Above is the promotional video for Disney's newest country member to air Disney's home channel!
Yes, just recently on 3 October 2009, Disney shows and culture could be seen for the first time on television screens across the Nethelands. This country joins many others in broadcasting Disney media products. Disney is a global media company with the competitive interest of acquiring larger shares of profits available in the international market. This probably explains Disney's presence in so many countries, and how Disney continues to expand its presence, or rather, market share with the introduction of its channel in the Netherlands.
(Disney Channel is currently showing in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Latin America and the Carribean)
So how did Disney make itself a global phenomenon? Before they could make it big, it was important that they establish strong domestic roots. And U.S. based Disney has done that through classic Mickey Mouse Cartoons screened in America in the past.
They also needed a solid international development strategy. In approaching globalisation, Disney has adopted two main modes of expansion - the horizontal expansion and the vertical expansion. Disney has expanded horizontally because it sells the exact same product in different countries all over the world. For instance, I can watch 'Wizards of Waverly Place' in Singapore and in Hong Kong. It has also expanded vertically because Disney is engaged in successive stages of the production chain, and some of these stages are located in other countries outside the U.S. For example, Disney owns studios in America, while some of their distribution centres are overseas.
The same product sold to different countries, however might need slight modifications to suit audience's needs. As seen in the clip above, Disney was trying to reach out to media consumers in the Nethelands. As citizens in the Nethelands do not use English but Dutch as their native language, Disney had to dubb the entire commercial in Dutch. This is one of the strategies Disney employs to appeal to a mass of people who speak a different language. Language is after all essential in mass media. If people do not understand what is going on or said because of language, this barrier of communication will deter people from consuming the particular media product. If not, they would have to rely alot on non verbal communication to understand the commercial.
Due to Disney's dominance on the global stage, cultural imperialism has been occuring. People are or have definitely been influenced by Disney media products - the ideal happy ending is almost a familiar fantasy to everybody who consumes Disney.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteDisney channel used to be my favorite channel and I was so engrossed to the satge that I memorised the scheldue for the shows each day. (I've moved on to other channels since)
But in recent decades, disney's dominance of the market seems to be going down with the rise of other animation production companies such as Pixels. I feel that the other production companies bring in more refreshing ideas to the market (anything other than happyily ever after) So much that these companies are gaining more supporters from the new generation of kids.
Thus, I think we will be looking out for the intense competition between these companies and new productions for us!
-Chu Yuan
Hey dear,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Disney has great influence and dominance over many across the globe. I believe EVERYONE would know MICKEY MOUSE! Who doesn't love mickey? Mickey is the icon of Disney but with the expansion of Disney, Disney is creating many new icons and also many new young stars are using this platform to breakthrough into the music industry such as Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. Older stars such as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were also part of The Mickey Mouse Club, showing how through the years, Disney still effectively has dominance and influence many other parts of the mass media.
I don't have cabel, so I have never watch disney channel. However, Disney Channel's productions such as High School Musical, The Suite Live of Zack and Cody and Hannah Montana are so popular that other television channels (such as our local OKTO channel) has bought these productions to screen. This is how influential Disney Channel has over other smaller media companies.
JunYing
What is Kodak synonymous to? Memories... So is Disney to Entertainment…
ReplyDeleteYes Disney has grown well, both in size and scope. They have also cut across the age barrier where young & old both enjoy their acts. But like all organizations, it faces tough competition too, like from their good friend Dreamworks.
Rachel, your statement -
“The same product sold to different countries, however might need slight modifications to suit audience's needs.” is exactly what good marketers would call for, and their mantra would be … “Go Global but Stay Local”.
hey rachel!
ReplyDeletethough i do not have cable channel but disney productions played an important role during my childhood times.
i remembered the times where i watched "Cinderella", "Snow White" etc on my video tapes (and yes we did come from that era lol)
i believed the message they want to bring across was infused in the audience.
Today, Disney have shows like "High School Musical","Camp Rock" which shows a transition from animations to more realistic pictures.
Disney has gone far and will go further!The dominance over the global stage is prominent.=)
Disney films were my childhood! It has certainly come along way and Disney is one of the pioneer media companies that first went out into the world and 'globalized'. I really salute Walt Disney for not just his innovation to carry his works into the global market, but also his heart for stories, and the lessons behind each one. Almost every person will remember the tales of courage from bambi, or even the moral lessons from Pinnochio.
ReplyDeleteThere are critics however on the Disney today. They assert that Disneyfication can be at some times unhealthy as it may provide children with tainted views of the world - how the good guys always win. Whatever influence Disney has on its audience though, it is apparent that it has expanded and through this expansion, managed to cross boundaries and reach out to a wider public.
WHAT! Netherlands are watching Disney for the first time?! That's amazing! Well, I thought globalisation was proliferating rapidly enough to engulf all the big nations. Well, perhaps Disney is, in comparison to McDonalds, a smaller and less-broad merchandise, thus it took this long to spread to the Netherlands? Yup.
