Soccer Moves Up

In preparation of the 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa, ESPN today released its Soccer Power Index. The index ranks the relative level of capability of national soccer teams. It was developed with the help of Nate Silver and is equipped to have predictive power - i.e. a higher rank indicates a greater chance of success during future matches.

What does this mean? It means that soccer is finally hitting the tipping point of popularity in the United States. Football, baseball, and basketball have had similar ranking systems for years. It means that there is significant interest in this fun method for expressing athletic pride. It also means that ESPN views soccer as a lucrative investment.

Mickey Eats Spiderman

Disney announced today that it had purchased Marvel Entertainment. Disney is known for its wholesome/all-American entertainment (ABC, ESPN, etc.), long-running cartoon franchises (Mickey Mouse, Beauty and the Beast, etc.), and global theme parks. Marvel Entertainment is most renown for its comic book characters (Iron-Man, Spiderman, The Hulk, etc.) and related movie franchises.

I believe that this is a fundamentally brilliant move for Disney. It allows Disney to target key age-based demographics where it had previously been soft: 12-18, 18-24, and 24-34 year-olds - in particular, boys and young men. Where before Disney was brilliant at marketing a wide range of entertainment to children and their parents (typically over 34), now Disney captures the full spectrum - i.e. children, teenagers, young adults, twenty-somethings, young parents, middle-aged parents, and grandparents.

By finding the missing piece of the puzzle at the right time, Disney has once again shown why it's one of the most successful global corporations.