JANUARY 2021
Communications Strategy
A COMMUNICATIONS PLAN FOR THE REINTRODUCTION OF INTERNATIONAL GUESTS TO THE WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT, WITH THE AIM OF REGAINING GUEST TRUST AND EMPHASISING THE MEASURES IN PLACE TO RE-ENGAGE CONSUMERS WITH THE DISNEY WORLD BRAND.
CURRENT POSITION: As per its annual Fiscal report, The Walt Disney Company generated $26.7 billion in revenue from its Parks, Experiences, and Products sector globally in 2019. At nearly 26,000 acres, Walt Disney World is the largest of the Disney Company properties and its 58 million annual park attendees contributed a substantial amount to this figure last year. Following the Covid-19 outbreak, Disney reports that the pandemic has cost the segment approximately $2.4 billion dollars in the most recent quarter. A decline of 85% from the previous year.
Since its reopening on July 11th, 2020, Walt Disney World has faced a backlash of criticism with Forbes questioning 'is it responsible to open a space where people congregate?' and Global News coining its 'scariest place on earth.' Despite this Disney World has reduced capacity to 25%, implemented clear guidelines around the parks and there is currently no evidence suggesting it is contributing to the spread of the virus. As we enter 2021, The Walt Disney World Resort needs to regain guest trust, to increase visitor numbers, and recoup 2020's losses.
PURPOSE AND AIMS: Following a 3-tier approach, this communications strategy aims to entice, assure and finally recapture guests into revisiting Walt Disney World, through the use of informative but engaging tactics that adhere to both Disney brand guidelines, the CIPR, and PRSA respectively. The plan will target overseas stakeholders from the key British market, implementing a range of visual media tactics to coincide with the reopening of US borders to international tourism. Entice: The plan aims to entice guests into re-engaging with the Walt Disney World Resort, through media roll-outs that aim to intrigue and excite. Assure: The plan aims to assure guests of measures in place to ensure their safety, by rebuilding their confidence in overseas travel and Park visits. Re-engage: The plan aims to recapture guests through positive experiences both in-person via a resort visit or across our media channels, through improved guest interaction and customer service.
SWOT ANALYSIS: Magic Kingdom Park was the most visited
COVID-19 caused 85% decline in revenue
theme park in the world in 2019, with 20.9
in Parks, Experiences and Products sector,
million visitors.
with reduced capacity making it more
Disney is ranked in the Top 10 brands in
difficult to maximise profits.
the world by Business Insider, with a total
Seasonality of parks means revenues and
brand value of $44.3 million.
expenses fluctuate between quarters.
In a strong financial position, with total
High operational costs year-round,
revenue of $69.57 billion in 2019.
regardless of visitor numbers.
Major conglomerate with market-leading
Growing visitor costs, contribute to its
products and services across various
reputation of being expensive and/or
industries.
unobtainable.
A recent expansion of Toy Story Land, Star
Reliance on international tourism,
Wars Land and the NBA experience since
threatened by COVID-19 and border
2018 provides new selling opportunities.
closure.
Disney+ enables direct to consumer
Vulnerable to recession/economic change,
marketing, through both advertising and
with less disposable income equalling
new long-form content.
fewer vacations.
Diversification through recent acquisitions
Expansion of local competition e.g.
of Hulu and 21st Century Fox targets new
Universal World Resort decreases Disney's
markets.
market share.
Changes in media consumption enable
On-going terrorism and guest safety threat
direct marketing to a younger audience.
as a major destination.
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OBJECTIVES: To increase online engagement with the DisneyWorld.co.uk pages, growing web traffic by 25% (totalling 900k from January to July 2021), and increase Facebook engagements by 20%. To obtain 500,000 Walt Disney World Resort bookings by British tourists in 2021. To achieve a 90% safety satisfaction rating on our guest experiences survey in 2021.
KEY MESSAGES: The Disney World Resort is open, with all theme parks, hotels and amenities welcoming guests in 2021. The Disney World Resort has developed rigorous safety guidelines and cleaning procedures, with adjustments implemented across the resort to ensure guest safety. The magic of Disney is still alive and memories are waiting to be made at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Key Analytics TOTAL WEB VISITS: Sep 2020- Nov 2020
308,713 Source: SimilarWeb
ATTENDANCE:
SOCIAL TRAFFIC:
Avergage Annual Attendance
Social Referrals to Web Page.
