From Brand Channel...
No more Mr. Nice Guy (Mouse).
Far away in a secret lair (corporate park, rather), Mickey Mouse is undergoing a massive regeneration. Feared to be seen as a corporate overlord rather than an adorable, fun-loving cartoon brand, Disney has ventured into the world of brand rejuvination and begun to liven up the Mouse for a new generation of children and consumers.
The new Mickey will be slowly unveiled. First glimse will be in the video game Epic Mickey for the Nintendo Wii, due out next year. As the New York Times describes it, the game will "show the character's darker side." Our new Mickey is multifaceted, and can be at times "cantankerous and cunning, as well as heroic, as he traverses a forbidding wasteland."
But executives at Disney are treading carefully, afraid to tinker with their $5 billion cash mouse. The industry agrees: "There’s a distinct risk of alienating your core consumer when you tweak a sacred character,” said Matt Britton, managing partner of brand consultancy Mr. Youth.
Not to worry: "Mickey is never going to be evil or go around killing people,” according to game developer Warren Spector.
Mickey's popularity in the United States has begun to wane. He's been crowded out of children's hearts by growing competition from Nickelodeon, Pixar, and Dreamworks characters and personalities. Executives consider the rebrand of Mickey's personality necessary to remain relevant in the marketplace.
The recent success of the dark children's tale Where The Wild Things Are may provide a roadmap for Disney, proving that multiple generations can embrace a timeless tale that at times, gets a little scary, but remains good.
In a 2 paragraph response (a minimum of 5 sentences for each paragraph), answer the following questions. In paragraph #1, what do you think about Disney's ideas on rebranding Mickey Mouse? Should they keep their hands off of Mickey, or does future success depend on todays intervention? Be specific with your thoughts. In paragraph # 2, discuss the risks involved when a company decides to rebrand. List at least 2 risks and why they are risks? Be specific with your thoughts.
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I think it is both a good and bad idea to rebrand Mickey. Right now his popularity is dwindling, so they need to do something. The gamecould bring Mickey's popularity back up or they could lose a lot of younger children. However, they are making avideo game which means it will appeal mostly to children and the new character sounds like it could bring in an older audience. The sly, cunning characters havealways been really popular in video games, so i would expect Mickey to do well also.
ReplyDeleteWhen a company rebrands people may not recognize the brand anymore or get confused by the older brands. They might look for the older brand's symbol and not be able to find it.If a person can't find the brand they were looking for then they might move to another brand. Customers might also dislike the new way thecompany is branding itself. If a customer dislikes the new brand they could switch to abrandthat is more appealing or that has a better image. An evil-like Mickey mouse may not have a good image to younger children who make up most of Disney'sfan base.
-Kyle Crooch
I think that rebranding Mickey could do more good than bad. Mickey is already a well known figure but the fact that it's a well known figure is a good thing because rebranding it will catch more attention. Mickey already has an image of an adorable character so I think that rebranding him will not take a lot of critisism because they said that they are not making him 'evil.' Everything needs to undergo change to keep up with the trends in the market and I think that rebranding Mickey will just make it seem like one of those things where you customize a cartoon character because of the particular time.
ReplyDeleteRebranding Mickey is a bit of a risk though. To the fans that already are in support of Mickey, it may take them a while to diverge in the different aspect. But I also think that, to most modern kids, they will like the idea of having a new side of Mickey that is more heroic than cuddly and adorable. This especially will effect the male population of fans. Putting Mickey in a video game is also similar to Spongebob and his television show and games that are made out of it. The risks might be high, but I think it's definitely worth it in the long run.
April Nimjareansuk
I think that it is a good idea and it is not. If they re brand mickey mouse as a bad person and doing bad things then pole might see mickey mouse as a bad influence. But it also depends on who their target market is. If it is little kids then they might not do that well with their "dark sided" mickey mouse. If they appeal to older kids and high school students then they might make some money with the bad mickey. I think that some change is needed but not a lot because people have gotten used to the old mickey mouse and would not like to see him be changed.
ReplyDeleteSome risks that occur when a company re brands is that, they might not make as much money as they used to because some people might not like the new mickey. Also little kids might not like mickey mouse any more and so they will not buy the merchandise that associate with the character. Also another company might make something similar and kids might like their merchandise rather than the original company.