ReplyDeletemcdonalds like disney has been in our lives for many years. we know about mcdonaldisation, soon disneyfication or whatever u wan to call it would occur. this trend has started long ago. disneyland in hongkong and japan are good examples. there were even plans for it to be in singapore. from what i see, disney is trying to be the leading global brand in animation and it is slowly taking over the industry. personally i dont watch disney movies or shows but no doubt the shows here are mainly disney. one can only hope other companies like pixar would try to stop this monopoly from happening too soon.
ReplyDeleteYes! indeed Disney is really moving and expanding throughout the world! and it has been rather successful till now.
ReplyDeleteLike what you said, a commercial that might suit one country , might not necesarilly suit the other. This is an important factor to take note while Disney globalizes and moves into the more laid back countries where English might not be their main language
Disney is certainly one of our childhood memory. Who wouldn't know Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck etc etc! All companies would certainly want to expand their firms by investing in other countries. Who wouldn't want to earn more profits? Furthermore, we are always consuming other countries products as we deem that they are better or sort. For instance like for dramas, personally, I feel that Hongkong/Korean dramas are way better than our local dramas.
ReplyDeleteBreda
Hi Rachel!
ReplyDeleteGreat choice of using Disney to explain US dominance of the media products. I agree with you the methods Disney has used, not only that, I think they are brilliant to use their reputation to build Theme Parks based on the cartoons created by them for extra revenue. I believe that is also a method of Horizontal Expansion, as Disney Theme Parks can be found almost in any other famous tourist countries. And in a way to keep promoting the 'Disney' brand.
Furthermore, the character, Mickey Mouse's target audience is not only the young, but also the young at heart (those who grew up with the character). We see Disney Theme Park focusing their marketing advertisement on their entertainment being 'family-oriented'.
The globalization of Disney is more than just the sharing of Disney films and tv shows, it is also the spreading of the Disney culture - Western culture. Did you know that some countries especially ban western products for fear that their own culture gets diluted and changes because of the influence from foreign Western cultures? I'm not so sure about Disney though, but I'm guessing everyone knows who Mickey Mouse is. Anyway, even though Disney has grown considerably large, I feel that within the company itself alot of changes have been happening. And although changes are inevitable, changes always threaten to weaken any company. So hopefully Disney can remain strong in the future.
ReplyDeleteDisney! I come to love Disney after playing Kingdom Hearts. Hundreds of Disney characters all come to life within a game. Simply fascinating. I guess Disney has begun its cultural imperialism since the 1930s.
ReplyDeleteCHU YUAN >>
ReplyDeleteHi girl! Good point about how Disney's dominance seems to be going down because of competition from other animation production studios! I think the reason why people are drawn to other pictures might be because they think Disney ideologies are too common and they want to watch something new. Shrek from Dreamworks was an example of a film that challenged Disney. All the more Disney has to expand and globalise to try and retain market share!
itsmorethanjustwords(JUN YING)>>
ReplyDeleteHi there! Yes I agree with you on how Disney has many more iconic figures today than just Mickey Mouse. In fact, if we look at it from the celebrities' perspectives, they all want to join Disney because they know of Disney's great dominance and influence over the masses, and hence Disney would be a great platform to gain some popularity there. The emergance of Disney shows into local channels is another illustration of how Disney is expanding and globalizing. It may not neccesarily have to set up its channel in different countries, it can also just air its shows on like you said okto and that itself is a form of expansion/globalisation.
LIM>>
ReplyDeleteHey! Yes I agree Disney faces tough competition from other animation studios! Which is why Disney has to make sure they stay ontop by expanding and globalizing. In fact Disney itself has various products - such as animated movies, comedy series, and a theme park, and each one of these products face competition from different studios, since Dreamworks does not produce comedy series but Nikelodian does. But yes, Disney as you said is definitely synomynous to entertainment!
COMMTALKS (LI NI)>>
ReplyDeleteHi! Yes Disney's dominance is so evident isn't it? Even if they do not transmit cable to our country, the very sales of Disney films on tape is a display of how Disney is globalizing.
ANNA>>
ReplyDeleteHey! Great point on how there are critics out there who are against Disneyfication. In fact, Dreamworks' Shrek was an outright rebellion against Disney ideologies and it challenged viewers to think differently from the Disney norm - pretty girls and handsome princes are meant to be together. As any media company grows and globalizes there will be the effect of culture imperialism, and we all as consumers have to be aware of it. Often our culture gets diluted by the culture of Disney and that itself is dangerous as if every country's culture were to be influenced by Disney or by Westerners, there would be no distinctiveness between all of us and the world would become quite boring. How we then think collectively might also not be a good thing.
rocknstone (CHERVIN)>>
ReplyDeleteYou are surprised that Disney has not spread to the Netherlands yet? I think its just their channel that has not been opened in Nethelands till recently. Otherwise, Disney shows have been aired on Netherlands local channels and Disney animated movies are purchasable from their video stores, so it is not like Disney has not not spread into the Netherlands yet, it has but with different products.
elninonumbernine (JUSTIN)>>
ReplyDeleteHi there! You seem to be very supportive of other animation companies to challenge Disney! Well Disney is a big company and it has globalized well, and if other animation studios want to take over Disney they would need to globalize more as well! One way would be to set up their channels in more countries.
