A Spirited Perfect Ten

[ParkMan73]

in that article, there's a great illustration of just how dependent analysts are on the companies they cover.

“He came in runner-up for the biggest job in the world,” said Laura Martin, an analyst at Needham & Co. “He should get picked up pretty quickly in some CEO-level position.”

WHAT?! since when is CEO of TWDC the biggest job in the world?!

Perhaps it was just a cute play on words that got missed? Something like:
“He came in runner-up for the biggest job in the [Walt Disney] World,”

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Is the Dining Plan even a deal? It didn't seem like it when I did the math. But math is hard.

Disney is making it look like a deal when they charge $38 for Chef Mickey's, or $33 for a NY Strip. It can be a small savings if you order the most expensive items on a menu, and plan very carefully.

 

[Phil12]

Is the Dining Plan even a deal? It didn't seem like it when I did the math. But math is hard.

It's kind of like the DVC. I can show you any number of Excel spreadsheets that "prove" the DVC is a good deal.

 

[baymenxpac]

Perhaps it was just a cute play on words that got missed? Something like:
“He came in runner-up for the biggest job in the [Walt Disney] World,”

maybe, but probably not. there was a discussion 50 or so pages back where there was talk about how analysts assigned to cover a company are often very dependent on that company, and thus, aren't all that prone to unbiased pieces.

you'd be surprised how cozy an analyst/PR person relationship can get professionally. it's completely reasonable to see something like that quote, because the company an analyst is covering essentially becomes the center of their world. in many case, it evolves into a completely co-dependent relationship.

 

[Shaman]

Disney is making it look like a deal when they charge $38 for Chef Mickey's, or $33 for a NY Strip. It can be a small savings if you order the most expensive items on a menu, and plan very carefully.

Overall it seems like a gimmick. I might have factored in food quality and flexibility, when I considered it that one time...and didn't buy it.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Overall it seems like a gimmick. I might have factored in food quality and flexibility, when I considered it that one time...and didn't buy it.

Seems like they are trying to answer some of the flexibility with it, but it's still a sucky deal.

 

[Shaman]

maybe, but probably not. there was a discussion 50 or so pages back where there was talk about how analysts assigned to cover a company are often very dependent on that company, and thus, aren't all that prone to unbiased pieces.

you'd be surprised how cozy an analyst/PR person relationship can get professionally. it's completely reasonable to see something like that quote, because the company an analyst is covering essentially becomes the center of their world. in many case, it evolves into a completely co-dependent relationship.

I'm not sure, but i think this is why the news media sucks.

 

[Nemo14]

No, he absolutely did predict Rasulo leaving. In this very thread. I wont bother chasing down the post, because I dont have a disposable 4 hours to scour the thread...but I definitely remember @WDW1974 predicting rasulo would be gone - it was right after staggs got the nod, if you have the intestinal fortitude to do the searching. He may not have predicted the exact month, but his time frames were spot on. As always...

from February 5...

Just got an earful from a friend on the left coast (second friend I talked to today who was driving thru In N Out for a meal when we talked ...I call that the Tom Bricker Effect) who has followed this VERY closely.

Jay got too pushy according to said friend (backed up by a second source just like real reporters used to do) ever since Bob decided to extend his tenure. Did everything but demand -- and he could have done that, we just don't know -- that he get the No. 2 job and a vote of confidence.

Apparently, working sans a contract, coupled with placing PR naming him as the favorite, and recent media coverage all conspired to Bob making a very quick call.

I wouldn't be shocked if Jay is gone well before Easter.

 

[asianway]

Disney is making it look like a deal when they charge $38 for Chef Mickey's, or $33 for a NY Strip. It can be a small savings if you order the most expensive items on a menu, and plan very carefully.

Once I need a spreadsheet to tell me what to eat for dinner, I've already lost

 

[CaptainAmerica]

No, he absolutely did predict Rasulo leaving. In this very thread. I wont bother chasing down the post, because I dont have a disposable 4 hours to scour the thread...but I definitely remember @WDW1974 predicting rasulo would be gone - it was right after staggs got the nod, if you have the intestinal fortitude to do the searching. He may not have predicted the exact month, but his time frames were spot on. As always...

No offense to @WDW1974 but the entire planet could have predicted Rasulo leaving once Staggs got promoted.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Is the Dining Plan even a deal? It didn't seem like it when I did the math. But math is hard.

No, it's not. Rather… Not when you actually pay for it. If you're getting it for free? Well than likely the cost of it is hidden somewhere else…

A couple of years back, someone on these forums broke the dining plan down and discovered that the only way you save money is if you use every single credit.

