Page 106 - The Disneyization of Society

MERCHANDISING

one of the main ways that clubs have increased profits. 65 In addition to the vast
array of club and event merchandise, sporting bodies like the World Wrestling
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Federation have also entered the world of merchandising. Wolf estimates that in
1997, total National Basketball Association league revenues were ‘dwarfed’ by the
revenue from merchandise sales, which amounted to over $3 billion worldwide. 66
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College sports in the USA had merchandise sales in 1997 of $2.75 billion. Around
the mid-1990s, US sports fans were estimated to be spending $12 billion annu-
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ally. Moreover, lack of consistent on-field success does not necessarily imply poor
merchandise sales. The Dallas Cowboys, who have an extensive and hugely popu-
lar merchandise range, ranked third in 2002–3 among NFL teams in terms of mer-
chandise sales, in spite of three less than successful seasons. 69

Other domains of merchandising

The foregoing discussion has emphasized some of the major spheres in which
hybrid consumption has taken place in late modern society. However, it does not
exhaust all of them by any means. The following is a catalogue of others, along
with a brief discussion of each.

• Universities For many years, universities in North America, especially the major ones,
have sold a wide array of merchandise. For large universities like UCLA and Harvard,
merchandising is a very significant income stream and many other US universities have
off-campus shops. UCLA even has a shop in Universal CityWalk adjacent to Universal
Studios in California. While British universities have lagged behind their North American
counterparts, it appears that they too have realized the potential of what one news
reporter appropriately refers to as ‘Disney-style merchandising’. 70 For example, Oxford
Ltd was reported in 1997 as projecting sales of official Oxford merchandise in excess of
£4 million, which represented a doubling of revenue within three years from this source.
Most of its sales are in South East Asia and Japan, a feature that parallels Manchester
United’s merchandising success in these regions.
• Princess Diana An American firm has produced a Diana doll and other Diana merchandise
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has also been produced. On the face of it, this would not seem to be a case of merchan-
dising as defined in this chapter, since it has been defined in terms of copyright logos and
images. On the other hand, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund sued the makers
because it was argued that the firm had failed to obtain consent to use her intellectual prop-
72
erty rights and identity. Thus, what is and is not a copyright image or logo may be con-
troversial, and in fact the Fund was unsuccessful in its action. It has since linked up with one
of the American company’s main competitors to produce Diana merchandise. 73
• Police forces Robinson observes that there has been a big increase in demand for mer-
chandise featuring the logos of police officers and firefighters following the September 11
tragedy. Some of the merchandise that has become available is unofficial and therefore
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illegal. London’s police force has also begun moves to enforce copyright of its
various insignia, such as the famous helmet. As a result, not only will it be able to license