Disney adds theater ticket app to Facebook

Disney using social media...

A new application created by Walt Disney on social media site Facebook enables consumers to purchase theater tickets for new Pixar movie Toy Story 3, without having to navigate away from the site.

The application, called Disney Tickets Together could transform how movie tickets are sold online, utilizing a social networking platform at a time when movie attendances are at an all timer low (a 22 percent decline from last year and the lowest total since 1993, according to Hollywood.com). Once a user has purchased a ticket using the Facebook platform, they are prompted to invite friends to buy tickets of their own.

Disney Tickets Together landed under the radar, suddenly appearing on Facebook under the innocuous group name "Toy Story 3". The service, which was added on 26 May, has so far accumulated 732,000 followers, and according to Disney, is already seeing groups as large as 80 purchase tickets, despite the movie not being released until 18 June.

"The whole idea is that no friend gets left behind," said Oliver Luckett, senior vice president and general manager of DigiSynd, a Disney subsidiary that manages the entertainment giant's social networking presence.

Facebook's global presence

Facebook currently has around 500,000 global users, and has already initiated virtual currencies for some of its gaming applications. The Disney Tickets Together is another step towards large corporations utilizing social media, and building

"What Disney is doing moves beyond just creating awareness to using the platform to acquire customers directly," said Dan Rose, Facebook's vice president for partnerships and platform marketing. "This is the first time that a movie studio has tried this, which we think makes a lot of sense because movie-going is one of those activities that is inherently social."

To make it happen, Disney utilizes ticket buying sites like Fandango.com and covers most movie theaters in North America.

Facebook will stand to make no cash from the deal, but should benefit from an increase in traffic.

According to the NY Times, Disney is distinctly positioned to bring new marketing ideas to the Web. Steven P. Jobs, the Apple chief executive, joined the Disney board with the 2006 acquisition of Pixar, which he had controlled, and became Disney's largest shareholder. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, joined Disney's board six months ago.

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