I’m a big Disney fan. I love Mickey and Minnie. I have a Magic Access annual pass, which allows me to visit Hong Kong Disneyland whenever I want to.  Being in love with Disney and fond of studying Marketing, 7 Magical Marketing Lessons From Disney World is an interesting article to read.

I agree that Disney World has done a superb job in “taking the dumb money”. As the author mentioned, some of the rides and attractions in Disney World are sponsored. However, I do not think that those sponsors are giving out “dumb money” as they are actually promoting their businesses by featuring their brands in Disneyland. For example, Hong Kong Disneyland’s “Autopia” is sponsored by Honda. The attraction allows guests of all ages to drive to the “road of tomorrow” aboard shiny electric cars . I believe this would be an effective way for Honda to advertise their automobiles as Honda’s commitment to innovation, safety and family values aligns with Disneyland’s image. In addition, by showing Honda’s logo all around the attractions,  most of the kids, especially boys would relate cars with Honda, and Honda can get its brand into their retrieval sets.

“Don’t prevent the inevitable” is another successful marketing strategy of Disney World. In Hong Kong Disneyland, they would take photos of guests while they are on board for the thrilling ride of “Space Mountain” and “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”.  These photos capture different facial expressions of the riders are shown back to them on screen when the ride is over.  A couple of years ago, people could still use their own cell phones and cameras to copy the photos from the screen. However, in order to prevent visitors from doing this and not buying the photos from them, Hong Kong Disneyland now put signs on the faces of the riders and this would entice them to purchase the photos if they really want to see the “original”.

Disney World has been doing great in its marketing strategies and I believe I will certainly discover more when I visit Disneyland next time.