disney's marketing and hannah montana
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INTRO TO MEDIA RESEARCH
Disney, Cross Promotion, and Hannah Montana
Mary Cryer
Spring 2009
Holtzman ◆ MEDC 3190-01
INTRO TO MEDIA RESEARCH
Disney, Cross Promotion, and Hannah Montana
Mary Cryer
MEDC 3190-01
Spring 2009
Cast photo; Guest stars the Jonas Brothers; CD cover; scene from episode, Minnie and Miley
DISNEY’S SYNOPSIS OF “HANNAH MONTANA”
Direct from Disney Channel’s Web site:
“Hannah Montana” AKA Miley Stewart is the hippest 16-year-old transfer from
Tennessee to Malibu. Her older brother Jackson and songwriter father Robby made the
big move with her a few years ago. With her best friends Lilly and Oliver, they weave and
navigate the tangled web of school life—from getting good grades to impressing her
crush, to being accepted by the various social haves and have-tos! As awkward as Miley
sometimes feels as a teenager, she undergoes a transformation when performing on stage.
Miley’s classmates are totally out of the know when it comes to her double life as pop
singer Hannah Montana. She travels the world, entertaining fans with the music written
by her manager who’s also her dad. Miley lives a life that any kid dreams to have. While
the glamour and fame does have its perks—limousines, cool clothes, and hanging out
with celebrities—Miley most wants to be treated like any other teenager and experience
the typical life led by her peers. (DisneyChannel.com).
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Background 1
Hypothesis 1
Literature Review 1
Overview 1
Marketing Techniques 2
Franchise-Building 3
Media Theories 4
Media Effects 6
Conclusion 7
Data Reporting 8
Section I: Sample Gathering and Background 8
Section II: Content Analysis 9
Table 1: Summary of “Hannah Montana” Episodes Viewed on the Disney Channel 9
Table 2: Promotional Breaks During “Hannah Montana” Episodes 9
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Table 3: Summary of Number of Promotions Featuring Disney Personalities 10
Table 4: Summary of Number of Disney Personalities Featured In Each Promotion 11
Table 5: Summary of the Type of Disney Interest Being Promoted 11
Table 6: Summary of Number of Times Each Promotion Aired 12
Table 7: Summary of Promotions That Have Ties to Licensed Merchandise 12
Table 9: Summary of Age of Disney Personalities Featured In Promotions 13
Section III: Tendency 14
Table 10: Summary of Disney Personalties’ Characteristics/Traits 14
Character Traits Analysis 15
Data Analysis 19
Summary 23
Appendix 24
Content Analysis 24
Promotional Breaks Codebook 24
Epilogue 31
WORKS CITED 33
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INTRODUCTION
Background
The consolidation of various media companies into a small number of corporations has
allowed media companies to reach a target audience by promoting a show “across the corporate
spectrum” (Weinman ¶5). Through the use of cross-promotion and by replaying a show several
times a day on its cable network, “Disney can hammer a show into the public consciousness
without having to expend much effort on the show itself” (Weinman ¶5). The result is an
arguably foolproof marketing strategy for “Hannah Montana” where young girls idolize the star
of the show and her two identities. This helps promoters sell double the merchandise by
spawning toys and other products for both characters (Weinman ¶3). This is a brilliant approach
that has paid big for the Walt Disney Corporation.
Hypothesis
Disney uses cross-promotion and narrowcasting in television programs, such as “Hannah
Montana,” as a tool to market merchandise to tweens rather than solely to entertain them.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Overview
In order to address Disney Corporation’s impact in the realm of media communication,
historical background information, media theories, and marketing techniques will be presented. It
will be suggested that Disney targets audiences for a specific purpose: to sell merchandise. More
precisely, the Disney Channel program “Hannah Montana” was created with the objective of
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selling licensed merchandise via Disney Consumer Products. The target demographic for
“Hannah Montana” marketing is preteen girls between the ages of six and twelve years.
The Disney Channel is one of the most-watched basic cable networks for children, and
the network’s program, “Hannah Montana,” is the most popular show for children 6-14 years old
(Ebenkamp §2 ¶2). Because it has this audience, the Disney Channel uses its own airwaves to
cross-promote programming, merchandise, and movies to this highly sought-after demographic.
While there is no paid advertising on the channel, there is constant marketing—all directed at
children. Specifically, preteen or “tween” girls are the target audience.
This literature review will discuss the techniques used by marketers to reach the tween
demographic, and how Albert Bandura’s social learning theory is apparent in this marketing
practice. Special attention will be placed on Disney Channel’s constant marketing, various forms
of cross promotion, characters created specifically to build a franchise, and the effects of this on
preteen girls.
