To alert the media of the start of the production of the movie "Oz the Great and Powerful", the Walt Disney Studios put out a news release to generate publicity for the new movie. The news release was released on July 25, 2011, almost a year before the premier of the movie.
Disney used the news release to inform the public of their plans to create the movie and that they had already started production.
Check out the news release:
http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/730
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Blogging About Oz
Social media not only allows a company to directly communicate with the public, but it also allows for two-way communication. The Disney Company attacks the concept of social media head-on with their blog, Disney Parks Blog. Here, many Disney experts keep readers updated on all things happening within the world-wide parks.
Thomas Smith, the Social Media Director of Disney Parks, posts a weekly blog called "Take 5". It is a weekly re-cap of the must-reads for that week. On March 9, 2013, he posted "Take 5: 'Oz the Great and Powerful' at Disney Parks." This post had links to 5 posts about the movie in the parks:
Check out Thomas Smith's Take 5!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/03/take-5-oz-the-great-and-powerful-at-disney-parks/
Thomas Smith, the Social Media Director of Disney Parks, posts a weekly blog called "Take 5". It is a weekly re-cap of the must-reads for that week. On March 9, 2013, he posted "Take 5: 'Oz the Great and Powerful' at Disney Parks." This post had links to 5 posts about the movie in the parks:
- Celebrating Springtime at Epcot in the Land of Oz
- Get a Sneak Peek at 'Oz the Great and Powerful' at Disney California Adventure Park During 'Limited Time Magic'
- Disney Parks Celebrate 'Oz the Great and Powerful' with New Merchandise
- The Land of Oz Garden Magically Appears at Epcot
- Off to See the Wizard: 'Journey to Oz Balloon Tour' Visits the Disneyland Resort
Check out Thomas Smith's Take 5!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/03/take-5-oz-the-great-and-powerful-at-disney-parks/
Facebook and Twitter
The Facebook Page:
The most important element to the website is their links to social media like Facebook and Twitter.
The "Oz the Great and Powerful" Facebook page has over 940,000 likes and states that over 37,000 people talking about the movie.
Check out the website here:
http://disney.go.com/thewizard/#
The Facebook page includes videos and photos from the movie, a sweepstakes, and a map of the Balloon Tour. The Balloon Tour is an actual hot air balloon that says "Oz the Great and Powerful" on it, and it travels across the country. Followers can vote for a city that is close to them to have the balloon come visit them as well an early Imax screening.
Disney utilizes social media as a tool to generate news for the movie. Specifically the sweepstakes, will entice people to not only like the "Oz the Great and Powerful" Facebook page, but also enter the sweepstakes. The Facebook page also generates anticipation for the movie. The page was created on May 25, 2011, almost two years before the movie actually premiered. Even after the movie has been in theaters for many weeks, Disney continues to post onto the page; the most recent was April 15, 2013. By making sure that the page is updated, Disney can keep the movie fresh in its followers mind.
Social media also allows Disney to reach people directly. A post can be seen right in their newsfeed along with posts from their friends. Social media also allows for two-way communication. People can leave comments or ask questions directly to Disney, who can easily respond.
Check out the Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/OzTheGreatAndPowerful
Twitter:
In the same way as Facebook, Disney uses Twitter to reach people directly and to keep them updated and informed. The Twitter was established on November 8, 2012 and its most recent post was March 25, 2013. The website also contains the twitter feed on the homepage.
Check out the Twitter page here:
https://twitter.com/DisneyOzMovie
The most important element to the website is their links to social media like Facebook and Twitter.
The "Oz the Great and Powerful" Facebook page has over 940,000 likes and states that over 37,000 people talking about the movie.
 |
| http://disney.go.com/thewizard/#/gallery |
Check out the website here:
http://disney.go.com/thewizard/#
The Facebook page includes videos and photos from the movie, a sweepstakes, and a map of the Balloon Tour. The Balloon Tour is an actual hot air balloon that says "Oz the Great and Powerful" on it, and it travels across the country. Followers can vote for a city that is close to them to have the balloon come visit them as well an early Imax screening.
Disney utilizes social media as a tool to generate news for the movie. Specifically the sweepstakes, will entice people to not only like the "Oz the Great and Powerful" Facebook page, but also enter the sweepstakes. The Facebook page also generates anticipation for the movie. The page was created on May 25, 2011, almost two years before the movie actually premiered. Even after the movie has been in theaters for many weeks, Disney continues to post onto the page; the most recent was April 15, 2013. By making sure that the page is updated, Disney can keep the movie fresh in its followers mind.
Social media also allows Disney to reach people directly. A post can be seen right in their newsfeed along with posts from their friends. Social media also allows for two-way communication. People can leave comments or ask questions directly to Disney, who can easily respond.
Check out the Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/OzTheGreatAndPowerful
Twitter:
In the same way as Facebook, Disney uses Twitter to reach people directly and to keep them updated and informed. The Twitter was established on November 8, 2012 and its most recent post was March 25, 2013. The website also contains the twitter feed on the homepage.