58 Million 1 Million British Tourists Annually.
Source: Theme Entertainment Association
WALT DISNEY COMPANY REVENUE IN FISCAL YEAR 2020 BY OPERATING SEGMENT:
FB: 62.85% Reddit: 30.34% Youtube: 5.84% Source: SemRush
DISNEYWORLD.CO.UK WEB TRAFFIC GENERATION
MARKET AGE INSIGHT:
Source: SemRush
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stakeholder Analysis Primary Stakeholders:
Primary Stakeholders consist of those who Disney most need to reassure and communicate the safety measures in place. They are the Target Publics, segmented to be: External: Potential Walt Disney World Resort Visitors - Households with children under 18. (36.7% of guests) - Adult couples who take regular vacations. Internal: Walt Disney World Cast Members - 70,000 cast members employed prior to COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary Stakeholders: Secondary Stakeholders consist of publics who would benefit from reassurance but are not the target of this Communications plan. They are either intervening or influential, segmented to be; Intervening Publics: Media sceptics (Notably Forbes, NYTimes, Global News) Local Orlando and Florida Communities - Orlando population 291,739 (as of 2020). - Covid cases per 100k = 3947 (as of Nov 2020) Influential Publics: Federal US Government and Legislator Competitors (Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, Six Flags.) Investors - Largest individual and institutional shareholders, Robert A. Iger and Vanguard Group Inc Stakeholders can be further analysed depending on their active engagement with the strategy and their perceived support: Advocate:
Dormant:
Adversarial:
Consumers
Investors
Media
Government
Community
Competitors
Cast Members
Apathetic:
POWER INTEREST MATRIX
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Audience and Competitor Analysis
THE STRATEGY WILL IMPLEMENT A MULTI-SEGMENT TARGETING TECHNIQUE WITH THE FOLLOWING TWO PRIMARY CONSUMER PROFILES. THESE PROFILES ARE BASED ON STATISTICS OF PREVIOUS DISNEY WORLD GUESTS FROM YOUGOV AND STREETLIGHT DATA. The Family Profile consists of a household with chi ldren under 18 and chosen due to Streetlight data stati ng thi s group made up 36.7% of guests in 2018. The adults are li kely marri ed and both employed i n ABC1 socio-grade professions, They have moderate di sposable i ncome, with a household income of £35-50k, (the average i ncome for gues ts i n 2018). They are part of Comfortable Communi ti es, li vi ng i n s ucces s ful suburbs or steady neighbourhoods, li kely also homeowners wi th two cars. Their family interests are based around lei sure and thei r chi ldren, with their children attending weekly sports clubs, enj oyi ng weekend breaks in the school holidays and go on 1 i nternati onal holi day per year. The Couples Profile consists of a professional couple aged 21-35 wi th no children. They would be profi led as career cli mbers, li vi ng upmarket as first-time buyers in a modern home. They are career-dri ven, wi th high disposable time and income due to thei r lack of chi ldren, resulting in high levels of media consumpti on. Accordi ng to YouGov data, they would be associated wi th brands such as Tresemme and Apple, suggesting their consumer habi ts are materi ali sti c and they are also sighted going on multiple holi days per year.
legal and ethical considerations LEGAL:
Must follow all federal, state and local guidelines when implementing COVID safety protocols both at the resort or when adverti si ng/encouragi ng i nternati onal travel. Must comply with advertising standards by the ASA, particularly the CAP code containing specific requirements for marketi ng communi cati ons towards chi ldren. Must adhere to GDPR regulations when collecting personal informati on from stakeholders, particularly consumer data from the Postcards campai gn and Gues t Satisfaction Survey.
ETHICAL: Must be accountable, admitting any mistakes or areas of i mprovement promptly and honestly, to minimise harm to the reputati on and to avoi d mi sleadi ng the publi cs . Must 'acquire and responsibly use specialist knowledge' (PRSA) regarding the COVID pandemic, in order to effecti vely i nform publi cs. Must be open and transparent , 'providing an ethically accurate pi cture' of Di sney's values and actions, as per the Arthur Page Pri nci ples.
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TACTICS and Channels TO ENTICE Billboards (Paid): Targeting a mass audience, billboards wi ll be implemented across the UK in hi gh foot fall areas, wi th the ai m of bringing Disney to the minds of on-lookers through stri ki ng graphi cs . Social Content (Owned): Develop and release new social content across platforms, but with a clear focus on Facebook. Tone of content wi ll be fun and utilise key attractions and characters to exci te. TV Advert (Paid): Roll out a TV advert during prime ti me and fami ly TV. Tone will be emotive and uplifti ng to i ntri gue consumers, and di rect to the DisneyWorld.co.uk webpage.
TO ASSURE Docuseries (Owned): Launching on Disney+, 'Life after COVID-19' wi ll follow the day to day operations of the Parks and Cast Member s , gi vi ng the audience an exclusive insight i nto li fe at Di sney World after COVID-19. Tone will be positive and reassuri ng. Influencer Partnerships influencers such as Molly communicate new safety audiences through video
(Earned/Shared): Collaborating with Disney McCormack (allears. net), i nfluencers wi ll protocols and thei r honest experi ences to thei r and web ready content.