Marketing Techniques
Disney’s first and most dominant marketing technique is cross promotion. Media Literacy
scholar Art Silverblatt defines this as presenting media programs “for the sole purpose of
promoting other holdings within the corporate empire” (73). Rather than paid commercial
advertisements, the Disney Channel audience sees promotions for other Disney programming,
music CDs, DVDs, theatrical releases, and the Disney Web site. Although viewers may not
realize it, Disney only promotes its own products, franchises, and media outlets. Furthermore,
through personal observation, it is apparent the media powerhouse uses its own stars to present
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information to the audience about upcoming Disney events, DVD releases, concert tours, online
games, and made-for-TV movies.
The Disney Channel also uses narrowcasting to reach its desired audience of tween girls.
Narrowcasting is a media device used “to direct messages at specialized interests [and] groups,”
including traits such as age and gender (Silverblatt 476). Disney focuses on narrowcasting rather
than broadcasting to identify the audience, which allows producers to customize each
presentation to a specific group of people (Silverblatt 58). Tween girls are the most prominent
and profitable group for Disney, so this group is targeted most.
Although there are more media outlets to choose from, only a few large companies
control them (Dotson & Hyatt 36; Calvert 205). Disney is one of the top five media
organizations, a group which also includes Newsgroup, AOL-Time Warner, Universal Vivendi,
and Viacom (Dotson & Hyatt 36). This creates an opportunity for media conglomerates to cross-
promote programming and products across many platforms (Dotson & Hyatt 36; Calvert 205).
This cross promotion means consumers are likely to constantly receive commercial messages,
whether they realize it or not (Dotson & Hyatt 36).
Franchise-Building
Disney is determined to build commodities out of entertainment media. Steven Ekstract,
publisher of trade magazine License Global, said, “Disney creates brands. And they tapped into
the zeitgeist of the tween girl marketplace” (Lieberman 4B). Seventeen magazine’s entertainment
director, Carissa Rosenberg, said, “Miley Cyrus herself is a brand, not just Hannah
Montana” (Ebenkamp §2 ¶3). Other successful Disney franchises are “High School Musical,”
“Cheetah Girls,” and “Camp Rock” (Levin 1D). Its first tween hit was “Lizzie McGuire” in
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2001, which spun off into a movie, clothing line, and other merchandise (Levin 1D). In 2006,
Disney Channel producers created a show aimed at tween girls, or those between six and twelve
years of age (Stanley 14). The show was a huge hit, and as a result, megastar and multi-million
dollar brand name “Hannah Montana” was born.
“Hannah Montana” merchandise includes fashion dolls, child-sized guitars, apparel,
sleepwear, accessories, bedding, room décor, costumes, footwear, personal care products, video
games, board games, school supplies, electronics, books, music CDs, lunch boxes, stationery,
and breakfast cereal (Disney Consumer Products). Disney’s licensed merchandise was the top
seller in 2007, with sales in excess of $26 billion (“Strong Sales”). The next closest top-selling
brands, Phillips-Van Huesen and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, brought in $6.7 billion and
$6 billion, respectively (“Strong Sales”).
In addition to reaching the tween market, Disney has created preschool programming for
children who have not yet entered elementary school. The Disney Princesses are just one
example of licensed characters marketed to preschoolers. Others include Woody and Buzz from
the Toy Story films and Lightning McQueen from the hit movie Cars. The motive behind this is
to entice parents and children alike to watch family friendly programming. Once the target
audience is reached, the related merchandise sells itself.
Media Theories
Albert Bandura’s social learning theory says individuals mimic the behavior patterns and
actions of others based on individuals’ observation of others. Bandura suggests “most of the
behaviors that people display are learned … through the influence of example” (qtd. in Atkin
513). Such observational learning is most prevalent among children. For example, when a child
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sees violent behavior rewarded, as in Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment, the child will likely
imitate violent behavior (“Social Learning”). A child who sees punishment for such behavior will
probably not repeat it.
In the case of Disney, the producers of “Hannah Montana” have created a character
within another character. The regular, normal young teenager, Miley Stewart (portrayed by Miley
Cyrus) is an average girl by day, but transforms to rock star Hannah Montana by night. However,
she keeps her pop star identity secret, with only her closest friends and family knowing of her
double life.
Within the show, fans flock to see Hannah Montana concerts, buy her music, and even
imitate the pop star by dressing up as Hannah—complete with a signature blonde wig and
accessories. In the real world, parents rush to buy tickets to Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus
concerts and spend money on everything “Hannah Montana.” Viewers are exposed to the frenzy
over the Hannah Montana character on the program, and repeat the behavior in reality when a
new Hannah Montana CD is released or a concert tour is announced.
While Disney constantly cross-promotes its own programming—even having the
character of Hannah Montana make an appearance on another tween-centered Disney show, “The
Suite Life of Zack and Cody”—the hit show “Hannah Montana” creates an opportunity for
Disney to promote the musical career of its star, Miley Cyrus, under the guise of the program
itself. Disney’s music label can then release a music CD and a concert DVD, which all ties back
to the television show. The CD and DVD are then marketed during programming breaks. It is a
cycle that repeats over and over. Clearly, Disney knows exactly what it is doing.