Check out the Twitter page here:
https://twitter.com/DisneyOzMovie
Website
The Website:
The website for "Oz the Great and Powerful" is one of the best I have ever seen. The 3-D like background allows users to scroll around the scene to view at different angles.
Users can watch videos like:
Check out the website:
http://disney.go.com/thewizard/#
The Facebook Page:
The most important element to the website is their links to social media like Facebook and Twitter.
The "Oz the Great and Powerful" Facebook page has over 940,000 likes and states that over 37,000 people talking about the movie.
The Facebook page includes videos and photos from the movie, a sweepstakes, and a map of the Balloon Tour. The Balloon Tour is an actual hot air balloon that says "Oz the Great and Powerful" on it, and it travels across the country. Followers can vote for a city that is close to them to have the balloon come visit them as well an early Imax screening.
Disney utilizes social media as a tool to generate news for the movie. Specifically the sweepstakes, will entice people to not only like the "Oz the Great and Powerful" Facebook page, but also enter the sweepstakes. The Facebook page also generates anticipation for the movie. The page was created on May 25, 2011, almost two years before the movie actually premiered. Even after the movie has been in theaters for many weeks, Disney continues to post onto the page; the most recent was April 15, 2013. By making sure that the page is updated, Disney can keep the movie fresh in its followers mind.
The website for "Oz the Great and Powerful" is one of the best I have ever seen. The 3-D like background allows users to scroll around the scene to view at different angles.
 |
| http://disney.go.com/thewizard/# |
- Trailers
- Opening title sequence
- Exclusive clips
- Music videos
- Cast-member interviews
Check out the website:
http://disney.go.com/thewizard/#
The Facebook Page:
The most important element to the website is their links to social media like Facebook and Twitter.
The "Oz the Great and Powerful" Facebook page has over 940,000 likes and states that over 37,000 people talking about the movie.
The Facebook page includes videos and photos from the movie, a sweepstakes, and a map of the Balloon Tour. The Balloon Tour is an actual hot air balloon that says "Oz the Great and Powerful" on it, and it travels across the country. Followers can vote for a city that is close to them to have the balloon come visit them as well an early Imax screening.
Disney utilizes social media as a tool to generate news for the movie. Specifically the sweepstakes, will entice people to not only like the "Oz the Great and Powerful" Facebook page, but also enter the sweepstakes. The Facebook page also generates anticipation for the movie. The page was created on May 25, 2011, almost two years before the movie actually premiered. Even after the movie has been in theaters for many weeks, Disney continues to post onto the page; the most recent was April 15, 2013. By making sure that the page is updated, Disney can keep the movie fresh in its followers mind.
Online Merchandise
Disney has a very large online store where they sell everything from small kitchen appliances to jewelry to toys. All of the merchandise sold at disneystore.com are themed around Disney characters, movies, and Disney park attractions.
The Disney Store also sells "Oz the Great and Powerful" merchandise to promote the movie. This merchandise includes:
http://www.disneystore.com/oz-the-great-and-powerful/mn/1016702/?catalogFromSearch=10002
The Disney Store also sells "Oz the Great and Powerful" merchandise to promote the movie. This merchandise includes:
- Adult and child costumes
- Accessories
- Dolls
- Stuffed Animals
- Vinylmations (figurines)
- Clothing
- Bags
- Mugs
- Journals/ Notecards
- Office Accessories
http://www.disneystore.com/oz-the-great-and-powerful/mn/1016702/?catalogFromSearch=10002
Disneyland Merchandise!
Where ever you go in Disneyland, there are gift shops everywhere. After every attraction or show there is a gift shop that sells merchandise themed around that ride or characters.
Not only does Disney take advantage of their parks to sell their character merchandise, but also to sell their movie merchandise. This not only promotes the movie, but also sells merchandise.
The shops in Disneyland were full of "Oz the Great and Powerful" merchandise. Items included...
Not only does Disney take advantage of their parks to sell their character merchandise, but also to sell their movie merchandise. This not only promotes the movie, but also sells merchandise.
The shops in Disneyland were full of "Oz the Great and Powerful" merchandise. Items included...
Vinylmation (Disney Figurines) and Books
Oz Dolls
T-Shirts
Costume Hats
Hidden Within the Park
Within the Disneyland park are various displays of "Oz the Great and Powerful" props and replicas promoting the movie.
Here are replicas of the costumes worn by Glinda, the good witch, and the Wizard in the movie.
A display case in an art gallery contained an Oz crown, music box, china doll, and Oz hat.
Specialty Products; Oz-Style!
While on the hunt for a lunch venue in Disney's California Adventure park, I came across a hotdog stand called Award Wieners. The stand looked promising by the long line of people waiting to order and the extensive menu specialty hotdogs above the ordering windows.
While at the ordering window I noticed that Award Wieners was offering something very special; a lunch themed around the movie, "Oz the Great and Powerful."
