Angela Javoroski
Marketing Project- Part 1
Walt Disney Company·

The Walt Disney Company is one of the world’s largest media and Entertainment Companies with assets that would include media networks, studio entertainment, parks and resorts, and consumer products.Disneys main competitors within the entertainment industry would include Viacom Inc, Time Warner Inc. Twenty-First Century Fox, CBS and Comcast. (Nielson, 2014) The company’s theme parks and resorts, as well as Disney Cruise Line and Disney Vacation Club, compete with other forms of entertainment, lodging, tourism, and recreational activities. (Nielson, 2014) The mission of the Walt Disney is to be one of the world's leading producers and providers of entertainment and information, using its portfolio of brands to differentiate its content, services and consumer products. The company's primary financial goals are to maximize earnings and cash flow, and to allocate capital profitability toward growth initiatives that will drive long-term shareholder value. (The Walt Disney Company, n.d.)
Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio and based in Burbank, California, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and travel. (The Walt Disney Company, n.d.) Walt Disney’s creation and the official introduction of the company mascot, Mickey Mouse, debuted in the short film Steamboat Willie (1928), one of the first cartoons with synchronized sound. After attaining stardom, the legendary mouse appeared on merchandise from stationery to toothbrushes, giving the Disney brothers an added source of revenue. In 1937, the company, renamed Walt Disney Studio, made its first animated feature film, Snow White, followed by Pinocchio and Fantasia. (The Walt Disney Company, n.d.) Since the company was started Walt Disney has always envisioned more than just making animated movies. In 1952 the company made plans to build its first theme park known as Disneyland (Disney.com, n.d). With the opening of the park the Walt Disney Company initiated a growth strategy that would take them to the global entertainment company that they are known as today. After the death of Walt Disney in 1966, the company was run by his brother, Roy, and then by an executive team trained by the Disney brothers. (Disney.com, n.d). After Walt Disney died the company lost its direction. They hadn't made a successful movie in years, the theme parks were suffering from little growth, and the attendance had not increased in several years. In 1984 Disney was underperforming and was fighting off takeover bids. Roy Disney, Walt's brother, recruited Michael Eisner to save the company. The end result was that Eisner took the company from a 1.3 billion dollar company to a 30 billion dollar company (ABCnews.com, 2015). He accomplished this by renewing the company's focus on entertainment. Eisner knew from the beginning that the company needed to grow in order to succeed. Under his leadership the company went from two theme parks to nine located throughout the world. Disney now consists of the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, California Adventure, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Studios, Euro Disney, Tokyo Disney, and Hong Kong Disneyland. In addition to the theme parks Walt Disney has acquired several companies to increase their television and movie presence. Examples include the acquisition of Pixar Entertainment, Marvel Comics, and the ABC television networks (Goldman, 2009). Eisner is also credited with the creation of the Walt Disney Cruise Line that is made up of four ships; the Wonder, Magic, Dream, and Fantasy (Disneycruise.com, 2015). Disney.com said "Making dreams come true every day is central to our global growth strategy" (2014, p.2). Although Eisner did great thing for the Disney Company he lost focus of customer service. Although Eisner brilliantly renewed the