I think it is a bad idea for the Disney team to make a new Mickey Mouse. They should just leave the mouse alone because a lot of children in the world still like Mickey. If they change the way Mickey looks then a lot of kids wont be interested in him anymore.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of risks when a company changes its brand. They don't know if people will like the brand or if they will hate it. They also don't know if the main targeted group of that brand will be interested as they want them to. A company can lose money if they don't give what people want these days.
i dont think they should change mickey mouse because people grew up knowing the face and growing to love the original mickey mouse. so changing mickey mouse wouldn't be good for business.they would have to make all new dolls and products for the new mickey mouse and take all sentimental value away form the original. it just thikn it wouldnt be good for businees. what would the kids think now of the new disney parks and old disney toys.
ReplyDeleteone main risk would be the fans who grew up with the original mickey mouse as being their favorite disney character and now having to change their fascination. it wouldnt be something the fans would appreciate too much. it would lower the appreciation value of disney as a whole and lose alot of fans. the orignal mickey mouse made too much money as it is so why would they want to change it? thats a question i just dont have an answer.
-the helms
I dont think that disney should alter Micky Mouse. He is a $5 billion dollar charater. He is still the most reconizable character in the industry. I think that he is successfull so they shouldnt mess with it. Micky doesnt appear in as many movies as he used to but he is still the very recognizable mouse that represents disney.
ReplyDeletethere are many risks involved when doing something like this that is already successful. one will be a changing imoression of the character and what he stands for. For instence this could alter the face of disney. The biggest risk though is the loss of recognition that could cost the company. He is a $5 billion character and why would you need to change him if he is that successful. you could loose the business of many people and that could end up costing you millions.
i think rebranding Mickey Mouse can be a bad idea because people may think that the name brand has different intentions like wanting different older age group viewers. When it says that Mivkey will have a darker side it may mean he will start fighting bad guys or have some kind of weapon. Mickey Mouse has always been good and changing him into something different may affect how many fans they will have.
ReplyDeleteSome of the possible risks are losing loyal fans. Parents will see this change in Disney and might not want their kids to play or watch Disney products. If they make Mickey's character aggresive and violent, kids will get into that and might look at other games with similar actions. Changing Mickey Mouse might persuade Disney to change all their characters. I think changing Mickey in a negative way might lose their younger viewers.
ADAMS MIRANDA
i think that they are trying to get more people to look at what there bringing to the table.but also they might want to tone it down with making him look evil and less friendly.i think they might be targeting teens and still trying to keep some of there young veiwers. Maybe they are trying to get more up to date with todays intervention.
ReplyDeletethe risk they are taking is to lose people who go to theme parks with characters like mickey mouse. they might think there going to get more costumers and lose everybody. they are also risking there younger fans who watch there early morning shows and stuff like that. people might want not wamt there little kids watching the show or taking them to places who have mickey there. that might risk the business of other companies.
-Robell
I think it is a good idea to rebrand mickey mouse. Disney has sort of faded in popularity as other animated cartoon companies have continued growing. Pixar might even be more of a powerhouse than Disney right now. Disney needs to do something to regain their position as number one.
ReplyDeleteThis is also a huge risk though. By messing with Mickey Disney risks losing all the loyal fans it does have. This could backfire because they are trying to make Mickey more "dark". Most parents dont want their kids exposed to that influence just yet. They could risk a boycott if parents think Mickey isnt a good role model or good character.
mike counts
I think it is a good idea for Disney to rebrand Mickey Mouse. A lot of kids these days don't even know who the cartoon character is. The only problem is that it would be hard to make Mickey appealing to todays generation. With very easy access to games, tv shows, and movies considered too mature for their age, America's youth is not as simple to please and entertain as they were 50 years ago. This is why Disney is smart in making a video game which utilizes the Mickey Mouse image more as a hero rather than a cartoon.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of risks involved in rebranding a company's image, but they can pay off. The new brand may not be as effective or well-received by the target market as the initial one, and will end up hurting your business. Another risk would be that it wouldn't be recognized right away and would take time to be in the mind of the public. For example, if Coca Cola decided to change their logo to something totally different, then people wouldn't recognize it as coke until enough commercials and advertisements are released. All in all, re-branding is a very risky proccess.
i dont think thats a bright idea because their doing so well so why would they want to rebuild it every little kid and even some grown folks love mickey mouse juss they way he is right now. I mean i would understand if mickey was getting old and played out but he's not the world still loves him so why would you want to change that. i dont think that they will be successful by changing mickey so their wont be no interventions.
