Analysis of Disney’s Marketing Strategy from a Full-Industry-Chain
Perspective
Yuxuan Wang
School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China
Keywords: Marketing Strategy, Full-Industry-Chain, IP Management, Localization Strategies.
Abstract: The Walt Disney Company, as a global entertainment leader, exemplifies the successful integration of
innovative marketing strategies. Studying DISNEY enriches both the theoretical understanding and practical
experience reference of marketing strategies in the entertainment industry. This study analyzes the overall
marketing strategy of DISNEY using the STP (Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) theory and the 4P
(Product, Price, Place, Promotion) theory. DISNEY’s dynamic pricing, omni-channel distribution, and
emotional marketing campaigns effectively foster brand loyalty and maximize revenue, while its focus on IP
lifecycle management and cultural adaptation demonstrates its agility in navigating diverse markets. However,
challenges such as cultural missteps and reliance on traditional pricing models in evolving markets are
identified, with recommendations provided to enhance personalized experiences, deepen digital
transformation, and integrate sustainability narratives to ensure DISNEY’s continued success in the rapidly
changing entertainment industry.
1 INTRODUCTION
The Walt Disney Company, founded in 1923, is a
global entertainment giant. Its business spans media
networks, theme parks, resorts, film and television
entertainment, consumer goods, and interactive
media. Through strategic acquisitions and brand
expansion, DISNEY has built a strong IP portfolio
and diversified business. In recent years, it has made
significant progress in streaming with platforms like
Disney+, strengthening its digital media position.
However, DISNEY faces new challenges and
opportunities amid intensifying market competition
and changing consumer demands, such as income
fluctuations in the Asia-Pacific market and a decline
in traditional television business. Studying
DISNEY’s business, market performance, and
strategies is crucial for understanding its role and
future in the global entertainment industry.
Nowadays researches of DISNEY’s marketing
strategy mainly focus on global marketing, IP
marketing, and feminism. A study shows how
DISNEY try to convey a different definition of
female lead through media in order to gain identity of
people from diverse backgrounds (Schiele et al.,
2020). Also, study of marketing strategy analysis of
female group is also deeply explained (Lyu, 2022).
What’s more, DISNEY, as a famous IP creator, Chai
(2023) did a research about its IP derivative product
marketing strategy through LinaBell—a hot IP
character. As for its media department, Luo (2024)
did a detailed analysis on its streaming service—
Disney+, using R language.
Current DISNEY research lacks comprehensive
analyses of its marketing strategies, focusing mainly
on its theme parks rather than the overall company.
Therefore, this paper uses STP analysis and 4P
theory, emphasizing the collaborative roles of
DISNEY's various business departments, to provide a
detailed analysis of DISNEY's marketing strategies
from a holistic corporate perspective.
Studying DISNEY enriches the theoretical
understanding of business models and marketing
strategies in the entertainment industry. DISNEY’s
success in IP development, full-industry-chain
operations, and cross-cultural management offers
valuable research cases. Analyzing its business and
market strategies deepens the understanding of
entertainment industry business models and supports
theoretical development. Studying DISNEY also has
practical significance. It provides reference and
inspiration for other entertainment enterprises.
DISNEY’s experience in IP cultivation, brand
688
Wang, Y.
Analysis of Disney’s Marketing Strategy from a Full-Industry-Chain Perspective.
DOI: 10.5220/0014001500004916
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 688-693
ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8
Proceedings Copyright © 2025 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda.

management, and cross-cultural marketing helps
other companies tackle market challenges and
enhance competitiveness.
2 CASE INTRODUCTION AND
STP ANALYSIS
2.1 Company Overview
In the 1920s, an unknown cartoon studio might never
think of growing into a preeminent name in the
entertainment industry, today, DISNEY proudly
continues its legacy of creating world-class stories
and experiences for every member of the family. In
2022, Disney's media and entertainment business
generated revenues exceeding 55 billion US dollars,
while its theme park business also achieved revenues
of 29 billion US dollars.
DISNEY’s core business segments are
Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences.
Entertainment includes cable TV, film distribution,
and streaming (Zhu, 2024). With Disney+’s
subscriber and revenue growth, DISNEY shows its
digital media competitiveness. Sports centers on
ESPN, covering event broadcasting and content
creation. Experiences includes theme parks, resorts,
cruises, and merchandise. DISNEY’s theme parks,
like Shanghai’s “Zootopia” zone, drive visitor growth
through innovation. This business also offers park-
related merchandise and food services for a complete
entertainment experience.