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Additionally, Bandura’s social cognitive theory of mass communication applies to
Disney’s intentions with regard to its programming. In this theory, Bandura says, “Human self-
development, adaptation, and change are embedded in social systems. Therefore, personal
agency operates within a broad network of sociostructural influences” (Bandura 2). In other
words, one’s personal actions and choices are influenced by those around him or her, and vice
versa. Individuals are both the producers and products of their surroundings (Bandura 2).
Because children tend to repeat what they see, they are easily influenced by friends and family
members. If a girl’s best friend likes “Hannah Montana,” chances are she will like “Hannah
Montana,” too.
Media Effects
Merchandise tie-ins have created consumers out of children. Younger kids are spending
their own money, their parents’ money, or both, on brand-named merchandise (Dotson & Hyatt
35). During the 1990s, direct spending by children tripled in the United States, and had increased
significantly during the previous 30 years (Dotson & Hyatt 35). In 1968, children aged 4-12
years spent approximately $2.2 billion of their own money, but that figure reached in excess of
$51.8 billion by 2006 (Dotson & Hyatt 35). In addition to spending their own money, children
have increasingly shaped their parents’ expenditures (Dotson & Hyatt 35).
By about two years of age, the majority of children think of brands as items (e.g.
Cheerios becomes a general term for all cereal), and brand names develop into a tool to identify
objects (McNeal 202). By the age of four, children develop a sort of brand-loyalty, evaluating the
brand they have been exposed to against another brand (McNeal 203). The key for media
communicators is to tap into this market early enough to create such loyalty.
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The three main objectives of marketing to children are “to directly seek children as
customers, to work indirectly on parents through children’s ‘pester power,’ [and] to imprint the
younger generation with positive brand associations” (Dotson & Hyatt 36). Furthermore,
achieving these objectives becomes easier for the marketer because of the amount of
“discretionary income” children have today (Calvert 205). In essence, marketers want to turn
children into consumers.
Walt Disney himself was quick to realize that his Disneyland theme park had the capacity
to sell food and merchandise along with family entertainment (Bryman 33). Today’s Disney
parks are no different, as they are “full of shops and restaurants to the extent that many writers
argue that their main purpose … is precisely the selling of a variety of goods and food” (Bryman
33).
Conclusion
The hypothesis presented in this study is that Disney’s skillful use of narrowcasting,
along with its ability to cross-promote its programming and products, make the television
program “Hannah Montana” a tool for Disney to market licensed merchandise to tweens rather
than solely to entertain them. Primary research will be conducted, including a detailed content
analysis on the subject of Disney Channel programming. The occurrences of cross-promotion
and signs of narrowcasting will be examined to analyze the motive and the effects of such
marketing strategies.
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DATA REPORTING
Section I: Sample Gathering and Background
In the content analysis of “Hannah Montana,” the show, and in particular promotional
message breaks during the show, were examined for patterns of cross-promotion and
narrowcasting. Additionally, evidence of a connection between the promotional break and related
licensed merchandise (e.g. toys, video games, DVDs) were considered. The hypothesis of this
project is that Disney uses cross-promotion and narrowcasting in television programs, such as
“Hannah Montana,” as a tool to market merchandise to tweens rather than solely to entertain.
The program “Hannah Montana” is a Disney Channel series targeted to tween girls,
between 6-14 years of age. The show is about a young teenager named Miley Stewart who is a
typical teenager by day, but she lives a secret life as pop star Hannah Montana by night. Miley
goes to a high school where the majority of her classmates are unaware of her secret identity.
Only two of her closest friends at school know she is Hannah Montana, along with Miley’s
immediate family members.
To become Hannah, Miley dons a blonde wig and wears flashy clothing and jewelry to
disguise her appearance. At school, however, Miley is low key and has only two close friends.
The three are outsiders, considered to be uncool by their peers. If her classmates knew Miley was
really Hannah Montana, she would likely be the most popular girl in school because most of her
classmates are Hannah Montana fans.
Six episodes of the program were chosen at random according to the television schedule
obtained. During each episode, two promotions were analyzed for a total of twelve.
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Section II: Content Analysis
Table 1: Summary of “Hannah Montana” Episodes Viewed on the Disney Channel
Day Aired Episode Title Time Aired
Mon. 04/06/2009 It’s My Party and I’ll Lie If I Want To 9:00 pm (CST)
Tue. 04/07/2009 Grandmas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Play Favorites
5:00 pm (CST)
Tue. 04/07/2009 Oh Say, Can You Remember the Words? 5:30 pm (CST)
Tue. 04/07/2009 You Didn’t Say It’s Your Birthday 6:00 pm (CST)
Tue. 04/07/2009 He Ain’t A Hottie, He’s My Brother 6:30 pm (CST)
Wed. 04/15/2009 The Idol Side of Me 9:30 pm (CST)
The above sample included six episodes of the 30-minute television series, “Hannah Montana,”
aired on the Disney Channel. The six episodes were taped on April 6, April 7, and April 15.
