Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Live-Action Remake): One-Year Communication Plan

Background The Walt Disney Company is an international family entertainment and media enterprise

comprised of media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media. Currently the company is run by Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Robert Iger.

The company officially began as The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in 1923 when Walt Disney contracted with New York distributor, M. J. Winkler, to distribute his series of “Alice Comedies” based on a cartoon he created called “Alice’s Wonderland”. It was not until 1937 that Disney produced the first of the classic Disney princess films with the animated story of “Snow White and Seven Dwarfs”. In 1950, the company produced its first completely live-action film - “Treasure Island”.

The first theme park, Disneyland, was opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California. Walt Disney, a father of two daughters, wanted a place where parents and children could go and both have fun. Prior to his death Disney purchased land in Florida, which is now Walt Disney World. Today the company offers parks in Shanghai, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, as well as additional range of resorts and cruises.

The Walt Disney Studios are the foundation of the The Walt Disney Company. Today those studios include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Music Group, Disney Theatrical Group, Disneytoon Studios, Marvel, Touchstone Pictures, Disney Nature and LucasFilm. Additionally, Disney has developed and acquired a number of media networks over the years, which are divided as Disney/ABC Television Group and ESPN Inc.

On April 2, 1940 Walt Disney Productions issued its first share of stock, the official name of the company up until 1986 when it was changed to The Walt Disney Company. Now the company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange as DIS.

The major players involved in the Walt Disney Company would likely include the customers, shareholders and employees.

Mission Statement The Walt Disney Company’s mission statement is as follows:

"The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to be one of the world's leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world."

In addition to the mission of the company, it should be noted that since the company is public a primary goal of the business is to make the profits for its shareholders.

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Disclaimer: this document and the content on it has nothing to do with the brand. The content is the opinion of the author and was created as part of a class assignment.

Statement Opportunity Disney is releasing a live-action remake of a Disney classic -- “Beauty and the Beast.”

The original Disney film was released in 1991 as an animation. The live-action version of “Beauty and the Beast” is joining a multitude of other live-action movies that have come out in recent years. The opportunity is the release of the film on March 17, 2017. The aim of the campaign is to garner momentum and attention for “Beauty and the Beast.”

Competitors for the film include other films released during March or in the box office. Non-traditional media may also be competition, for instance Hulu or Netflix, with fairytale based shows and movies. Research Goals

Prior to the launch of the campaign research would largely need to be conducted on understanding past campaigns and target audiences in order to shape the upcoming campaign and identify what will help the film be most successful.

In an effort to understand Disney’s past campaigns we would want to focus on pinpointing Disney’s top grossing films of all time to understand where the bar could be set in terms of success and profitability. In tandem it would be important to understand the reasoning behind these films success. Once we have an understanding of the peak of success we would want to hone in on understanding the past live-action remakes. It would be essential to understand the public relations strategies for those films including but not limited to any brand partnerships, social media accounts or media events. Additionally, it would be helpful to understand the details surrounding the success of the film in terms of box office numbers, length in theaters, total profit grossed, popularity/ratings, etc. These figures will help shape the goals for the campaign and understanding what strategies may have helped with profitability.

To understand who would be the best target audiences for the film we would want to have a conducted through audience research. For this goal we would want to identify our target audiences domestically and internationally and be able to understand each of them. It would be important to understand what messages will resonate with these groups. Additionally, we will want to identify the best ways to reach these various audience groups. An overarching goal to understand our audiences would be through the creation of personas.

While more research may be conducted on a project or event-based need, to better understand the landscape of each tactic the overarching goals will help to ensure the opportunity of the film release is capitalized on to the fullest extent. Research Methodology

Primary and secondary research was conducted to fulfill the research goals. The primary research was conducted in the form of a small focus group focused on millennial men, an area in which we need insight. For our secondary research we synthesized and analyzed existing research, as well as news stories, magazine articles, press releases and blogs to form a summary of information answering our research questions.

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For the focus group, we singled out millennial men to better understand how they feel about the live-action remake and the original animated film. Our focus group included men both in relationships and not in relationships to help us decipher if Beauty and the Beast could be target to more than families. We asked them various questions concerning their experience with the animated film such as who their favorite characters are and why, what they expect out of the live-action film and what would drive them to view the new release.

We found that the majority of the men had seen the animated Beauty and the Beast and enjoyed it due to several elements including the humorous friendship between Lumiere and Cogsworth, Belle’s clear character development, the catchy music and the dynamic personalities and interactions of secondary characters. When asked about the chances of watching the new live-action remake, the men unanimously said they would like to see the movie, however, they would not go by themselves and would not like to attend the opening weekend. Those in relationships and/or with children said they would go as a family outing or date night, while the single men said they would most likely wait until the DVD or digital release was available. Unexpected information we gathered from the focus group related to the audience available in the Asian markets and some of the threats to the success of opening weekend such as the “Power Rangers” release the following week and “March Madness” being during the same time. Overall, the information gathered from the focus group allowed us to come up with strategies and tactics that address the concerns and opinions of the men within our target audience.

