Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOPICS: PAGE NO:
Acknowledgements ………………………………………………………………………...03
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………...04
SWOT Analysis…………………………………………………………………………….06
Targeting Strategy………………………………………………………………………...11
Product Strategy…………………………………………………………………………..12
Positioning Strategy………………………………………………………………………14
Pricing Strategy…………………………………………………………………………..15
Channel Strategy………………………………………………………………………....16
Promotional Strategy…………………………………………………………………….17
Recommendations……………………………………………………………………….18
Appendix………………………………………………………………………………...19
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all I am grateful to Almighty Allah most Beneficial and the most Merciful who has
made me capable of making this report and has given me various opportunities for
development in every walk of life.
I would also like to show gratitude towards my course instructor Sir M.A Butt for teaching
and making me capable enough to work on this report and providing me with great
opportunity to learn how Case Study Analysis is done in the corporate world.
Without his complete guidance and support I would not have been able to complete this
endeavor. I hope this report meets his standards and expectations.
Sincerely,
SHABBIR ALI
INTRODUCTION:
I am appointed by Walt Disney Company as their marketing consultant to solve the case study
given and make the case study analysis. In order to do so, I have conducted research and in
depth interviews of Walt Disney professionals. While conducting the research and going
through the case I came up with some important findings and recommendations which have
been discussed in the pages to come.
Walt Disney is a $ 27 billion dollar entertainment giant. It was started by a person named
Walter Disney in collaboration with his brother called Roy O Disney in 1923. Since then
Disney has come a long way. Disney has been a leader in 4 consumer markets which are Walt
Disney studios and motion pictures, Disney Theme parks and resorts, Disney T.V channels
and media networks and Disney consumer (merchandising) products. Likewise all companies,
Disney too has some Strength and weaknesses and being a giant has some threats and
opportunities as well which are also discussed in the following pages. I was asked to make the
SWOT analysis and also discuss Disney’s strategic marketing Goals. I have made Disney’s
consumer behavior strategy related to its famous character Kim possible. I have made its
targeting strategy, positioning strategy, product strategy, pricing strategy, channel strategy and
promotional strategy. I have also made some findings related to new consumer markets and
segmentation. In the end I have made some important recommendations so that Walt Disney
improves on its weaknesses and also prepares for the threats to be faced in years to come.
Walt Disney recognizes what is customer value in Disney brand. They value a fun experience
and homespun entertainment based on old-fashioned family values. Disney responds to these
consumer preferences by leveraging the brand across different consumer markets. Let’s say
that an American family goes to see a Disney movie together. They have a great time. They
want to continue the experience. So Walt Disney offers Disney’s consumer products with
multiple product lines aimed at specific age groups.
Walt Disney has been a giant in four consumer markets namely, Walt Disney studios and
motion pictures, Disney Theme parks and resorts, Disney T.V channels and media networks
and Disney consumer (merchandising) products.
In 2003, Walt Disney came up with a movie called “Pirates of the Caribbean” which was a
block buster hit at the box office. The movie was targeted for all the members of a family. In
addition to the movie, Disney created a theme park ride, merchandising program, video game,
TV series and comic books. In 2004, Disney presented the movie called “Home on the range”
which was again a hit. Apart from the movie Disney created an accompanying sound track
album, a line of toys for kids, clothing featuring the heroine, a theme park ride and a series of
books. So Disney more often or not supports and promotes its movies with a host of secondary
products attached to it.
Disney’s strategy is to build consumer markets for each of its characters, from classics like
Mickey Mouse to snow white to new hits like Kim Possible. Each brand is created for a
special age group and distribution channel. Disney has a large distribution channel. Baby
Mickey Mouse and Disney babies target infants. Mickey Mouse is sold through the
department and specially gift stores while Baby Mickey Mouse is a lower price option sold
through mass-market channels. Disney’s Mickey’s stuff for kids targets boys and girls while
Mickey unlimited targets teens and adults.
When it comes to TV channels, Disney has its own channel called the Disney channel which is
the top prime time destination for kids’ age b/w 6 to 14. Disney has a pre school program
called the “play house” which is targeted to small kids’ age b/w 2 to 6. Disney offers a Co-
branded visa cards to adults. Card holders earn one dollar for every $100 charged to the card
and the card holders can charge the card up to $75000 annually and then they can redeem the
earnings for Disney merchandise or services, including Disney’s theme parks and resorts,
Disney stores, Disney studios and Disney stage products. Disney has also been in Home depot
offering a line of licensed kids’ room paint colors with paint swatches in the signature mouse
and ears shape.
