Universal Pictures as an Important Brand

In our class of Branding we have the chance to select a brand (I choose Universal Pictures) and analyze it. Universal Pictures Portfolio has achieved both popular success and critical acclaim with its recent Academy Award winners Atonement, The Bourne Ultimatum, King Kong, Brokeback Mountain, Ray, A Beautiful Mind, The Pianist and Lost in Translation. Classic, Academy Award-winning films from Universal include All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Deer Hunter (1978) and Schindler’s List (1993).

Brand Research

Target Market: The specific target market audience of UP are 15-35 year old men. However, their products (movies) are for different ages and have individualized target analysis (per project).

Competitive Landscape: Consumer spending drives demand. The profitability of individual companies depends on creativity, marketing, and distribution. Large companies often have the advantages of long-term contracts with key actors and directors, a permanent staff of technical employees, and wide distribution networks. Small companies can compete successfully by creating marketable movies, often for niche audiences, on low budgets. Although production work is labor-intensive, the value of the product results in high average annual industry revenue of $300,000 per employee.

Current Position in the marketplace:

With movies successes, Universal has the third-place finish in market share, close behind No. 1 Buena Vista and No. 2 Sony (two studios with women in top positions).

Branding Components:

Logo: "The Glittering Globe”: On a black background, an arc slowly appears and brightens. Lights begin appearing below the arc and we see that this is another globe, looking over Europe. We move down as the lights appear all over Europe, and then Africa. As we begin to zoom out, the letters "UNIVERSAL", in a similar font as the last logo but handsomely redone, rotate to the front of the globe. By this time, the globe is shining from the back. A small copyright appears at the bottom-right.

Slogan: “Universal Has The Picture”

Mission Statement: UP focus on attention and integrity toward exemplary production services. They remain constant in our commitment to insure our reputation of extending Universal Picture support, vendors and alliances to exceed any and every expectation our client may have.