Disney Plans Splash for Mickey’s 60th
He may not look ready to collect Social Security, but Mickey Mouse turns 60 this year. And the company that created him, Walt Disney Co., says it plans to spend plenty to market Mickey in multi-page advertisements in five magazines owned by Time Inc.
In November, five 32-page advertising supplements about Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney Co. will appear in Time, Life, People, Fortune and Southern Living. Although the companies would not reveal the cost of the venture, a full-page, four-color ad in Time costs $120,000. The same ad costs $70,025 in People, $59,470 in Life, $48,650 in Southern Living and $43,380 in Fortune.
“Of course, these aren’t the rates that Disney will be paying,” said Betsy Wagner, a spokeswoman for Time Inc. “They’ll be much less.”
The total commitment of 160 pages is regarded as one of the largest single orders for advertising pages ever placed in consumer magazines. The advertising supplements will reach an estimated total readership of over 85 million adults.
On August 1, People also plans to jointly publish with Disney a 64-page magazine to commemorate Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney. This publication, which will be put together by People’s editorial staff, will have the Disney logo. The magazine will also feature articles by some well-known contributing writers such as Ray Bradbury. With a cover price of $2.50, the publication will be sold at Disney theme parks and at newsstands.
Similar ventures with other major advertisers may be in the offing at Time Inc. “This represents the beginning of a new era in advertising at People and at Time Inc.,” said Donald M. Elliman Jr., publisher of People.