Secondary audience research found that the overall target audience for Disney has been families. Walt Disney said, "You’re dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway." The Walt Disney Company has thus focused on families as its main target audience for the duration of the company’s overall marketing strategy, as opposed to just children or gender-specific targeting. These tenants of inclusion run throughout everything the company does. Even when Disney created his theme parks, he purposefully designed a place that the whole family would enjoy, not just children, because he was tired of taking his kids places and not being able to participate in the fun.

Additionally, we found Generation Z stands apart slightly from Millennials, especially in their interaction with technology. While Millennials are heavily involved in the digital landscape there are differences. Generation Z is the first to grow up in the “era of smartphones” and do not remember a time without social media. Many of them develop relationships online through Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook. Another striking difference is which channels they are engaging on the most. Many gen Z’ers have shied away from Facebook but are heavily ensconced on Snapchat, a staple of their digital savvy generation.

While there are differences in the way that Gen Z and Millennials use media compared to Baby Boomers and Gen X, there are still some similarities. In an article from Nielsen they note that, “While time spent on traditional television has decreased across most generations over the past several years, device fragmentation has led to more content options, and consumers are taking full advantage of them—regardless of age. For example, tablet penetration among all generations analyzed has increased 9% from 2014 to 2015. At 70%, Generation X leads the way in terms of national tablet penetration.” So while Baby Boomers and

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Gen X may not be the target audience for a campaign on Snapchat they are still extremely important to consider in a digital and multimedia campaign.

Secondary research also found a repeating sequence of trends that is present in all of

Disney’s highest grossing films. When adjusted for inflation[i], Disney’s highest-grossing animated film is Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937). It is shortly followed by 101 Dalmatians (1961), The Lion King (1994), The Jungle Book (1967), Sleeping Beauty (1959), Finding Nemo (2003), Cinderella (1950), Aladdin (1992) and Toy Story (2010). (Note: Frozen is often touted to be Disney’s most successful animated film but this list is adjusting for inflation. However, we will discuss Frozen’s marketing and strategy as it is a recent cultural mainstay and beneficial for understanding what makes Disney films so successful.)

When taking into account the immense success of these top Disney films, there are four principal similarities found in each: (1) likable and relatable characters; (2) catchy songs; (3) multi-level merchandising and (4) targeting core interest groups.

Much of Disney’s success (at the box office and out-of) came from not just the films themselves but the targeted and strategic promotion such as the theme park displays, global merchandising, music licensing rights, etc. Also, we found that most of these films were targeted equally among both genders.

For example, collaboration was (and is) a key recurring theme for promoting Disney films. Prior to The Lion King’s release, Disney partnered with Burger King to create engaging in-store displays and distribute promo giveaways such as the Burger King “Kids Meals” toys[ii]. This partnership was mutually beneficial: Burger King’s sales of the “Kid’s Meals” tripled since it began including the toys in the meals. Another example of a promotional and licensing tie-in was the collaboration with Mattel where the toy manufactured created over 200 stuffed animals and toys, sold exclusively at Toys “R” Us. Kodak gave away free movie tickets to its customers who purchased six rolls of film. For its first collaboration with Disney, Payless sold shoes and accessories with The Lion King marketing. A key takeaway from The Lion King example is that since the film was marketed to both genders; it had broader appeal to a larger range of audiences (boys and adults).

Another example of equal gender targeting was with Aladdin. Disney purposefully drew and designed Aladdin’s character to appeal to all audiences. Lead animator, Glen Keane designed Aladdin to ensure Jasmine would fall in love with his personality, not just his face. As Keane notes, Aladdin was not just to be handsome, but also “cunning, bold, funny and lovable.”[i]

As part of its marketing strategy for the 1993 release, Disney ran Aladdin trailers in theaters and on the VHS of its popular existing films like 101 Dalmatians and Beauty & the Beast. For tie-in’s, its partnering manufacturers began selling a plethora of Aladdin-themed products such as stuffed animals, board games, bed sheet sets, etc[ii]. You name it; Disney sold it – with Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie’s face all over it. For its specific audience targeting, Disney purchased TV placements on popular comedy shows featuring Robin Williams (to appeal to the comedy angle). For adults, it produced realistic-looking ads (like a hand on a lamp) and for children, it produced more animated, cartoonish ads featuring the entire cast. For

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the action-adventure crowd, it ran ads that featured some of Aladdin’s exciting action scenes, drawing parallels with the recently released Raiders of the Lost Ark. Disney also ran an ethnic marketing campaign; it ran ads on Spanish-language channels such as Telemundo and featured black and Hispanic actors. Additionally, as part of its theme park marketing, Disney featured a daily parade set to the tune of the “Prince Ali” theme song at its Disneyland theme park. The parade was a recreation of Prince Aladdin’s Royal Caravan.

