Introduction
The purpose of this report is to assess the Wall Street Journal article “Disney Accused of Snow Job Over ‘Frozen 2’ Tweet Apology” and how cultural differences affect a business. According to the article, Japanese artists who endorsed Walt Disney movie “Frozen 2” on Twitter did not make it clear that the posts were promotional (Mochizuki, 2019).
Case Review
Initially, Disney explained that the omission was accidental; however, actors involved in the campaign argued that they omitted the label deliberately accordingly to the instructions of the hiring agency. The US Federal Trade Commission says that the social media posts made by celebrities promoting a product should clearly disclose paid work. In contrast, it is a common practice in Japan not to reveal the relationship while promoting products or services in social media. Apparently, the “Frozen 2” case was caused by the inconsistencies in Disney’s advertising strategy and Japanese internal ethical standards.
There are some things that could be drawn from the case. Disney, an American-based diversified multinational mass media and entertainment juggernaut, can afford using multiple advertising strategies for a movie. All the publicity surrounding the Disney products shows an example of stealth marketing, which is primarily used by large companies to arouse talks and rumble for a specific product. As it is known, the involvement of celebrities, idols, and endorsers in advertising campaigns is recognized “as one of the most effective marketing communication strategies in Japan” (Park, 2018, p. 51). Generating some heat and thus stimulating the audience with the help of several popular Japanese celebrities right after the official release date might create additional profit. However, alongside its consumer-celebrity worship, Japanese society is characterized by the pursuance of transparency in advertising, being known as “one of the most uncertainty avoiding countries in the world” (Ketelaar, Van’T Riet, Thorbjornsen, & Buijzen, 2018, p. 257). Therefore, Japanese marketing and advertising are balancing between the two mutually conflicting strategies, which are an effort to conceal the paid relationship with a client and complete disclosure and transparency.
Aftermath
The impact of what has followed as the aftermath of the promotional campaign can hardly be measured. Although the omission of the note revealing the promotional nature of the tweet is not illegal, it is considered inappropriate, thus moving the matter to the sphere of business ethics and strategy. On the one hand, people became aware of the deceit rather soon, and negative consumer opinion might have had an adverse effect on the product. On the other hand, product specifics cannot be discounted; in view of the hype that followed the “Frozen 2” case, the public interest to the movie and other Disney products has grown. On the whole, going against the ethical norms of the culture might be risky and cause possible loss of reputation (Rothaermel, 2018).
Conclusion
Applying the knowledge gained from this case in a local company going global might be highly beneficial. It teaches managers to attach importance to cultural specifics and discrepancies in regulatory norms and ethics within a target culture that might not be apparent at first glance. Before launching a marketing campaign as risky as stealth marketing or celebrity endorsement, it is highly advisable to conduct research to assess the target audience and how it might react to campaign materials. It might be difficult to establish the link between hype aroused around the promoted product and the profit. However, the connection between negative public reaction and a company’s conduct is always traceable. Therefore, as it is addressed in the report, any local company should recognize the importance of building a cultural-specific marketing strategy to avoid repercussions.
References
Ketelaar, P. E., Van’T Riet, J., Thorbjornsen, H., & Buijzen, M. (2018). Positive uncertainty: The benefit of the doubt in advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 37(2), 256-269.
Mochizuki, T. (2019). Disney accused of snow job over ‘Frozen 2’ tweet apology.The Wall Street Journal. Web.
Park, J. (2018). Celebrity advertising in Japan: Tommy Lee Jones as an alien investigator in Suntory TV commercials. Journal of Global Media Studies. 22, 51-57.
Rothaermel, F. T. (2018) Strategic management. (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.