Robert Iger Brings Disney into Digital Age
When Robert Iger stepped up to the plate to assume the mantle of CEO of the Walt Disney Company in 2005, he vowed to revolutionize the struggling behemoth. The world's largest media conglomerate was in need of a face-lift, and Iger believed he had just the right strategy.
His first major move was the eye-catching acquisition of Pixar for US$7.4 billion in 2006. What was initially seen as a gamble is now considered a no-brainer. A similarly bold move was the takeover of Marvel for US$4.3 billion in 2009. However, more recently it is Iger's forays into the Internet and digital technology that have been at the heart of the biggest change in culture that Disney has ever seen. In embracing 3-D, online gaming and a move into mobile devices, Iger has had a battle on his hands convincing Disney's traditionalists that technology is the way forward. “I believe in respecting the tradition but making sure that it evolves,” Iger told Harvard Business Review. “If you're too adherent to tradition, you tend to be less innovative.”
Part of the reluctance of the old guard to move in this direction inevitably came from the resounding failures Disney suffered in the online arena under previous CEO Michael Eisner. Having purchased search engine Infoseek, Disney tried to create its own portal, Go.com. It flopped.
迪士尼數位推手—羅伯‧艾格
當羅伯‧艾格於二○○五年挺身接下華特迪士尼公司執行長的重責大任時,他誓言要徹底改革這個掙扎中的大企業。當時這個全世界最大的媒體集團亟須改頭換面,而艾格相信自己剛好有對的策略。
他的第一個重大舉措就是二○○六年以 74 億美元買下皮克斯這個引人矚目的收購案。原先看似賭博之舉,現在卻被視為是理所當然的決定。另一項同樣大膽的決策是在二○○九年以 43 億美元併購驚奇公司。不過,最近艾格在網路與數位科技方面的嘗試,已成為迪士尼公司文化有史以來最大變革的核心。在擁抱 3-D 技術、線上遊戲以及進軍行動設備的策略當中,艾格一直努力說服迪士尼內部的傳統派人士,設法讓他們接受科技才是前進的方向。「我認為傳統必須受到敬重,但也必須確保傳統能夠與時俱進,」艾格在《哈佛商業評論》表示。「要是太拘泥於傳統,通常就會比較不夠創新。」
老一派人士之所以不願朝此方向前進,無非源自迪士尼曾在前任執行長麥可‧艾斯納領導進軍網路領域而遭遇重大挫敗。當時迪士尼買下搜尋引擎「資訊檢索」,企圖成立自己的入口網站「Go.com」,結果徹底失敗。
資料來源:biz 互動英語電子報
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