We here at Danny's Land think the word "brand" is overused, sterile and unimaginative. Here are a few examples of Michael Eisner using the word "brand".

"I think like our brands, we got a lot of money for our brands."

"We think that Walt Disney World defines the Disney Brand."

"I'm a cheerleader but also an editor; an advocate for change but also a fierce protector of our brand."

"Our goal is to increase wealth for our shareholders. We must do this while never forgetting the value of our brand."

"And so we find ourselves into Phase Three of our company's history. Phase Three has a lot in common with Phases One and Two - the protection and advancement of the Disney brand within financially prudent parameters."

"One of the advantages of Phase Three is that, while Disney may continue to be our number-one brand, it is no longer our only brand."

"In business, competitive advantage can be established in a number of ways - by being a low-cost provider, by having a technological edge, by being first into a market or, at our company, by maintaining strong and differentiated brands, most notably the Disney and ESPN brands."

"Uniqueness is the quality that determines the ability to use the brand to differentiate one's products. In this sense, the Disney brand is truly unique."

"The past years have been disappointing in terms of earnings and stock price, but they have also been an exciting period of investment in our key brands ... investment that I am confident will pay off well in the years ahead. These investments have protected, buttressed and built our Disney and ESPN brands to secure their competitive advantage for a very long time."
 
"These positive results are an outgrowth of the strategy outlined in my letter one year ago, a straightforward strategy with two broad, underlying components of (1) building and protecting our key brands and (2) creating long-term entertainment franchises."

"Another benefit of Pirates was its chicken-and-egg relationship with the Disney brand."
 
"While we always put creativity first, we are also very aware of the need for brand protection. In fact, we have an entire department dedicated to this important effort."

"In the bigger picture, the Disney brand is like a pointillism painting. No single dot will make or break you, but every dot is important."

And finally, on June 22 of this year:

"The word 'brand' is overused, sterile and unimaginative."

Michael Eisner -- Man of the People:

As the cafeteria took notice of Eisner's arrival, which was hard to miss due to the big entourage accompanying him, Eisner put forth his best political skills and tried to make friends. He marched right up to two college aged (sic) guys wearing Adventureland costumes waiting for their cheeseburgers and said "Hi fellas, where do you guys work?" The two Cast Members dutifully replied "We work at the Jungle Cruise, sir." Eisner broke into a broad and forced smile and said "Hey, that must be a lot of fun! I'd love to be able to drive that boat around all day, making those jokes and shooting at the hippo's (sic) like you do!" And without missing a beat, one of the Jungle Cruise Skippers said "We don't get to shoot at the hippo's (sic) anymore sir. They took the guns away three years ago." Eisner could only stammer, "Oh, they did? I didn't know that..." before he moved on down the line for the next forced smile and handshake.

Rocket Plane, New York Times, May 14, 1939:



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