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Stupid is as stupid does: Disney Netbooks

06/21/09 06:37 AM Filed in: Doomed to fail
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There are some branding moves that at a gut level are so stupid it makes you say out loud “what the hell were they thinking”? I could not help but think that when I saw a news stories about Disney’s move into the netbook computer market with two models, one for girls and one for boys. As a Disney employee tried to justify the move he said “it can block access to certain Internet sites”...news to Disney executives: Windows and a variety of simple software programs allow parents to block access to unacceptable Internet sites.




Kids are a hell of lot smarter today then we give them credit for. They want the latest gadgets from cell phones to PDA’s and it’s cool to have an Apple iPod. Can you therefore imagine a small child carrying around a pink Disney netbook? Then there are the wi-fi charges that could come as the kids decide that they want to play on the Web with friends outside. This is not just a dumb idea it frankly defies logic but this is what happens when you use market research to support rather than for illumination.


The best thing that Disney could have done was to license its brand name to Dell or HP and let them deal with the needed support and marketing as experts in computer marketing. There are times when your gut has to overrule research and someone has to stand up and say “this doesn’t make sense”. I’m sure there are Power Points after Power Point with forecasts and business plans that made someone say “this is a good move”. But even thought the netbook market is growing at 300% this is one of the dumbest brand moves I have seen.
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