“We wanted to have a very tangible product to leverage our very robust database of Hispanic customers,” says Gilbert Dávila, V.P. Multicultural Marketing at The Walt Disney Company and also publisher of the new magazine. “Disney en Familia is going to be mailed out to our 350,000 best customers,” he says. The 350,000 controlled distribution publication is rate base guaranteed (soon to be audited by ABC). In addition, Disney en Familia will be distributed at some grassroots events. For the premier issue, Dávila notes that the page count will be no less than 68 pages.
Database
Disney’s database of Hispanic customers has been obtained through different parts of Disney’s product offerings like theme park visitors and online movie ticket purchases. “All the recipients of the magazine have a very high affinity to Disney. This is very robust opt-in information," says Dávila.
According to Dávila, the vast majority of Disney’s Hispanic customers are Spanish-dominant or bilingual. The magazine is 100% in Spanish and is being produced by Disney Publishing's team of editors. “They know the parenting world very well and create unique and first run articles written for Hispanic moms who reside in the U.S. and want to maintain their heritage." The publication will contain recipes, travel tips and ideas for preserving cultural traditions.
In addition, the magazine will have a section on all things Disney (e.g. movies that are coming up and the latest attractions in theme parks.)
Not all custom publications have been successful in the Hispanic market. Procter & Gamble’s Avanzando con tu Familia and Sears’ Nuestra Gente magazine ceased publication a few years ago. However, according to Dávila, the “Disney brand is a very powerful brand in the Latino market with a very high affinity. This is content that is going to clearly resonate with our customers. The publication fills a void for high quality content. We have created a unique and safe environment to showcase products and advertising.”
Disney’s publishing division is one of the biggest magazine publishers in the world. It has an important presence in the Spanish-speaking world. In the U.S. Hispanic market it publishes ESPN Deportes through a licensing agreement with Televisa Publishing.
Advertisers
“We have the expectation that this magazine will become a profitable entity”, says Dávila. “That said, it is also an affinity product,” he adds. Dávila says that he will be particular about the quality of the advertising. “We accept inserts if they are the right inserts. Meaning if they keep with the family focus.”
Disney en Familia expects to have an online resence from an in-language perspective at a later time. It also intends to go quarterly in 2009.