Content Marketing Revs the Engines for Disney’s Cars Land

Cars Land, a new attraction at the Disney California Adventure Park, opening this past weekend to huge crowds. This success is perhaps due, in part, to the content marketing efforts leading up to the unveiling.

This past Saturday, June 16, the movie “Cars” had its premiere on ABC, which is owned by Disney. Blogger Scott Aughtmon of Business 2 Community noted that the company showed clips of children enjoying Cars Land rides before commercial breaks.

The network also ran footage of chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios John Lasseter “talking about kids coming to meet their Cars ‘friends’ they’ve come to know,” as well as a promo by Larry the Cable Guy, who explained the features of the attraction.

“Disney showed the movie on Saturday, because they knew that kids (and adults) who saw the movie would want, more than ever, to go to [Cars Land],” says Aughtmon.

The latest campaign from Disney demonstrated that companies can create experiences based off already existing content, along with products and services.

The Los Angeles Times reported that at least one fan at the opening of Cars Land viewed teaser photos of the park,part of the content marketing plan from Disney, that got her excited about visiting.

“On Friday, Disney had a special opening day gift shop in Cars Land to sell limited-edition merchandise,” according to the Times. “The store was packed with visitors, including Terri Herrera, a self-described Disney fanatic who was shopping with a friend. ‘We got every available item from commemorative pins to T-shirts,’ Herrera, 48, of Long Beach, said as she pulled a fistful of pins from her bag.”

Disney is the master of content cross promotion. On its Facebook page, it expertly uses photos and quotes from its films that tap into nostalgia and increase fan engagement.