Disney World

 

Disney is launching an elaborate new version of its UK website on Monday, combining its retail and content offerings with virtual worlds, widgets and interactive tools as it tries to cement its audience base among a new generation of web-savvy children.The new site is designed to be a “front door to everything Disney”. Disney.co.uk will use “one-click” navigational tools that allow users to browse the site by Disney character, brand, media platform. Or by selecting a different profile, such as boy, girl, teen or family to view content through a customised, relevant home page.Customised channels on the site include Hannah Montana, High School Musical and Pirates of the Caribbean, which all push branded merchandise, DVDs, trailers, live events and games, which Disney found to be the most popular content among younger users.The site also promotes Club Penguin as a channel, linking to the children’s social networking site bought by Disney in August for about £175m in cash and £175m performance dependent.”We want to present ourselves in the way that guests think of us rather than the way we think of our business,” said Disney’s UK vice-president of technology and operations, Myles MacBean.”Our research shows that our guests think of the brand in terms of characters.”

Disney.co.uk will be advertising-supported from launch, using ads on widgets, overlay ads on video and sponsored elements as well as display, but also generate revenues from merchandise sales.The site promotes a wide range of content and products around each brand, such as video trailers, games, DVDs, live events and music, although users cannot watch films or TV shows in full on the site.MacBean said Disney’s research had identified two different consumption patterns; sitting and watching a film, and snacking on small chunks of content. The site is designed for the latter.Disney’s senior vice-president and managing director for Europe, Cindy Rose, added that the site launching on Monday includes some exclusive web content, such as interviews and mini episodes, and that full TV shows or movies on the site would happen “some day”.The site also features a customiseable channel, Disney Xtreme Digital, that invites users to add and share content and small branded tools or widgets, along with a proprietary messaging tool.Disney has implemented strict parental controls, so that all instant messages are limited to pre-written answers unless parental permission has been granted for free chat. The site also uses keyword monitoring and human moderators to check its content.Rose said Disney has a tradition of marrying storytelling with new technology, and that the new site enabled the same basic play patterns that children have always had.”Technology has empowered the audience. Today’s kids are online community literate and naturally multitask, combining watching TV with playing a game, messaging their friends at the same time,” she added.

---