I just received an e-mail promotion for Disney Institute corporate training and executive growth coaching – called “D-Thinking your Organization”. In keeping with the Disney brand of old, it’s professional, well-done, creative and deceptively simple. It shows an image of two executives (presumably) with large cardboard cartons on their head, sort of sparring in the hallway – ostensibly thinking “inside-the-box”.

Disney execs have long been revered for their creativity and resourcefulness, and more importantly for instilling the company culture in their employees so deeply that it affects the rest of their lives in a very positive way. I’ve seen a couple of them speak and it’s mesmerizing to hear their stories of how their customer-oriented service-excessive culture affects the lives of employees and customers alike. Tremendous stories of how good-will on the part of one person in a very minor role in the company affects a customer in a profound way to the point where they become eternal evangelists for the brand. This is the nirvana all brand managers seek, and they have found it, achieved it, and kept it alive after the loss of the founder many years ago.

The point is that the e-mail promotion, a medium that many so-called marketing gurus have determined is of limited value for corporate marketing due to saturation of the audience, lack of permanence and a host of other reasons, worked – it reached a potential customer, a qualified prospect (me) and got my attention to the point where I not only read the whole thing, but studied the image, analyzed the copy and the headline, and filed it rather than deleting it. So much for gurus.

The Disney brand extends to every facet of their business, and promotion is no exception. They always manage to be tasteful, honest, transparent and relevant, while being effective in showing their creativity and expertise, in subtle, understated ways. When they undertake something, it’s done RIGHT. Occasionally that means they’re a little behind the curve in terms of time or adoption of technology, but when they get there, all the bugs are worked out, they maximize the medium’s potential, and put it to best use for their purposes. Kudos.

If you want to see how effective your brand is, or test it to see if it’s functioning as well as Walt Disney’s, request my recent article, “Brand Assessment Tools You Can Use Today” in the comment box below and I’ll send you a copy if you leave me your e-mail address.

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