In its development, DISNEY has shown a clear
trend of film and television company mergers and IP
expansion. In 2006, DISNEY acquired Pixar
Animation Studios; then in 2009, it bought Marvel
Entertainment, in 2012, Lucasfilm joined DISNEY.
Between 2017 and 2019, DISNEY completed the
acquisition of 21st Century Fox. Through these
acquisitions of well-known IPs, DISNEY has
established a profit model based on the IP full-
industrial-chain development.
2.2 Segmentation
From the demographic perspective, children and
teenagers are key consumer groups for Disneyland
and animated films, which also make parents main
group to target. Given DISNEY's focus on fantasy
and fairy tales, young females form a large part of its
audience. For Disneyland, families are the most
important market segment. Conventionally, Chinese
theme parks are more likely to focus on family
visitors due to traditional family values. However,
with changing times and concepts, these parks now
attract visitors of all ages. According to a 2024 report
from the China Tourism Academy, about 50% of
visitors do not bring children, and over 30% of these
are aged 30 or older. Moreover, the silver economy is
evident here, with senior visitors to Shanghai Disney
increasing by about 75% in 2023.Geographically,
Disneyland in different regions adapt to local
cultures. For example, Disneyland in China launch
activities and products during traditional Chinese
festivals.
2.3 Targeting
DISNEY’s broad target market and distinctive IP
style lead it to adopt differentiated marketing
strategies for diverse park themes and audiences.
DISNEY opts for localization strategy to deal with
theme parks with significant regional and cultural
differences. Shanghai Disneyland’s Lina Bell
exemplifies this, attracting young females and
broadening the age range from children/teenagers to
adults in Chinese market. In Chinese media
marketing, DISNEY’s official accounts are only
active on RedNote, a female-dominated platform,
while other social media platforms only have
commercial accounts for Disneyland and Disney
Store. This indicates that DISNEY want to convey
their value proposition to young people and female.
2.4 Positioning
DISNEY's business segments target all-age
customers and focus on brand loyalty. It owns movie
IP from fairytale animations that attract children to
action movie that allow adult to relax. Disneyland is
positioned as a place of magic, joy, and dreams,
appealing to young people and offering comfort and
happiness. Its slogan "ignite the dream" reflects this
brand positioning.
DISNEY's products aim at the high-end market.
As shown in table 1, Disneyland's ticket prices in
China are on par with Universal Studios', both being
high-end products. The in-park food and merchandise
prices are also higher.
Analysis of Disney’s Marketing Strategy from a Full-Industry-Chain Perspective
689

Table 1. Comparison of ticket prices for famous theme parks in China.
Name of theme park Ticket price range（Yuan/person）
Shan
g
hai Disne
y
lan
d
399-699
Universal Studios Bei
j
in
g
418-749
Zhuhai Chimelon
g
Ocean Par
k
395
Shenzhen Happ
y
Vall
y
200-250
Fantawild Series Theme Parks 200-500
3 ANALYSIS OF MARKETING
STRATEGY
3.1 Product
DISNEY's product portfolio is diverse, spanning
theme parks, film, TV, music, merchandise, and
online media, offering options for all ages. It adheres
to a high-end, high-quality approach. For instance,
VR and AR are used in theme parks to create
immersive entertainment. DISNEY also has a robust
membership program to boost brand loyalty and holds
a significant market share in streaming media
(Disney+), further solidifying its brand influence.
Disneyland is renowned for high-quality service,
but what truly captivates visitors is more than that. It
emphasizes product lifecycle management, which
will provide a continues influx of customers. For
example, Tokyo Disneyland's design allows visitors
to experience only two-thirds of the attractions in a
day. With annual updates, steady visitor flow can be
maintained.
DISNEY's IP pool is built through in-house
development, classic adaptations, and acquisitions. It
maximizes IP value through multi-stage
development, leveraging its five business segments -
- media networks, theme parks, film and TV,
consumer products, and interactive entertainment-to
create synergy. A successful animated film, for
example, can spur related theme park attraction
development, merchandise sales, and interactive
entertainment offerings.
3.2 Price
DISNEY applies a dynamic pricing strategy based on
variable value assessment. Firstly, Disneyland uses a
multi-tiered ticketing system, adjusting prices
according to seasons, dates, and entry times to
balance supply and demand and optimize revenue.