A final example is Frozen – because it represented one of Disney’s most lucrative and wildly successful enterprises – over performing above Disney’s own expectations. Interestingly, a fair chunk of Frozen marketing and merchandising took place after the film had released, but Disney astutely capitalized on the hype surrounding the film. On the merchandising point, sky-high interest was drummed up by retailers such as Toys “R” Us and the Disney store placing a cap on how many toys consumers could purchase. The limited availability led to an increased appeal of Frozen merchandise, for children and their parents.

In addition to the merchandising strategy, Disney ran an incredibly effective Digital Marketing Strategy for the film’s hit song, “Let It Go”. Once again, the catchiness and “shareability” of the content played a large role in its success. Business Insider writer Lara O’Reilly notes that a large part of Frozen’s success was because audiences of all ages and demographics could access the song – and its accompanying covers and parodies – on YouTube. The parodies were funny and catchy, and promoted viewers to share the content on their social media platforms. As Marketing Director for TruHub, Joel Ressel notes, “rather than pumping funds into a marketing campaign to generate excitement for the movie’s initial release, Disney simply waited for viewers to create and sustain a marketing campaign.”[i]

And as usual, Disney targeting its core segments emphasizing equal gender targeting. Disney actually learned a lesson from its previous films, Tangled and Brave, which were marketing more heavily to young girls and women. Naturally, the box-office numbers weren’t as impressive since it had effectively splintered the audience. So for Frozen, the initial marketing was actually focused on Olaf the Snowman and other male characters instead of Elsa. There was an emphasis on the comical funny dialogue, all which broadened the film’s appeal as an all-audience comedy. Additionally, the trailers and previews featured action and adventure scenes and few references to Elsa. As Forbes contributor Scott David notes, “It wasn’t until the film was released to such widespread love and overwhelming word-of-mouth promotion that audiences learned it was a story dominated by the relationship of two sisters. The slow reveal plan worked; stats show that 43% of audience members are male.”

What we learned through our research, is that Disney's films serve as a central hub of a targeted marketing and PR strategy, with tie-in’s to the book (if there is one), the movie, the musical piece, the merchandising and the theme park. The company is highly strategic in monetizing its popular characters (both its classic characters and any/all acquired by purchase such as Pixar or Lucas Films.) According to Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce[ii], “[Disney has] exhibited an industry-leading integration of their business lines – so whenever they think of a character, they have an effective way of cross-pollinating across cable networks, studios and theme parks.”

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This knowledge will inform our own strategic marketing and PR plan for the upcoming live-action release of Beauty and the Beast.

To answer the questions surrounding the live-action films we assessed performance

figures and the campaigns surrounding five films, including four live-action remakes based on classic Disney feature films -- Alice and Wonderland (2010), Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015) and Jungle Book (2016), as well as one additional film -- Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) -- that is a sequel to one of the live-action films, thus was included in the data. The information that was collected follows: Alice and Wonderland (2010)

Alice and Wonderland was the first live-action release that Disney had and plausibly the most successful. It was released March 5, 2010 and closed on July 8, 2010, meaning the film was in theaters for 126 days or 18 weeks and was released to video on June 1, 2010. The film won an Oscar for the Best Achievement in Costume Design, as well as the Best Achievement in Art Direction, and scored an additional 31 wins and 60 nominations. On opening weekend the film grossed $116,101,023. Overall the production had a domestic Gross of $334,191,110 and a worldwide gross of $1,025,467,110. Though on IMDb the film is ranked 6.5/10.

A number of events in the campaign for Alice and Wonderland revolved around Comic-Con even including a visit by film director Tim Burton for a footage release. Prior to Comic-Con they launched a Facebook campaign that included campaign pages for the Red Queen, the White Queen and the Mad Hatter. People were encouraged to chose a side and the members of the page with the most fans (by July 23) got a first look at an exclusive trailer. A couple of months after Comic-Con they released the teaser trailer to the public.

One of the initial promotional releases for the Alice and Wonderland included teaser posters of the four main characters (Red Queen against hear-covered wallpaper; White Queen against a series of white hearts; the Hatter against a kaleidoscope of hats; Alice placed on a tea set with background of key holes). There also was a second round of teaser posters that was later added that included Tweedledee/Tweedledum, the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat. Tim Burton also had a retrospective of his artwork shown at MoMa to promote the film. They created an online website for the film where fans were able to view photos, watch videos, grab downloads, read biographies for each character, as well as play an Alice trivia game. During the Super Bowl they aired a spot for the film.

