Disney’s Ad Reflects Consumer Realities

Disney are no strangers to our Ad Of The Week slot. Ads should entertain for commercial gain, and it’s no surprise that the world’s biggest entertainment brand knows a thing or two about how to do that. What makes Disney ads enjoyable for the public are the range of characters they deploy and how they make encountering those characters feel magic every time. But what makes them interesting for marketers are the subtle variations on this theme that Disney plays.

This ad comes to us from Disney Hotels and Resorts, a part of the Magic Kingdom which keeps the focus as much on the customers as the characters. Naturally some old and new favorites show up, from Dumbo to Simba, but we’re also following a small boy and his family as they visit a Disney Resort and take in its many wonders.

What’s most interesting here is the emphasis on value, not just in cost but in time. A trip to a Disney Resort is a magical experience, but it’s also a big investment for most American families, and the ad comes out at a time when higher prices and the economy are showing up in survey after survey as major worries. So it makes a lot of sense for Disney Hotels and Resorts to stress both the savings that can be made, and the extra time booking a Disney Hotel gives you in the parks.

On short-term Spike scores, the ad does even better, with an Exceptional score well above the category average. Ads like this one, which emphasize product offers and include a high level of voiceover, risk losing either emotional intensity or positive response. A poor rating on either can push down an ad’s overall effectiveness. But Disney’s ad doesn’t suffer from those issues – the reassurance over value and price doesn’t take away at all from the impact of the ad. It’s a strong example of a commercial that’s attuned to current consumer realities without compromising on Disney’s brand values and proposition.