Globalisation Americanisation Disneyfication全球化美国化迪斯尼.docx

Globalisation Americanisation Disneyfication全球化美国化迪斯尼.docx

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GlobalisationAmericanisationDisneyfication全球化美国化迪斯尼

Globalisation,Americanisation,Disneyfication?

TheGlobalExpansionofDisney’sIP,Mickey’sMagicKingdom

Globalisation,Imperialism,Americanisation,Westernism,GlobalVillageandGlobalEconomyareallterms,orbuzzwords,bandiedabouteasilyinthemediathesedaysbutwhatdoanyofthemactuallymean?

Possiblyallthesamething.

Globalisationistheexpansionoftheideathattheworldnolongerhasanyboundariesandthattradebetweencompaniesandconsumerscanhappenacrosstheworldasawhole,notjustonanationallevel.Thereare,however,differentdefinitionsorapplicationsofglobalisation.Waters（1995）identifies3maintypes,Economic（tradeborders,sanctions,import/export）,Political（sovereigntyissues,globalgovernance）andCulturalGlobalisation（indigenousartandculture,localproduce,customs,religions）.Itisthelatterthatcausestheblurring.CulturalGlobalisation,Waterscomments,is“thehomogenizingtrendsthataresummedupinthephrase‘globalconsumerculture’andforwhichvalue-ladentermsas‘Americanization’,‘Westernculturalimperialism’and‘Coca-colonization’areoftenemployed.”（Waters,1995）

Americanisation（AmericanizationintheUS）wasatermfirstusedtodescribetheprocessofeducatingimmigrantstotheUStotheAmericanway.TheColumbiaEncyclopedia（2003）describesitas“themovementduringthefirstquarterofthe20thcentury,wherebytheimmigrantintheUnitedStateswasinducedtoassimilateAmericanspeech,ideals,traditions,andwaysoflife.”（ColumbiaEncyclopedia,SixthEdition,2003）.Today‘Americanisation’withintheUSisnotasmuchofanissue,nowthetermisnowusedtodescribedtheimplanting（orinfectingifyou’reasceptic!

）ofAmericanCultureinforeignmarkets.CompaniessuchasMcDonalds,DisneyetalareseenaspioneersofAmericanisation.Typically,theUSGovernmentisextremelykeenonAmericanisation;it’sinvasionofvariouscountriesandinstallingtheirown‘USfriendly’GovernmentsexemplifiesAmericanisation.ThomasFriedmancomments:

“...globalizationisinsomanywaysAmericanization:

globalizationwearsMickeyMouseears,itdrinksPepsiandCoke,eatsBigMacs,doesitscomputingonanIBMlaptopwithWindows98.Manysocietiesaroundtheworldcan'tgetenoughofit,butothersseeitasafundamentalthreat.”（Friedman,NewYorkTimes,1998）

WiththetradebarriersfallingasaresultofGlobalisationlocalbusinessesareexposedtocompetitionfromcompaniesworldwide.HoweverasAmericancompaniesareamongthelargestitwouldseemlogicalthattheywouldhavethemosttogainfromaworldoffreetrade,astheyhavethebestresourcesforcompetingonaglobalscale.ThisleadstotheideathatGlobalisationfurtherstheinterestofAmericancompaniesandthenotionthatGlobalisationissimplyImperialismorevenmoreboldlyAmericanisation.

InordertorecognisetheimportanceofGlobalisationinrelationtoIntellectualProperty（IP）itisnecessarytoexamineoneofthepioneersofbothareas,exploringitsrootsandhowitdealswiththeseissuesinadynamicinternationalmarket,bymanipulatinglawandregulationstotheirfavour.

Disney:

Idon’tthinktheirinKansasanymoreToto!

Inthe1920’sayoungfledglingartistcreatedacartooncharacter;OswaldtheRabbit,whohehaddesignedbutsomeoneelsehadnamed.Thoughyoung,WaltDisneywasnotgoingtoallowanyonetohaveanyclaimonhisproperty.HerenamedOswaldandchangedhislongearstothetwocirclesthatnowformpartofoneofthemostinstantlyrecognisablelogosinwesternculture.MickeyMouse.（Finch,1999）

Sincethe1930’stheDisneyCompanyhaveusedcreativetalentmixedwithbusinessacumentogrowfromasmalltimeanimationstudioinKansastooneofthelargestmediaconglomeratesintheworld.OnlyTime-WarnerAOLrivalsthepowerandstrokeinthemediaworldofDisney.Thecompanyhasholdingsin5majormotionpicturecompanies,26radiostationsintheUS,amajorbroadcastnetwork（ABC）and19cablenetworks,6themeparks/resortsaswellasnumeroussubsidiariessuchasDisneyStore,DisneyInteractive,DisneyRecordsandHyperionBooks.（NewInternationalist,1998）Thesecombinedtobringin$25.360billionin2002.（D,2003）

DisneyhasalreadysuccessfullyimplanteditscultureinNorthernAmerica,whereitmakesthemajorityofitsincome;howeverithasalsobeensuccessfulintransplantingitsculturetoEurope,Japan,AustraliaandLatinAmerica.Disneyislovedbymanyculturesalso.ThoughitsrootsarebasedinaJewish/ChristianAmericatheirproductionshaveaglobalappeal.Sowherenowisleftforthecompanytoinfiltrate?