Additionally, a large part of the promotion was centered around fashion and beauty. A number of fashion designers and cosmetics companies created special products inspired by the film, for example OPI and MAC. Vanity Fair featured an issue with stylized character shots. They also sent out high-quality promotional books to bloggers. Maleficent (2014)

Maleficent is classified as a live-action remake though it is a spin off story inspired by the 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty. It opened on May 30, 2014 and closed on December 4, 2014, meaning it was in theaters for 189 days or 27 weeks. The film was nominated for one Oscar as well as 40 additional nominations leading to a total of nine wins. On IMDb Maleficent

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received a 7/10. It made $69,431,298 on opening weekend. Overall the domestic gross for the film was $241,410,378 and worldwide it was $758,539,758.

As a whole reports state that Disney spent roughly $300 million to make and market the movie. To grow the audience for the film and increase popularity pop star Lana Del Rey created the update for the classic Disney song “Once Upon a Dream.” Promotion for the film also included press junkets and interviews featuring Angelina Jolie.

A large part of the promotion efforts were targeted at mothers and daughters. Tobias Bauckhage notes in a Variety article that, “the digital campaign has concentrated heavily on reaching both older and younger women, with a large presence on two platforms particularly popular among females.” Disney posted on its Instagram about the film and also created a lifestyle blog on Tumblr “Evil Is The New Black” inspired by the film. On social media, specifically Facebook and Pinterest, they featured crafts parents could do with their children. Additionally, to target older audiences they released an iBook for tablets.

As with Alice and Wonderland a large part of the promotion for the film was focused on tie-ins to fashion and beauty. Makeup played a big role in the campaign. There was a New York Times blog about Angelina’s makeup. They also commissioned YouTube stars to give tips on the looks from the film. Additionally, MAC released a Maleficent themed line. Cinderella (2015)

In 2015 Disney reverted back to the following the traditional storyline in the live-action remake of Cinderella, which opened on opened on March 13, 2015 and closed on September 17, 2015 meaning it was in theaters for 189 days/27 weeks. The re-make was nominated for one oscar, as well as 28 other nominations, and had eight wins. IMDb users have given the film a ranking of 7/10. Over opening weekend the film made $67,877,361 contributing to the domestic gross of $201,151,353 and the worldwide gross of $543,514,353.

The movie was released in celebration of the 65th birthday of the original Cinderella movie which was released in 1950. Similarly to the previous two live-action remakes Cinderella’s promotion featured an emphasis on fashion and beauty more so than the first two. A majority of these were featured around brand partnerships. Some examples are as follows. MAC launched a limited edition Cinderella collection. Saks Fifth Avenue had a Disney Cinderella glass slipper collection including shoes from nine designers who created versions of the Cinderella shoe. Lauren Conrad created a Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s Disney Cinderella Collection and J.C. Penney also partnered with Disney for a collection, as well a Cinderella themed ad during the Academy Awards. The Home Shopping Network (HSN) had a special Cinderella themed clothing and jewelry collection and a gown design contest. On the global level a Japanese cosmetic brand KOSE released Cinderella inspired products. Additionally, Swarovski put out a press release from about their work in creating the Cinderella gown that is seen in the film. Jungle Book (2016)

This year Jungle Book opened on April 15, 2016 and closed on September 29, 2016 making the film in release for 168 days or 24 weeks. Currently the film is ranked at a 7.6/10 on IMDb. So far the film has won two awards and been nominated for a total of four. During the

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opening weekend of the film it made $103,261,464. The total domestic gross was $364,001,123 and worldwide it was $966,499,471.

Jungle Book stands apart slightly from the other films due to its more masculine nature. Due in large part to the past femininity of the films there was a hard push toward men and boys. They attempted to highlight that it was produced by the same people who did Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars. They had spots on ESPN and aired an action-oriented trailer during the Super Bowl.

The promotion for the film was really attempting to bring in different audiences, especially an older crowd. They used bloggers and news sites to convey that the animations in the film were created with sophisticated filmmaking techniques and thus the film was not just for children. Additionally, the trailer was geared toward high school students by adding some of the more frightening moments and not highlight signing or the comedy in the film. Brooks Barnes rights in the New York Times that “studio marketers have learned that Hispanic moviegoers tend to buy tickets in particularly large groups; if you hook one family member, you can get an exponential result. To achieve that goal, Disney teamed with Univision for a five-week stunt that brought “Jungle Book” characters and clips to telenovelas, talk shows and sports coverage. Disney even built a tool to allow Univision personalities to appear in scenes.”

