Everything that Disney does is about connecting with families. When you think of Disney, you inevitably think of families and those important shared family moments. The relationship families have with entertainment is very powerful, understanding this drives the direction of Disney, but can also help you understand the lives and motivations of this core consumer group who are essential to your business. As a company we wanted to move beyond simply when families engage with entertainment and what platforms they use, and focus on the why.

To ensure we are meeting the needs of families in the UK, explore the different dynamics at play, and really understand; what do today's families want from entertainment? Are their needs being met? And how can we communicate best with them in the future. To do this we needed to explore the Family's core emotional needs and the factors that come into play when fulfilling these needs.

We worked with our research partner aevolve using multiple data sources ranging from quantitative sources such as the aevolve Consumer Connections System and TGI Lifestyle information, through to bespoke qualitative Disney commissioned in-home depth interviews. We focused on families with children aged 6-11 as this is the busiest time in family life. Children have a full grasp of the immediate world around them but are not ready for the independence and wider consequences that come with the move into secondary school.

The study lays out five key needs entertainment delivers for families, underlining why families hold a strong affinity and connection with shared entertainment moments. It also underscores the importance of recommendation and emotional connection when it comes to preference and choice. Feelings and emotion can bypass price and product information and save time in making choices. Being part of shared family entertainment moments, enriching and expanding these moments and helping deliver more of them is core to our messaging and we hope it can be for your brands too.