I started twitching last Thursday when I heard that Disney is launching a new network called Disney XD, geared specifically toward boys. It’s too late to lock up America’s daughters: Disney has been courting them ever since Prince Charming’s animated lips first touched Snow White’s in 1937. But until now, Disney has been so busy trafficking in princess fantasies (ancient and modern) that they’ve mostly left boys alone, unless you count the omnipresent marketing of Pixar properties like Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean. As a mum of two little boys and no girls, I’ve been grateful to have my kids off Disney’s demographic profile.
Then comes a press release about Disney XD, worded in cheerful consumerist-speak: “The new brand will include a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming for kids age 6-14, hyper-targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humour.”
Eeek! “Hyper-targeting” sounds awfully Donald Rumsfeld. Do I want the people who loosed High School Musical upon the world “hyper-targeting” my offspring?
The new network’s marquee attraction (no shock here) is a boy-centric take on Hannah Montana: a live-action series called Aaron Stone, about a teenage boy living a double life as a mild-mannered student by day and the real-life version of a crime-fighting video-game character by night. Come next year, will we see an army of boys as obsessed with Aaron as so many girls are with Hannah? And will it further reinforce gender stereotypes to have one Disney channel filled with Hannah, Gabriella, Sharpay and their sea of shiny pink lip gloss, and another filled with “discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humour” designed especially for boys?
What makes Disney seem so monolithic is how well they create cradle-to-grave consumers. Of course, a hundred other companies seek to do the same with our kids — they’re just not as good at it as Disney. As much as the Disney nation-state can worry me, it hasn’t forced anyone to fork over the billions it earns. Parents and piggybankers spend voluntarily. When the new network launches, they’ll likely spend even more.
What lies in store for our boys in February, when Disney XD takes the place of Toon Disney? Below, via email, Disney Channel’s Senior Vice President for Marketing and Creative, Richard Loomis, answers questions about the new venture.
You note in your press release that the Disney Channel is especially successful with girls, and your goal with Disney XD is to have that same success ratio with boys. How do you persuade boys that Disney is cool enough to appeal to them? How will the programming nudge boys to see Disney as a potentially boyish, rather than girlish, brand?
Our new Disney XD will launch with the benefit of the Disney brand credibility and a unique, creative point of view. We’re confident it will fulfill boys’ desire for empowering stories and heroic characters. Certainly, we know the Disney brand is appealing to both girls and boys and we work to make the Disney Channel and Disney XD platforms inclusive of both genders. The skew happens to be more toward girls for Disney Channel and more towards boys for Disney XD, but neither platform is an exclusive “clubhouse” for one gender.
In launching this new channel, how do you reach boys to let them know this is out there and get them interested? Where will they be hearing about this?
Our marketing plan is in development, but we plan to support the Disney XD launch on all platforms. Boys continue to watch television and we have several powerful platforms to connect with kids about all that’s to come with Disney XD: Disney Channel and Toon Disney and our nationwide broadcast platform, Radio Disney, the related digital platforms DisneyChannel.com and ToonDisney.com.
Boys are already offered a flood of programming and character-driven marketing, from the DC and Marvel superheroes to Naruto and Ben 10 to SpongeBob and dozens of others. What programming need among boys will you be addressing with this new channel? How will this programming be a fresh offering?
We are developing an entire slate of programming: live action, animation, original movies, comedy and sports-related shows. Each will be geared primarily towards boys age 6-14, and dedicated to reflecting their fundamental value of accomplishment and the desired experience of discovery and empowerment.
Original Disney offerings like Hannah Montana and High School Musical are known for the broad range of related products (clothing, school supplies, etc.) that are marketed alongside the shows/movies. How will this play out with the original series shows (such as Aaron Stone) or movies airing on Disney XD? What sorts of related products will be targeted to viewers of those shows?
At Disney, our focus is on delivering great content to kids and families. If we are successful in doing so, consumers will drive a demand and thus, opportunities can be created for other Disney divisions.
Six-to-fourteen is a broad age range. Is the idea that boys will start watching at six and slowly graduate up through the programming? How do you keep them as regular viewers of Disney XD as they grow?
Through focus groups and other research methodology, we talk to kids and families every day and that’s the best way to gauge if we’re on track and if necessary, make adjustments based on their feedback. For example, we know kids of all ages are aspirational. We know what they are interested in. Our stories are crafted so they appeal to older kids, especially boys, while also having an “entry point” for younger siblings. If we provide kids with compelling stories and characters, they will be long-term guests and consumers. The attributes that boys find compelling and aspirational in lead characters are: smart, determined, selfless, brave, has room for growth, on a journey, not perfect and has “responsibility.”
This announcement suggests that you’re doing what Disney has long done very well — getting kids to establish brand allegiance at an early age. This is obviously good for business, but do you see any drawbacks in encouraging kids in that direction so early in their lives?
We know with Disney brand, we have a responsibility to kids and families and we take that fact seriously. We work with a mission to deliver content that enriches kids lives and to do so by reflecting core Disney values: community, storytelling, entertainment, innovation, optimism and decency.
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