Home

[CafeFantasia]

Take a look at the fourth video (EBC - DLP07_96) on this page. It's quite fascinating:



In the video, Gill talks about marketing at Disneyland Paris. She says that they've identified an audience called "Disney Families". In the past they used to market Disneyland Paris to "Total Families" but these days they've narrowed the focus down to "Disney Families".

The three key attributes of a "Disney Family" are:

1. They have to like Disney
2. They have to have the ability to travel outside the country
3. They have to have children of the right age

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I think they (at marketing) are selling Disneyland Paris short. You don't have to like Disney films to have a good day at Disneyland Paris, and you certainly don't need children (unlike a trip to Legoland).

[15MagicalYears]

Of course you don't have to like Disney films or have kids to enjoy the Resort but that is who they're targeting. I agree it would be beneficial for Disneyland Paris to widen their target market, up and beyond children and families.
Disney World does this well :

[youtube:2m8eekdd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hNCb1IOW8w[/youtube:2m8eekdd]

[CafeFantasia]

I think this is a very interesting subject to discuss. So let's discuss it :-)

Do you have to like Disney to like Disneyland Paris? Well, marketing certainly thinks so. But when you really analyse the product that they offer, most of the major attractions at Disneyland Paris have NOTHING to do with the Disney brand. For example:

• Big Thunder Mountain
• Space Mountain
• Phantom Manor
• It's A Small World
• Pirates of the Caribbean (not counting the movie)
• Star Tours
• Temple of Peril
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

So Disney are focusing on marketing non-Disney rides to ONLY "Disney Families", which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Logically, they should either bring more Disney in to these rides, or go back to marketing them to "Total Families".

[mary]

I think the marketing team should maybe do a survey of guests to find out what they think.  Children can be taken in by the excitement of a trip to Disney, but that can be true of a trip to any other theme park or trip to the beach.  My first trip to Disneyland Paris left me with such magical memories even though my girls were 11 and 15, and my subsequent trips have all been as magical as the first.  I think maybe adults find it more magical than children, and my girls who are now grown would agree.  You don't need children to enjoy Disney, and although I now take my granddaughter, its nice to be able to have the experience of a trip with children and one without.  Both give enjoyment to a different degree.

[DutchBrit]

I think the marketing team should maybe do a survey of guests to find out what they think.

Umm, if you are already a guest, then marketing are probably not that interested in you anymore - their job is to get people to the park in the first place.

How Disney marketing it doing is wrong seems to be a very popular theme on this board. But no-one seems to understand if you have been to Disneyland or are planning to go and are interested enough to be on a board like this at all, then you don't NEED any marketing campaigns aimed at you. That'd be just a waste of money in the "coals to Newcastle" fashion.

All marketing is about picking an audience where you think advertising will work best. Then you do it.

[mary]

I also thought the marketing strategy would be to keep guests returning for future visits.  Reading some of the posts on this website it seems that  some people do not agree with the way the resort is developing and have ideas that would help retain the loyal supporters who return year after year.  Not that I am one of them, I absolutely love every part of the resort.  I also think that I do my own share of marketing on behalf of Disneyland, as everyone that knows me knows how passionate I am about the resort.

[lil-shawn]

Now thats a problem with disney, why make some promotion for guests that come year after year? If the quality and everything around it would be like in the 90´s then they wouldn´t had to do this, and so they could focus on bring in new guests who can come year after year.
tho hold the main audience they just need some promotion for new attractions ect. but for totaly new guests they need some more and not just kids related.

And here we are, discuss the marketing again. We all get it what´s wrong with them, just Disney dont realise it.
I don´t know, but don´t they look into theyre own history? Just look at the big boost of 1995 when Space Mountain opend, they had adds all over Europe and the attendance grow was huge. If they had did the same with TOT the attendance boost would have bin bigger, but no they didn´t advertised this attraction in every country of Europe.

Now there may be some little hope they will make it better in the Furture. Since Tom Staggs will stop the One Disney thing (WDW and DL had the same events and adverts) maybe DLP will get some help too. If not i hope the new Management after Gas will trow out all of marketing and bring in new peeps... DLP is saving costs on thw wrong Place. Nothing is more important then high quality food, the best maintanace, refurbs and adverts to bring in more spending guests to make money and invest in new attractions ect. Put no they focused on stupid themed years and trow out the useful money!!!

[DutchBrit]

Now thats a problem with disney, why make some promotion for guests that come year after year?

Well, indeed why? If you are coming year after year, you a) know what you are getting and b) you have already decided to give Disney your money and not go somewhere else instead. Marketing campaigns are for new blood.

What keeps people coming back are quality issues and new attractions. And that's the responsibility of the park management teams, not marketing, although if new attractions are built, then no doubt they will feature in park advertising, just as previous attractions have. I remember them promoting ToT when it opened, as they did with TSPL etc.

This thread overlaps with the thread in the Resort section, but I still think the biggest "hook" that they have are the popular and recognisable characters, because that's their monopoly. There are loads of different theme parks who can build big attractions, and all within easy reach of the european audiennce.

