Chapter 7: Business Marketing

     The Walt Disney Company is all about satisfying their customers with consumer products, whether they are individual consumers or big corporations. Disney frequently engages in business marketing and is very open about this, they even have their own Business to Business page on their website indicating ways on how an organization can "do business" with them as well. This page is made up of six categories, these categories include: Advertise With Us; Travel Agents Only; Disney Studio Operations; Disney Meetings & Conventions; Disney Insititute; and Supplier Information.

     The company's business customers are mainly re-sellers such as Toys R Us and Party City, who sell Disney's wholesale items. Toys R Us sells Disney branded toys from their various product lines such as "Disney Princesses" and "Disney Fairies", as does Party City with party decorations imprinted with Disney characters on them such as balloons, plates, cups, piñatas, party favors, and so on. These are just a few of the many re-sellers who have become Disney's regular business customers.

     Although Disney participates in business-to-business commerce, the company is often credited for their relationship marketing skills. Disney is really big on building long-term relationships with customers, both consumers and businesses. They show this by forming many strategic alliances. Disney's studio entertainment division's alliances are the Prospect Studios, the Golden Oak Ranch, and KABC7's Studio B. These studios provide the setting for most of Disney's productions, including films, tv shows, and even their commercials. Disney used to have so many alliances, until the company decided to buy out almost all of them. For instance, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, and Pixar were the company's top three partners who were always involved in the latest Disney films but Disney depended on them so much that they decided to buy them all out instead. Thereby, turning these companies from well trusted partners to Disney property.

     In addition, Disney is also starting to partake in business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce in order to advance their internet marketing. So far they have done a great job by forming a joint venture with Hulu, one of the top streaming websites to surf the web. Disney has progressed so much in the e-commerce field that the company's ABC Television Group division currently owns 27% of Hulu. As you can see, Disney continues to be in its prime and will continue to successfully achieve its goals and sell to its individual consumers and to its business customers as well. I am sure that Walt Disney himself would be so proud of what his company has become today.

"Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work it until it's done and done right." —Walt Disney