The Walt Disney Company Analysis

SWOT Analysis

Executive Summary

The Walt Disney Company forms a conglomerate that is well known in the whole world for its products in the entertainment and the mass media. The company is basically American, with its headquarters in California. In terms of revenue, Walt Disney comes second worldwide after Comcast in the media industry. Apparently, these statistics have positioned Walt Disney as a company with high competitive advantage. The company was launched in the year 1923, courtesy of two brothers Roy and Disney. It first began as an animation center that was named Disney Brothers Cartoon Studios. The company intends to offer a new product in the market which is the gaming toys. Gaming toys are gadgets that have been built with programs that can be manipulated by children through the use of user buttons. The gadgets can specifically be launched by Walt Disney to target the young children whose needs are catered for in the programs. One of the goals for introducing this product is to increase the customer base. Secondly, it can also be used to achieve a suitable competitive advantage whereby the company will survive pressure through increased revenue.

Situational Analysis

There is a great future for the Walt Disney Company because of the product that would be introduced in the market. Gaming toys are very essential for child brain development. Besides accruing revenue, the company will be participating in the welfare of the young people. It is usual for companies and any other business entity to undergo some challenges, whether operational or emotional. Walt Disney is no exception. Therefore the threats that arise should not overshadow the future prospects of the company which can be depicted in the new product that would be developed. The company stakeholders have a duty to streamline operations so that every department fulfills its role. Some of the virtues may not be implemented if there are sections within the company that have ignored their duty. Walt Disney has grown over time to grace the world in the media and entertainment industry courtesy of the fulfilling management duties. The current achievements should be fostered in order to uphold the strengths of the company. Sometimes the poor management of company strengths may convert them into weaknesses. Nonetheless, Walt Disney has had the chance to implement strategies that give a global outlook thus improving its management skills of the strengths.

Strengths

Given the fact that the Walt Disney Company has made several strides in the global perspective, there are various attributes that have been significant in its development. They form the major strengths of the corporation. The first attribute is diversity which has seen the company launch operations in various fields. The numerous portfolios have enabled the Walt Disney to evade various risks which are associated with a single line of business. If gaming toys are introduced in the company, there will be an additional portfolio and it would then be used to avert more risks, thus increasing the strength of the company.

Weaknesses

The company has weaknesses which include dependence on the customer base in the North American region. Apparently, this is the area where its headquarters are found. A large amount of the products are sold in the region. The expansion plans have not effectively explored the new markets, giving room to the competitors to win some of the customers. For example, the countries in the Southern American regions have not accessed the services of the company. This could be attributed to the language barrier since the countries in the region speak other languages rather than English. This also adds up as another weakness. The gaming toys do not have difficult operational instructions, meaning the company will access markets away from North America without the constraint of language.

Opportunities

The aspect of development of a product comes under this section. The new product is the gaming toy which has a screen with buttons that can enable young people to manipulate what they watch. This is a development from the play stations which may not be so suitable for children under the age of 10 years. The demand for video games has become so much and the Walt Disney could capitalize on the increasing population to introduce the gaming toy. The quality of internet has also been upgrading thus the toys would be effective for the current generations.

Threats

The major threat is the competition from other companies that wish to offer the gaming toys. Nonetheless, the company would use the product to outdo the competitors if it would be executed well. The implications are that the growth of the market will have a lasting impact on Walt Disney in terms of gaining market share.

Marketing Goals and Objectives

Walt Disney stands to gain a lot from the introduction of the product. For instance, the company will have an additional pool of customers. This implies that more revenue will be collected from the proceeds that come as a result. Apparently, the gaming toys are projected to sell in many countries. This will negate the notion that Walt Disney only has an economic influence in the Northern American region. Other implications are that the company will record more annual sales which will be a shift from the normal sales. The subsequent growth of the company will lead to more corporate partnerships with other global entities that deal in the raw materials for the gaming toys.

Marketing Strategy

Targeting Strategy

In order to make sales, there must be an adequate structure with which a company can use to identify customers that will consume the product. A product like gaming toy must be proven to be adequate for children before it is released to the market. Children enjoy playing games and they spend much of their time playing with these kinds of instruments. It is inevitable that they love watching things which they can experiment later. Walt Disney produces films and other animation programs that are appealing to the children. Basically, the company has a target population with whom they will test the product. Adults are more reserved and prefer to watch things happen rather than make them happen. The best target strategy that would be used would be experimentation where a sample of children and adults would be picked and exposed to the interviews. The reception that comes out from both groups will be adequate for selecting a target market where the product will be offered.

