Page 201 - Marketing Management

178 PART 3 CONNECTING WITH CUSTOMERS

Applications

Marketing Debate Marketing Discussion
Is Target Marketing Ever Bad? Mental Accounts
As marketers increasingly tailor marketing programs to target What mental accounts do you have in your mind about pur-
market segments, some critics have denounced these efforts chasing products or services? Do you have any rules you
as exploitive. They see the preponderance of billboards employ in spending money? Are they different from what
advertising cigarettes and alcohol in low-income urban areas other people do? Do you follow Thaler’s four principles in
as taking advantage of a vulnerable market segment. Critics reacting to gains and losses?
can be especially harsh in evaluating marketing programs
that target African Americans and other minority groups,
claiming they often employ stereotypes and inappropriate
depictions. Others counter that targeting and positioning is
critical to marketing, and that these marketing programs are
an attempt to be relevant to a certain consumer group.
Take a position: Targeting minorities is exploitive versus
Targeting minorities is a sound business practice.

Marketing Excellence cartoons with sound and the first-ever full-length animated
film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937 led, over
>>Disney the next three decades, to other animated classics includ-
ing Pinocchio, Bambi, Cinderella, and Peter Pan, live
Few companies action films such as Mary Poppins and The Love Bug,
have been able to and television series like Davy Crockett.
connect with a When Walt Disney died in 1966, he was considered
specific audience the best-known person in the world. By then the company
as well as Disney had expanded the Disney brand into film, television, con-
has. From its sumer products, and Disneyland in southern California, its
founding in 1923, first theme park, where families could experience the
the Disney brand magic of Disney in real life. After Walt’s death, Roy Disney
has always been took over as CEO and realized Walt’s dream of opening
synonymous with the 24,000 acre Walt Disney World theme park in Florida.
quality entertain- By the time of Roy’s death in 1971, the two brothers had
ment for the en- created a brand that stood for trust, fun, and entertain-
tire family. The ment that resonated with children, families, and adults
company, origi- through some of the most moving and iconic characters,
nally founded by stories, and memories of all time.
brothers Walt The company stumbled for a few years without the
Disney and Roy leadership of its two founding brothers. However, by the
Disney, stretched 1980s, The Walt Disney Company was back on its
the boundaries of entertainment during the feet and thinking of new ways to target its core family-
20th century to bring classic and memorable family enter- oriented consumers as well as expand into new areas
tainment around the world. Beginning with simple black- that would reach an older audience. It launched the
and-white animated cartoons, the company grew into the Disney Channel, Touchstone Pictures, and Touchstone
worldwide phenomenon that today includes theme parks, Television. In addition, Disney featured classic films during
feature films, television networks, theatre productions, The Disney Sunday Night Movie and sold classic Disney
consumer products, and a growing online presence. films on video at extremely low prices in order to reach a
In its first two decades, Walt Disney Productions was whole new generation of children. The brand continued to
a struggling cartoon studio that introduced the world to its expand in the 1990s as Disney tapped into publishing,
most famous character ever, Mickey Mouse. Few believed international theme parks, and theatrical productions that
in Disney’s vision at the time, but the smashing success of reached a variety of audiences around the world.