I remember one of the things that I've always specifically attributed to the dining plan in the demise of some of the menu items… for example at 50s primetime in Disney's Hollywood Studios, back in 2004/2005, before the dining plan came about, one of the menu items you could order was a New York strip steak with fries for $20. Decent steak, decent price for Disney. Now you get Pot Roast. I dunno about you, but thats a stark difference in the quality of meat, IMO.

 

[asianway]

No, it's not. Rather… Not when you actually pay for it. If you're getting it for free? Well than likely the cost of it is hidden somewhere else…

A couple of years back, someone on these forums broke the dining plan down and discovered that the only way you save money is if you use every single credit.

I remember one of the things that I've always specifically attributed to the dining plan in the demise of some of the menu items… for example at 50s primetime in Disney's Hollywood Studios, back in 2004/2005, before the dining plan came about, one of the menu items you could order was a New York strip steak with fries for $20. Decent steak, decent price for Disney. Now you get Pot Roast. I dunno about you, but thats a stark difference in the quality of meat, IMO.

And then the inevitable dog piling of Doritos and doughnuts in the hotel gift shop the last day to take home. Because I normally would have bought 10 bags of $5 Doritos. People are idiots

 

[baymenxpac]

I'm not sure, but i think this is why the news media sucks.

yup. this is what @WDW1974 is talking about regarding journalists not doing their jobs. you wouldn't believe how much of the news items you consume are carefully crafted corporate comms messages with built-in news hooks. it's what people like me do, and it's so much easier in this media landscape.

from strictly a corporate brand perspective (like disney), the 2008 crash of the economy worked out great vis-a-vis the news media. the industry had already undergone a major overhaul, and was on the precipice of major change. then came the crash. media companies everywhere began tightening their belts. MAJOR pubs went under or merged. you had regional publications that either went out of business or took a machete to their staffs. reporters who weren't laid off got jammed up with two, three, even four new beats on their desk (think someone who was covering just aerospace, now covering politics, local news, all while managing the newsdesk), making reporters overworked and outlets understaffed. do you know how many outlets have run straight press releases that i've sent them and just thrown a byline on it? they don't care. they need content to satiate an extremely disparate audience that is absorbing more media than ever before.

meanwhile, the emergence of new media really starting to hit its stride in credibility. blogs were popping up, and people began to realize that they can monetize their interests. there are all these outlets with niche focuses. one would think, "great, all of these people can really dabble into the minutiae and affect keep companies honest." but what happens is the opposite. once corporates befriend the bloggers, you have made a friend who is already a fan, and fans are less prone to be critical (believe it or not, considering most of us who congregate around this particular thread). take it from someone who has personally stepped into their favorite baseball team's clubhouse on blogger credentials. you have to try VERY hard to be discerning about what you see and hear, and not get caught up in the fact that one of your favorite players is getting outfitted in nike gear from his endorsement reps from head-to-toe 15 feet from you.

as it pertains to disney, they take the fanbois and they treat them like media. that means feeding them press releases (carefully approved jargon), and even giving them some "on background" info to beef up some of their speculation that will both further craft the message AND give their blogs more cache. maybe disney then invites them out to see a new toilet, or whatever half-hearted effort they've put into the parks, and BOOM. a freebie. now they've realized not only are they getting money from ad clicks, but they're getting paid in disney experiences. would you be the blogger that turns away a free cruise to write something of consequence on the company?

see, access to the ultimate currency. once they gave it to "new media" people and the company started reaping the rewards, it put a serious crimp in the style of any real journalist looking to glean insight on the company. write something negative? we won't give you anything. and we won't miss you reach, because we have an army of bloggers (which simply equate to brand advocates masquerading behind journalistic jargon) to continue our narrative.

THEN, when brands realized they could cut out the middle man completely with owned content (i.e company blog -- like the parks blog -- and producing their own media for youtube, snapchat, twitter, facebook, tout, periscope...whatever)...then NO ONE became safe. corporations can break their own stories and have their own discussion boards and they'll dominate the SEO on these subjects because most overworked parents just dying to hear what's new at disney will just google "disney blog" and BOOM! dr. blondie is there to tell you all about the COOLEST SUMMER EVER AND PLEASE DON'T WORRY IT ONLY COSTS ONE KIDNEY TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM PARK (we really want that park part in there, please everyone say it say it!).

and here we are. journalists serving too many masters, bloggers looking to make hanging out at disney a job (or even doing that as a second job while working 45 hours a week somewhere else). disney doesn't need any of them, and threatens to take away access to anyone who steps out of line. it leaves everyone just looking to scraps thrown down by the subject they cover, not wanting to rock the boat in the process.

i give you the media landscape of 2015.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I remember one of the things that I've always specifically attributed to the dining plan in the demise of some of the menu items… for example at 50s primetime in Disney's Hollywood Studios, back in 2004/2005, before the dining plan came about, one of the menu items you could order was a New York strip steak with fries for $20. Decent steak, decent price for Disney. Now you get Pot Roast. I dunno about you, but thats a stark difference in the quality of meat, IMO.