Table 2: Promotional Breaks During “Hannah Montana” Episodes
Date/Time of Episode
What Was Being Promoted? Category At least one Disney Personality
Featured?
04/06/2009 - 9:00 PM Disney TV series “Sonny With A Chance”
TV Series yes
04/06/2009 - 9:00 PM New Disney TV series “Jonas” TV Series yes
04/07/2009 - 5:00 PM New Disney TV movie Hatching Pete
Movie yes
04/07/2009 - 5:00 PM Disney Web site “YayMeStarringLondonTipton.com”
Web Site yes
04/07/2009 - 5:30 PM Movie trailer for Disney/Pixar upcoming film Up
Movie yes
04/07/2009 - 5:30 PM Disney TV movie Cadet Kelly Movie yes
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Date/Time of Episode
What Was Being Promoted? Category At least one Disney Personality
Featured?
04/07/2009 - 6:00 PM Music video for song featured in movie Hatching Pete
Music/Movie Soundtrack
yes
04/07/2009 - 6:00 PM New Disney TV series “Jonas” TV Series yes
04/07/2009 - 6:30 PM Disney TV movie Cadet Kelly Movie yes
04/07/2009 - 6:30 PM New Disney TV series “Jonas” TV Series yes
04/15/2009 - 9:30 PM “What A Life” feature Other no
04/15/2009 - 9:30 PM New Disney TV movie Hatching Pete
Movie yes
To obtain the sample of promotions to analyze, the first promotion of the first break, and the last
promotion of the second break were chosen for each of the six episodes of “Hannah Montana.”
Of the twelve promotions, eleven—or nearly 92 percent—featured at least one Disney
personality (an actor, character, or music artist featured in at least one Disney production).
Table 3: Summary of Number of Promotions Featuring Disney Personalities
Is Disney Personality In Promotion? Raw Number Percentage
Yes 11 91.7%
No 1 8.3%
Other 0 0.0%
Cannot Code 0 0.0%
TOTAL 12 100.0%
Disney personalities were featured in the majority of the promotions, or nearly 92 percent of the
total analyzed. Only 8 percent did not feature a Disney actor, character, or music artist in the
promotion.
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Table 4: Summary of Number of Disney Personalities Featured In Each Promotion
Number of Personalities Raw Number Percentage
Zero 1 8.3%
1-2 5 41.7%
3-4 6 50.0%
4+ 0 0.0%
Other 0 0.0%
Cannot Code 0 0.0%
TOTAL 12 100.0%
Of the promotions, half of them featured three or four Disney personalities. Nearly 42 percent
featured one or two, while only 8 percent did not feature a Disney personality.
Table 5: Summary of the Type of Disney Interest Being Promoted
Category Raw Number Percentage
TV Series 4 33.3%
Movie 5 41.8%
Music/Movie Soundtrack 1 8.3%
Web Site 1 8.3%
Cannot Code 1 8.3%
TOTAL 12 100.0%
Of the various Disney interests promoted during breaks, about one-third were for other Disney
Channel television series, and almost 42 percent were for Disney films. A Web site promoting the
Disney Channel television series “Suite Life On Deck” accounted for 8 percent, while music
from a Disney movie soundtrack also made up 8 percent of the promotions analyzed.
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Table 6: Summary of Number of Times Each Promotion Aired
Promotion Related Merchandise
Times Aired Percentage
“Sonny With A Chance” yes 1 8.3%
“Jonas” yes 3 25.0%
Hatching Pete yes 2 16.7%
YayMeStarringLondonTipton.com yes 1 8.3%
Trailer for Up yes 1 8.3%
Cadet Kelly yes 2 16.7%
Music video from movie Hatching Pete
yes 1 8.3%
“What A Life” no 1 8.3%
TOTAL 12 100.0%
There were a total of eight different promotions run during the six episodes of “Hannah
Montana.” Two of the promotions were aired twice, while one promotion was aired three times.
The remainder were each aired one time over the span of six episodes.
Table 7: Summary of Promotions That Have Ties to Licensed Merchandise
Ties to Licensed Merchandise
Raw Number Percentage
Yes 11 91.7%
No 1 8.3%
TOTAL 12 100.0%
Of the twelve promotions analyzed, eleven have related merchandise, such as DVDs, CDs,
apparel, books, and video games. However, the merchandise was not mentioned during the
promotional spots.
