9 MARKETING STRATEGIES WE CAN LEARN FROM DISNEY PRINCESSES

SNOW WHITEPut consumers ahead of

self-indulgence

Through Snow White, we see how

being fair wins out over the

selfishness and vanity of the wicked

Queen. So instead of blowing the

budget on a shiny new interface that

just looks pretty, spend some time on

User Experience, to make sure people

can do what they need to

1

AURORADon’t wait for results to happen for you; make them happen

Aurora sleeps through much of Sleeping Beauty, and waits for Prince Philip to break her curse. Really, we should strive to do the opposite of Aurora -we should take charge of our own destiny. What Sleeping Beauty should have done is try some A/B testing, and improved SEO and keyword rankings on her blog for lead generation 2

BELLEBe the first to embrace new technology

Belle is the only person who sees that the seemingly scary beast has something more to offer. It’s easy for us to be scared of the unknown and shy away from new opportunities. We should be ready to embrace the unknown, be the first to see the good that new developments have to offer, and look to see how we can make the most of them

3

JASMINEBe honest with consumers and be true to who you are

Through Jasmine and Aladdin’s troubled relationship, we can see the pitfalls of dishonesty. Aladdin tries to be someone he’s not and lies to Jasmine on more than one occasion. But each time Aladdin’s deceit ends up backfiring on him - he only defeats Jafar once he accepts who he is. As brands we should always be honest with consumers and be true to who we are. When we try to be something we’re not, consumers will see through the inconsistencies and the trust will be broken

4

POCAHONTASUse the ‘always-on’ culture to open up consumers to new experiences

“We are all connected to each other,” Pocahontas tells John Smith. Pocahontas was able to teach John Smith to see colours in the wind, and hear voices that changed his perspective on life. Through the ‘always-on’ culture we’re now in, everyone is connected, all the time. It’s down to us to open up consumers to new ideas and content, and allow them to experience more through technology

5

ARIELTake risks and do something different

Ariel wasn’t content with just sticking to the easy path of being a mermaid, she wanted more - to venture out and explore another world. She was ready to make sacrifices and fight to get her happily-ever-after. It’s worth taking a risk and trying something different; it most likely won’t be the easiest route to take, but the payoff can be even greater in the end

6

RAPUNZELTake time to develop your skills and strategy

By being trapped in the tower for so many years, Rapunzel learnt the art of patience. In that time she was able to focus and develop skills, and a strategy, that would help her in the long run (i.e. find a way to escape the tower). By spending some time building up a skill set, or creating a solid strategy, we’ll then be able to put them to use and achieve great things

7

TIANAThe first idea is rarely the best one

During the Princess and the Frog, Tiana found that you may have to kiss a frog or two if you want to find your prince. So while we’ll often find that the first ideas we have may not be the best, by re-designing, re-writing, and testing, we’ll be able to find the perfect idea that will produce the best results

8

CINDERELLATeamwork is best

Cinderella shows us that through working with others you can achieve the best work (she did, after all, show up to the ball wearing one epic outfit, and with a swanky ride). So rather than trying to take on too much ourselves, we should welcome the skills and knowledge of others if we want a project to succeed and steal the show

9

YOUR PRINCESS MOMENT AWAITS…

So whether it’s kissing frogs or falling in love with a beast, there’s a lot you can learn from watching Disney films… After all, deep down, who doesn’t dream of being a bit more like a Disney Princess?

Emma Caswell is a Content Planner at Digital Annexe@DigitalAnnexe | +44 (0)845 456 6042 | emma@digitalannexe.co.uk

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