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Heinrich, Ursula
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Spring 2022
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2022
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4823_Chase_Garrett.pdf
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Abstract
Background: As social movements gain more ground, companies have begun marketing to
marginalized groups such as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning
(LGBTQ) community. However, this marketing is often accused of being purely for the
company's profit and not for the advancement of equality for these communities.
Objective: This study aims to research the possibility of Disney engaging in rainbow capitalism
and how that could affect the company and the LGBTQ community as a way to further open
conversation on the topic in regards to other companies as well.
Design and Method: The research is based on a content analysis of Walt Disney World theme
park image advertisements from 2021, coding for semiotic signs of LGBTQ representation and
coding for implicit and explicit representation for when it is found in an image. The research
questions specifically being answered were: "How many Disney World picture advertisements
from 2021 depict LGBTQ representation outside of June (pride month)?" and "How many
Disney World advertisements contain either explicit or implicit LGBTQ representation?".
Results: The study found that based on a significant lack of advertising aimed at the LGBTQ
community, Disney has not engaged in rainbow capitalism and that in the few images that did
contain representation, Disney opted to use implicit signs such as ambiguous relationships
between same-sex subjects in the images.
Conclusions: Although based purely on the data collected, Disney is found not engaging in
rainbow capitalism, their active selling of a pride collection and undisclosed revenue split from
its profits to charity point that the company stands to profit from this collection as well as
potential marketing of it to the LGBTQ community. This concept, in conjunction with past
research on how implicit representation often causes more damage to the marginalized
community, Disney. However, it may not have partaken in the harmful practice but has not made
active decisions in its advertising to stand with the LGBTQ community.
Keywords: Rainbow capitalism, semiotics, content analysis, LGBTQ representation, Disney,
Advertising
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