The Walt Disney Company has developed solid strategies for marketing over the course of the company's history. Disney has excelled at drawing in its target audience, which includes both young children and seasoned adults alike. A good example of how Disney has been so successful at their marketing is the iconic characters that the company has created. Icons like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Elsa, Snow White, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and so many more have captured the affection of many people's hearts across a multitude of age ranges. Disney has made sure that these characters have a large presence around the world, as they can be seen all over Disney's various theme parks, television networks, and their various social media accounts.
While Disney does market towards everyone, their primary target audience is still children. Disney has marketed towards children with the copious amounts of merchandise that they have released for both new releases and old classics, the Disney channels and the television shows that are produced through that network, and the strong advertising and promoting of their theme parks.
An example for how Disney targets everyone has been their acquisitions of both Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm Ltd., which gave them access to more iconic characters, such as Darth Vader and Captain America. While the movies and television shows that Disney has produced with these franchises, such as Black Panther (2018) and The Mandalorian (2019), have been targeted to all age ranges, many past Star Wars or Marvel fans are likely to watch these movies because of Nostalgia or because these characters or stories played a large role in their childhood. These adults could then introduce what they love about these franchises to their own children through these new films and television shows, which relates back to how Disney's wide scope of marketing targets almost everyone.
Disney's D23 expo is also a way that Disney has marketing their films and other productions. The first of these expos took place from September 10 through September 13 in Anaheim, California, which allowed Disney to showcase the productions that their studios were currently working on. From then on, most years have had an expo to deliver information and news on the films, television shows, and studios that they are currently working on. Disney will also occasionally release previews for their upcoming productions on Monday Night Football on the ABC network, whether they be short teasers for television shows or final trailers for big releases.
An important area of the world that Disney particularly relies on for a large percentage of their international box office profit is China. China is one of the countries that can bring in the most gross from theaters, so Disney tries to give their films and other projects a strong presence in China. To do this, they will often release special posters for their upcoming movies that release for the Chinese New Year.
In short, Disney's large cast of recognizable and beloved characters, as well as its large amount of brands in its portfolio. It markets these brands and releases new productions through its various networks, such as the Disney channels and the other television networks that Disney owns, such as ABC and ESPN, films, and through its variety of theme parks around the world. This large networks of Franchises and attractions allows The Walt Disney Company to market towards people of all age groups.