Yeah but now Sci-Fi has the steak. What's the difference?

FWIW, I'm not fan of the dining plan. It's a financial break-even for most people at the expense of flexibility.

 

[Phil12]

No offense to @WDW1974 but the entire planet could have predicted Rasulo leaving once Staggs got promoted.

Yes indeed, I think even Brian Williams could have gotten that one right. And speaking of Brian Williams, I heard that he is not coming back to the NBC Evening News. I'm going to miss all of his many conflations. But looking on the bright side, WDW1974 would make a good replacement.

 

[asianway]

yup. this is what @WDW1974 is talking about regarding journalists not doing their jobs. you wouldn't believe how much of the news items you consume are carefully crafted corporate comms messages with built-in news hooks. it's what people like me do, and it's so much easier in this media landscape.

from strictly a corporate brand perspective (like disney), the 2008 crash of the economy worked out great vis-a-vis the news media. the industry had already undergone a major overhaul, and was on the precipice of major change. then came the crash. media companies everywhere began tightening their belts. MAJOR pubs went under or merged. you had regional publications that either went out of business or took a machete to their staffs. reporters who weren't laid off got jammed up with two, three, even four new beats on their desk (think someone who was covering just aerospace, now covering politics, local news, all while managing the newsdesk), making reporters overworked and outlets understaffed. do you know how many outlets have run straight press releases that i've sent them and just thrown a byline on it? they don't care. they need content to satiate an extremely disparate audience that is absorbing more media than ever before.

meanwhile, the emergence of new media really starting to hit its stride in credibility. blogs were popping up, and people began to realize that they can monetize their interests. there are all these outlets with niche focuses. one would think, "great, all of these people can really dabble into the minutiae and affect keep companies honest." but what happens is the opposite. once corporates befriend the bloggers, you have made a friend who is already a fan, and fans are less prone to be critical (believe it or not, considering most of us who congregate around this particular thread). take it from someone who has personally stepped into their favorite baseball team's clubhouse on blogger credentials. you have to try VERY hard to be discerning about what you see and hear, and not get caught up in the fact that one of your favorite players is getting outfitted in nike gear from his endorsement reps from head-to-toe 15 feet from you.

as it pertains to disney, they take the fanbois and they treat them like media. that means feeding them press releases (carefully approved jargon), and even giving them some "on background" info to beef up some of their speculation that will both further craft the message AND give their blogs more cache. maybe disney then invites them out to see a new toilet, or whatever half-hearted effort they've put into the parks, and BOOM. a freebie. now they've realized not only are they getting money from ad clicks, but they're getting paid in disney experiences. would you be the blogger that turns away a free cruise to write something of consequence on the company?

see, access to the ultimate currency. once they gave it to "new media" people and the company started reaping the rewards, it put a serious crimp in the style of any real journalist looking to glean insight on the company. write something negative? we won't give you anything. and we won't miss you reach, because we have an army of bloggers (which simply equate to brand advocates masquerading behind journalistic jargon) to continue our narrative.

THEN, when brands realized they could cut out the middle man completely with owned content (i.e company blog -- like the parks blog -- and producing their own media for youtube, snapchat, twitter, facebook, tout, periscope...whatever)...then NO ONE became safe. corporations can break their own stories and have their own discussion boards and they'll dominate the SEO on these subjects because most overworked parents just dying to hear what's new at disney will just google "disney blog" and BOOM! dr. blondie is there to tell you all about the COOLEST SUMMER EVER AND PLEASE DON'T WORRY IT ONLY COSTS ONE KIDNEY TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM PARK (we really want that park part in there, please everyone say it say it!).

and here we are. journalists serving too many masters, bloggers looking to make hanging out at disney a job (or even doing that as a second job while working 45 hours a week somewhere else). disney doesn't need any of them, and threatens to take away access to anyone who steps out of line. it leaves everyone just looking to scraps thrown down by the subject they cover, not wanting to rock the boat in the process.

i give you the media landscape of 2015.

Can we sticky this?

