The Walt Disney Company attempted to establish its Go Network as a viable brand name Internet portal that would serve as an integral vehicle to cross-promote its array of content and services online. The Go Network’s subsequent collapse occurred several months after Disney settled a vexing trademark lawsuit brought by the rival GoTo portal site, and more curiously, just days after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved America Online’s (AOL’s) acquisition of Time Warner. However, this analysis calls into question Disney’s cross-promotional strategies via the Go Network as well as its inability to establish a prominent brand name for the portal and posits that these factors contributed more appreciably to the Go Network’s failure.
Aaker, D. A.1991. Managing Brand Equity. New York: Free Press.
2.
Alexander, K. L.1999. Despite Setbacks, Go’s Chairman Sees Green Light Ahead. Former ESPN Chief: Troubles Are Temporary. USA Today, December 27, 6B-6B.
3.
Andrews, W.1999. Disney’s Wish Upon a Hub Comes True. Internet World, January 18. http://www.lexis-nexis.com
4.
Aufderheide, P.2002. Competition and Commons: The Public Interest In and After the AOL-Time Warner Merger. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media46 (4): 531-551.
5.
Bellamy, R. V., Jr., and P. J. Traudt. 2000. Television Branding as Promotion. In Research in Media Promotion, edited by S. T. Eastman.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
6.
Berkowitz, H.2001. Media Titans Take Off Gloves. The Washington Post, May4, E3-E3.
7.
Blevins, J. L.2002. Source Diversity after the Telecommunications Act of 1996: Media Oligarchs Begin to Colonize Cyberspace. Television & New Media3 (1): 95-112.
8.
Cha, A. E.2000. Disney Preemptively Seeks AOL Time Warner Split. The Washington Post, July 20, E1-E1.
9.
Chipman, K.2001. Disney Keeping Go.com because of low Expenses: Internet PortalWon’t Sell Ads, Won’t Be Promoted, but Negligible Costs Save Once-Hyped Brand. The Los Angeles Times, March 15, C4-C4.
10.
Cross, G.1997. Kid’s Stuff: Toys and the Changing World of American Childhood. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
11.
Donahue, A.2000. New Name, New Attitude: Disney Rechristens Its Internet Division and Searches for New Vision. Variety, August 7-13, 14-14.
12.
Fabrikant, G., and S. Hansell. 1999. Disney to Merge Internet Holdings with Infoseek. The New York Times, July 13, C1, C9.
13.
Federal Communications Commision (FCC). 2001. Subject to Conditions, Commission Approves Merger Between America Online, Inc. and Time Warner, Inc. (FCC 01-FCC 11). http://www.fcc.gov/aol/tw.html
14.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC). 2000. FTC Approves AOL/Time Warner Merger with Conditions (File No. 001 0105, Docket No. C3989). http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2000/12/aol.htm
15.
Giroux, H. A.1999. The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
16.
Gomery, D.1994. Disney’s Business History: A Reinterpretation. In Disney Discourse: Producing the Magic Kingdom, edited by E. Smoodin. New York: Routledge.
17.
Goodman, P. S., and J. Schwartz. 2000. Deal Stirs Concerns about Internet Access. The Washington Post, January 11. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/business/A286132000Jan10.html
18.
Grover, R.1991. The Disney Touch: How a Daring Management Team Revived an Entertainment Empire. Homewood, IL: Business One Irwin.
19.
Hansell, S.1998. Mouse Attack in Cyberspace. The New York Times, December 13, C1-C1.
20.
Hansell, S.2000. America Online to Buy Time Warner for $165 Billion. The New York Times, January 11. http://www.nytimes.com/library/financial/011100timeaol.html
21.
Hansell, S.2000. Disney Redesigns Go.com in Push to Attract Surfers. The New York Times, September 15. http://www.nytimes.com
22.
Hansell, S.2000. The Medium Gets the Message: TV’s Monoliths Have Learned the Web Is a Fragmented World. The New York Times, August 14, C1-C1.
23.
Hofmeister, S., and C. Eller. 2001. Disney’s World Is Too Small, Critics Charge. The L.A. Times, January 30. http://www.latimes.com/print/20010130/t000008889.html
24.