Product Strategy

The tenets of the Walt Disney Company include technology and innovation. Before the introduction of any product in the market, the above elements must be incorporated. In this discussion, the specific product that will be highlighted is the gaming toy. The company has got a set of creative personnel who have the capacity to produce gaming toys which have not yet been incorporated as a company product. Some characters used by the company to advance the animation industry are Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. The characters are instrumental for the company in advancing the life aspect within the films. The films are found in various categories that depict various lifestyle scenarios in different ways

It must be noted that the market segment for the Walt Disney Company majorly comprises of the young generation. Therefore, the company strives to develop products that have a touch of youthfulness. In the bid to take up the generations below 10 years, the company has resorted to particularly develop the gaming toys which will influence the lifestyles of the young people. The culture of creativity can be said to be the biggest resource that has enhanced the development of the new products. The capacity to coin a product and build a sustainable brand is attributed to the ability of a company to instill creativity in its operations

Promotion Strategy

A product must be promoted before it penetrates to the market at the required rate. The rate of promotion will determine the amount of time that a product will reach the customers. In the absence of it, some goods which are slow moving will go bad in case they are perishable. Nonetheless, for the gaming toys may not be as perishable as such.

The strategies used by the company in the promotion of its products include media marketing as well as extensive use of the internet. Currently, there is an upsurge in the use of social media which is a platform where many customers may be derived. Walt Disney has taken the initiative to increase its stakes by posting its products on social media in order to access the rich market. Besides social media, other internet marketing techniques have been critical in the sale of the companys brand.

Pricing Strategy

The pricing of the gaming toys can be based on various factors. Given its newness in the market, there is little information concerning its reception by the intended market segment. The first item is the quality of cost of procuring the gadgets. The cost will determine the amount of charges that will be imposed upon the programs carried in the programs. In the event that the company spends a lot of money in the initial procurement stages, then the money will have to be recovered in a short while, implying that the gadgets will be expensive during the initial offer. Other strategies that aim at recovering the costs include skimming. In this case, the product is offered at a very high price then lowered later after the company will have regained its capital that was used in obtaining the product. The price could also be set depending on the market analysis of the customers. If they are found to have more basic issues than leisure, then the gaming toys will have to be offered at very low prices since they are products that one could forego.

Distribution Strategy

The placement aspect of the gaming toys come as a priority in the Walt Disney Company. The product is quite fragile, thus it calls for careful transportation to various destinations. Given the fact that Walt Disney is a global company, the number of customers is too large and spread over a vast area in the world. In order to reach a higher number of them, the company will have to hire airplanes to deliver the goods in various stores that are located in the different parts of the world. This means that a high level of security must be provided so as to guarantee the safety of the gaming toys. These toys must also be stored properly to avoid the risks of damaging them. In case of short distance deliveries, the company will have to engage the regular transportation systems on land to avail the products to the users.

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Marketing Implementation

The concept of market implementation is concerned with the actual presentation of the product to the customers. It involves promotional materials and messages that are given to the final consumers of the product. Some of the promotional materials used by Walt Disney to promote the gaming toys are posters that carry the information concerning the product. Such posters will be hanged in public places such as markets or social centers where people will access the information. Other promotional items include coupon codes and promo codes. These refer to coded messages that offer some discounts upon the purchase of an item. They are used to motivate buyers to subscribe to particular products.

Product development process refers to the systematic stages through which a product goes through before it is finally consumed. The concept is ideal in the implementation process since marketing is all about complete products. In the event that the product does not go through the entire process, then it will not be successfully marketed.

Timelines for implementation are also very important. In the case of the gaming toys, the Walt Disney Company will have to sufficiently take the product through the developmental stages before it can then be marketed. The stages for implementation must be done within appropriate timelines so that the company can trace the movement of the product.

Lastly is the sustainability development needs. Basically, once the product is offered in the market, there must be after sale programs which will inform the company whether the venture was successful or not. For instance, if the company will offer programs for children and they fail to provide the requisite revenue, then the company shall have lost sustainability. If they positively shift the curve of the annual revenue, then the project will be developed since it would be sustainable.

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