rd Dist Disney's Words evden begin eo defect. Jn 1997, ir war cepa shat 16 peccene of he hilden in ete school withdrew, many euroling in pave stools in Odtndo, Leaving Celebration ao became an eye-opener for dsenchanted resi dom: Accowding co the buyer’ contac, a home owne isnot alowed to take 2 profs fhe or she har no lived in the hose for more tan 3 ye, ‘nls hurcip is prove. Ax one pont, he company offered eo dzegad the provision if depaninghosae owners would not seve wy they wee lenvng the comma. The defects an dmersion may hive accent sed the dierence buoween consumen tnd citiens, a wall a8 Disneys ating to manage rey. Un other words, Dey may be able to erste Senay, burs Be more complex wo cre commaniy. le aot case ‘whether she company has undentood any ofthese problem, a8 de ‘ommuity continues with he tame ules and relations "Te fame? Disney execusvessay dey have abandoned pas to alope the Caabrason model chewhere ia the USA. But even though thee may be no Gwe (Celbraons, the will be mote Disney-shemed envionment. Disney bas ‘made a major impact in Manhatan, with the transformation of + 160= ‘lock area af Times Sgune ito Disiey-themed location, Furhemore, Disney Ques and ESPNZones re popping wp around the county. joing the tend towards ore and move lets med entertainment nthe nex chapter, we move fiom Disney were tothe people who snake the Daney penomenon ponble ~ the fits, comsames, and sad hoe who inhabit she Disney uncer Disney and the World ‘ad aos bsome child ap, ore Becomes eis Bat oes te met of the ld nor give i leur, and dows be Ina ge ensser so epocace the cis wey om © hiher et Mice ‘Tray a age Som tn ta he ede lon al es {ual pe of send sy se insted by hi ihe re igh somender withthe ae fore hi hue with he sae een alow temacre to be coed away by Duney' hi Srp Buen? Ichss been claimed that "Disney isa primary force inthe expresion and enmation ef Amescin mas cossiousaen” and that Disney sharcte hve = univenl appeal" While thse and other asurnptions may be ‘roudy scceped, ts cerin tht tere ae fr more complex respomes Diane's produc and aienage A clover look rater ome oag quotons. ‘What isthe audience for Disney produce? Wh do people seaally think shou ce Disney univer? What do dhere produce meant eomumes? And why are Dimney products and chars sll popular sie all chese yen? "Thi chap will consider some of thew questions, Est, by attempting to detne the Disney aotience and then by dusing the ways which Disney saiences fave Been see: The fal section wil present tage196 Dioney andthe Bont of Disney audience archenpes, a well ss dicusing vations ype of restance tothe Dey univ Defining Disney audiences Juseas ici ificul to panera abou he eeach ofthe Disney empite 50 |e fica to asses the “audios for aa Us the “effec” of, Disney ‘messages producn. In consdeing the notion of 2 "Disney audience," we rust ak wist we mean by “Disney.” at wll a what we mean by nudienes" ‘The Dimmey brand As noted in che Gnt few chaps, the Disney Uunivene coves an extemely wide enge of ted enceeunment cove, ftom ealiconaltlevisica ad im viewing, to theme pak is and Spore ‘vent attendance, Whe audtnce rescron to specific xamples of Dine products (epecialy Chie Disney fle and theme pars) have bern sadied, ie is abo ncestay co look at Dna 4 bind ad what meanings people soci with ie Indeed, "Disney" represen an example ofthe kind of brands that 22 being fore around media and eneetsioraeat product ~ tat ule \mersionl products that cut acos mieda and other ft of encerai tment. Recall the quote fom The Ecol td in hap # "The bred Js lump of coment... which ean be exploited trough fll, beadcst and able television publabing, theme pats, use, the Inemet and ‘merchansng" Keak, Nike, and Covs-Cals ay have exp or even, covert) meanings atached co cher prodscts and/or tess beat which se promoted through dee adveniang and puble rion efor, Howeves, it might be agued hac brands bed an media produc, suchas Disney, Present ir mare ofert and ofr more compen valzes and rms ef sigufcason than these non-mecia-related brn, Teal generally agreed that Diney the mot rsmesintelycocognited ‘of any ofthe media brands, So, while audience reitons specie Dancy Drodvce or character are seraly worth eamining. i soo imponta to understand whar audiences think about Disney, the band Audiences oF consumers? The concept of “aufince” ha been chal lenged recently by Vincent Moico and Lewis Keye, who poiae out tit ‘he notion is uredy zed to muskedng research and shold be wed ‘more eaeily by ental researchers? The rlevance of thet aegomene Disney on the Hoe Pa ‘nocvidhtanding, how do we go about dating the people who experience and consume Disuey products and vers? Wile he terms “sien” ‘yl be used inthis discussion, is probaly more appropri ro refer to “consumes.” [eis almestalvays the ee that individ experience Dey via the consumption process, whether they are being bought and sald ‘dienes for advertising. or patchasing Disney producs/sersces “Children of all ages” So who i incladed inthe Dime auines"? ‘While exposure co Disney products & typically strong during cidhood, some ofthe sate product ar stil enjoyed by adel, whe other produce be rpecfely designed fr edule, Despite the clocked emphuis on lula, Disney's produc cut acios age group a sored ws and thie may have maple meanings Te generally secogpins tht the theme pts, in pacoay, were designed ot only for chien but, 20 2 gre femtent, for ada, & dscased ia chapter 6 In ice, he aio oF ale to stildren ho vis hepsi esate at :1.