Disney also has licensed food products with its characters on its brands. For example, Disney
provides a Yogurt called Yo-Pals yogurt which feature Winnie the Pooh and its friends. The
four ounce yogurts are targeted to preschoolers who have an illustrated short story under each
lid of the yogurt that encourages reading and discovery. Disney also has some imprinted
cookies in vanilla and other flavors have impressions of its famous characters like Mickey
Mouse, Donald Duck etc.
Disney has come up with a recent TV program character called KIM POSSIBLE, which is an
integration of all of its consumer product lines. Kim possible is a typical high school going girl
who in her spare time saves the world from evil villains. It is the number one rated cable
program in its time slot and has spawned a variety of merchandise offered by the seven Disney
consumer product divisions. The merchandise includes:
• Disney toys- action figures, wigglers, beanbags, plush, fashion dolls, poseables.
The success of Kim Possible is driven by action packed storylines which translate well into
merchandise products in many categories. Today, the pervasiveness of Disney product
offerings is staggering and all in all, there are over 3 billion entertainment-based impressions
of Mickey Mouse received by children every year.
SWOT ANALYSIS:
STRENGTHS:
WEAKNESSES:
• Walt Disney needs more rigorous analysis in understanding the consumer behavior.
• Walt Disney needs improvement in tracking the changes in cultural values.
• Walt Disney also does need strategic improvement in conducting the segmentation and
applying the more soft techniques namely psychographic and lifestyle.
• The mission of the company strategic directions and long term objectives needs
improvement.
• H.R needs improvement. Training and development programs should be done and
hiring and selection criteria should also be taken into account of rectification.
• Marketing management needs improvement.
OPPORTUNITIES:
• Economic conditions prevalent in USA reflect moderate position.
• Walt Disney is reasonably equipped to internalize the social shift.
• Walt Disney is implementing all the related laws concerning entertainment industry.
• USA is maintaining favorable strategic directions towards entertainment industry.
• The company is reasonably proactive in both sensing & implementing the new
technology.
• International components for Walt Disney apparently seem favorable. Therefore new
markets should be searched and taken into consideration in foreign developed
countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand etc.
THREATS:
• The entertainment is experiencing social shift whereby members of the society are
seeking out value, more leisure activities and have become savvy also.
• Entertainment industry is subject to various legislations which a pass at reasonable
pace.
• The formal policies of USA are not based on objective analysis and judgment.
• Technologies advancement shift is quite significant resulting in impact on
entertainment industry.
• Walt Disney should search and look for new market segments. Apparently, Walt
Disney has carried segmentation on the basis of Demographics that is Age basis. These
days marketers do prefer to involve psychographics and do market segmentation on the
basis of Life style patterns of the consumers. Also volume and benefit segmentation
methods can be taken into considerations.
• Walt Disney has recently presented its huge hit character called KIM POSSIBLE. I
would want Walt Disney to expand its product line by introducing new products and
services as Kim possible is the number one rated show on Disney Channel targeting
teens and kids. Apparently Disney has made segments for products related Kim
possible on the basis of demographic. But here I would like to use Psychographics and
lifestyle methods for making segmentation for products to increase the Product line of
Kim Possible. I would be explaining how Walt Disney should plan and implement the
expansion of Kim possible line of products by explaining the following strategies:
Targeting Strategy
Position Strategy
Product Strategy
Pricing Strategy
Channel Strategy
Promotional Strategy
It has been observed that Walt Disney has done segmentation for its characters on the
basis of Age that means that for each of its characters it targets certain age group
which is a demographics means of segmentation. Over the last 6 to 8 years there has
been a social shift and change in the mind sets of American Families. As Disney
intends to provide entertainment to all the members of an American family therefore I
would recommend Disney to cater the social change in trends and life styles of
American Families. American people have more intended towards adventurous
entertainment and home based entertainment. It is evident from the change in their
thinking and life styles. Therefore, I would recommend using Life Style as basis for
segmentation of Kim Possible. Kim Possible is High school going girl who in her spare
time saves the world from Evil. So here they have made the correct character in
accordance with the needs of American people who now love adventure rather than old
fairy tales. Therefore, the segmentation of Kim Possible’s products should also be
done accordingly. Kim Possible targets teens and kids age between 6 to 14 years. But
the character is such that it should also cater people which belong to other age groups
as well. So in order to serve this purpose, new products have to be introduced and its
strategy should be made accordingly with respect to the changing life styles of
American people.