 

[ford91exploder]

maybe, but probably not. there was a discussion 50 or so pages back where there was talk about how analysts assigned to cover a company are often very dependent on that company, and thus, aren't all that prone to unbiased pieces.

you'd be surprised how cozy an analyst/PR person relationship can get professionally. it's completely reasonable to see something like that quote, because the company an analyst is covering essentially becomes the center of their world. in many case, it evolves into a completely co-dependent relationship.

And that's how we get Enron, AIG, Lehman Bros, Countrywide, Worldcom and Tyco to name a few because the so called analysts were little more than PR shills.

 

[ford91exploder]

Overall it seems like a gimmick. I might have factored in food quality and flexibility, when I considered it that one time...and didn't buy it.

At one time it WAS a good deal and allowed you to budget your food expense easily, Now like so many things at the world it's wildly overpriced relative to the 'real' world.

 

[Phil12]

yup. this is what @WDW1974 is talking about regarding journalists not doing their jobs. you wouldn't believe how much of the news items you consume are carefully crafted corporate comms messages with built-in news hooks. it's what people like me do, and it's so much easier in this media landscape.

from strictly a corporate brand perspective (like disney), the 2008 crash of the economy worked out great vis-a-vis the news media. the industry had already undergone a major overhaul, and was on the precipice of major change. then came the crash. media companies everywhere began tightening their belts. MAJOR pubs went under or merged. you had regional publications that either went out of business or took a machete to their staffs. reporters who weren't laid off got jammed up with two, three, even four new beats on their desk (think someone who was covering just aerospace, now covering politics, local news, all while managing the newsdesk), making reporters overworked and outlets understaffed. do you know how many outlets have run straight press releases that i've sent them and just thrown a byline on it? they don't care. they need content to satiate an extremely disparate audience that is absorbing more media than ever before.

meanwhile, the emergence of new media really starting to hit its stride in credibility. blogs were popping up, and people began to realize that they can monetize their interests. there are all these outlets with niche focuses. one would think, "great, all of these people can really dabble into the minutiae and affect keep companies honest." but what happens is the opposite. once corporates befriend the bloggers, you have made a friend who is already a fan, and fans are less prone to be critical (believe it or not, considering most of us who congregate around this particular thread). take it from someone who has personally stepped into their favorite baseball team's clubhouse on blogger credentials. you have to try VERY hard to be discerning about what you see and hear, and not get caught up in the fact that one of your favorite players is getting outfitted in nike gear from his endorsement reps from head-to-toe 15 feet from you.

as it pertains to disney, they take the fanbois and they treat them like media. that means feeding them press releases (carefully approved jargon), and even giving them some "on background" info to beef up some of their speculation that will both further craft the message AND give their blogs more cache. maybe disney then invites them out to see a new toilet, or whatever half-hearted effort they've put into the parks, and BOOM. a freebie. now they've realized not only are they getting money from ad clicks, but they're getting paid in disney experiences. would you be the blogger that turns away a free cruise to write something of consequence on the company?

see, access to the ultimate currency. once they gave it to "new media" people and the company started reaping the rewards, it put a serious crimp in the style of any real journalist looking to glean insight on the company. write something negative? we won't give you anything. and we won't miss you reach, because we have an army of bloggers (which simply equate to brand advocates masquerading behind journalistic jargon) to continue our narrative.

THEN, when brands realized they could cut out the middle man completely with owned content (i.e company blog -- like the parks blog -- and producing their own media for youtube, snapchat, twitter, facebook, tout, periscope...whatever)...then NO ONE became safe. corporations can break their own stories and have their own discussion boards and they'll dominate the SEO on these subjects because most overworked parents just dying to hear what's new at disney will just google "disney blog" and BOOM! dr. blondie is there to tell you all about the COOLEST SUMMER EVER AND PLEASE DON'T WORRY IT ONLY COSTS ONE KIDNEY TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM PARK (we really want that park part in there, please everyone say it say it!).

and here we are. journalists serving too many masters, bloggers looking to make hanging out at disney a job (or even doing that as a second job while working 45 hours a week somewhere else). disney doesn't need any of them, and threatens to take away access to anyone who steps out of line. it leaves everyone just looking to scraps thrown down by the subject they cover, not wanting to rock the boat in the process.

i give you the media landscape of 2015.

So what else is new? Pretty girls have been used since the beginning of time to sell stuff.

 

[asianway]

At one time it WAS a good deal and allowed you to budget your food expense easily, Now like so many things at the world it's wildly overpriced relative to the 'real' world.

Must've been all those ribeye steaks I scored at pepper market cramming 4 adults into a pop room during free dining back in 07.