In addition to the more target promotion, Director Jon Favreau spoke at Disney fan convention with members of the cast and showed sneak-peek footage of the film and handed out posters. At Disney theme parks they featured exclusive sneak-peaks. They also built photogenic Jungle Book sand sculptures at the Animal Kingdom and Epcot parks in Florida. In regard to the digital presence they created the “Law of the Jungle” website on Tumblr. Additionally they created a virtual-reality experience and 360-degree Facebook video to help emphasize the “Avatar”-like world of its jungle in the film. They also ran special trailers in IMAX theaters. Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Though Alice Through the Looking Glass is technically not a remake but a sequel to a remake it is often thought of as one so was included in the research. It opened on May 27, 2016 and closed on September 1, 2016, and thus was in release for only 98 or 14 weeks, the shortest of the live-action remakes. So far the film has a 6.3/10 rating on IMDb and has been nominated for two awards. Opening weekend the film made $26,858,726. Domestically the film grossed $77,041,381 and worldwide grossed $299,376,599. Overall, this film has been considered a flop by many. Situation Analysis Strengths: Disney is regarded for its strength as a family brand. With such a large company and long standing work in the film industry the company has proven experience with multi-faceted marketing campaigns. They have access to large capital resources, likely leading to a large budget, and plethora of resources and huge organizational capacity. During Q4 the company's revenues for the year increased 6% to a record 55.6 billion. Disney’s brand has a global reach and notoriety, thus positioning them to have a huge potential audience. Since the film is a remake there is already likely a strong following for the film and a range of people who would be

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eager to watch the remake. The “Jungle Book” had a strong performance in the box office. Disney has the highest per-film average revenue in the United States. Chinese theme parks are booming and it's highly likely that as China's middle class grows, Disney can eventually expand its parks deeper into the country's urban centers, as well as grow its revenue among its other divisions, including film. Weaknesses: Since “Beauty and the Beast” is a remake that claims it will follow the storyline of the original it may dissuade some views from seeing the film since they are not interested in rehashing old classics, but instead are looking for more creativity and innovation. Often times Disney princess movies are generally thought of as only for girls/women. There may be drawbacks to using an actress, Emma Watson, who is largely associated with another strong character Hermione from the Harry Potter series. As of August 2016, shares of Disney have fallen about 10% during the past 12 months - though this is largely due to their ownership of ESPN. Most recent live-action remake, Alice Through the Looking Glass was a bust and did not make the company a sizable income. Opportunities: Nostalgia is a big money maker and huge draw for millennial audiences. When the economy is doing well, which it is now, people are more inclined to spend more on non-essential items, like trips to the movies. Many production companies often do not focus their marketing on global audiences, leaving a large opening for increased exposure in foreign markets. Film entertainment is huge business in the United States with estimations of about 35.3 billion dollars in revenue by 2019. While the United States has a huge film market, it is actually third behind China and India in terms of tickets sold per year. Threats: March Madness is the same weekend as opening weekend. The weekend after the release of “Beauty and the Beast” the new Power Rangers movie enters theaters. Recently there has been some negative social commentary and backlash against negative tropes associated with film, as well as the roles women and minorities play in media. Some research indicates that about 53% of Americans would prefer watching a film at home versus in the theater. Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime are a threat to movie theaters everywhere. When people have access to films and movies at the touch of their fingertips they are less inclined to go out to watch a new movie. Additionally, there are competing movies and TV shows that are only being produced on those platforms that may dissuade a potential viewer. Strategic Implication: Though Disney is a strong brand and its movies are successful, this is largely due to consistent efforts to engage potential customers and present the benefits of seeing their latest films. To ensure the most success at the box office, Disney needs to make efforts to engage their foreign markets, especially Asia, where Disney products are extremely popular but the audience is untapped. It is important for the campaign to strongly address a variety of different audiences and demonstrate that this really is a film that has something for

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everyone to enjoy. Utilizing all elements of the PESO model, will best benefit the release of Beauty and the Beast. Communications Goal

Since the primary mission of Disney is “to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world” the primary goal to the release of Beauty and the Beast is largely to ensure that the films release is profitable. So the central communication goal of the release should be to influence potential customers to consider buying tickets to see “Beauty in the Beast” in theaters. Additionally, after the movie has been released to DVD the communication goal should be to influence potential customers to consider buying Blu-ray combo pack, Digital HD and DVD’s. Objectives To meet the communication goals previously stated, these are the objectives that have been set:

Financial ● To gross $20 million on the day the film premieres. ● To gross $50 million on opening weekend. ● By March 17 establish awareness of the films release among 35% of target

audiences domestically. ● By March 17 establish awareness of the films release among 35% of target

audiences within countries in the Asian markets i.e., China, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia. (Cities like Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Jakarta, Delhi, Beijing, Manila, Chongqing, Mumbai, Guangzhou, Seoul, Osaka, Taipei)

Media ● To secure positive media placements in at least five high-caliber publications (New

York Times, LA Times, USA Today, etc.) prior to the release of the film. ● To secure five media placements in Lifestyle magazines (Vanity Fair, Entertainment

Weekly, People, Variety, Marie Claire). DVD

● To raise awareness of the DVD release/home viewing among 30% of theatergoers by June 2017 .

