Cases in history when branding goes wrong: Disney and Kotex
One must ask “if Disney knew the web would be a place were imagery would never die, would they have done a co-branding op with Kotex?”
Yes, Kotex. The brand that has been on the forefront of feminine hygiene products since the 1920s, worked with Disney in the 1940s to create an animation explaining the maturation of the female body to young girls. When you say it out loud it kind of makes sense–you know, in a Disney-is-the-pillar-of-family-values sort of way. But the reality is a bizarre cartoon, with make-up-wearing babies and young girls, explaining the details of “that time of the month” in a most chair-squirming fashion.
Is it still relevant today? Well, the aesthetic for woman has changed, and we no longer need the doctor-esque man’s voice over to instill that feeling of an expert opinion. In fact, Kotex and other sanitary napkin companies have switched to mostly female talent in their current communications, as it is possible that women no longer respond to a man to tell them about their who-ha. And lets face it, in the days of social media, a menstrual-theme video by Disney is more the stuff that I-can’t-believe-they-did-that laughter, rather than the stuff that makes a strong brand memorable.