Stock Market Paper - Essay Example

History of the Company After the success of Walt Disney Land in California, Walt Disney had the idea of creating an even bigger resort which would include all different kinds of fantasy worlds in which people could lose themselves. When it opened, just outside of Orlando, Florida it covered approximately 107 acres; the theme park portion of the resort was referred to as The Magic Kingdom. It featured Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Tomorrowland, Main Street USA, and about 5,500 cast members (#2).

Resort planners intentionally scheduled the opening in October, as opposed to the summer months because they wanted the opening numbers to be small, having learned their lesson from the issues that arose with the opening of Walt Disney Land. Walt Disney World was to be so much larger than Walt Disney Land, and the planners wanted to ensure that Walt’s dream was realized without a hitch; if issues arose due to the increased size and cast, they would be easier to deal with and identify with a smaller amount of guests.

They had 10,000 guests on opening day. In addition to The Magic Kingdom, there were two hotels that were included in the resort itself, the Contemporary and the Polynesian Village (#2). Product Lines Walt Disney World has several different product lines that are all incorporated around the resort and theme park itself, having expanded to include three additional theme parks, and two water parks, as well as numerous hotels; the theme parks now include The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

The water parks now present are Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Blizzard Beach. This does not include the other branches of entertainment that Disney has added, like the Disney Cruise Lines (#3). Walt Disney World’s customer base includes “children of all ages;” they work to be geared towards all ages of clientele (though if you look too much like a Disney character, you may be kicked out of the park (#4).) Marketing Strategy There are many different marketing strategies employed by Walt Disney World, from the computer generated image of the park that is now present at the beginning of each and every Walt Disney film, to the commercials advertising Walt Disney World, all the way down to references to the theme park that are included in movies of all genres, but the marketing strategies of the park do not stop there.

With a steep price tag to get into the park itself (over $80 (#5) per person, per day), there are many people who feel like though they may want a souvenier to commemorate their trip, but that the additional price tag is too expensive. Disney’s got the customer covered there too. They introduced three inch tall Vinylmation figurines for $10 each, everything from the characters themselves, to the attractions that are present in the park. The catch behind these souvenirs is that they come in unmarked boxes – consumers never know which one they will get (sort of like a souvenir grab bag); the nice thing about this marketing ploy is that if the consumer does not like the one they get, there are three opened figurines placed by the register, and the buyer may choose to swap out the one they got for one of the three present at the register itself (#5); this ensures that additional items are purchased, as people love the mystery, and offers them a semi-guarantee that they will