● To raise awareness of the DVD release/home viewing among 15% of non-theater viewership within the target audiences.

Key Audiences For the purpose of the “Beauty and the Beast” live-action we have decided to break-up our target audiences into sub-groups including:

● Millennial Men and Women (ages 18 to 35) - Millennials are a central target audience for this film because they were children when “Beauty and the Beast” released, thus they will have a nostalgic connection to the film. According to Millennial Marketing, 53% of Millennial households have children already.

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● Generation Z - Just with the Millennial generation there is much dispute over when the generation begins and ends. Currently demographers are setting the generation from the early 90’s to the mid-2000’s, though some marketers disagree. But roughly this audience is children between the ages of 5 to 17/19. Alex Williams writes in the New York Times, “At approximately 60 million, native-born American members of Generation Z outnumber their endlessly dissected millennial older siblings by nearly one million, according to census data compiled by Susan Weber-Stoger, a demographer at Queens College.”

● Generation Z’s grandparents, most likely Generation X and Baby Boomers - This audience will also have a nostalgic connection to the film since they were most likely to attend the animated film with their Millennial children.

● D23 - the official Disney fan club has a strong, established relationship with Disney and their product offerings making them more likely to see the movie due to their pre-established relationship.

● The Disney Movie Club Members - specifically targeted for the home-release, this audience purchases at least 4 disney movies, through the club website, at full price per 24 months then receives special discounts on the next 4-5 movies they purchase as well as other benefits for new home-released movies.

Key Messages “Be Our Guest” is the key message that resonates throughout all Beauty and the Beast marketing since the release of the animated film. Following suit, this will continue to be the key message for the live-action remake. Additionally we will include secondary key messages such as:

● “Bring Your Belle To The Ball” ● “A Movie the Whole Family Can Enjoy” ● “Belle’s Favorite Books” ● “Celebrate the Beauty and the Beast 25th Anniversary”

Strategies and Tactics Strategy: Host interactive events within major metropolitan cities globally.

Tactic: Conduct “Belle’s Book Tour” with Emma Watson at public libraries in major cities in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia (English Speaking Countries). At the libraries Emma, dressed as Belle, will read passages from her favorite books.

Tactic: Virtual Reality (VR) tour of Prince Adam’s castle at Disney theme parks around the world and select movie theaters, such as the El Capitan theater in Hollywood.

Strategy: Create buzz building activities to generate interest among target audiences.

Tactic: Teaser trailer of video* Tactic: Create and disperse movie trailer*

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Tactic: Obtain an ad spot during the Super Bowl starring Lumiere and Cogsworth while highlighting the movie’s humorous elements.

Tactic: Send “surprise-and-delights” to 50 of Disney’s biggest fans/influencers featuring the DVD & Film merchandise prior to the DVD release

Strategy: Use traditional media tactics to spread awareness within specific target audiences.

Tactic: Press release for the 25th Anniversary Ball. Tactic: Send fashion-inspired email pitches to high-end fashion magazines to secure

fashion spreads inspired by the movie. Tactic: Email pitches to entertainment opinion leaders and bloggers Tactic: Beauty and the Beast special edition of the weekly D23 exclusive e-newsletter

FanFare Strategy: Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of original release of Beauty and the Beast

Tactic: Host a 25th Anniversary Ball at Disneyland in “Prince Adam’s” Castle and develop contest for target audience to be our guest.

Tactic: Utilize partnership with Make-A-Wish Foundation to grant up to 10 wishes to have 25th Anniversary Ball make-over experience

Strategy: Use digital media tactics to spread awareness among a wide variety of target

audience members. Tactic: Buy ad spots for the movie trailer before movies in theaters. Tactic: Pay to promote the trailer on Youtube. Tactic: Sponsor posts on FB, Instagram, Weibo and Twitter. Tactic: Sponsor #BeOurGuest hashtag on Twitter. Tactic: Create Beauty and the Beast Facebook page* Tactic: Snapchat Lense that turns you into the main characters (Beast, Belle, and a best

friends filter with Lumiere & Cogsworth). Tactic: Snapchat geofilter at theaters that turns surroundings into the castle. Tactic: Snapchat Discover story featuring behind the scenes views and commentary. Tactic: Facebook and Pinterest posts describing how to host a Belle tea party: tips for

activities, recipes & decorations Tactic: Video interviews from crew about the film (i.e. animators, director, costume

designers) posted exclusively to social media outlets Tactic: Purchase online ads (using remarketing) for the DVD release based on online

data for people who purchased tickets to the film online. Strategy: Secure partnership with brands to secure awareness and “buzz”.