The hotdog was called the "Yellow Brick Roll" and was made of a Kobe all-beef Chicago-style hotdog. It is served with cheddar-poppy yellow roll with dill pickles, tomatoes, onions, pepperoncini and sweet emerald green relish.
The "yellow-brick" roll makes reference to the yellow-brick road that leads to the Emerald City. The roll also has poppy-seeds in it, which in the movie, the poppy field causes visitors to fall fast asleep. The Emerald City is also represented by the emerald green relishes.
The specialty drink was called the "Wizard Blizzard", which was a concoction of lemonade, granny smith apple flavoring, and was topped with a citrus foam. Oh, and the entire drink glowed!
By offering a special product to advertise a movie, it not only attracts those who like the movie to the product, but also attract those who like the product to the movie. Disney thought outside of the box and created a way to weave in the "Oz" movie in an unexpected but pleasant place. This is marketing genius. The public expects to be able to buy movie merchandise and to see commercials promoting the movie on TV. By offering this product, Disney not only increases their chances to make a sale, but also increases awareness of the movie.
Check out this link to Disney's food blog post featuring these specialty products:
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/04/16/dining-in-disneyland-award-wieners-serving-up-oz-themed-menu-items/
While at the ordering window I noticed that Award Wieners was offering something very special; a lunch themed around the movie, "Oz the Great and Powerful."
The hotdog was called the "Yellow Brick Roll" and was made of a Kobe all-beef Chicago-style hotdog. It is served with cheddar-poppy yellow roll with dill pickles, tomatoes, onions, pepperoncini and sweet emerald green relish. The "yellow-brick" roll makes reference to the yellow-brick road that leads to the Emerald City. The roll also has poppy-seeds in it, which in the movie, the poppy field causes visitors to fall fast asleep. The Emerald City is also represented by the emerald green relishes.
The specialty drink was called the "Wizard Blizzard", which was a concoction of lemonade, granny smith apple flavoring, and was topped with a citrus foam. Oh, and the entire drink glowed!
By offering a special product to advertise a movie, it not only attracts those who like the movie to the product, but also attract those who like the product to the movie. Disney thought outside of the box and created a way to weave in the "Oz" movie in an unexpected but pleasant place. This is marketing genius. The public expects to be able to buy movie merchandise and to see commercials promoting the movie on TV. By offering this product, Disney not only increases their chances to make a sale, but also increases awareness of the movie.
Check out this link to Disney's food blog post featuring these specialty products:
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/04/16/dining-in-disneyland-award-wieners-serving-up-oz-themed-menu-items/
A Sneak Peek!
While in Disneyland, I came across a giant billboard-like cut out for "Oz the Great and Powerful" in the Disney's California Adventure park.
The giant sign was not only a great photo-op for tourists, but also a sign advertising that the park hosts a 4-D Sneak Peek of the movie. Any guest who visited the attraction "Muppet*Vision 3-D" got this sneak peak of the movie.
A 4-D attraction in Disneyland or Disney World is usually a 3-D movie with extra elements that make it 4-D. For example, if a character in the movie sneezes towards the camera, the audience may get sprinkled with water. This technique makes the audience feel like they are in the movie being sneezed on.
Disney advertises this movie to not only Disney-lovers who are visiting the park, but also to families and individuals who like the Muppets and visit that attraction. Disney took advantage of the audience that was already sitting, waiting for the attraction to start. This raises awareness of the movie to the audience and also gives the audience a sample of the movie to entice them to want more of it. This is similar to the goal of a movie trailer or a commercial.
Check out the Disney Parks Blog featuring this exclusive 4-D sneak peek!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/02/get-a-sneak-peek-at-oz-the-great-and-powerful-at-disney-california-adventure-park-during-limited-time-magic/
A 4-D attraction in Disneyland or Disney World is usually a 3-D movie with extra elements that make it 4-D. For example, if a character in the movie sneezes towards the camera, the audience may get sprinkled with water. This technique makes the audience feel like they are in the movie being sneezed on.
Disney advertises this movie to not only Disney-lovers who are visiting the park, but also to families and individuals who like the Muppets and visit that attraction. Disney took advantage of the audience that was already sitting, waiting for the attraction to start. This raises awareness of the movie to the audience and also gives the audience a sample of the movie to entice them to want more of it. This is similar to the goal of a movie trailer or a commercial.
Check out the Disney Parks Blog featuring this exclusive 4-D sneak peek!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/02/get-a-sneak-peek-at-oz-the-great-and-powerful-at-disney-california-adventure-park-during-limited-time-magic/
Friday, March 15, 2013
Hi, I'm Victoria Lamanna, a public relations student at Utica College. The purpose of this blog will be to follow the many ways that the Disney Company promotes their new movie "Oz the Great and Powerful". So far, they have played commercials, released merchandise, and much more. Check back for my next post where I will be observing how the Disney Company promotes "Oz" in their theme parks. Yes, that's right! My next stop is Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
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