Disney to leverage products with English schools in China

Posted By: Marshall

In what’s sure to be a controversial move, Disney, the international entertainment giant, has finally found a way to tap into emerging markets in China, and I’m not talking about Mulan.

Disney is going to set up English schools in China that “leverage” their products on kids.

My wife is an adjunct professor in second-language teaching and from time to time she gets job postings from around the world. The following is part of a post on a reputable website looking for a Disney English Language Teacher in Shanghai:

“Disney is looking for experienced individuals to instruct children aged 2-12 at Disney English Language Learning Centers in Shanghai. Trainers will use an innovative and immersive Disney program, leveraging Disney’s beloved characters, stories, songs, animation and other materials, to provide a highly engaging and effective premium learning experience.”

Marketing directly to children has always been a morally ambiguous area. Whether it’s true or not, many people consider children to be more susceptible to media messages than adults are. What’s disturbing about this Disney English program to me is that not only does it market directly to children, but it does so from a position of trust and authority.

It’s one thing to have Saturday morning cartoons entice your kids to buy Super Sugar Puffs, but it’s another thing entirely to have their teachers “leverage” Disney products on them in class.

On the other hand, I imagine those kids will really learn English. My three-year-old niece can correctly use “reprimand” in a sentence thanks to Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” So, maybe it’s for the best.

It also occurred to me that this might just be an international copyright violation and Disney doesn’t even know what’s going on. The job posting, however, refers applicants to www.disneyenglish.com for more info. The website isn’t up yet, but it is registered to Disney Entertainment, Inc. in Burbank, California. So, it appears to be legitimate.

Since the program is just getting started, it’s too early to tell if the Shanghai elite will send their kids there. An early review on Shanghaiist.com is incredibly positive. If it is well received, it will be just one more example of how China is accepting and surpassing western capitalism in new and astounding ways. Disney, it seems, is all too happy to accommodate.

Let’s just hope the kids aren’t too scarred by this experiment in globalized edu-marketing.