Here I would recommend that new theme park rides with Kim Possible pictures and its
theme should be introduced in the Walt Disney theme parks. Apart from this Kim
Possible’s Stage shows and mimicry shows should also be presented. A full length
animated movie of Kim Possible should also be made and displayed in the cinemas of
America and other countries where ever possible. In home based entertainment, Kim
Possible’s Board games and Kim Possible’s video games should be designed for Play
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR | SIR M.A BUTT 9
[ANALYSIS OF CASE: WALT DINEY] 2004
station, Xbox 360, Nintendo, SEGA etc. Apart from this Kim Possible’s new Outfits
should be designed, Food items should be made such as cakes, pastries, yogurt, ice
creams, sweets and toffees etc. Also paints and items for home depot should also be
introduced.
The cultural values of Americans are such that they believe in Individualism, Freedom
of Speech and entertainment; they believe that they can be master of the environment.
They want things under their control and above all they think that all people are equal.
Yet there exist different social classes in America through the process of social
stratification. There are upper Americans having high income levels, there are Middle
Americans having moderate income levels and life style and then there are lower
Americans having low wages and life styles. Therefore, I believe that Disney should
also keep this point in mind when targeting and expanding the product line of Kim
Possible.
Therefore, in this section I would recommend Disney to introduce low cost Theme
park rides for those American families who could not afford high priced entertainment.
Apart from this, T.V shows should be made and free or low priced DVD’s should be
distributed amongst the infants and other Lower Americans catering their need for
entertainment as well and creating a brand loyalty amongst them and also being pro-
active with the fact that when these people would move to a higher class then they
would still be a Disney consumer willing pay higher prices and thus Disney would be
able to generate higher revenues as well as more market Goodwill and consumer data
base.
Walt Disney has its majority of customer based in America as it is an American based
company. America is a huge country having people from different casts, race, religion
and nationality. It is also evident that there people belonging to different cultures apart
from the traditional American culture called the sub-culture. There are people
belonging to Black Sub-culture, the Asian Sub-culture, Hispanic sub-culture etc. Kim
possible is a girl character which is a typical white American. So Walt Disney has not
yet been inculcating the people of Different Sub-cultures in their cartoon characters.
Therefore, in the light of above facts I would recommend Walt Disney to expand the
Kim Possible series by introducing her friends and family who belong to different Sub-
cultures for example there should be a friend whose name is Blake who is a Black
American, there should be a neighbor called Chang who belongs Asian culture
(Chinese) and so forth.
Disney is a very popular brand amongst American and also world wide. It has a huge
customer base and fan following as well. There are a number of people who are very
loyal to Disney and have been its consumers since many years. Yet there are many
other individuals and families who for certain reasons have either shift to other brands
or have stopped purchasing Disney products and using Disney’s services. Also the fact
that Kim Possible is targeted to kids and teens age among 6 to 14 years is avoiding
kids which are smaller than 6 and teens above 14 and so on.
Therefore in the light of above mentioned facts I would recommend Disney to expand
Kim Possible products line in such a way that it not only brings its old customers back
but also attracts new customers and retain its current brand loyal consumers. In this
regard should make a full length Animated or Actors based movie which attracts the
attention of people age 17 and above. Also Disney should introduced junior Kim
Possible along with its team of characters targeting the kids age less than 6. In this way
not only Kim Possible’s Product line would be expanded but Disney would be able to
cater people from all age groups, attract new customers, bring back the older customers
and Gain the lost market share and hence gaining huge profits.
TARGETTING STRATEGY:
As per the discussion posted before this section, it is evident that Kim Possible product line
should be expanded and it can be done by finding new markets or segments through
segmentation through using Psychographic and life style segmentation as Basis. New
segments would be targeting people having the changing social shifts, mindsets and life styles.
It would also be targeting consumers of all age groups thus involving the demographics as
well. After the segmentation is done Walt Disney should be introducing new characters as
partner, friends, class mates or neighbors of Kim Possible which belong to different Sub-
cultures, thus targeting the people of different Sub-cultures as well.
Here, I would recommend Disney, after the introduction of new characters, should bring in a
series of merchandising products for Kim Possible and its related characters such as t-shirts,
jeans, sportswear, sleepwear, animated video games, Board games, stationary products,
Dummy cell phones, school bags, joggers, snickers, caps and hats, belts, stickers etc. Apart
from this Kim Possible Junior series or Baby Kim possible series should also be made, thus
catering the school going children age between 3 till 14 years.
I would also like to recommend Walt Disney to introduce new theme park rides based on the
character Kim Possible and its team of characters with it. Apart from the rides, Walt Disney
should make an Animated movie like batman or superman with the same theme of Adventure
in which Kim Possible along with its team of characters including her friends, family, class
mates etc are featured in that movie. In this way, Walt Disney would be targeting and catering
the entertainment needs of adult age group as well.
