Walt Disney World's Media Relations

The Walt Disney World Company also has a number of tools which they use to keep up their media relations.  WDWNews.com has a number of resources for media professionals to use to their advantage. 

First, there are a number of press releases on the homepage which are easy to access and incorporate into news stories.   These releases pertain to everything about the Walt Disney World Parks.  There are also a number of videos which feature b-roll and interviews that could be used by the broadcast media.  Videos featured on the website include Disney’s Princess Half Marathon, the prepping of “Toy Story” topiaries for the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival and the Atlanta Brave’s spring training.   

Also featured are photographs and cutlines, all of which can be downloaded in high resolution formats. With all of these resources, a media professional could easily supplement their story with pictures, videos and information obtained from the Walt Disney World website.

The website also has a tab where members of the media may fill out their information and be put in contact with someone from the Walt Disney Company that could be most helpful for their needs.  In addition, this feature can be used for journalists to be put on a variety of different Walt Disney World mailing lists.  

Another helpful feature is the “Help” page which answers a number of frequently asked questions, including Disney’s policy on theme park tickets and hotel accommodations for journalists.

On the Corporate Disney website, there are number of press releases which pertain to the financial news about the company. 

Walt Disney World Company's Use of Social Media

Social media and blogging are quickly growing and changing communication tools that are being implemented by a number of large companies, including the Walt Disney World Company.  Social media gives companies a way to open dialogue with their customers and get information out to the public faster than ever before. 

Through Disney’s website, you can find a number of ways to connect to the company as well as other Disney fans.  First, the website lists the various Facebook pages for the company’s multiple divisions.  There are Facebook pages dedicated to “Walt Disney World Resort,” “Disneyland Resort,” Disney Cruise Line,” Disney Parks and Resorts,” and “Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons.” 

This year, Disney started the “Disney Wedding Blog,” to “bring the fairy tale to life.”  Couples across the world are invited to share their Disney love stories, complete with pictures, ideas, videos and more. 

In 2008, Disney created another blog, but selecting 12 moms through an application and interview process.  These Moms answer questions from readers on an online forum.  Each year, they have added to the panel, adding some Dads in 2010.  The moms  blog responses aren't edited by Disney, but they receive training at Walt Disney World. 

The Disney World Moms Panel is a great forum for discussion, and anyone who wants to can apply to be on the panel. 

There is also a Disney Parks Blog, which represents the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Cruise Line. According to the website, the blog provides “the latest, official information about Disney destinations as well as behind-the-scenes looks at what makes Disney Parks the most magical places on earth.”  The blog features posts from Disney “cast Members” and can be commented on by readers, though Disney Parks Blog does moderate comments. 

In addition to Facebook pages and blogs, Disney implements the social media tool Twitter.  They have a number of Twitter accounts which represent “Walt Disney World Resort,” “Disneyland Resort,” “Disney Cruise Line,” “Disney Parks and Resorts,” and “Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons.”

Disney also has a Youtube channel and a cell phone application called the “Disney Parks Mobile Magic.” 

The Walt Disney Company

This blog, created for a Corporate Public Relations course I am enrolled in at Quinnipiac University, will focus on The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS). The company was founded in 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio and became a publicly traded company as Walt Disney Productions in 1938. Subsidiaries of the company include Pixar Animation Studios, ESPN, ABC Inc., Marvel Entertainment, LLC, and Playdom among others. 

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, has four business segments, according to their website.  These are: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment and consumer products. 

Currently, there seven Disney resorts, including the Disney Cruise Line which has a fleet of 4 ships and owns“Castaway Cay,” a private island in the Bahamas. 

The current CEO and President of the Walt Disney Company is Robert Iger.  Iger became president in 2000 and succeeded Michael Eisner as CEO in 2005. 

The Walt Disney Company’s revenue for the last fiscal year was 38.06 billion dollars, according to Yahoo! Finance’s Key Statistics on the company.  The estimated Enterprise Value as of Feb 15, 2011 was 87.96 billion dollars. 

Disney is a worldwide company that employed 150,000 individuals in 2008.