because it helps you to understand your online customers better through Google Analytics and a good communicative technique. It also prevents you from feeling directionless.
8. Cinderella and teamwork
- Cinderella definitely drew the short straw when the Evil Stepmother and the two Ugly Sisters came on the scene.
- She went from having a loving father and a happy childhood to residing in a lonely tower and being the family servant.
- However, Cinderella demonstrates that teamwork is key in all aspects of digital marketing (I mean, she did ride to the ball in style… who else can rock a frock and glass slippers like she did?).
Conclusion
With so many varying areas in digital marketing, it’s impossible to take on too much at once. So, rather than overworking yourself, embrace the skillset and knowledge from other sources if you really want your campaign/brand to succeed. It will help you and your employees prioritise your tasks more effectively and encourage a positive workforce within a team – HURRAY!!
So, what have we learnt?
Well, it’s pretty clear that digital marketing and branding go hand in hand, as they help to deliver conversion and measure success by the percentage rate of incoming traffic.
After all, your brand is your company’s identity, so it’s important to create an image for yourself that will prove to be memorable (everyone knows Cinderella’s castle and Mickey Mouse’s ears, after all).
Not only this but it helps to build a reputation for your brand, it caters to the mobile consumer and essentially earns people’s trust in your business.
Here’s where we come in…
We’re a friendly bunch at Neil Walker Digital Group and always look forward to meeting new people across all industries.
If you would like more information about our services and how we can help to optimise your brand to appeal to a wider audience, call us on 07816897301 and we’ll be more than happy to have a chat.