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Table 8: Summary of Gender of Disney Personalities Featured In Promotions
Gender Raw Number Percentage
Male 16 59.3%
Female 9 33.3%
Fictional/Animated 2 7.4%
Cannot Code 0 0.0%
TOTAL 27 100.0%
Of the Disney personalities featured in the promotions, about 59 percent were male, 33 percent
were female, and over 7 percent were animated characters.
Table 9: Summary of Age of Disney Personalities Featured In Promotions
Age Raw Number Percentage
Child (5-8) 0 0.0%
Tween (9-12) 0 0.0%
Teenager (13-18) 21 77.8%
Young Adult (19-24) 3 11.1%
Adult (25+) 1 3.7%
Other 0 0.0%
Cannot Code 2 7.4%
TOTAL 27 100.0%
Of the Disney personalities, a vast majority were teenagers, or nearly 78 percent of the total.
Young adults were featured in 11 percent of the promotions, and only about 4 percent featured an
adult over 25 years of age.
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Section III: Tendency
Several characteristics of the Disney personalities featured in each promotion were determined
on a Likert scale. Each characteristic is recorded in the following chart.
Table 10: Summary of Disney Personalties’ Characteristics/Traits
Very Somewhat Average Somewhat Not
Not At All Cannot Code
Total
Popular
Attractive
Cool
Trendy
Thin
Happy
Confident
TOTAL
%
2 5 0 0 0 20 27
14 8 2 0 1 2 27
14 3 2 0 1 7 27
1 7 0 0 1 18 27
1 7 14 0 0 5 27
6 15 0 2 0 4 27
15 6 2 0 0 4 27
53 51 20 2 3 60 189
28.1% 26.9% 10.6% 1.1% 1.6% 31.7% 100.0%
There were 27 Disney personalities who appeared in the twelve promotional spots analyzed.
Likert scales were used to record the occurrence of each trait. Raw numbers for each of the traits
analyzed is listed here. Based on the analysis, it was determined that 55 percent displayed very or
somewhat positive traits. For example, 14 of the 27 were coded as “very cool,” and 15 of the 27
were “somewhat happy.” Additionally, 10.6 percent displayed average traits (14 of 27 were of
average thinness). Only 2.7 percent displayed somewhat negative or negative traits (only one of
the 27 was coded “not at all attractive, cool, and trendy”). Nearly one-third (31.7 percent) could
not be coded.
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Character Traits Analysis
The next section features pie graphs of each of the character traits listed in Table 10. The
graphs show the traits displayed by the Disney personalities as a percentage of the total number
of personalities analyzed. The traits observed were related to the hypothesis, and therefore were
reviewed for the purposes of this pilot research study.
Popularity: Of the personalities observed, 7.4% were very popular, 18.5% were somewhat, and
nearly three-quarters (74.1%) could not be coded.
Very Somewhat Average Somewhat Not Not At All Cannot Code
Cannot Code74.1%
Somewhat18.5%
Very7.4%
Graph 1: Was the Disney Personality Popular?
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Attractiveness: Of the personalities observed, 51.9% were very attractive, 29.6% were
somewhat, 7.4% average, 3.7% were not at all, and 7.4% could not be coded.
Coolness: Over half (51.9%) of the personalities were very cool, 11.1% were somewhat, 7.4%
were average, 3.7% were not at all, and over one-fourth (25.9%) could not be coded.
Very Somewhat Average Somewhat Not Not At All Cannot Code
Cannot Code7.4%
Not At All3.7%
Average7.4%
Somewhat29.6%
Very51.9%
Graph 2: Was the Disney Personality Attractive?
Very Somewhat Average Somewhat Not Not At All Cannot Code
Cannot Code25.9%
Not At All3.7%Average
7.4%Somewhat
11.1%
Very51.9%
Graph 3: Was the Disney Personality Cool?
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Trendiness: Only 3.7% of the personalities observed were very trendy, 25.9% were somewhat, 3.7% were not at all, and two-thirds (66.7%) could not be coded.
Thinness: Only 3.7% of the Disney personalities were very thin, 25.9% were somewhat, 51.9%
were average, and 18.5% could not be coded.
Very Somewhat Average Somewhat Not Not At All Cannot Code
Cannot Code66.7%
Not At All3.7%
Somewhat25.9%
Very3.7%
Graph 4: Was the Disney Personality Trendy?
Very Somewhat Average Somewhat Not Not At All Cannot Code
Cannot Code18.5%
Average51.9%
Somewhat25.9%
Very3.7%
Graph 5: Was the Disney Personality Thin?
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Happiness: About 22.2% of the personalities were very happy, 55.6% were somewhat happy,
7.4% were somewhat not happy, and 14.8% could not be coded.
Confidence: Over half (55.6%) of the personalities were very confident, 22.2% were somewhat,
7.4% average, and 14.8% could not be coded.
