Top Dog VS Underdog: DC Entertainment and Marvel Entertainment
Source: Toynk.com
MKT 345 - Consumer Behavior - Module 5 Blog
What is the brand strategy being used by the top dog? What is the brand strategy being used by the underdog?
The brand strategy being used by Marvel (which I think is the top dog in this comparison) is building hype to excite loyal fans and actively listening to what they want. According to The American Marketing Association “60% of people believe the opinions they express in surveys about brands or companies will improve their experiences with these organizations” (Courtright, 2019). When fans love a certain movie franchise, they write positive reviews and share them online, thus giving the creators good information for their next films. Compared to the underdog, DC Entertainment, there was a lot of disappointment with their movies such as Superman and Batman that didn’t do as well as the Marvel movies. A lot of Marvel, the top dog’s success came from Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Avengers, Black Panther, and Captain America movies because Marvel was able to build on each character and connect them all together by the time The Avengers movie was released. Their main strategy has been about “using each superhero movie as a building block to build a cinematic universe spanning multiple franchises, which ties in all the superhero story arcs together in one compelling tale” (Pai, 2021).
I think that Marvel continues to do an amazing job at connecting older fans from comic books to new fans who are only familiar with the movies. Marvel used an opportunities mix to create new products and new markets. They have expanded their demography very well and that’s why they are able to attract a younger audience. They have also expanded to TV shows, toys, clothing, and memorabilia. By using a more proactive strategy where “firms develop many new products and try to be first in the race to the market” Marvel has been able to tap into introducing not-so-popular superheroes like Ant-Man, into becoming more mainstream (Kardes et al, 2020). The success of the first three Spider-Man movies was a success as they continued the franchise by doing animated spin-offs of the movie to appeal to children and teens. Compared to DC, it was a slow start for them as they didn’t branch off and introduce new superhero movies. For a while and they did multiple Batman movies and stuck to a more reactive strategy where they “wait to see what competitors offer and then develop me-too or copycat brands” (Kardes et al, 2020). Although Suicide Squad was popular, many fans feel that it was rushed and it was too many new characters introduced in one film that didn’t enable much time to build a strong background story for each character.
How can the underdog improve its strategy so that it can gain more market share and surpass the top dog? Provide three recommendations.
To improve its strategy so it can gain more market share and surprise the top dog, DC should try to go deeper into the stories of their beloved characters and superheroes. Perhaps a movie about Superman and Batman, when they were children or teenagers discovering their powers, would be a great way to connect with a younger audience and the GenZs. Perhaps a movie where they explore more about their origins, where they came from, and their world before they came to planet Earth. If there it was more of a team effort with the same writers and directors working together, it would be more cohesive and have a better connection instead of always having new directors for every movie.
My three recommendations are:
Focus on Market Development for their Existing Products
Batman and Superman are the most beloved superheroes and instead of rebooting it all over again, build off those movies and start when these characters were a child. Use cameos and older actors to play a small role in the new movies so that fans will be delighted to see the original actors. I would also suggest in order to build a trilogy movie, use the same actor all throughout to commit to the project like how Marvel used Toby McGuire as the same Spider-Man for five movies.Focus on Diversification
If the top dog can do it, so can the underdog by introducing new characters into the DC world. They did an amazing job with The Joker and doing a movie on a villain and I think they can find another villain from the original DC Comics and bring that to life on the big screen. By doing this, DC can extend their product line by not repeating the same story over and over again.Focus on Product Life Cycle Management
Instead of doing so many movies with the same superheroes, DC should learn how to really market its product before the big launch by creating hype and excitement like Marvel. It should not feel rushed; it should be fun, shocking, and with a little bit of ambiguity. This leaves people curious and wanting to learn more. If they take into consideration what the fans want by reading reviews, doing surveys, and focusing on improving their weaknesses, they will be able to build more awareness, stimulate promotions, and exceed in growth opportunities.
Why do you believe consumers prefer the top dog over the underdog? Which do you prefer, and why?
I believe that many consumers prefer the top dog over the underdog because they know what to expect and because they already had a positive experience, they are excited. Their expectations are a little higher because of the consistency of the top dog. For example, Marvel always does a quick cut scene after the end credits which many movie-goers (such as myself) are excited to see. The build-up and hype for the next movie to come (even if it takes more than a year) is what many fans anticipate. I also think that the top dog has learned their formula for success. Marvel has found a happy medium in adding action and humor in their movies that is family-friendly for the whole family of all ages compared to the underdog, DC. Personally, I think I will always prefer the underdog because they have a lot more to prove and can come out on top anytime. It doesn’t mean that they are the “losers” per se; they are just in second place and want to differentiate themselves from the top dog. I think that the underdogs want to stand out on their own as being original and having integrity that they didn’t copy everything their competitors did in order to be successful. My personal favorite? X-Men all the way!
References:
Pai, A. (2021, March 29). Marvel: Building cinematic universe with strategy. The Strategy Story. https://thestrategystory.com/2021/03/29/marvel-cinematic-universe-strategy/#:~:text=Marvel%20has%20utilized%20a%20strategic,together%20in%20one%20compelling%20tale.
Courtright, M. (2019, May 20). The "why" behind the buy: Integrating consumer behavior into your marketing strategy. American Marketing Association. https://www.ama.org/2019/05/20/the-why-behind-the-buy-integrating-consumer-behavior-into-your-marketing-strategy/
Kardes, F., Cronley, M., & Cline, T. (2020). Consumer Behavior (2nd ed.). Cengage Learning US. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781305161689