[ed-uk]

I think you have a point here about the popular and recognisable characters that Disney have a monopoly on. That's why I don't have a problem with rides and lands based on successful Disney films like Toy Story. I think Disney are going to do more of it like Cars land at DCA. I wouldn't want it all to go that way though. But other theme parks can build a Roller Coaster set in the jungle and build some hotels.

[SM:M3]

Do you have to like Disney to like Disneyland Paris?

I'm not a Disney fan, of course I watched Disney films as a child, but the last Disney film I enjoyed and would happily watch time after time was WALLE (who needs a ride). That said, I am a fan of Disneyland, and theme parks in general. Disneyland offers something different to other parks, the thematic settings, the experience, and for my the characters and the fact its Disney play a very little part in it.

[DopeyDad]

Listening to the context in which she mentioned 'liking disney', I don't feel she was suggesting they only market to people who like disney films, I think she was talking about not targeting people who dislike the Disney brand. Disney actually has quite a bad image in certain circles including people with anti globalisation or anti establishment views, and their corporate image often suffers through the way the media enjoy portraying an imagined shock value when 'lovely fun' Disney acts like a business or when there is an accident etc. So I think that's a fair point to that extent, that there are groups in the market who you won't convince through marketing.
I should say I previously would have put myself in that group and it was only after actually visiting that those feelings changed, and it wasn't advertising that got me there it was my wife who did like the brand.
I can distinctly remember almost begrudgingly losing my cynicism as the holiday went on. Now I'm as hooked as my wife on the parks although I'm less impressed by their movies of late but that's a different topic.

[ed-uk]

Do you have to like Disney to like Disneyland? Sounds like a contradiction in terms to me. Do you have to like Lego to like Legoland? I played with lego when I was a child. But I still enjoy Disney animation and films, Tangled, Wall E, Up and Pirates of the Caribbean, and the old classics like Snow White and Fantasia. I agree  about the thematic setting and experience that makes Disneyland special. But I  also think the characters and rides based on Disney films help make Disneyland special and unique. All the parades and shows have been  Disney, Lion King show, Mulan, Tarzan, Winnie the Pooh and Friends, too, Mickey's Winter Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas. Disney Cinema Parade, Animagique. Do you have to like Disney to like Disneyland? I guess it helps.

[Riebi]

I have to say: I like disney but I have no children. So most of the disneyland adverts aren´t intersting for me. It has another effect: I start to dislike the adverts.

So just looking for disney families is the wrong way.

For the characters: Yes they have their place. But not everywhere. Disneyland doesn´t mean toon town. But toon town is a part of disneyland.

[CafeFantasia]

I think one of the main problems is that the people doing the marketing don't understand their product. They don't understand the concept of Disneyland and haven't done their research to find out why Walt Disney created Disneyland in the first place.

Disneyland is much more than just the "Disney" brand. It's much more ambitious than that. The park reaches out beyond the scope of Disney's animated characters, to explore ideas and themes that should appeal to everyone, no matter their age. Disneyland is about adventure, about escapism, about having experiences that you normally wouldn't get the chance to do.

A day at Disneyland is supposed to be "the greatest day of your life", no matter how old or young you are. You don't need to have seen any Disney films to have an excellent day at Disneyland, and you certainly don't need any kids with you to enjoy the majority of the park's attractions.

This whole idea is kind of a repeat of a discussion we had on here 4 years ago, called "Disneyland Is Just For Kids". It's quite an interesting read:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2805

[DLP-Photos.com]

I think one of the main problems is that the people doing the marketing don't understand their product. They don't understand the concept of Disneyland and haven't done their research to find out why Walt Disney created Disneyland in the first place.

Disneyland is much more than just the "Disney" brand. It's much more ambitious than that. The park reaches out beyond the scope of Disney's animated characters, to explore ideas and themes that should appeal to everyone, no matter their age. Disneyland is about adventure, about escapism, about having experiences that you normally wouldn't get the chance to do.

A day at Disneyland is supposed to be "the greatest day of your life", no matter how old or young you are. You don't need to have seen any Disney films to have an excellent day at Disneyland, and you certainly don't need any kids with you to enjoy the majority of the park's attractions.

Well said!

You can say it would be obvious to target those "Disney Families", but on the other hand when you have the monopoly on these characters you wouldn't have to fear losing those families to other parks if you had confidence in your product. Then the fact that it is DISNEYland should simply be enough and probably would be. When we first went as a family back in 1994 we were a true Disney Family, and we didn't go because of lots of marketing, we simply went because it was Disneyland. After that we returned because of the experience that was so much more than just Disney. But these families should come by themselves.

The people you should target would be the people, who would really enjoy a day at Disney (due to themening, top class attractions and entertainment, etc.) but is in danger of being drawn towards other parks. These people need to be drawn to Disneyland by marketing and these people are not the "Disney Families" and not the "obsessive fans" - they are the childless couples, the elderly and the families who do not count as "Disney Families".