Very Somewhat Average Somewhat Not Not At All Cannot Code
Cannot Code14.8%
Somewhat Not7.4%
Somewhat55.6%
Very22.2%
Graph 6: Was the Disney Personality Happy?
Very Somewhat Average Somewhat Not Not At All Cannot Code
Cannot Code14.8%
Average7.4%
Somewhat22.2%
Very55.6%
Graph 7: Was the Disney Personality Confident?
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DATA ANALYSIS
The purpose of this pilot study is to explore the proposition that Disney’s use of cross-
promotion and narrowcasting in the television program, “Hannah Montana,” is a tool to sell
merchandise to tweens rather than solely to entertain them. This is potentially significant because
this type of marketing may be more insidious than traditional paid commercial advertising.
To explore the proposition, the program was analyzed for patterns to determine if there
was evidence to support the hypothesis. More importantly, the promotional breaks during the
show were reviewed and documented for such patterns. Because the Disney Channel has no paid
advertising, breaks in the programming are used to cross promote other Disney interests.
Younger viewers of the network’s programming may not understand this as a form of marketing.
Therefore, this practice could likely mislead viewers to believe cross promotion is simply part of
the program itself.
The literature review for this pilot study examined Albert Bandura’s social learning
theory, which says individuals mimic the behavior patterns and actions of others based on
individuals’ observation of others. Such observational learning is most prevalent among children
and occurs when there is an actual or perceived reward for the behavior.
In the case of Disney, the producers of “Hannah Montana” have created a character
within another character. The regular, normal young teenager, Miley Stewart—portrayed by
Miley Cyrus—is an average girl by day, but transforms to rock star Hannah Montana by night.
However, she keeps her pop star identity secret, with only her closest friends and family knowing
of her double life.
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Within the show, fans flock to see Hannah Montana concerts, buy her music, and even
imitate the pop star by dressing up as the pop princess. The same is true in reality, with parents
rushing to buy tickets to Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concerts and spending money on
everything “Hannah Montana.” Viewers are exposed to the frenzy over the Hannah Montana
character on the program, and repeat the behavior in reality when a new Hannah Montana CD is
released or a concert tour is announced.
In the content analysis, a small sample of “Hannah Montana” episodes were chosen
randomly, and two promotional breaks from each episode were analyzed. A codebook was
created to review whether a Disney personality was featured in promotional spots, and to
establish the age and gender of the personality. Additionally, if there was a Disney personality
used in the promotion, it was determined if there was a merchandise tie-in for the Disney interest
being marketed. Tendencies, such as coolness, popularity and trendiness, were analyzed for the
personalities to see if there was a pattern in the types of Disney actors featured in the spots.
For example, a promotion for a new television series, “Jonas,” was analyzed three times
because of the random sampling technique. The promotion featured a Disney-produced band, the
Jonas Brothers, who are popular among the same age group as the target audience for “Hannah
Montana.” The new program stars the brothers, who play themselves on the show. Each of the
brothers is attractive and appeared to be trendy, popular, and cool within the promotion. This
could suggest Disney’s deliberate marketing of “coolness” to tweens in order to promote another
Disney television program. Incidentally, the Jonas Brothers appeared as the opening act for the
Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus “Best of Both Worlds” concert tour, which began late in 2007.
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The patterns found in this pilot study suggest two things: 1) Disney uses teenagers to
market its programming during promotional breaks in “Hannah Montana” to the target audience
of girls, ages 6-14 years; and 2) although no paid advertising is aired on the Disney Channel,
there seems to be constant marketing of other Disney holdings to the young audience. If the
results of this small sample held up in a large scale study, it would likely support the hypothesis
presented in this pilot.
Secondary research also tends to support the hypothesis. As indicated in this study’s
literature review, the three main objectives of marketing to children are “to directly seek children
as customers, to work indirectly on parents through children’s ‘pester power,’ [and] to imprint the
younger generation with positive brand associations” (Dotson & Hyatt 36). Furthermore,
achieving these objectives becomes easier for the marketer because of the amount of
“discretionary income” children have today (Calvert 205). In essence, marketers want to turn
children into consumers.
In addition, although there are more media outlets to choose from, only a few large
companies control them (Dotson & Hyatt 36; Calvert 205). Disney is one of the top five media
organizations, a group which also includes Newsgroup, AOL-Time Warner, Universal Vivendi,
and Viacom (Dotson & Hyatt 36). This creates an opportunity for media conglomerates to cross-
promote programming and products across many platforms (Dotson & Hyatt 36; Calvert 205).
This cross promotion means consumers are likely to constantly receive commercial messages,
whether they realize it or not (Dotson & Hyatt 36).
This seems to be a more surreptitious marketing technique than traditional commercials
because the audience may not understand the motive behind the cross-promotion. Furthermore,
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the audience may not realize the extent of Disney’s corporate holdings and therefore may not
understand this marketing strategy. Celebrities are used in traditional paid advertisements on a
regular basis, but that type of marketing is more obvious than cross-promotion.
