Today Disney CEO Bob Iger was joined by Mickey Mouse and Mayor Bloomberg to cut the ribbon on Disney's new flagship store.
The 22,000 square-foot Times Square storefront aims to take Disney's retail stores in a new high-tech direction, from the mobile checkouts to a 65 -foot high animated billboard.
Disney' isn't just trying to sell stuffed animals to the 365,000 daily passersby; it's trying to promote the Mouse House's other businesses as well — from the theme parks to the musicals like Lion King, which is playing right next door.
This is classic Iger.
Make the most of strong brands like Cars, Princesses, and now Marvel by exploiting them across all platforms, and use each division to promote the others. And this store gives a hint of how Disney will exploit Marvel, which it acquired last August, alongside more familiar Disney faces like Mickey Mouse: there's an entire area devoted to Marvel Comics.