Tactic: Create movie inspired cookbook, “Be Our Guest with Chef Bouche”, partnering with Bon-Appetit magazine

Tactic: Co-branding with MAC cosmetics to create a Beauty and the Beast special edition collection

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Tactic: Co-branding with OPI to create a Beauty and the Beast special edition line of nail polishes

Tactic: Special release of Beauty and the Beast Swarovski figurines Tactic: Release exclusive movie photos to Entertainment Weekly*

Strategy: Create awareness of Beauty and the Beast among entertainment opinion leaders and influencers.

Tactic: Recruit costume makeup YouTubers to recreate the Beast’s or Belle’s look with makeup.

Tactic: VIP pre-release showing of the film for Disney super fans and influencers with personalized #BeOurGuest invites w/special behind the scenes footage and director/actors/animator commentary

* These tactics were launched by Disney before or during the preparation of this SPM Evaluation To evaluate the efficiency of this SPM we will measure the number of people who went to see the movie and how much money is grossed. We will also analyze social media metrics to evaluate the size of the conversations surrounding #BeOurGuest. The full trailer for the live-action film received more views than any other trailer within 24-hours of its release, beating out previous record holders such as “Fifty Shades of Grey”. Timeline The timeline for the campaign is as follows:

● The campaign will run for a full year from November 2016 - November 2017. This gives enough time for pre-marketing leading up to the film’s release in the box office and post-release marketing (such as for DVD sales, etc.)

● Starting in March 2015, Disney announced the release of the film. ● In August 2015, the company presented the film internally. ● On May 23, 2016, Disney aired the first official teaser trailer of the film. ● Shortly after, on July 7, 2016, the first official teaser poster was released to all

audiences. ● Recently, on Nov. 2, 2016 a few official images released in phases, to generate

interest and excitement. ● For the month of December, the company will heavily target the proposed brand

partnerships and sponsorships (such as MAC Cosmetics, OPI Nail Polishes, etc.) ● In January 2017, Belle’s Book Tour will begin, kicking off in domestically and

continuing abroad. ● On February 5, 2017, we will air the Super Bowl ad.

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● In late February/early March 2017, we will air the promotion for the Make-A-Wish candidates for the 25th Anniversary Ball, which will be held on March 4 in Disneyland theme park in Los Angeles.

● On March 17, 2017 - the film releases in box-offices. Budget

In recent years the amount of money that film companies spend on marketing a film has dramatically increased. Pamela McClintock states in The Hollywood Reporter that “in 1980, the average cost of marketing a studio movie in the U.S. was $4.3 million ($12.4 million in today's dollars). By 2007, it had shot up to nearly $36 million. If the MPAA still tracked spending on P&A, that number would be north of $40 million today [as of 2014] for medium-size films like The Fault in Our Stars or Tammy.”

The budget outline below is based on the tactics we have suggested for the plan. The final figure does not take into account the cost of labor, employee salaries, agency fees or contingency fees. Likely the budget for a film of this size and from a notable production company would be a good bit higher.

Tactic Cost

Sponsored #BeOurGuest hashtag on Twitter $200,000 (per day) x 2= $400,000

Snapchat Sponsored Lenses ($450,000 per day Sunday through Thursday/$500,000 for Fridays and Saturdays) $450,000 + $500,000 (2 days) = $950,000

Snapchat geofilter at theaters $25,000 per day x 7 days = $175,000

Snapchat Discover story $50,000 (per day)

Online ad’s for the DVD sales Avg $0.25-$0.60 per ad = $20,000 for 80,000 ads

Sponsored posts on FB, Instagram, Weibo, Twitter.

Facebook: $.25 CPM ($1 minimum spend per day) = $5,000 Instagram: $350,000 Weibo: $.70 CPM (costs per thousand impressions) = $7,000 Twitter: $1 CPM = $5,000 Total = $367,000

Buy ad spots for trailer before theater movies, on Youtube and during the Super Bowl

Superbowl Ad = $5,000,000 YouTube $100.00 per day spend x 50 of days = $5,000 Total = $5,005,000

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YouTubers makeup recreation videos N/A

Belle’s Book Tour Facility Rental: $3,000 x 10 = $30,000 Travel: $1,000 x 10 = $10,000 Decorations: $350 x 10 = $3,500 Total = $43,500

Press release for the 25th Anniversary Ball N/A

High-end fashion magazines pitches N/A

Send “surprise-and-delights” to 50 of Disney’s biggest fans/influencers

$100 per gift x 50 = $5,000 Shipping = $750 Total: $5,750

Email pitches to opinion leaders/ bloggers N/A

Virtual Reality (VR) tour of the castle at different theme parks Disney

$600 x 11 Disney parks = $6,600 $500 for video development Total: $7,100

Host a 25th Anniversary Ball $100,000 for event

Create and disperse movie trailer N/A

“Be Our Guest with Chef Bouche” cookbook partnering with Bon-Appetit magazine

Partnership: $20,000 Design/Printing/Creation: $20,000 Total: $40,000

D23 exclusive e-newsletter FanFare N/A

VIP pre-release showing of the film with personalized #BeOurGuest invites

Invites: $2,000 Decorations: $3,000 Location: $7,000 Food/Drink: $13,000 Total = $25,000

