Disney fills blog with ‘highly contagious and shareable’ content

In terms of social media, that translates to giving readers what they’re most curious about: exclusive video and behind-the-scenes stories at Disney—and not relying on reporters to do the job.

“We’re using our channels to cover ourselves like a news organization coming to Disney,” Thomas Smith, social media director of Disney Parks, told attendees at Ragan Communications’ second annual Social Media for PR and Corporate Communicators Conference. “We’re using those same channels to announce our biggest campaigns and events.”

For instance, Disney gained a lot of press recently when it gathered 140 movie characters in the shape of a hashtag and tweeted the photo. It launched first on Twitter, then on the Disney Parks blog, which is the hub of Disney’s social media efforts. The blog represents all the business units, and it features seven-plus stories a day from more than 100 bloggers.

“Blogging is alive and well at Disney parks,” Smith said. Social media is “where people create [and] share, and where we listen.”