It is officially winter here in Central New York. And my favorite way to cope with the snow is to watch Frozen. Nine months ago, I received my Collectors Edition Frozen Blu-ray and DVD combo pack. And I was just a little excited to say the least:
I watched the movie immediately and was then eager to view the special features, including the making of the film and deleted scenes. Unfortunately for me, these special features were only on the Blu-ray disk, and as I am still stuck in 2007 with my hip DVD player, I was unable to watch the bonus content. The next day, I noticed that all of the special features promised to the Blu-ray and DVD were available on the Walt Disney Animation Studios YouTube channel.
It was all there.
Deleted scenes:
.
Extended scenes:
.
And behind the scenes:
.
This was the first time in forever that I had seen Disney release its bonus content directly to its YouTube channel. I would have expected the company to keep the material exclusive to the Blu-ray and DVD to drive sales. But I proved myself wrong nine months later in developing a research paper on the subject of public relations and YouTube. I selected Disney’s YouTube presence as a case study for the subject. And I’m happy to report that Disney is definitely doing it right and keeping its publics (before profits) in mind with its video content.
YouTube is a major site for sharing video content, which comes from a variety of channels, including entertainment companies, news agencies, individual vloggers, musicians, and more. It is a direct and essentially free way to share video content with the world (besides the advertisements, but viewers don’t really “pay”for those directly). The responsibility to handle YouTube as an effective tool for communications falls to the public relations professionals.
In Disney’s case, YouTube is being used to create brand identity and loyalty to the characters, stories, music, and memories all Disney fans love. And now, fans can access this content whenever they choose. The company has over 20 YouTube channels that each display a specific genre of content, including movies, music, theme parks, television, theater, and more. Each of these channels appeal to niche audiences that together form Disney’s entire public. Disney uses YouTube to communicate with viewers in the comments and receive feedback from the number of views, likes, and shares.
As discussed in my Big Hero 6 blog post, Disney’s YouTube channels are also one of the most effective ways that the company promotes its movies. Teaser trailers for Big Hero 6 and Frozen were released nearly six months before the movies hit theaters, but weren’t seen on regular television until the final weeks before the releases. This is a smart choice for Disney and other movie makers, because YouTube videos are more shareable, and can likely capture more views than traditional televised trailers since many people are watching their computer, tablet, or smartphone instead of the television. Disney also combines YouTube with its other social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) to ensure that the content will be seen by those who do not subscribe to the YouTube channel.
And the best thing about YouTube as a tool for entertainment public relations is that everyone wins. The publics are happy because there is more content readily available to them that they can like, comment, and share with their friends. They feel more involved in the process of a new film coming out or a theme park attraction being built. Audience members want to connect with brands they enjoy over social media, and enjoy connecting with the community of other fans as well. The organizations create a stronger brand identity, receive instant research and feedback, listen to its publics, build a better reputation and illustrate synergy among various aspects of the company.
YouTube is still relatively young, along with other social media, and it will certainly continue to change. But with its boundary spanning, strategic planning and synergy, Disney is well prepared to lead the way. With this case study in mind, I believe professionals can make better use of YouTube as a tool for public relations and achieve better communications with publics.
And when they do, they can celebrate with a #BaymaxFistBump
{Emily's Flip Book} 