The Walt Disney Company is reshaping how it markets itself to the world. The media and entertainment giant has announced the creation of a new enterprise-wide marketing and brand organization, a move designed to bring tighter alignment across its sprawling businesses and deliver a more consistent, connected experience for consumers. To lead the effort, Disney has named longtime executive Asad Ayaz as its first Chief Marketing and Brand Officer.

The new role formalizes something Disney has increasingly needed as its portfolio has expanded across studios, streaming, parks, sports, and consumer products: a single executive with authority over brand coherence and marketing strategy at the company level.

Why Disney is centralizing marketing now

Disney’s businesses have never been more diverse—or more interconnected. From blockbuster franchises and Disney+ originals to theme parks, cruises, ESPN, and global consumer products, the company’s brands touch audiences across dozens of platforms and experiences.

Until now, much of that marketing muscle has lived within individual segments. The new enterprise marketing organization is meant to harness that collective strength, aligning teams and capabilities to ensure campaigns feel connected, brand standards remain consistent, and audiences can move seamlessly between Disney experiences.

CEO Bob Iger framed the move as both a brand and consumer imperative.

“As our businesses have evolved, it’s clear that we need a company-wide role that ensures brand consistency and allows consumers today to seamlessly interact with our products and experiences,” Iger said, calling the new CMO and brand role “critical for this moment.”

For marketers watching the space, the message is clear: as brands scale across channels and business models, decentralized marketing structures can become a liability.

Asad Ayaz’s expanded mandate

Ayaz steps into the role with more than two decades at Disney and deep familiarity with its most visible brands. He previously spent eight years as President of Marketing for The Walt Disney Studios, where he oversaw campaigns for theatrical releases across Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios. He also led marketing for Disney+ during its growth into a global streaming platform.

In 2023, Ayaz was named Disney’s first-ever Chief Brand Officer, taking responsibility for company-wide brand stewardship, alliances, and major events. The new appointment expands that remit significantly—placing enterprise marketing execution alongside brand governance under one leader.

Disney’s segment leaders were explicit about why Ayaz was chosen.

“Asad is an exceptional creative leader with strong strategic and operational prowess and deep experience across Disney and its brands,” said Disney Entertainment co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, Disney Experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro, and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro in a joint statement.

That combination of creativity and operational scale is essential for a role that must balance local flexibility with global consistency.

What the new organization will change

According to Disney, the unified marketing group will connect shared capabilities and modern marketing tools across the company, improving continuity and agility. While specifics were not disclosed, the implications are significant.

For a company like Disney, this could mean:

• More coordinated global launches across film, streaming, parks, and consumer products

• Shared data, insights, and marketing technology across segments

• Faster execution as teams reuse frameworks and assets rather than rebuilding them

• Stronger brand governance as franchises expand into new formats and regions

Ayaz will report directly to Bob Iger as Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, while also working closely with Disney’s segment chairs to lead marketing efforts across business units—a dual-reporting structure that underscores both central authority and segment accountability.

A broader signal for enterprise marketing

Disney’s move mirrors a growing trend among global brands: elevating marketing and brand leadership to the enterprise level. As customer journeys span platforms, devices, and experiences, fragmented marketing strategies can erode brand equity and dilute impact.

In an era of streaming competition, experiential commerce, and IP-driven ecosystems, Disney’s brand is one of its most valuable assets. Centralizing marketing around that asset suggests the company is preparing for a more integrated future—one where franchises, experiences, and distribution channels are marketed as parts of a single narrative.

For MarTech and marketing leaders, the takeaway is timely. Technology, data, and AI have made cross-channel execution possible—but organizational alignment is what ultimately determines whether brands can deliver cohesive experiences at scale.

By appointing a Chief Marketing and Brand Officer and backing the role with an enterprise-wide organization, Disney is betting that brand consistency and connected marketing will be as critical to growth as content itself.

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