Disney is looking to sign fewer, bigger brand partnerships
Disney’s CMO Anna Hill says the brand is shifting its partnership strategy to sign fewer, bigger deals with brands rather than lots of small ones and is on the lookout for companies that are aligned with what it stands for as it plans to “accelerate” the use of its IP to encourage healthy living.
By Sarah Vizard
Speaking at the IAB Engage conference, Hill said Disney uses the ‘Brand Desire’ index, which measures how users think, feel and act towards brands to find other companies with similar characteristics that it could collaborate with before it engages in conversation with them. She highlighted the work Disney did with Vodafone on Frozen last year as well as its deal with Sky.
Ideally brands will also be able to fit in with Disney’s renewed push on healthy living. It is now almost 10 years since Disney worked with McDonald’s on its Happy Meals and it has upped its investment here through a partnership with Public Health England’s ‘Change4Life’ campaign over the past three years.
However Hill admitted there is much more Disney can do and is looking “to accelerate” the use of its IP and characters to encourage health living.
“There is more we can do in this space to get kids more active and physical and to think about what they’re eating – insights have unlocked that. We are incredibly passionate about what we can do there,” she said.
She pointed to how influential Disney characters are in children’s lives and how they can be used to encourage kids to lead a healthier lifestyle whether through diet or exercise. She highlighted the upcoming Star Wars film, where merchandise will include a water bottle in an attempt to get children to drink water rather than fizzy drinks and a tie-up with Danone on yoghurt.
“This is about how we can use our characters for good,” she said.
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