+ [Ac decoted in chapter 5, when we rer to “Disney,” che atocation ordinary with thor lel ielee Disney produces smo ac the “Gal smarke and, mere special, shore prod representing Clic Dey. [Nevertele, the pote hat trpenig ames mes aes to ae te dent age rou, not ja hlden. aden, we nen 0 remeber {hat the company’s dvenied producs reach, and thu potently inf= nee, a much wider audience or numer of coonumen than the “Ely sadience Ta other words, Disneys divenifed acdvites ae simed atx earity of consumers. noe jas ports nd chien Thi expecially he cae fr the heme pds aid moss, where 2 age of aeacsont se Fires, For Insance the company ha been especialy active in hosting sporting eves, ‘uch 25 muaibom, sao races, and an ormen: of spon toomment (Got, Foote, voleybal, x well a in-line sting and sate-bosrding). The indasrypublcaon, Bedueh, explains: "Disney fis sated ovaing evens to fo appeal to everyone ram emply ness and enor cone to honeymooners and pos caliege ingles” ‘Another exile i Dineys Winnie the Pooh fanchive, wich the company acquued ia the 19603" Disney's produes taring Winnie the Pook chantry ate pitched to a wide range of consumer. A Disney spokesman exp: iaey cow ba te diner Pk ney ach rsd a irene mast, Bh ine aimed a2 deine demographic sme, bt even tin»186 Dioney and the Word ‘ois ined’ genet, adi nd eves pup endo make 2 couneton pee cen eee, bx Samp baa Soe ‘i es, poly bese he side et om Be ce Bee ‘Hen oe sacar taal sen Wi over 109 conpanes producing Pooh rods, pla he romoson 2 Pooh acto the company's other Boi seis the Pook chines ae rend sme to outel eves Mickey, Mines fee Are indy ade joumal epost: “Daney ba ones magneene jb real ‘eth Pooh, teeming and mankesng predic tht spp tt oe at iene suienr snd omogepticn™ 4a nay, se, co undetnd “Disney 2uheces” i ec to Comes the hight promote image of Disney m9 br, the wien arab and unig exper co Dey produc tres pea of People ve, epee, bur nor oxy tng chlchoed, sy wel te tudlence ditions, nclaing cs gender fc, an mony. lige he comierton, ay noc be sping hat ee a ee the ay of andene reset the enon the Dany phones ee sty. The nee sections wil dict amps ef te afta shen fo suing auene in gata ae the few atone te he been made to suly Dine sdencer pred Studying Disney audionces Dime’ marker resi ‘The Disney company i has ben vey nero inde conse of [peoducs and has employed vasious ways vo sudy them over the yeas ‘Sever obrrsers have noted hat Walk Disney was semve to the reseions of audiences and ws “wiliog 1 change lm bned. on sediewe ‘spons,” whetea other sudios were Jes wing to make sah changer" ‘Ohmee hs documented the hisory of Diane's audience tetssel, fom the infoml sadio previews n the 1990s though the we of George Gallup's Anienee Research insite (ARI begianing ia the vsy 194 lo reviewing the ARI ies a the Disney suo archives, Onmee found that AR esearch wat we in every snuo projees Bom 1946 to 1950 ‘The purpose ofthe research (a ted in the company's aa epors) '© hoid down production cons, to allocate eoucesefcentyy sad ro ‘pasimize income. The esearch inched woo srecnings and gucon isan he Wot 18 sce: given 29 the companys own employees, who were thought to reuror the average Americ lm viewer: ‘The uestonnie led t the evelopment of a “enjoyment rating” that was wed in vatous Ways luting the prdocson proce Obie concodes dt the offre by Disney and ARI “not only expore the work behind his wemingy itincsve Undestanding of audiences, but ean abo make us more eonicaus oF ‘omens eff to manage viewer response” “To be sur, she current Dancy company ao wes rrmoresophcsed| rarkesingteisigueh, sie to odher Sm and medi compan.” Like fonker media companies, Daney deciion-sker rely on dat fromm See fon resrch i addin to commercial meanurement companier, which provide beosdeaing and cable rating, puschasng survey te" Before the compuny rlases = produc sntradce new media or enrninment fouls, or aids to 54 eating Busanecs, muretng sarc same: £0 Predict consumes veapomees. ‘While Disney rpesentatives have been notoriously tighlipped about such masketng reveeh, few cher ca sometimes be lene oe prem coverage of the company’s basen stategie For instance, Diney Ned Sri Reseach, Ine. co cond acne research in tex makes and found dat 69 percent of children between age ive and nine have rade in thee room and often decide which suon thera in the Say car @ tuned to. Infocus groupe, hldren reported tha bey waned “a san tat ws tonily their in” Ener Rasko Diney in October 197. Beste oeher miingy ricer donot maure chidee's rako progam, Satan] Reese, Ine. now gather radio sadience shares for Dimes 35 ‘ui eons, which reich an serge of | lo Ki each wes” Daney’s imagineeng goup i ako epecaly active is reach and “evelopment of new projech acon the company basinenes, bu spec 2 dhe theme pris nd eon Their seuves have ben chronicled in rmumeross ways, by the Dimey company self at wall 3 by Disney adres Besides continuous effors eo predict market behavior, Disney ako parscpateria other kinds of science reach. For istnc, the company Conmmioned 2 wady celeued ip 1098 claiming tht the we of CRE ‘eely made daldren more, ather dh low, socable Bred on » poll of 300. pura i Briain, an Oxford cried poyehologit reported. thie ‘laid played games and drow pictures of tenes and chanctos oer ‘watching a fl” OF coun, she Endings were widely publized ia the res to sire parents tha media consumion & safe fo hes cide. is no mystery 10 why the Duney cogent stacersadiences18 Dioney andthe Wed these ways But what about other kinds of audience recarch? The next section considers the mudy of audiences ousede of mesia cospondons ‘specially in academic research Academic dons esearch “The sody of medi audiences har been dhe focus ofan enormous srount of academic research over the yeas, In 2 secen collection dicated to