Page 89 - The Disneyization of Society

THE DISNEYIZATION OF SOCIETY

was discussed in the previous chapter, is the location for several different forms of
consumption. One of the main ways in which this occurs is through the sale of
80 theme park-related merchandise. Nonetheless, a distinction is still worth preserv-
ing between hybrid consumption and merchandising because there are several
important aspects of the latter that are independent of the former. Not least of
these is the fact that the development of merchandisable objects has become a
goal in its own right and is not something that is necessarily part of a hybrid con-
sumption context or framework.

Why Merchandise?

The key principle behind merchandising is a simple one of extracting further
revenue from an image that has already attracted people. To the purveyors of
merchandise, merchandising is a means of building on and extending an image
and people’s enjoyment of it. As Wolf observes: ‘It is no longer sufficient merely
to turn out a hit movie, television show, magazine or book, because in many cases
these products cannot be profitable on their own. A hit must become a franchise
and, in so doing, becomes the hub from which a wide-reaching variety of prod-
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ucts emanates’. Merchandising can be hugely profitable. It means that items that
cost very little to make can be sold for substantial amounts simply by adding a
logo or image to them or by manufacturing a doll or soft toy into a well-known
and immediately recognisable form, such as Mickey Mouse or Darth Vader.
‘Synergy’ is a relevant term here. The point about merchandising is that it may
actually help to promote other related activities, as well as being profitable in its
own right. As a writer for the Economist puts it: ‘when Viacom licenses Rugrats
toothpaste and Rugrats macaroni cheese, it both makes money and promotes the
direct-to-video movie launched last year and the full-blown animation feature due
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out later this year’. Merchandising becomes part of a mutually referential system
of cross-promotion which can take in theme park rides, clothing, computer games,
toys, television programmes, books, videos, and so on. It keeps the images in people’s
minds and acts as a constant advertisement for existing and forthcoming spin-offs.
There are two main reasons for the widespread use of movie tie-ins with fast food
meals and cereals, whereby toys associated with a new film either come free with
a meal or are sold at a very low price (a form of hybrid consumption as noted in
the previous chapter). First, they act as a lure for the purchase of the fast food meals
and cereals themselves. In addition, they also help to promote the movie and other
merchandise. Davis suggests that theme parks have become major vehicles for mer-
chandising and that this at least in part accounts for the growing tendency for
media conglomerates to buy or build them. As she puts it: ‘Licensed images and …
merchandise are at the heart of the matter, and the potential of the theme park
industry to sell and support licensed products is central to synergy’. 4