Disney Targets Teens’ and Tweens’ Mobile Habits

Disney Interactive Labs, a website for kids and tweens that was launched by Disney in May, is leading a heavily mobile campaign that showcases its videos and games.

 In an interview with AdWeek, Vice President of Disney Interactive Labs Kyle Laughlin said that the brand’s goal is to reach its target demographic, “kids, tweens, adults and enthusiasts,” through the website.

It partnered with YouTube “to make Disney an everyday entertainment destination,” he said. “That’s acknowledging the overall trend toward participation.”

The website’s content is curated in a way that is family-friendly and personalized once the user enters his or her age. At the end of every video, the company suggests another one “based on what we believe editorially makes sense,” said Laughlin.

 The site features new and old Disney content, and is segmented into “categories including movies, shows, collections and YouTube videos. There are plenty of movie and TV show clips, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, trailers and interviews with Disney stars,” according to DisZine.com.

A key finding for Disney Interactive Labs one month in is that its targeted group, tweens, are using tablets twice as much as they are desktops and smartphones.

Already, 12 percent of tweens, according to Laughlin, own tablets.

“I think one of the most terrifying pieces of data is that by 2014, mobile usage will outstrip desktops,” he said. “We’ve taken a mobile-first approach, so video is the best possible on those screens. We wanted to make sure we were creating an experience that was consistent with those platforms.”

The trend is clear: Mobile is growing, and the most innovative companies are creating content that is compatible with it, as well as users’ habits, on the devices.