Infographics (Owned): Clear infographics displaying all safety protocols and park adjustments to be communi cated vi a websi te, wi th the ai m of allowing guests to make informed deci si ons about thei r vi si t.
TO RE-ENGAGE Internal Training (Owned): Implement a new training program for cast members, specifying key cleani ng protocols and teachi ng addi ti onal customer service techniques to keep the magi c ali ve. 'Today @ Disney' Events (Owned/Shared): Online live events, hosted weekly from Walt Disney World Resort, enabli ng fans from acros s the globe to engage with the resort i n workshops and Q&A's. 'Postcards from Disney (Owned/Earned): Campaign allowing fans to write letters to their favourite Di sney Characters and recei ve a pos t-card in return. Campaign will be distri buted vi a press release and shared by British media with the aim of engagi ng and exci ti ng fami li es. Guest Satisfaction Survey: Distribute a Guest Satisfaction survey following resort visits to gather and analyse guest feedback. Thi s feedback will enable Disney to review protocols and i mplement changes .
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Timeline/ Activity Schedule TASK PHASE 01 TO ENTICE
PHASE 02 TO ASSURE
PURPOSE Designed to develop mass communications that will increase consumer awareness of Walt Disney World, in turn boosting web searches, social media engagement and bookings.
START JAN 2021
To inform stakeholders of the enhanced safety protocols at Walt Disney World, by increasing transparency with stakeholders, APR 2021 through a behind the scenes docu-series and inviting influencers to share their honest experiences of the resort.
Developed to enable British consumers to engage with Walt Disney Resort from home, building positive interactions and TO RE-ENGAGE engagements that encourage brand loyalty and resort bookings.
PHASE 03
JUN 2021
END JUN 2021
SEPT 2021
DEC 2021
RACI CHART:
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Budget/Resources Breakdown The following outlines a budget for each phase of the strategy in GBP. It assumes all staffing costs, access to the resort, resources such as web software and media equipment are preexisting, and does notinclude the cost of owned media.
PHASE 01: TO ENTICE ESTIMATED BUDGET BILLBOARD ACQUISITION 50 DIGITAL BILLBOARDS X4 WEEK PERIOD TV ADVERT PRODUCTION PRIME TIME ITV SLOT X3 WEEKS
£395,000
PHASE 02: TO ASSURE ESTIMATED BUDGET
£60,000
DOCUSERIES PRODUCTION X 6 EPISODES
£35,000
INFLUENCER PARTNERSHIP 2X ASSETS PER INFLUENCER (8 TOTAL)
£300,000
£224,000
£200,000
£24,000
evaluation
PHASE 03: TO RE-ENGAGE ESTIMATED BUDGET
£359,200
INTERNAL TRAININGCASCADE METHOD TRAINING INTITAL 10% OF WORKFORCE TODAY @ DISNEY PRODUCTION X 6 WEEKS
£70,000
£12,000
POSTCARDS FROM £277,200 DISNEY 300,000 X 90P POSTAGE X£7200 PRINT
£ 978,200
WE WILL MONITOR THE FOLLOWING METRICS TO ASSESS THE SUCCESS OF OUR OBJECTIVES:
OBJECTIVE 1: BRAND ENGAGEMENT
QA - QUANTITATIVE QL - QUALITATIVE
Social Media Insights (QA) measure against similar previous content from 2019, analysing the most popular content and the largest demographi cs us i ng bui lt-i n tools . Web Traffic (QA) analysing growth from January-July, and duri ng key asset deli very (e.g. TV advert premiere) to determine whi ch tacti cs were the most effecti ve. Influencer Partnership Engagements (QA), identifying engagement levels, audi ence demographics, and monitoring the number of referrals to the webpage (vi a li nk cli cks ). Engagement with Postcards campaign (QA/QL), looking at the level of engagement, demographics (such as location), and response vi a shared medi a.
OBJECTIVE 2: RESORT BOOKINGS
Bookings (QA) identifying levels of resort booki ngs compared wi th previ ous years , analysing the demographics of vi si tors to conti nue developi ng audi ence i ns i ght. Asset Delivery Comparison (QA) analysing bookings against asset deli very, to i denti fy which tactic resulted in the highest amount of booki ngs. Docu-series Response (QA/QL), collecting viewing data, social medi a/cri ti c response, and looking at web traffic/booki ng levels duri ng epi sode premi eres , to unders tand the level of interest in the resort and the park.
OBJECTIVE 3: GUEST SATISFACTION
Guest Satisfaction Rating (QA/QL), analysing survey results every quarter, looki ng at both ratings for quantitative data and open feedback questi ons to gather further i ns i ght. Cast Member Focus Groups (QL) begin a dialogue with cast members, determi ni ng the value of the training program and i denti fyi ng resort i mprovements .
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