Disney+ marketing push goes down to the wire
Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, has officially launched today (Tuesday 12 November).
Roving musicians in New York will be playing music from Star Wars to promote Disney+
The Disney+ marketing team has taken to the streets of New York City for ‘Plus Up Your Day’ as part of a continued last-minute awareness blitz.
It has lined busy midtown Manhattan with a so-called streaming cube, a glass truck where passersby can demo and sign up for Disney+; a 12-foot LED truck displaying Disney+ content; a “plus up” treats truck with Simpsons-themed donuts, coffee and Disney+ cookies; and roving musicians that will fill the Midtown air with music from Disney’s library of content.
The Disney+ onslaught began in earnest in October with a “basically everything” digital campaign across Instagram, YouTube and a near-endless Twitter thread that showed off the service’s library of more than 8,000 movies and shows.
If potential subscribers managed to avoid the Mouse House in-person and online, the entertainment giant spent big over the last month to catch them on TV.
Between 1 September and 10 November, Disney+ ran more than 2,500 TV spots and spent an estimated $24.9m in TV, according to data from iSpot. The livingroom push picked up even more steam since the start of November.
Disney+ is launching at $6.99, but it’s run into technical problems on day one.
The consumer demand for Disney+ has exceeded our high expectations. We are working to quickly resolve the current user issue. We appreciate your patience.
— Disney+ Help (@DisneyPlusHelp) November 12, 2019
A Disney spokesperon said: “The consumer demand for Disney+ has exceeded our highest expectations. While we are pleased by this incredible response, we are aware of the current user issues and are working to swiftly resolve them. We appreciate your patience.”
Disney is also putting on a similar 'Plus Up Your Day' experience today in Los Angeles. The company has also partnered with Lyft and UrbanStems to offer promo codes as a national awareness play.
It launches just one week after Apple TV+ and the same week as BritBox in the UK.