ReplyDeleteIf they try to start over with mickey their taking a huge risk because they would have to put so much money into it and what if the world juss likes the old regular mickey mouse that would be a waste of money and a waste of time.
i believe that disney should keep their hands off of Mickey Mouse. He is too valuable of a character to risk losing his image around the world. If disney were to press forward with this rejuvination it could be catastrophic of the image of Mickey as well as Disney as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThe risks corralated when a company decides to rebrand sometimes outweighs the motivation to do it. The Mickey Mouse rebranding for example could end up killing the mouse as far as image with their target market, but they feel it will push Disney back up to their previous popularity.
~J.Rock~
I think its both good and bad to rebrand mickey. Its a bad idea because for all of those older people and teens they grew up with thic mickey and a nice person and etc... People may not want them to change it. It could be a good idea because if mickey becomes an evil character it will attract more boys than girls. They could advertise and make new shows and games to attract and promote this new mickey.
ReplyDeleteTwo risks that companies could risk are going into debt. This could occur if they dont make more money than they spent or the new idea is just a killer to kids. Another risk is that they gotta make sure kids parents aprove this. SOme parents are really strict and will not allow their child to learn from a bad character. If mickey was a superhero than yes this woulld be approved.
-Carlos Escobar
i think they should change micky mouse becouse most of the kid's would wanna see his new dark side of micky mouse. by rebranding the new charector it would wanna make new people see the show intead of the old viewersjust watching it . i think if they change it they be succesfull by changing micky mouse charecter becouse most of the people would wanna see his new side and see how his new personality is.
ReplyDeletei think that dysney would take a big risk in changing micky mouse becouse some of the people may disagree with the change and may not want to buy their products or watch the show ever again. onther risk they are taking is that the kid's would never see micky mouse as a good person no more and see him as an evil mouse and may not want to do anything with that spefic show.
Disney's idea on rebranding Mickey Mouse is a big risk that can pay off big time or come back to haunt them. For years, Mickey Mouse has been the symbol of Disney and even though its popularity is decreasing, its safe to say that no one has forgotten about Mickey. However, if Disney feel the need to rebrand a new Mickey, they need to consider the old faithful fans instead of just worrying about the new generation. Creating a "dark" side to Mickey might be the wrong move on Disney, as core fans might be very disapproving.
ReplyDeleteThe new Mickey is a risk taker for Disney and its fans. Core fans that made that original Mickey Mouse famous might be outraged at the idea of a dark side to Mickey. Generations are constantly changing, so a new Mickey will only be famous for so long, does that mean Disney will rebrand Mickey again. Keeping the original product is a great idea because it has already established a logo or slogan across the world. It will take a alot of generations of Mickey Mouse fans to establish their new logos and slogans. That is why Disney need to keep in mind the fans that made them who they are today.
I think its a bad idea to rebrand Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse is a cartoon that catches little kids attention early in the mornings. If they made Mickey Mouse to transfer into bad, you never know little kids might get the same ideas and start learning what he does. Its a terrible idea, because with Mickey Mouse right now little kids learn their abc's, shapes, and colors. But, i dont think they should learn bad things off of a good cartoon or character. Yes, they should keep their hands off of Mickey.
ReplyDeleteRebranding a company like this can cause many risks. One risk with rebranding Mickey would be losing those customers as in kids watching the television show. Other risk would be kids turning bad with their actions and them responding well Mickey did it. Its just not a good idea to rebrand Mickey. Can you imagine what will paretns think about this?..Well i dislike this one alot.
Anna McMullen
No i don't think they should try to change mickey. He's been around for so long and evryone loves him just the way he is that's like trying to change Michael Jackson. It can't be done. If it's not broken then don't fix it has everything to do with this, theres nothing wrong with mickey. They most definitely should not transform him into somethings hes not.
ReplyDeleteRebranding can change everytthing for a company. I dont think people won't play the game just because mickey is different because after all he is just a cartoon and doesn't matter in our everyday lives.
I think that "reinventing" Mickey Mouse is a bad idea. Because, I feel like everyone likes to look back on old cartoons and reminisce. Also, things scare kids very easily and I think it will look very strange to younger kids because it could confuse them. Some people like to keep things the old way. It's sort of like when people make sequel's of old time Disney movies. People do not like them because they're just not the same.
ReplyDeleteWhen companies re-brand it could cause a customer to not be aware of the what the product is, or they won't like it as much. For example, the cookie monster is now the vegetable monster. The company might not make as much money on their product either. So, Disney might not get very many viewers if they change Mickey Mouse. Also, if they keep changing their characters people might not want to go to Disney World if it has changed so much.