By following the above mentioned targeting strategy, Walt Disney would not only be targeting
all groups and fulfilling the needs of American people but will also be able to re-gain a healthy
chunk of market share and thus generating huge revenues and profits.
PRODUCT STRATEGY:
In the light of above mentioned targeting strategy which targets people of all age groups and
also people from all the different cultures prevailing in America, I would like to propose the
following line of Products and services in order to expand the product line of Kim Possible.
LIST OF PRODUCTS:
Following are the products that I would recommend Walt Disney should introduce to
expand product line of Kim Possible.
Kim Possible album of fresh new sound tracks featuring popular American
Singers.
Kim Possible food items such as Yogurts, Cakes, Pastries and other bakery
items with its character’s impression on them.
Kim Possible kids and adult shampoos, soaps, hand washing liquids etc.
LIST OF SERVICES:
Following are the services that I would recommend Walt Disney should introduce to
expand product line of Kim Possible.
Theme park rides for Kim Possible and its team of new characters.
As mentioned in SWOT analysis that Walt Disney is financially strong, therefore Disney can
introduce all or majority of the products and service that I have mentioned above. It is up to
Walt Disney to decide which ones to take action on and which ones to drop. I would
recommend Disney to introduce all the Products and Services in order to expand the product
line of Kim possible.
POSITIONING STRATEGY:
For the products and services mentioned above, I would like Disney to Position them in such a
way that it captures the minds of its targeted consumers which are people of every age group
and belonging to different cultures as mentioned in the targeting strategy.
Hence for making the positioning strategy I would like to use a mix of different basis of
Positioning. They are as follows:
As mentioned in the consumer behavior strategy that Walt Disney should done market
segmentation on the basis of life style characteristics. Therefore, I would recommend
Walt Disney to first conduct research to know the Activities, Interest and opinions
(AIO) of the targeted consumers as life style positioning method focus on these three
elements and then by using the “Perceptual Mapping” method in which the computer
software will let me know the analysis of the resulting data to determine the product
characteristic or combination of characteristics that are most important to consumers in
distinguishing between competing brand or the group of products and services
available to them. So by following this method Walt Disney would be able to position
the different products efficiently and effectively.
POSITION ON USER:
In this approach Walt Disney can associate the users or the consumers of Kim Possible
with its expanded product line. There are different user classes which are Kim Possible
consumers. So the new Products of Kim Possible can also be positioned according to
their user classes.
PRICING STRATEGY:
As I have mentioned in the consumer behavior and targeting strategy the Walt Disney should
be targeting people of all age groups and not only this but it should also be targeting People of
every Social class and Sub-cultures. Therefore the pricing strategy should be made in
accordance with this fact. Prices should be set in a way that caters the needs of all the Social
classes that means that it is affordable for the Lower and Middle Americans as well as for the
Upper Americans.
In the Light of the above recommendation, and after conducting the research and calculating
the Analysis of cost and benefits of each product and service, I propose the following prices
for the Products and Services that I have mentioned in the product strategy for the expanded
product line of Kim Possible.
LIST OF PRODUCTS:
Following are the products and their respective prices that I would recommend Walt
Disney should introduce to expand product line of Kim Possible.
• Kim Possible funky wrist watches for kids. (Range: $10 -$30)
• Kim Possible album of fresh new sound tracks featuring popular American
Singers. (Range: $35 -$50)
• Kim Possible food items such as Yogurts, Cakes, Pastries and other bakery
items with its character’s impression on them. (Range: $10 -$100)
• Kim Possible carpets and rugs for kids’ rooms. (Range: $75 -$200)
• Kim Possible kids and adult shampoos, soaps, hand washing liquids etc.
LIST OF SERVICES:
Following are the services and their respective prices that I would recommend Walt
Disney should introduce to expand product line of Kim Possible.
• Theme park rides for Kim Possible and its team of new characters.
• Decorated rooms on the theme of Kim Possible in Walt Disney resorts. (Range:
$135 -$400)
(Range: $5 -$600)
• Live Shows and mimicry items at theme parks and resorts. (Range: $15 -$40)
CHANNEL STRATEGY:
In this section there are various options available at Disney’s disposal. Disney can have its
own distribution channel and can provide logistics to its customers as well. OR Disney can do
franchising of its specialty stores. OR It can open up exclusive Stores dedicated just for Kim
Possible product lines. Therefore there are different options available.