This study’s literature review also revealed that merchandise tie-ins have created
consumers out of children. Younger kids are spending their own money, their parents’ money, or
both, on brand-named merchandise (Dotson & Hyatt 35). During the 1990s, direct spending by
children tripled in the United States, and had increased significantly during the previous 30 years
(Dotson & Hyatt 35). In 1968, children aged 4-12 years spent approximately $2.2 billion of their
own money, but that figure reached in excess of $51.8 billion by 2006 (Dotson & Hyatt 35).
Along with spending their own money, children have increasingly shaped their parents’ spending
habits (Dotson & Hyatt 35).
If anything could be changed in this study, it would be to focus on the Disney Channel
overall rather than one specific television program. This may help determine if this is a pattern
across the board or specific to only one program. Additionally, more attention would be paid to
the idea of narrowcasting. While this was part of the hypothesis, little was done during the
content analysis to determine if the technique was being used, beyond looking at the age of
Disney personalities.
This pilot study should be expanded on a bigger scale to analyze more of Disney’s media
interests such as films, Web sites, cartoons, DVDs, and video games. If the results of this small
study held up in a larger study, it would suggest that Disney is more concerned with marketing
products and creating brands than it is entertaining an audience. From the results of the content
analysis, it appears there are patterns in the way Disney promotes its interests across various
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forms of media. For example, Disney Web sites are promoted on its cable network, and Disney
merchandise is marketed on Web sites.
While this pilot study suggests Disney uses cross promotion tactics to market all its
media interests, it is likely not the only media conglomerate to do so. If a study were conducted
on Viacom, for example, it would be interesting to find out if such patterns existed across all its
media platforms. Knowing so few companies control the majority of all media would likely lead
one to believe this to be true. However, unlike the Disney Channel there is paid advertising on
Viacom-owned media outlets targeted at children and teenagers, such as cable networks
Nickelodeon, Nicktoons Network, and Noggin. An expanded study entailing several different
media outlets owned by various media conglomerates would likely identify such patterns if they
existed.
SUMMARY
While it is difficult to prove the network’s intent, the patterns of cross-promotion and
narrowcasting discovered in this pilot study suggest the Disney Channel uses its own airwaves to
market its products to children. Further research is needed to determine if such marketing tactics
should be regulated or if the media giant is pushing the envelope of what is currently legal.
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APPENDIX
Content Analysis
Promotional Breaks Codebook
Hypothesis
Disney uses cross-promotion and narrowcasting in television programs, such as Hannah Montana, as a tool to market merchandise to tweens rather than solely to entertain.
Definitions
• A Disney personality is an actor, actress, singer, or other entertainer who has regularly appeared in Disney films, television programs, and/or music productions.
• A promotion is similar to a commercial. However, Disney Channel has no paid advertisements, therefore the breaks within the program are “promotional breaks” rather than “commercial breaks.” Commercials are paid advertisements from outside sources, whereas promotions are not paid for by outside sources.
• Popular means well-known, but not necessarily well-liked. Popular characters are those who have a high status in the program and are known—at least by name—by most other characters.
• Cool means well-liked, a leader within the group of characters. He or she is admired by other characters, who try to emulate what the cool character does.
• Trendy means fashionable or in style, with other characters trying to copy or follow the style of the trendy character.
InstructionsAnswer the questions for each promotional break during episodes of Hannah Montana. During first break, code the first promotion of the break; for the second break, code the last promotion of the break.
ATTENTION
Break #1, first spot after break in show
1. Title of Hannah Montana episode during which promotion was run:
2. Air date/time:
3. Number of promotional breaks during the episode:
4. Item, product, or event being promoted:
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5. Is there at least one Disney personality (e.g. character, actor, musical artist) featured in the
promotion?
If yes, answer questions #6 through #8 for each personality, up to five total.
6. Gender:
Personality: 1 2 3 4 5
(a) male(b) female(c) other(d) cannot code
7. Age:
Personality: 1 2 3 4 5
(a) child (5-8)(b) tween (9-12)(c) teenager (13-18)(d) young adult (19-25)(e) adult (25+)(f) other(g) cannot code
8. Race:
Personality: 1 2 3 4 5
(a) White/Caucasian(b) Black/African American(c) Asian/Asian American(d) Latino/Latina/Hispanic(e) American Indian/Native American(f) other(g) cannot code
EMPHASIS
9. Amount of time the Disney personality is on screen:
(a) 100%
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(b) 75-99%(c) 50-74%(d) 25-49%(e) 0-24%(f) other(g) cannot code
10. At what point during the episode did the promotion appear?
(a) beginning (first half of episode)(b) middle (halfway through episode)(c) ending (end of episode)(d) closing (after final scene/ending credits)
11. The promotion was for:
(a) a product(b) a service(c) both a product and a service(d) television program(e) movie (televised or box office)(f) Web site(g) other(h) cannot code
TENDENCY
Indicate which traits the main spokesperson possesses or displays during the promotion or by reputation. Average or mixed would be #3. If unable to determine or inapplicable, mark cannot code.
