The Walt Disney Company is venturing into a new and untapped market - newborns. It already has a dominant presence in every other area of childhood, but now wants to start making money from babies. It has released a new product called Disney Baby. Sales agents have been visiting new mothers in maternity hospitals offering a baby suit in exchange for signing up to e-mails from DisneyBaby.com. Disney’s new campaign is attracting criticism. Jeff McIntyre, director of the group Children Now, said: “This is taking advantage of families at an extremely vulnerable time.” New mother Elizabeth Carter said: “It surprised me that Disney was in there promoting something right as the baby was born, but we figured as new parents we weren’t in a position to turn free things down,” she said.
Disney CEO Robert Iger believes his company is offering a fantastic product, saying: “If ever there was an opportunity for a trusted brand to enter a market and provide a better product and experience, it’s this.” He added: “It’s about making something easier and providing [mothers] with a personalized, high-quality product.” Iger estimates the North American newborn baby market alone to be worth $36.3 billion a year. Other world markets will offer significantly more. Disney’s last venture to sell products for babies did not prove to be wholly successful. In 2009, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood forced Disney to acknowledge that its Baby Einstein products did not turn babies into geniuses. The company ended up offering Baby Einstein refunds.
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DISNEY AND BABIES DISCUSSION
What did you think when you read the headline?What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘Disney’?
Do you think it’s OK for Disney to tap into the market for newborns?
What do you think about Disney sales agents visiting hospitals to get new mothers to sign up for DisneyBaby.com?
Should hospitals keep sales agents out of maternity wards?
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