For instance, Shanghai Disney Resort's new four-tier
ticket system sets varying prices from 399 to 699
yuan for regular days, specially regular days, peak
days, and special peak days.
Moreover, In-park merchandise is generally
priced high to maintain brand consistency, regardless
of the product's value-for-price equivalence.
In addition, leveraging its rich IP resources,
DISNEY has developed numerous derivatives like
toys, clothing, stationery, and electronics. It also
collaborates with partners through IP licensing to
launch related products. Their prices, influenced by
product type, quality, and brand licensing fees,
usually carry high added value and profit margins.
This strategy capitalizes on DISNEY's strong fan
economy, completing the IP full-industry-chain
development.
3.3 Place
DISNEY has achieved a blend of direct and indirect
channels, and OMO omni-channel integration.
Disneyland’s tickets are sold not only on-site or via
official platforms, but also through travel agencies,
and some hotel agencies. Online, besides its website
and app, DISNEY also sells physical movie-related
products on Amazon, eBay, Tmall, and others.
Offline, DISNEY has cinemas, dedicated
merchandise stores, reseller stores, food and beverage
outlets, general retailers, and specialty retailers.
This multi-channel approach boosts market
coverage and sales volume, allows consumers to
access DISNEY products in various ways, and better
meets evolving consumer needs. It also helps
DISNEY integrate resources, leverage each channel's
strengths, and maximize brand value.
However, the multi-channel strategy may cause
issues like price inconsistencies across channels,
which can confuse customers and lead to conflicts
PRMC 2025 - International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication
690

with the distribution department. Therefore, DISNEY
needs to focus on coordination and integration in
multi-channel management, ensure synergy among
channels, optimize resource allocation, and enhance
operational efficiency.
3.4 Promotion
DISNEY uses diverse ad formats and media like TV,
online, and outdoor ads to enhance brand awareness
and product exposure. Ad content focuses on
storytelling to evoke audience emotions and build
brand recognition and affection.
In the new media age, social media marketing is
essential. DISNEY actively promotes on platforms
like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, posting park
events, new movie trailers, and special offers to
attract fans and boost brand loyalty. Moreover,
DISNEY adopts an emotional marketing approach,
which is highly effective in the short-video era.
Emotion marketing lacks a clear definition in
academia but is a hot topic among marketing scholars.
Ruth (2001) explained the mechanism of brand
emotions, believing that brand emotion regulation
mediates the relationship between emotion benefit
congruence and favorable brand attitude. Hasford et
al. (2015) examined the role of emotion contagion in
marketing channels, which can impact consumers,
especially during brand recommendations. James
Agarwal (2005), based on the interaction of emotion
and cognition, proposed an integrated model of
attitudes and choices using the research on emotions
and attitudes. From these studies, emotion marketing
can be understood as a strategy that leverages
consumer emotions to create resonance with brands
or products, thereby stimulating purchasing behavior
and brand loyalty.
DISNEY's emotional marketing is divided into
many segments, including the use of character stories,
special festivals, and heartwarming tales. DISNEY's
official accounts periodically release snippets from
specific character stories, leveraging themes such as
the wisdom contained within the stories or nostalgic
childhood memories to attract consumers. During
special festivals, DISNEY uses specific characters to
create holiday greetings and convey warm values. On
a daily basis, DISNEY typically employs character
dialogues or heartwarming short essays to
continuously capture the attention of consumers.
DISNEY has a significant advantage in emotional
marketing due to its complete character storylines.
Additionally, with its long history, DISNEY can
evoke memories for multiple generations. In the era
of short videos, they spread quickly, allowing people
to learn about a character's story and quickly trigger
group resonance. This emotional marketing enhances
brand loyalty, increases brand value, and helps
navigate public relation crises. For example, when
Shanghai Disneyland's Lina Bell faced feminism-
related controversy for treating female and male
visitors differently, her high popularity led most
people to defend her authenticity instead of
criticizing.
4 SUGGESTION
4.1 Balancing Globalization and
Localization
When entering new markets, DISNEY can
collaborate with local IP creators to develop products
that incorporate local culture. This approach helps
avoid the controversy of "cultural transplantation"
and makes products more acceptable to local markets
as they better align with local aesthetics and values.