Hu, J.2001a. Disney Reinvents Go.com with Help of RivalCNET News.com,March 12. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5109535.html
25.
Hu, J.2001b. Disney to Shutter Go.com Portal. CNET News.com,January 29. http://www.news.cnet.com/news/0-1—5-200-437253.html
26.
Hu, J.2001c. The Second Coming of Infoseek?CNET News.com,March 13. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5125958.html
27.
Jacobus, P.2000. Judge Bars Disney from Using Go.com Logo. CNET News.com, January 28. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-2001534592.html?tag=rltdnws
28.
Kerschbaumer, K.2001. Disney’s No Go; Move Allows Disney Internet Group to Focus on Core Assets. Broadcasting & Cable, February 5, 40-40.
29.
Klein, N.1999. No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. New York: Picador.
30.
Klein, N.2000a. AOL Fires Back at Disney Over Opposition to Deal. The Washington Post, October 4, E1-E1.
31.
Klein, N.2000b. AOL Restrictions Alleged. The Washington Post, October 10, E1-E1.
32.
Ledbetter, J.1999. Portals RIP?The Industry Standard, September 27. http://www.lexis-nexis.com
33.
Lieberman, P.1999. Company Town: Disney Opens Portal to Internet. The Los Angeles Times, January 13, C7-C7.
34.
Lohr, S.2000. A Mass Medium for Mainstreet. New York Times, January 11. http://www.nytimes.com/library/financial/011100time-online.html
35.
Maloney, J.1998. A New Magic Kingdom. Time, September 7.
36.
Martinez, M. J.1998. Disney Launches Beta Site: Content, Navigation Key to New Go.com Portal. ABCNEWS.com,December 15. http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/gobeta981215.html
37.
Media Metrix. 1999. Media Metrix Top Rankings. August 4. http://www.mediametrix.com/TopRankings/TopRankings.html
38.
Media Metrix. 2000. Media Metrix Top Rankings. May28. http://www.mediametrix.com/TopRankings/TopRankings.html
39.
Mermigas, D.2000. Open Mike: Eisner Speaks Out. Electronic Media, September 25, 1-1, 43-45.
40.
Motavalli, J.2002. Bamboozled at the Revolution: How Big Media Lost Billions in the Battle for the Internet. New York: Viking.
41.
Muehlbauer, J.2001. Take Go Down, Pass It Around. The Industry Standard.com, March 13. http://www.lexis-nexis.com
42.
Net Ratings. 1999. Net Ratings Search Engine Ratings. http://www.searchenginewatch.com/reports/netratings.html
43.
Ozanich, G. W., and M. O. Wirth. 1993. Media Mergers and Acquisitions: An Overview. In Media Economics: Theory and Practice, edited by A. Alexander, J. Owers, and R. Carveth. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
44.
Parker, P.2000. Disney to Pay GoTo.com $21.5 Million in Settlement. Internet News, May 26. http://internetnews.com/bus-news/article/0,,3_381351,00.html
Sullivan, D.2001b. Go.com Becomes Go To. Search Engine Watch.com,March 15. http://www.searchenginewatch.com/sereport/01/03-go.html
54.
Swisher, K., and B. Orwall. 1998. Infoseek, Disney Unit to Launch New Internet Site. The Wall Street Journal, September 21, 4B-4B.
55.
Taglang, K.2000. Opposition to AOL/TimeWarner Merger Grows. April 26. http://%20www.benton.org/News/Extra/own042600.html
56.
Tedesco, R.1999. Disney Dreams of Pay Streams: Internet Asset Consolidation Intended to Accelerate Mouse Broadband Strategy. Broadcasting& Cable, July 19.
57.
USA Today. 2000. AMatch Made in Heaven? Let the Consumers Judge, January 11, 14A-14A. http://www.lexis-nexis.com
58.
Valdmanis, T.2000. AOL-Time Warner Deal Shuffles the Deck: Playing the Media Stock Game. USA Today, January 18.
59.
Wasko, J.1996. Understanding the Disney Universe. In Mass Media and Society, 2nd ed., edited by J. Curran and M. GurevitchLondon: Arnold.
