In the beginning, my thoughts were to research about
marketing to children and how consumerism is changing the culture of childhood.
This led me to reading about “new nostalgia.” It can be described as a
marketing tool of reintroducing past popular products, such as toys to a new
generation of kids. Thus, my direction shifted and then became more focused
with helpful advice from our professor in regard to choosing a relevant, iconic
type of toy, such as Barbies or a classic theme park such as Disneyland.
Thereafter, I chose Disney Princess. I read about how Disney was experiencing
financial trouble in 1999. The Disney princesses’ Snow White, Cinderella,
Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, and Mulan were marketed as a package. This
brilliant marketing campaign saved Disney’s lackluster sales. The Disney
princess brand now supersedes Mickey Mouse as being more popular (based on
sales) and has flooded the children’s market with dolls, costumes, books,
videos, and gadgets etc. I will be examining how Disney reinvented itself with
the princesses.