TheopeningofChinatowesternvaluesisofgreatimportancetoDisney.MajormediacompaniesandbrandsinthewestarerubbingtheirhandsinanticipationofgettingaholdontheChinesemarket.Withapopulationofover1billiontherearemanyuntappedresourcesreadytobeexploited.

MikeWaters（1995）discusseshowCoca-ColaandPepsihavebeguntofightitoutinChinaandidentifiesthat“Capitalismtransformspeopleintoconsumersbyalteringtheirself-image”,commentingthatinthecaseofRussia,theAmericanbrandscreatedanimageofWesternculturethatRussianpeoplesawasbetterthantheircurrentsituation.WhenthefirstMcDonaldsopened,peoplewhohadbarelyenoughmoneyforbreadwherequeuingroundtheblockforatasteofaBigMac.Watersalsocommentsthatthesecompaniesarecreatingamarketthatdoesnotexistbycreatingidealssothatconsumerswantmorethantheyneed.Disneyalsodoesthis.Theycreateanidealworldthatwecanallaspireto.Aworldthatiscolourful,clean,safeandpure.Aworldwecanenjoyfor90minutesbygoingtoseeaDisneyfilm,orbypurchasingarangeofmerchandiseorfortheultimateexperience…2weeksinDisneyland.

WorkhasbegunonthefirstDisneylandinChina,namelyHongKong,withoneinShanghaitofollowin2010.ThoughDisneyagreedwithHongKongofficialstodelaybuildinginShanghaitoallowHongKongDisneylandtoflourish,itisclearthatDisneyviewsHongKongasasteppingstonetoChina,bywayofintroductionbeforemovinginforthekill.AsindeedtheirpurchaseofHongKongradiostationswasthesteppingstonetotheHongKongmarket.

ThereasonforDisney’sglobalexpansion,particularlyinAsia,isprimarilyprofit.Aformeremployerofmineusedtoexclaim“Wearenotaregisteredcharity!

”whenpeoplewouldattempttoshortchangehimor,godforbid,askforfreework.Disneyisacompanylikeanyother.Hymer（1979）pointsoutthatinasmallmarketacompanymustproducemanyproductstomakemoremoney,whereasacompanyoperatingonaglobalscalecansellthesameproducttomorepeopleandmakemuchmoremoneyfromit,thusreducingtheinitialdevelopmentandproductioncost（particularlywhereIPistheproductanddevelopmentisthemostcostly）.HoweverthisisnotthesolereasonforDisney.Theslumpintourisminpost9/11USisanimportantfactorisDisney’sconcentrationonAsia.IftouristsintheUSarenotconfidenttotravelasmuchthenitmakessensetoconcentrateonthosewhowill.

ExpandingthetouristattractionsofDisneyworldinFloridaisnothingnew.DisneyhasahighlysuccessfulparkinTokyo;howeverAmericanculturehasadistinctkitschvalueinJapanamongstteens.AssuchDisneywasabletoreplicatetheUSthemeparkidealverywellinJapan.ThesamecouldnotbesaidofEuroDisney.ThismassdebaclewasahugeembarrassmentforDisney.TheyhadtriedtotakeaUSDisneyparkandputitinEurope.

TheFrenchpeoplehowevercomplainedbitterlywhentheparkfirstopened,primarilybecauseitdidnotrepresentanythingaboutEuropeorFranceatall.Franceishighlyanti-globalisation,inculturalaspectsatleast.Theyhavemanylawsinplacetoprotectthevalueoftheirculturaloutputandheritage.Themaingrievancewaswiththe‘noalcohol’law;theFrenchenjoywineasdomanyotherEuropeancountries,andthedresscodeattheparkwhichprohibitedmake-up,nailpolishandfacialhair.Theexecutiveswereobliviousoftheseculturaldifferences,asthewholeparkwasbuiltandranbyAmericansandconsequentlyitfailedmiserably,losingasmuchas$1millionaday.MuchtothechagrinofDisneyexecutives,theparkwasrenamed（DisneylandParis）,givenanewFrenchpresidentandamoreEuropeantheme;nowadaystheparkisverypopular.（Hiaasen,1998）

DisneylearneditslessonharshlyfromtheEuroDisneyventure;allpressandphotoopportunitiesforDisneylandHongKongarekeentoshowMickeymixingwithlocalcultures.Clearly,asHongKongisaformerBritishcolonyitwillnothavetoadapttoomuchbuttheShanghaiDisneylandwillbefarmorewelcomingoflocalculture.（FOXNews,2003）This‘localisation’hasbeenseeninDisneyStoresalsowhereatriptoDisneyStoresinScotlandwillseeMickeyinakiltandinMexicowhereMickeywearsaSombrero.

ThissanitisationoflocalculturebyDisneyisalsonotedintheirfilmsbymanycriticsasaformof‘culturalimperialism’.TheyclaimthatDisneyisineffectre-tellinghistorytosuititsvisionofa‘perfect’world.Manyaredispleased,Weinsteincommentsonthere-tellingofPocahontas:

“TheIndianandMetispeoplesofNorthAmericaarebeingannihilatedbythatAssassinofCulture,TheDisneyEmpire.Throughshamelesssentimentalitytheyhavereducedarealpeopletoanicon.Theyhavetrivializedapeople'sreligion.Theyhavedistortedhistorytofitaformulastoryline.Tothem,anIndianmaybeaWildSavageoraNobleSavage,butnotaperson.WhattheydidtoArabswithAladdin,ecologywiththeLionKing,anancientandprofoundmythwithBeautyandTheBeast,Afro-