For instance, DISNEY's Mulan, based on a
traditional Chinese story, faced criticism in Chinese
market for being overly influenced by Western
culture in its play, which diluted some of the original
story's meaning. Recently, DISNEY has faced public
criticism over its film casting choices. This is largely
due to its focus on promoting progressive ideals like
racial equality while neglecting local aesthetic
preferences. Both of the example demonstrate the
significance of balancing globalization and
localization.
To balance globalization and localization,
DISNEY should maintain its promotional model as an
international brand to preserve a consistent brand
image, such as using international spokespeople and
leveraging flagship stores (Liu, 2016). However, in
order to enter more diverse national markets, it should
conduct more in-depth market research tailored to
local conditions and prioritize marketing efforts in
developed cities.
4.2 Seizing the Experience Economy
Trend and Moving from Mass to
Personalized Offerings
Despite its current market dominance, DISNEY
should consider niche markets. According to the
long-tail theory, these markets offer significant
opportunities. As noted in The Experience Economy
by Pine & Gilmore (2011), consumers are moving
away from mass-produced goods towards
Analysis of Disney’s Marketing Strategy from a Full-Industry-Chain Perspective
691

personalized experiences. Unlike in the service
economy era, people now pay more for experiences
than just services. Feelings have become more
important than traditional transactions.
The JELLYCAT toy company is a good example.
It gained popularity through unique sales processes.
Without many unique IPs, it won consumer love via
emotional marketing and high-emotional-value
experiences. With its strong emotional marketing and
well-developed IP backstories, DISNEY can explore
similar innovative sales strategies. Additionally,
attractions of Disneyland should shift from traditional
sightseeing to immersive experiences to better meet
visitor expectations.
4.3 New Technology-Enhanced
Experiences and IP Lifecycle
Management
Although DISNEY has made some attempts to
integrate products with new technologies, overall
technological maturity is still pending improvement.
As a top-tier entertainment company, DISNEY can
keep exploring new technologies. Apart from existing
AR and VR, it can adopt the metaverse concept to
create virtual parks, enhancing visitors' immersion in
virtual spaces. In the future, metaverse-built virtual
spaces may also facilitate DISNEY's transition into
fields like gaming.
With new-technology support, not only can
visitor immersion be enhanced, but classic IPs can
also regain attention and extend their lifecycles
through new digital experiences.
4.4 Deepening Digital Transformation
and Building a Brand Ecosystem
DISNEY should further integrate online and offline
channels to create a brand ecosystem, enhancing the
omnichannel experience. For instance, it can
incorporate streaming content recommendations into
its park app. A brand ecosystem boosts loyalty and
offers marketing advantages.
In China, DISNEY+ has a low profile due to
regional legal differences. DISNEY can optimize its
streaming platform and partner with local services to
enter the market and form an ecosystem for better
marketing.
By building an online brand ecosystem, DISNEY
can leverage DISNEY+ to collect user data for
precise cross-business ad recommendations, such as
park events or merchandise, improving ad conversion
rates.
4.5 Dynamic Price Strategy
Adjustment
DISNEY's current dynamic pricing is somewhat
traditional. To adapt to market changes, DISNEY
should adjust its pricing strategy. For example, in the
changing market environment in China, DISNEY can
offer more price options for the silver-haired group.
Also, to differentiate itself from competitors like
Universal Studios, DISNEY can provide more price
advantages for family visitors, reinforcing its
"family-friendly" image and enhancing customer
loyalty.
With the development of its brand ecosystem,
DISNEY can integrate with DISNEY + to improve its
membership system, offering more price discounts
and boosting user retention. Additionally, DISNEY
can bundle its memberships with other brands, such
as combining DISNEY + with SPOTIFY, to drive
traffic to its streaming platform by offering a discount
price.
For markets of developing countries, DISNEY
should provide more favorable price packages across
various dimensions. At the same time, it needs to
strengthen digital management to prevent revenue
loss from geographical arbitrage.
4.6 Strengthening the Sustainable
Development Narrative
DISNEY has built a good brand image through
continuous public welfare activities, but sustainable
development is now a key concern. The heavy asserts
tourism industry is under particular scrutiny in this
context. Emphasizing sustainable development in
future promotion strategies will help DISNEY
establish a socially responsible brand image and
enhance brand value.
DISNEY can integrate environmental protection
into physical products, using renewable materials to
boost their green appeal and add value. This eco-
innovative production can be promoted on social
media and through documentaries on DISNEY+,
showing the process to convey DISNEY's
sustainability stance and improve its public image.
