If Walt Disney were to look at your marketing plan today, chances are he'd likely chuckle into his iconic moustache before reaching for his red pen. Not because he was a cruel man – quite the contrary – but because most of us are making the same marketing blunders that he masterfully avoided nearly a century ago.
"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." – Walt Disney
Here's the bottom line...
Your Customers Are Being Put to Sleep Faster Than Snow White
Let's be brutally honest for a moment. Your marketing probably has all the excitement of a British summer – technically it's present, but sadly it's hardly noticeable.
Your potential customers aren't looking for another bland, corporate message about how your widget is 15% more efficient than the competitor's widget. That's about as thrilling as watching paint dry while someone reads you the telephone directory.
The REAL problem is that you're failing to create an emotional connection with your audience. Walt Disney didn't build an empire by selling animated films – he sold FEELINGS.
Magic.
Wonder.
Nostalgia.
Adventure.
Happiness.
Meanwhile, you're over there sending out newsletters with subject lines like "March Business Update" and wondering why your open rates are lower than my expectations for decent UK weather on a Bank Holiday weekend.
It's Getting Worse, I'm Afraid
The consequences of emotionless marketing aren't just poor engagement metrics. They threaten your very existence.
You see, in today's overcrowded marketplace, being forgettable is a death sentence. Your customers are bombarded with approximately 5,000 marketing messages DAILY. If you're not creating meaningful emotional connections, you're essentially invisible – like a man wearing camouflage at a 'Where's Wally' convention.
Your competition isn't just the business down the road anymore. It's EVERY piece of content fighting for your customer's limited attention. That hilarious cat video. The latest Twitter outrage. An oddly satisfying TikTok video their niece sent them.
So what's a stressed-out, overworked business owner to do?
Well, what did Walt do?
Walt's Secret Weapon: The Art of Storytelling
Walt Disney understood something fundamental that most marketers still haven't grasped: human beings are hardwired for stories. We don't make decisions based on facts and figures; we make them based on emotions and narratives.
Here's how to implement Disney-level storytelling in your own marketing:
1. Find Your "Once Upon a Time" 🏰
Every business has an origin story. Mine involves an embarrassing amount of coffee, a catastrophic client presentation, and a subsequent epiphany while hiding in the loo. What's yours?
Your customers don't want your mission statement. They want to know WHY you do what you do. What dragon are you slaying? What princess are you rescuing? What kingdom are you building?
Action step #1: Rewrite your "About Us" page as a hero's journey. Who were you before? What challenge did you face? How did you overcome it? What wisdom did you gain that now benefits your customers?
2. Create Character-Driven Marketing 👸
Disney doesn't sell rides; it sells encounters with beloved characters on a journey. You go to meet MICKEY MOUSE, a character you've known since childhood.
Your business needs distinctive characters too – whether that's you as the founder, your team members, or even personified versions of your products or services.
Action step #2: Identify who your "characters" are and give them distinctive traits, voices, and stories. Your accounting software isn't just efficient; it's "The Perfectionist" who never misses a detail and always has your back come tax season.
3. Build Immersive Experiences 🎢
When you visit Disney World, you're not just going to an amusement park; you're entering entirely different worlds. Every detail – from the staff ("cast members") to the rubbish bins – is designed to maintain the illusion.
Action step #3: Revisit your customer journey from first touch to post-purchase. Is it consistent? Does it tell an easy to understand story? Even something as simple as themed email confirmations or creative packaging can transform a transaction into an experience.
Time to Reimagine Your Marketing Kingdom
Walt once said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible." Your mission now is to transform your marketing from forgettable to magical.
I recently worked with a bakery that was struggling to stand out. Rather than just advertising their bread as "freshly baked" (yawn), we created a story around "The 4am Club" – the bakers who work while the town sleeps, performing their "flour magic" in the quiet hours. Customers have connected with the story and sales have risen faster than their sourdough.
Meanwhile, my own attempts at baking bread during lockdown created objects so dense they could be classified as weapons of mass destruction. The local birds still give my garden a wide berth. I'll leave the cooking to my wonderful wife...
The point is, your marketing can either be another boring message that people actively avoid – like eye contact on the London Underground – or it can be a story they can't wait to be part of.
Which kingdom are YOU building?
Until next time,
Andrew