Teaser trailer of video N/A

Co-branding with MAC $50,000

Co-branding with OPI $50,000

Special release of Beauty and the Beast Swarovski figurines

$35,000

Facebook/Pinterest - Hosting a Belle tea party N/A

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Make-A-Wish Foundation 10 wishes for 25th Anniversary Ball make-over experience

$1,000 x 10 = $10,000

Create Beauty and the Beast Facebook page N/A

Video interviews Production cost = $7,000

OVERALL TOTAL $7,340,350

Tactic Examples

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Works Cited About - Leadership, Management Team, Global, History, Awards, Corporate Responsibility - The Walt Disney Company. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/ Adams, C. (2015, March 15). 'Cinderella' 2015: Live Action Fairy Tale Has Ties With Beauty & Fashion. Retrieved from http://www.inquisitr.com/1920987/cinderella-2015-live-action-fairy-tale-has-ties-with-beauty-fashion/ Alice in Wonderland (2010) - Awards. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/awards?ref_=tt_awd Alice in Wonderland (2010) - Daily Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=aliceinwonderland10.htm Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2567026/ Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) - International Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=alice2.htm Barnes, B. (2016, April 17). Disney’s Savvy Marketing of ‘The Jungle Book’. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/business/media/disneys-savvy-marketing-jungle-book.html Barnes, B. (2014, June 01). ‘Maleficent’ Casts Spell, Burying ‘Ways to Die’. Retrieved November from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/02/movies/maleficent-casts-spell-burying-ways-to-die.html Bauckhage, T. (2014, May 30). Social Media Buzz: 'Maleficent' to Cast Spell Over Weekend Box Office. Retrieved from http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/social-media-buzz-maleficent-to-cast-spell-over-weekend-box-office-1201198816/

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Cinderella (2015) - Daily Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=cinderella2015.htm Cinderella (2015). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1661199/ Company, T. W. (1970). Chapter 8: Segmenting & Targeting Markets. Retrieved from http://thewaltdisneyco.blogspot.com/2011/11/chapter-8-segmenting-targeting-markets.html Disney History - D23. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://d23.com/disney-history/ Friedman, M. (2014, March 13). Angelina and MAC team up for Maleficent makeup. Retrieved November from http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/angelina-mac-team-evil-minded-makeup-article-1.1786156 Irvine, V. (2016). Topic: Film Industry. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/topics/964/film/ The Jungle Book (2016) - Daily Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=junglebook2015.htm The Jungle Book (2016). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3040964/ Maleficent (2014). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587310/ Maleficent (2014) - Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=maleficient.htm McClintock, P. (2014, July 31). $200 Million and Rising: Hollywood Struggles With Soaring Marketing Costs. Retrieved November 29, 2016, from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/200-million-rising-hollywood-struggles-721818 McDuling, J. (2015, March 12). Asia is Rapidly Becoming a Bigger Market for Hollywood than America. Retrieved from http://qz.com/361253/asias-box-office-for-movies-is-now-bigger-than-americas/ Sun, L. (2016, September 6). The 3 Biggest Opportunities for Walt Disney Co. Retrieved from

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http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/09/06/the-3-biggest-opportunities-for-walt-disney-co.aspx Swarovski. (2014, December 29). Swarovski Adds Its Magic To Disney's 'Cinderella' [Press release]. PR Newswire . Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/swarovski-adds-its-magic-to-disneys-cinderella-300013863.html The 25 Largest Consumer's Markets ... And The Outlook For 2015 - International Business Degree Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.internationalbusinessguide.org/25-largest-consumers-markets-outlook-2015/ Their Generation: From Location to Listening Habits a Media Divide Exists According to Age. (2016, May 24). Retrieved from http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2016/their-generation-from-location-to-listening-habits-a-media-divide-exists.html Thilk, C. (2010, March 3). Movie Marketing Madness: Alice in Wonderland [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://christhilk.com/2010/03/03/movie-marketing-madness-alice-in-wonderland/ Who Are Millennials | Millennial Marketing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.millennialmarketing.com/who-are-millennials/ Williams, A. (2015, September 18). Move Over, Millennials, Here Comes Generation Z. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/fashion/move-over-millennials-here-comes-generation-z.html Yoo, S. (2010, March 21). Marketing of the Movie ‘Cinderella(2015)’ [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://ewhabrandcommunication.wordpress.com/2015/03/21/marketing-of-the-movie-cinderella2015/

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