Disney Turns Its Back on Kids
So Walt Disney Records, under the helm of Carolyn Mayer Beug, has a “new” marketing strategy: Place greater emphasis on profitability than creativity (“At Disney Records It’s Also an Adult World, After All,” Calendar, Sept. 26). The label’s tactical shift involves linking current pop, rock and television stars with recognizable children’s tunes. Then independent promoters are hired for a mass saturation of the radio and music-video markets and a new adult contemporary hit is born.
It’s apparent that Disney is forsaking its true audience, the children, by pandering to their parents’ tastes. Consequently, the nation’s kids will miss out on a wealth of great songs, written specifically for kids by professional musical artists who have devoted their lives and careers to entertaining children.
Two extremely talented “kids acts,” Craig ‘n’ Co. and Parachute Express, were unceremoniously let go from the Disney Records lineup after many months of being “in limbo” while the company was focusing on its roster of celebrity artists. Beug states: “It’s my belief that with most children’s artists it’s difficult and expensive to really support them.” In truth, Beug never gave even a fraction of the promotional efforts to these lesser-known children’s acts as she has to her adult/kid/pop “event-driven” hits. She could have leveraged the “Disney Machine,” capitalizing on the resources of the Disney Channel, Walt Disney Home Video, the Disney stores and even Disneyland to really put Craig ‘n’ Co. and Parachute Express on the map. Given the right promotion, they would have provided the label with longevity, integrity and devotion from fans for generations to come.
Why is the “Disney Machine” so lacking in synergy? We suppose it’s because “working together” takes a little more time, a little more effort and a lot more creativity from the marketing teams.
If you’ve ever been to a Craig ‘n’ Co. or Parachute Express concert, you know that these groups are immensely popular. They have thousands of fans and play to sold-out theaters. However, they have been dropped from the Disney label. Now moms will have to sift through the store shelves, behind the current “pop” barrage, hoping to find the tapes that their kids really love.
It may sound surprising, but entertaining children is not all that easy. It takes years to learn how to make kids laugh, how to excite them with innovative and original songs, and how to keep them on the edges of their seats. It is our guess that many of the celebrities entering the kids’ arena have never entertained a concert hall of 500 kids for a solid hour.
It is sad that the seasoned pros of the kids’ market, those who are truly devoted to entertaining kids and love it with all their hearts, are overlooked time and time again in favor of the “household-name” artists who have little experience or desire even to be labeled a “children’s act.” Sadder still is the fact that Walt Disney Records--the worldwide leader in the kids’ audio market--has decided that “adult songs” are suitable for kids.
Unfortunately, Walt Disney Records isn’t the only culprit. The entire kids’ market is in jeopardy. Perhaps one reason is that the decision-makers choose short-term gains over long-term profits , and salability over content . Ms. Beug’s new plan may be a great corporate strategy, but it has little merit for children in the long run.
