While it may not seem like such a surprise to us loyal fans, The Walt Disney Company was chosen as the best overall company in 2013 by the writers and editors at Yahoo Finance. Their study was based on factors such as financial performance, stockholder and employee relationships, customer loyalty, and strategic focus.
Disney’s continued success is based on several factors. The company consistently creates blockbuster movies each year, and in 2013 released Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” and “Iron Man 3,” Pixar’s “Monster’s University,” and of course “Frozen.” While not every Disney movie is a hit (ahem, “Lone Ranger”), their successes greatly outweigh their flops.
Disney also has a growing presence in the digital world, claiming six out of the top ten most downloaded Kindle apps as well as the “2013 App of the Year” on iTunes with their Disney Animated program. Not to mention their original TV shows led the ratings for children aged 2-11 this year.
The achievements aren’t slowing down after 2013, though, according to CEO Bob Iger. Many people claim that Iger’s strategies are what pushed Disney ahead of the competition this year, as many of the companies he acquired since he was hired in 2005 (including Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm) paid off big time in 2013 and will continue to pay off for Disney well into the future. Also, Shanghai Disneyland is finally expected to open in 2015 (the same year Star Wars 7 will be released), which will surely be another monumental year for the company that will produce profits for years to come.
From a business perspective, I think Disney picked a winner with Bob Iger. Although some may argue that he’s too aggressive and greedy in his business practices, and all these acquisitions of other companies is only leading the company closer to world domination, I think he knows what he’s doing. Obviously it’s been working well, as 2013 was a hugely successful year for Disney, and it looks like the success will only continue.
The Walt Disney Company of 2013 is vastly different than even just 20 years ago. Do you think the vision of its founders is being honored or has the company become something else entirely?
Does this mean Disney can lay off ticket price increases for a while?
I doubt it.
Getting any recogniztion from Yahoo doesn’t mean that much. Their bias makes any compliment supicious.
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