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
12. Popular Unpopular
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
13. Attractive Unattractive
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
14. Kind Mean
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cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
15. Cool Nerdy
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
16. Trendy Untrendy
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
17. Thin Overweight
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
18. Happy Unhappy
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
19. Confident Unconfident
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
20. Athletic Not Athletic
Break #2, last spot before returning to show
1. Title of Hannah Montana episode during which promotion was run:
2. Air date/time:
3. Number of promotional breaks during the episode:
4. Item, product, or event being promoted:
5. Is there at least one Disney personality (e.g. character, actor, musical artist) featured in the
promotion?
If yes, answer questions #6 through #8 for each personality, up to five total.
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6. Gender:
Personality: 1 2 3 4 5
(a) male(b) female(c) other(d) cannot code
7. Age:
Personality: 1 2 3 4 5
(a) child (5-8)(b) tween (9-12)(c) teenager (13-18)(d) young adult (19-25)(e) adult (25+)(f) other(g) cannot code
8. Race:
Personality: 1 2 3 4 5
(a) White/Caucasian(b) Black/African American(c) Asian/Asian American(d) Latino/Latina/Hispanic(e) American Indian/Native American(f) other(g) cannot code
EMPHASIS
9. Amount of time the Disney personality is on screen:
(a) 100%(b) 75-99%(c) 50-74%(d) 25-49%(e) 0-24%(f) other(g) cannot code
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10. At what point during the episode did the promotion appear?
(a) beginning (first half of episode)(b) middle (halfway through episode)(c) ending (end of episode)(d) closing (after final scene/ending credits)
11. The promotion was for:
(a) a product(b) a service(c) both a product and a service(d) television program(e) movie (televised or box office)(f) Web site(g) other(h) cannot code
TENDENCY
Indicate which traits the main spokesperson possesses or displays during the promotion or by reputation. Average or mixed would be #3. If unable to determine or inapplicable, mark cannot code.
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
12. Popular Unpopular
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
13. Attractive Unattractive
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
14. Kind Mean
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
15. Cool Nerdy
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
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16. Trendy Untrendy
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
17. Thin Overweight
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
18. Happy Unhappy
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
19. Confident Unconfident
cannot code 1 2 3 4 5
20. Athletic Not Athletic
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EPILOGUE
I pursued this topic for personal reasons. I have an 8-year-old daughter who is a Hannah
Montana fan. As a preschooler, she loved the Disney Princesses and Disney’s animated program,
“Kim Possible.” She was very much into Disney characters, but I was not sure how she was
initially exposed to the characters since I had not introduced them to her.
I found it puzzling when she became interested in the characters Cinderella and Snow
White because she had never seen either Disney film. However, she had received a Disney
Princess toy that featured these characters. Once she had one toy, she wanted her room decorated
with Princesses, then she wanted Princess books and dolls, and so on. She was especially
fascinated with the character Belle, the princess in the animated film, Beauty and the Beast. To
this day she has never seen the film, yet Belle was her absolute favorite.
As she got older, I let her watch cartoons on Disney Channel. This is when she moved
away from the Princesses toward her next obsession, “Kim Possible.” It was her favorite show
and her favorite character for about two years. I bought her Kim Possible t-shirts, pajamas,
DVDs, music CDs, posters, and toys. Once she outgrew that, things were quiet for a while. Then
all of a sudden, Hannah made her debut.
I remember “Hannah Montana” being hyped on Disney Channel while my daughter
watched “Kim Possible,” but she never revealed any interest in the show. However, once her
friends at school started talking about it, she started watching it as well. Fast forward to the
present, and her room is now decorated with Hannah Montana posters, and I made her bedding
out of Hannah Montana fabric as a surprise for her eighth birthday. She has a couple DVDs of
the show, plus the concert DVD and all the music CDs. She has at least four fashion dolls: two
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Hannah, one Miley and one Lilly—all characters on the show. She also has several Hannah
Montana t-shirts, nightgowns, shoes, hairbrushes, novels, board games, and video games.
I admit that I am guilty of buying her things related to Hannah Montana. I shelled out
over $100 for two nosebleed tickets to the concert, and sat through the Jonas Brothers, Miley
Cyrus, and her alter ego Hannah Montana—all for my little girl. Other parents did the same
thing, as many of her friends went to the concert as well. She doesn’t watch the show very often,
mainly because it is on at a time when I do not let either of my children watch television. At this
point, it is a relatively harmless “phase” she is going through. Another character will likely
replace Hannah in the near future. But, in my opinion, that tends to prove the point of this paper.
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