Disney: A Deeply Authentic Brand
I just spent four days at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Talk about brands that connect  wow! My husband and I went “sans enfants†and really had a chance to soak up all the Disney detail and background. Walt Disney’s story is fascinating, and his identification with Mickey Mouse is pretty interesting.
In the beginning, when Mickey was first introduced, he was viewed as fearless, resourceful, and hungry for adventure. Later, Mickey Mouse became “almost sedate, an amused spectator of the comedic antics of newer members of the cast. Now he reigns mostly as an iconic symbol.â€Â* This is also the way Walt Disney is viewed today, as an icon who viewed his creations with amusement from the sidelines.
But Walt Disney was no bystander. This man’s single-minded vision is responsible for one of the most loved, powerful brands in the world  and it wasn’t because he set out to build a powerful brand. What Walt Disney set out to do was create something great  to create and perfect, and to never settle for “good enough.†In the early days, when the Mickey Mouse “shorts†were winning acclaim and awards, Disney himself was barely making enough to break even, often losing money in order to invest in his processes and improve the product.
He was involved with it, but he never really worried about the “how† how to finance his projects, how to get his films distributed, how to meet his payroll  he left those worries to his brother and partner, Roy. Instead, Walt Disney focused on the “what† the best animation, the funniest gags, and the newest technologies, like sound and color.
The powerful brand grew out of Disney’s laser focus on and commitment to these things. In this way, Walt Disney created a deeply authentic brand that stands the test of time.
* Walt Disney, An American Original, by Bob Thomas
[tags]Walt Disney, Disney, brands, branding, authentic brands[/tags]
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