As I have mentioned amongst the services that Disney should provide to its consumer is that
Disney should open Specialty stores for Kim Possible products only, therefore I would
recommend Disney to initially setup its own Specialty stores exclusive for just Kim Possible
product line where all the Products that are mentioned above will be available at one shop.
Walt Disney should setup these stores initially starting from the Major cities of America
where their targeted consumers are greater in number and gradually after studying the progress
of Kim Possible new Expansion in product line, then go on to open these stores all over
America and then in other cities of the World. In this way Walt Disney should opt for the later
option.
The reason for having its own Specialty stores is basically reducing its risk. If Walt Disney
decides to License or franchise its stores from the very beginning and for instance, the
expansion plan does not work then it will create a bad name amongst the franchisee and its
audience and consumers as well. Another reason for opting this option is that Disney has the
strength to make its products at lower cost so if they setup their own stores, they can earn
revenue directly from the end user and thus getting higher profit margins.
Therefore, I would recommend Disney to have its own distribution channel by opening its
own specialty stores of Kim Possible products and providing logistics to its end users for
delivering of the goods.
PROMOTION STRATEGY:
In the light of the above mentioned strategies of Targeting, Product, Positioning, Pricing and
channel, my recommendation to Walt Disney is to expand product line of Kim Possible and to
promote them with a huge Promotional campaign. Walt Disney is financially able to have a
large budget promotional campaign. Also Disney has its own Channel to promote what ever
its wants so this saves its costs of running ads on Electronic Media. The promotional
campaign should have the following elements:
Advertisements for Kim Possible new team of characters showing people from
different sub-cultures.
On Disney channel Soap opera ads should be made for its new characters as well as for
its Baby Kim Possible series.
On other Music channels such as MTV, Soundtracks of its fresh new album of Walt
Disney should be put on air in the time slots where its targeted audience would watch
in a large number.
Radio advertisement campaign should be made and run on the famous Radio channels
of America.
In the Print Media, Magazines such as Famous Times Magazine should be the one in
which Advertisement and news should be put on related to Kim Possible animated
Movie featuring the biggest stars of Hollywood. Apart from that Weekly kids
magazines of America and newspapers such as New York Times magazines should be
the ones in which half or full page advertisement should be printed about the New
theme park rides, Specialty stores, Movies, Junior or Baby Kim Possible series,
merchandising and other products of expanded line of products of Kim Possible.
Apart from the advertisements, Puzzles, Word problems, Cross words, Jumble etc
should be made related to Kim Possible, its new characters, new products and services.
Billboards of Kim Possible with its team of characters should be made and displayed
in each city of America where their target audiences are large in number.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
In the light of the above mentioned SWOT analysis of Walt Disney, Strategic Marketing
Goals, Consumer Behavior strategy of Kim Possible, Its Targeting strategy, Product strategy,
Positioning strategy, Pricing Strategy, Channel strategy and Promotion Strategy, I would like
to make the following recommendations by which Walt Disney would be benefited in terms of
increased Market share, Higher Revenues and Profits and improved Goodwill.
My First Recommendation is to find new market segments for Kim Possible by doing
market segmentation on the basis of Psychographic and Life style characteristic.
Then I would recommend expanding the Product line of Kim Possible as mentioned earlier
in the Strategic Marketing Goal section of this report.
I would recommend Walt Disney to cater the needs of people belonging to different
Social Classes, Sub-cultures and Age groups. Therefore following the consumer behavior
and targeting strategy mentioned earlier in this report.
I would recommend Walt Disney to follow the product strategy mentioned in this report in
order to expand the product line of Kim Possible by the introduction of Products and
services mentioned in the Product strategy.
Then I would recommend Walt Disney to Position the expanded line of Products using the
Life style positioning method by conducting research to know the Activities, Interest and
opinions (AIO) of the targeted consumers and then by using the perceptual mapping
software, positioning the Products appropriately.
After Positioning, I would Recommend Walt Disney to Price the expanded line of
Products correctly. Prices should be set in a way that caters the needs of all the Social
classes that means that it is affordable for the Lower and Middle Americans as well as for
the Upper Americans. In this regard my recommendation is to follow the Pricing strategy
mentioned earlier in the Pricing strategy section of this report.
When it comes to delivering the produced products and services to the consumers,
Channel and distribution strategy is very important. Therefore, I would recommend Disney
to have its own distribution channel by opening its own specialty stores of Kim Possible
products and providing logistics to its end users for delivering of the goods. Thus
following the Channel Strategy mentioned earlier.
Walt Disney should expand product line of Kim Possible and to promote them with a huge
Promotional campaign. Therefore following the promotional campaign elements
mentioned in the Promotion strategy.
APPENDIX