D23
The Walt Disney Co. is the biggest media company in the world. It has a rich, storied legacy that represents the very essence of the American dream. The conglomerate that grew from humble beginnings has supremacy in theatrical, home video, consumer goods, resorts, television, radio, and now even superheroes with its recent acquisition of Marvel.
And yet, Disney knows all too well that it trades largely on the brand legacy it has so carefully managed over the last eight decades. So much so that the company recently launched a new community-based service called D23, which was born to manage the explosion of fan sites and social networks created around the Disney brand.
By taking a page from Comic-Con, D23 held its debut expo a few weeks ago, to great fanfare. This is a very interesting concept from a company that already has a robust online presence for its many different brands -- a new brand that is solely focused on its own legacy. Disney takes its fans very seriously -- the cult-like reverence that many adults retain is largely built on childhood-fostered trust and being made to feel like they are part of the "magic" that Disney promises. With D23, Disney has given a home to some of the most passionate and vocal fans, and transformed them into "charter members" and, more importantly, effective brand evangelists.
Lesson 2: Listen to your audience.
The Beatles
Q: How do you reboot The Beatles, the iconic 1960s band that once proclaimed they were "bigger than Jesus?"
A: With 21st century technology -- and 3D avatars, of course.
On Sept. 9, 2009 (09.09.09), Beatlemania 2.0 was unleashed. For the faithful, there were newly remastered albums, produced with scientific precision and cutting-edge technology that did not exist when they first debuted on compact disc in 1987. For the uninitiated, an entry point was created to a musical legacy that has spanned generations. And for the first time, officially sanctioned Beatles music was featured in a new medium: the Beatles Rock Band video game.
This legacy brand secured its immortality decades ago, but with each subsequent re-release it had remained fairly unchanged -- until now. Fans and gamers can interact with the brand as never before, and increase the relevance of the Beatles brand to new heights, hopefully inspiring yet another generation of songwriters and musicians. (And yes, it worked on me. I picked up all the re-masters, and yes, they are awesome.)
The 09.09.09 campaign was a brilliant, multi-platform effort that leveraged every possible outlet, from traditional point-of-purchase to relentless print, broadcast, and rich media. In addition to the Beatles Rock Band microsite, there was a dedicated Amazon store that was impossible to avoid during the final weeks of the big push. Ironically, the technology that has been employed to improve, sweeten, and create a new immersive experience has yet to embrace the obvious final hurdle -- the iTunes "I want to hold your hand" experience -- but that is an obvious post-script. Even as we gleefully predict the imminent decline of packaged media, millions of satisfied customers are happily ripping tracks from their new CDs and rocking out to "Revolution."
Lesson 3: The biggest brand in the world can be rebooted -- with a little help from their digital avatars.
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