DISNEY's parks can also introduce customer
education on environmental protection. For example,
introducing a carbon emission points system could
encourage public transport use, promoting
sustainability while providing marketing content by
turning emission reductions into tangible
achievements. In this way, DISNEY will gain both
attention with high commercial quality and good
reputation.
PRMC 2025 - International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication
692

5 CONCLUSION
The Walt Disney Company, as a global entertainment
leader, exemplifies the successful integration of
innovative marketing strategies, diversified business
models, and cross-cultural adaptability. This study
analyzed DISNEY’s marketing approach through
the STP framework and 4P theory, revealing how its
synergistic business operations, centered on
intellectual property (IP) development, enable
sustained competitive advantages. DISNEY ’ s
ability to balance globalization with localization —
evidenced by initiatives like Shanghai Disneyland’
s Lina Bell and culturally adaptive products —
demonstrates its agility in navigating diverse markets
while maintaining brand consistency. Furthermore,
its dynamic pricing strategies, omni-channel
distribution, and emotional marketing campaigns
highlight a customer-centric approach that fosters
brand loyalty and maximizes revenue across business
segments.
The findings underscore DISNEY’s strengths in
leveraging its IP ecosystem to drive cross-
departmental synergies. From blockbuster films to
theme park attractions, merchandise, and streaming
platforms like Disney+, the company capitalizes on
the full-industry-chain model to extend IP lifecycles
and enhance consumer engagement. However,
challenges persist, including cultural missteps and
reliance on traditional pricing models in evolving
markets. The proposed recommendations — such as
embracing personalized experiences, deepening
digital transformation, and integrating sustainability
narratives—aim to address these gaps while aligning
with trends like the experience economy and
metaverse innovation.
Theoretical contributions of this research lie in its
holistic analysis of DISNEY’s marketing strategies,
enriching academic discourse on entertainment
industry business models. Practically, DISNEY’s
strategies offer actionable insights for enterprises
seeking to enhance IP management, emotional
branding, and omni-channel integration. However,
due to the limitation of information, this study lacks
of quantitative data analysis and big data statistics.
Future studies could explore emerging markets in
depth, assess the impact of AI and metaverse
technologies on consumer behavior use quantitative
data analysis, or evaluate the long-term efficacy of
sustainability initiatives. As consumer expectations
and technological landscapes evolve, DISNEY’s
continued success will depend on its ability to
innovate while staying rooted in its core mission:
creating magical, inclusive, and enduring experiences
for audiences worldwide.
REFERENCES
Agarwal, J., & Malhotra, N. K. 2005. An integrated model
of attitude and affect: Theoretical foundation and an
empirical investigation. Journal of Business
Research 58(4): 483-493.
Chai, Y. 2023. Disney IP derivative product marketing--a
case study of LinaBell. In SHS Web of Conferences.
EDP Sciences. 162: 01017.
Hasford, J., Hardesty, D. M., & Kidwell, B. 2015. More
than a feeling: Emotional contagion effects in
persuasive communication. Journal of Marketing
Research 52(6): 836-847.
Liu, S., Perry, P., Moore, C., & Warnaby, G. 2016. The
standardization-localization dilemma of brand
communications for luxury fashion retailers'
internationalization into China. Journal of Business
Research 69(1): 357-364.
Luo, S. 2024. Research on the analysis of Disney+
consumer behavior and marketing strategy based on R
Language. In SHS Web of Conferences. EDP Sciences.
207: 01010.
Lyu, S. 2022. Analysis of Shanghai Disney Theme Park's
Marketing Strategies for Female Groups in China.
In International Center for Scientific, Cultural and
Academic Exchange. Proceedings of the 2nd
International Symposium on Innovative Management
and Economics (ISIME 2022). China Agricultural
University, International College Beijing.
Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. 2011. The experience
economy. Harvard Business Press.
Ruth, J. A. 2001. Promoting a brand's emotion benefits: The
influence of emotion categorization processes on
consumer evaluations. Journal of Consumer
Psychology 11(2): 99-113.
Schiele, K., Louie, L., & Chen, S. 2020. Marketing
feminism in youth media: A study of Disney and Pixar
animation. Business Horizons 63(5): 659-669.
Zhu, W. 2024. Decoding Disney’s marketing mastery: A
strategic analysis. In SHS Web of Conferences. EDP
Sciences. 188: 03011.
Analysis of Disney’s Marketing Strategy from a Full-Industry-Chain Perspective
693