.jpg)
We all know that Disney will market to absolutely anyone it thinks it can get to buy its merchandise. We also know that Disney will pursue its advertising targets till the ends of the earth, producing any conceivable product (and some hitherto inconceivable) to ridiculous and often extreme ends. So really, Disney ought not to surprise anyone with whatever new marketing schemes it rolls out.
Despite all of that, I just can’t help it; Disney’s got my eyebrows raised with this one. What’s the Mouse House’s latest marketing target? Infants.
Pushing products towards the just-out-of-the-womb isn’t entirely new territory for Disney. I recently went to Wal-Mart to purchase presents for a baby shower and everywhere I turned I saw blankets, toys, and clothing bedecked in various Disney characters. Also sold are developmental videos and toys for tots under the beleaguered Baby Einstein brand, which despite its legal woes hasn’t shut down.
It’s one thing just to make products available for the infant set. It’s quite another, however, for a giant conglomerate such as Walt Disney Co. to suddenly intensify its efforts to reach such a limited market. According to news website All Headline News, that’s exactly what Disney’s been up to lately.
Market testers for the company have recently been swarming maternity wards across the country in an effort to condition loyal Disney fans from apparently the first moments they begin drawing breath. Sarcasm aside, Disney representatives really have been dropping by hospitals lately, giving away free Disney-branded bodysuits to infants and their new mothers.
A total of 580 maternity wards have recently received visits from mouse-eared baby clothing fairies, with the company planning on giving away 200,000 of its bodysuits. Walt Disney Co.’s sudden enthusiasm for infant fashion aims to promote its new partnership with Our365.
Our365 is a company that allows other businesses to market directly into hospitals through the foothold it already has in maternity wards. Disney’s not kidding around with Our365. In addition to offering typical infant fare like clothing, toys, and formula, the company also does in-hospital newborn portraits. When Disney joins up with other companies, it does so with those as dedicated to chasing a market as it is.
I realize I was being silly earlier when I claimed that Disney’s going for its youngest market yet. Really when a company produces products for such small children they’re advertising to the parents, not the babies themselves. Still, between maternity ward visits to give out free clothing and taking pictures of children mere hours or days after birth, Disney’s really not wasting any time in trying to indoctrinate the newest generation of Disney fans.
Related Articles:
Disney Watches Recall; Dapper Day at Disneyland
Watching Baby Einstein Does Not an Einstein Make
A Disney Lover’s Valentine Treat
*(This image by webzy is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