AMOS>>
ReplyDeleteHI!! Yes it is indeed important for any company when they want to emerge in a foreign place to adapt their products accordingly to the foreign people's needs. That way Disney can be specifically appealing to its audiences. In fact currently the Disney advertisements on Singapore's Disney channel is running a 'So Shiok Holiday' jingle to entice kids to tune in to Disney channel more often - and seriously only Singaporeans would know what 'Shiok' means and react to it.
blacksticks (BREDA)>>
ReplyDeleteHi there! Yes earning profits being the goal of every company is so true, so if they can globalize and earn from that, why not right?
CELESTE>>
ReplyDeleteHey! Yes i agree with you that Disney theme parks are definitely another avenue of expansion for Disney! They are really riding on the popularity of their films to earn from their theme parks, and not only that, but their theme parks can also help them advertise their name as well. And how you mentioned Disney appeals to not just the young but the young at heart is very true! Because of the wonderful memories some adults carry from their childhood, and that draws adults to Disney too. I love Disneyland!
MONDE>>
ReplyDeleteGreat point on how some countries ban Western products! They really put in the effort to protect their culture there. I personally do not think Disney has been banned from any country so far. Anyway, like you said change always threatens the stability of a company, but sometimes change is for the better! And despite the many changes occuring within Disney, Disney can be and should be hopeful for a better future.
clouds (YU JIE)>>
ReplyDeleteExcellant point there on how Disney has even infiltrated the video games media! And has won your heart through that media means. Disney has so many products and it expands by selling these different products all over the world, appealing to consumers with a wide variety of taste.
Hi Rachel!
ReplyDeleteI love Disney because of the classics like Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast! I love how these films have some form of moral lesson behind it. Like never judge a book by its cover was the lesson behind Beauty and the Beast. And I think that it is good Disney spreads these messages across to as many people as possible. They should expand more so children will not miss out on the wonderful lessons from Disney.
Hey.
ReplyDeleteYups mann Disney has expanded horizontally because they sell the same products in all their already acquired markets. One can really see the exact same series, shows and all that on Disney channel nomatter which country they go to. Even the themeparks are mostly the same. I haven't been to all, but I do know that there will always be this princess castle in the middle of Disneyland.
hi!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Disney's dominance is perpetuating the problem of cultural imperialism. This is evident as besides the influx of Disney's shows into many other countries, the setting up of Disneyland is many Asian countries also shows how much we are influenced by them. An example is the Hong Kong Disneyland and the upcoming Disneyland in China. Who knows? Maybe there will be one in Singapore in the future. :)
com101sq (SHIQI)>>
ReplyDeleteHey there! Thanks for your comment! cool i did not know that there is going to be a Disneyland in China! Yes Disney is expanding in areas beside animation flicks and tv shows and it indeed has much influence over people!
I think the easiest way to dominate the market is through the children at times. A child gets influenced more easily as he or she firstly, does not have a wide range of products to choose from, but only toys and games. Also, Disney is more of a household figure, since it has been for the longest time, it does not promote any form of violence, which parents will be more than happy when their child prefers Mickey Mouse than Transformers or any animations which encourages violent tendencies. Thus, it suits the whole family and people will be more compelled to purchase Disney's products (both cultural and merchandises), since it is something everyone can enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI was a huge Disney fan when I was younger! :):)
ReplyDeleteHowever, coming to think of it, although Disney's cartoons are really entertaining, I believe that there is indeed a certain amount of violence in it. Could it be one of the reasons for the increase in violence in kids these days? I should think it's one of the reasons as kids get socialised by these cartoons as they grow up watching them.
I personally feel that Disney has a very good marketing strategy. In one way or another, the characters seem to stay in the minds of children and adults alike. I think they used novelty in the cartoon, hence the image tend to remain in people's minds.
KAITING>>
ReplyDeleteHi there! Hmm there might be a little bit of violence is Disney cartoons such as 'Totally Spies', but otherwise compared to Japanese anime which children also consume nowadays i think level of violence is Disney cartoons is quite mild haha. Oh unless you are referring to how evil witches casts spells on princesses? Yes that is kind of frightening and I cannot imagine the effects that may have on children! I agree with you how Disney manages to churn out novelties in cartoons, and it is that creative factor that has helped them stay popular with their audiences.