9 Marketing Strategies we can Learn from Disney Princesses
It's time for the girls to take centre stage as we look at what lessons we can take from our favourite Disney Princesses
Cinderella
Cinderella shows us that through working with others you can achieve the best work (she did, after all, show up to the ball wearing one epic outfit, and with a swanky ride). So rather than trying to take on too much ourselves, we should welcome the skills and knowledge of others if we want a project to succeed and steal the show.
Lesson: Teamwork is best
Aurora
Aurora sleeps through much of Sleeping Beauty, and waits for Prince Philip to come along and break her curse. Really, we should strive to do the opposite of Aurora - rather than lie back and wait for results to happen, we should take charge of our own destiny and make them happen. What Sleeping Beauty should have done is try some A/B testing, improved SEO and keyword rankings on her dating profiles, so that she was making the most of available data.
Lesson: Don’t wait for results to happen for you; make them happen
Snow White
Through Snow White, we see how being fair wins out over the selfishness and vanity of the wicked Queen. Putting ourselves (and our own self-indulgence) ahead of the needs of the consumers could lead to our downfall. So instead of blowing the budget of a shiny new interface, spend some time on User Experience, to make sure people can do what they need to.
Lesson: Put consumers ahead of self-indulgence
Belle
Belle is the only person who sees that the seemingly scary beast has something more to offer, even with the other townspeople are ready to attack him. It’s easy for us to be scared of the unknown and shy away from new areas, especially when it comes to technology. We should be ready to embrace the unknown, be the first to see the good that new developments have to offer and look to see how we can make the most of them.
Lesson: Be the first to embrace new technology
Ariel
Ariel was not content with just sticking to the easy path of being a mermaid, she wanted more - to venture out and explore another world. She was ready to make sacrifices and fight to get her happily ever after. It’s worth taking a risk and trying something, it most likely won’t be the easiest route to take, but the payoff can be even greater in the end.
Lesson: Take risks and do something different
Jasmine
Through Jasmine and Aladdin’s troubled relationship, we can see the pitfalls of dishonesty and not being who you are. Aladdin tries to be someone he’s not and lies to Jasmine on more than one occasion; but each time it ends up backfiring on him - he only defeats Jafar once he finally comes clean and accepts who he is. As brands we should always be honest with consumers and be true to who we are. When we try to be something we’re not, consumers will see through the inconsistencies and the trust will be broken.
Lesson: Be honest with consumers and be true to who you are
Pocahontas
“We are all connected to each other,” Pocahontas tells John Smith. Pocahontas was able to teach John Smith to see colours in the wind, and hear voices in the mountains that changed his perspective on life. Through the ‘always-on’ culture we’re now in, everyone is connected, all the time. This means that consumers expect more from the content put in front of them and the technology they’re using. It’s down to us to open up consumers to new ideas and content and allow them to experience more through technology
Lesson: Use the ‘always-on’ culture to open up consumers to new experiences
Rapunzel
By being trapped in the tower for so many years, Rapunzel learnt the art of patience. In that time she was able to focus and develop skills, and a strategy, that would help her in the long run (i.e. a way to escape the tower). By spending some time building up a skill set, or creating a solid strategy, we’ll then be able to put them to use and achieve great things.
Lesson: Take time to develop your skills and strategy
Tiana
During the Princess and the Frog, Tiana found that you may have to kiss a frog or two if you want to find your prince. So while we’ll often find that the first ideas we have may not be the best, by re-designing, re-writing, re-prototyping, etc. we’ll be able to find the perfect idea that will produce the best results.
Lesson: The first idea is rarely the best one
Your Princess moment awaits…
So whether it’s kissing frogs or falling in love with a beast, there’s a lot you can learn from watching Disney films… After all, deep down, who doesn’t dream of being a be a bit more like a Disney Princess?