How Disneyland Became a Global Industry

HOW DISNEYLAND BECAME A GLOBAL INDUSTRY
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How Disneyland Became a Global Industry
Disney is a household name in the entertainment industry that commands great envy and respect from other companies within similar fields of operation. The Walt Disney Corporation has grown to be an international entertainment and mass media company that has achieved independence in generation of revenue. Business experts note that the business models and strategies the company implemented contributed to the success of the venture. The company has managed to generate and obtain commercial divisions that have enabled the production and marketing of mature entertainment content, compared to productions offered by similar companies in the entertainment industry. The company has operations in the sectors of studio productions, parks, consumer merchandise, cable television, media networks, publishing, theatre, and music. The essay expounds a major factor and opportunity the company exploited to achieve success as a global industry.
The factor that contributed to the success is proper implementation of the concept of cultural capitalism in entertainment. Cultural capital refers to an assortment of significant characteristics that a person obtains through interactions in communities, social classes and societies (Gomez, 2017). Such characteristics include mannerisms, skills, credentials, tastes, material possessions, posture, and clothing. The concept defines the manner in which an organization conducts its activities, and ensures smooth operation of company activities. A proper grasp of the concept enables every company employee to create the desired outcome of the goals the company developed. Scholars of the American social studies have coined the term Disneyfication (Lorenzo, 2014, 3). Disneyfication is a phenomenon that provides a description of the intermingling of political, cultural and economic aspects in rural and urban settings according to principles Disney pioneered in the company theme parks. The concept involves the use of strategies that ensure maximization of consumption through corporate management, surveillance, exclusion, and spectacle (Lorenzo, 2014, 2). Disney capitalized on cultural capitalism to develop successful creations and mercantile declinations, which resulted to an accumulation of substantial financial and artistic possessions (Bohas, 2011). The concept has played a major role in the establishment of the theme parks and other productions. In the studio sector, Disney operates as an independent firm, unlike other companies that rely on bigger firms. The company has managed to function as a content manufacturer, unlike other similar companies that serve as providers of access to satellite access. The company employed cultural capitalism in the commoditization of imaginative productions. The implementation is evident in the four main units of diversification, which are Walt Disney Studio for all departments concerned with cinematic productions, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney Media Networks for audio-visual transmission, and Disney Consumer Products for sales in supplementary markets.
Disneyfication has become a concept that many other sectors are applying to commercial businesses in the society. Scholars in various fields have identified Disneyfication as a process that is concerned with ensuring the maximization of profits (Duke, 2002, 7). An example of the observation is in the football culture observed in England. The current changes in the sport indicate that an Americanised model is taking over, which focuses on profit-oriented methods. The influence of disneyfication is through the application of the aspects involved in the process (Duke, 2002, 8 & 9). The aspects are dedifferentiation of consumption, emotional labour, themeing, and merchandising. In the sports culture, there has been an introduction of sports eateries. Another change is sports competitions renaming and rebranding. The two observations are a reflection of the adoption of themeing. Dedifferentiation is observable in the manner in which sports arenas have experienced standardization to offer an entertainment experience. There are challenges in differentiating various methods of consumption. The experiences different locations offer are becoming alike. Merchandising in sports clubs is reflective through the promotion of merchandise that bears the logos and copyrighted images of an organization. Items people use everyday such as household utensils, underwear, and sports kits have such branding. Lastly, emotional labour has become observable in people emotions that are desired socially when making transactions in a service. The expression is common amongst wealthy middle-class fans, who have the tendency of purchasing goods from shops owned by clubs, who sell their merchandised products. Through disneyfication, football has become more of a commodity than a sport (Duke, 2002, 17). The sport has become a source of entertainment on television.
Application of the aspects of disneyfication ensures success through the collaboration of the aspects with other considerations in the same field. Disneyfication offers a model for synergy between economic and cultural fields in the marketplace. Synergy is a concept that defines the recirculation, recycling, repackaging, and redeployment of a property a company already possesses to facilitate the introduction of brand names (Ostrove, 2014). Disney has perfected the art of employing such synergy in the entertainment scenario. The same applies to other aspects of consumer behaviour. The use of the synergy strategy enables companies to augment profitability and promote products to consumers through more channels. Such ventures have profound impact not only on the company profit margins but also on planning strategies for communities. The concept facilitates the construction of a global entertainment civilization. Scholars have developed the argument that a global widespread of modern ideals causes existent identities to weaken, and results to the growth of different identities (Hamelink, 2014, 196). The concept has basis on the ideal that one can define the quality of human life through market value. Advertisement and entertainment industries portray an idealized way of living to promote the possession of available consumer goods, which becomes equivalent to a high quality lifestyle. Branded products become available in many localities. . Disneyfication ensures maximum competitive advantage through capitalization on the unique products the company offers (Williams, 2017). Application of the strategy ensures that products are dissimilar to those of rival companies, and that there is a continuous development of new products in accordance with the tren...