MAM
Disney auditions in theme park to promote ABC shows
LOS ANGELES: This is an excellent example of a media conglomerate using its bread-and-butter property to cross-promote a struggling enterprise.
Last year, to shore up ratings for ABC’s new shows, the broadcaster’s parent Walt Disney used units such as the California Adventure theme park to generate excitement about its content. Now, Disney is looking to take things to the next level by focussing on ABCs reality-oriented content.
California Adventure, opposite Disneyland in Los Angeles-area Anaheim, California, will host the ABC promotion on 6 and 7 September. Disney will hold auditions for The Bachelor and The Bachelorette,which will have randomly selected guests acting out scenes from upcoming episodes with the actual actors.
The strategy is all about programme sampling. Disney state that this is a very targeted and proven entertainment marketing technique, to get people to see what you are talking about. This year’s cross-promotional event also involves other Disney divisions, including the cable and radio networks, online unit and publishing arm.
Separate season-launch initiatives include cross-promotions on ESPN as well as in DVD trailers.
Last year, fans saw special screenings and met some of the series’ stars like Alias’ Jennifer Garner who hung out in the company of Mickey Mouse, a report in Hollywood Reporter stated. In India, the show airs on AXN. For Disney, the payoff was an estimated $8 million in free publicity from the national and regional television, radio and print coverage of the two-day ABC Primetime Preview Weekend.
Reuters, meanwhile, states that one of Disney’s recent cross-promotional successes has been with the Johnny Depp summer film Pirates of the Caribbean. The film was based on a Disneyland theme park ride. In the past, Disney has used its parks to promote ESPN.
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
