It’s hakuna matata for Disney’s mobile site

By Jordan Crook

May 21, 2009

Disney's mobile site

With the rapid growth of Disney's mobile site, new content and features have been added to continue its flourishing popularity and audience engagement.

Disney claims to have achieved record traffic and user participation in the first quarter of 2009, with page views up 38 percent and SMS messages up almost 600 percent.

"In a short amount of time http://www.Disney.com has shown considerable growth on the mobile Web, so this traffic proves the mobile platform is really relevant to our audience of kids and tweens," said AJ Rhodes, director of marketing, Disney.com Mobile Web, North Hollywood, CA.

"It also proves our strategy of creating mobile-specific offerings that are tied to online and other major Disney initiatives is paying off," he said.

Piloted by mobile Web promotions, the launch of an iPhone-friendly version of the site, a Magical Celebrations Sweepstakes and a mobile link to the newly released "Hannah Montana" movie, Disney's mobile site has grown exponentially since its initial launch in 2007.

"Consumers are shifting to a more mobile lifestyle -- we expect to be able to take our entertainment with us," Mr. Rhodes said.

"If you're a fan of Hannah Montana and loved the film it doesn't end after you've left the theater - you're going to watch a music video or play a game on your phone," he said.

Users can access the mobile site by texting the keyword MOBILE to short code 347639 (Disney).

From this solid foundation, Disney is adding new interactive features to its mobile site hoping to remain productive.

The integration of online account registration to the mobile site allows users to access their account on their mobile device and earn points playing Web-based games.

Disney also introduced the new Disney Locations feature, giving guests information about local events, concerts, and live shows. From this feature, users can check movie show times and buy tickets.

The mobile site also reaches out to iPhone and iTouch users with a special version that uses key features of those devices.

Not only has Disney added more features, but entire sections have been introduced to the mobile site in order to keep up with the ever-increasing traffic flow.

The mobile site is not Disney's only stab at mobile.

In May Disney joined a mobile TV line-up for BlackBerry that already includes the CW, CBS and NBC Universal channels including Bravo, USA and Sci Fi (see story).

In December 2007, Disney turned to mobile texting for its "Disney Princess: Heart of Gold Campaign" to raise funds and donate up to $50,000 to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation (see story).

"Mobile entertainment is becoming more prominent and the audience is ready to consume entertainment on the phone much more broadly than just utility and informational content," Mr. Rhodes said.