MiceAge on the latest news regarding MyMagic+ : Read it and weep.

[Clowd Nyne]

Everyone is missing the point. You don't have to swipe your ticket through a scanner you can hold it up to a circle and it lights up and your ticket is a sweaty wrist band! Way better than anything that could have been ever!

 

[DisneyGentleman]

The problem though is that this is Disney's end-all, be-all strategy and will not reverse declining numbers.

It's lipstick on a pig, and that pig is pretty ugly.

 

[Nubs70]

Agreed, The new Moto ads are more along the lines of what John Chambers was speaking about, ie a mass produced item customized to the purchaser.

Exactly, in the case of MM+, the customer facing side gives the impression that the guest can customize their experience with infinite possibility. The company facing side of MM+, in.reality, serves to further turn the guests experience into a commodity experience.

 

[Captain Neo]

Not cancelled but halted, also did you hear otherwise recently? genuine question.

Its not halted

 

[doctornick]

Its not halted

Do you think Star Wars stuff is going to be announced in the near future then? And would it be at both DLR and WDW?

 

[Bairstow]

The problem though is that this is Disney's end-all, be-all strategy and will not reverse declining numbers.

I don't know what "numbers" you're referring to, but according to TEA, Disney's domestic parks have seen steady increases in attendance since 2002.
http://www.aecom.com/deployedfiles/Internet/Capabilities/Economics/_documents/2012 Theme Index Combined_1-1_online.pdf

In theroy ... yes, but the reality is they do not work as well as they have been advertised, and it's having the opposite effect with people, they are being more concious of what they spend, because of the fear of overspending with the band.

The idea may have looked and sounded good to some on paper ... but the reality is proving to be far different.

I wasn't aware that you have access to Disney's merchandise sales figures.
Please share this information with us, if you can, as it would add to our discussion.

So the plan is to increase profits by fooling guests into spending more money.

Sounds like a great long-term customer-satisfaction plan.

Depends on how it's handled.
I assume that this strategy is born out of Disney's realization that in terms of attendance they are hitting the upper reaches of what they can do with their current Florida road, resort, and park infrastructure. If they are not going to be able to significantly increase the amount of people that can book WDW vacations in a year without massive investments and changes (many of which, like Orlando International Airport's capacity and US gasoline prices, are beyond their control), it stands to reason that the better strategy is to maximize profits from their current guest levels.

 

[AndyS2992]

Do you think Star Wars stuff is going to be announced in the near future then? And would it be at both DLR and WDW?

It is likely and yes it will be at both at DLR (taking over most of Tomorrowland) and at WDW (in Hollywood Studios).

 

[PhotoDave219]

Jimmy is right right though. This is exactly why the magic bands are so important to Disney. They make spending money feel fun, or at least, not like spending money in the real world. The psychological impact of changing the kinetics of charging to your room away from a credit card format to something new and fun that gives positive reinforcement to the user (green glowing lights) will almost certainly have a boosting effect on food and merchandise sales keyed to the band. It's hard to express just how compelling they've made this system until you've tried it for yourself in the parks.

Yes but that doesn't translate to an additional revenue stream.

You also cannot predict Nor measure how much each guest will end up overspending just because they've got a little bracelet on the arm.

Either way I can't see how this will increase guestroom spending by 11 to 15%…

And for the record, yes. I have tested my magic plus. I have used in Magic band. Mine works fine. It's currently sitting in my car. I like it and I have no complaints about it beyond the transparency of the behind-the-scenes metrics.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Just added the bold text for clarity.

That's not a new stream of revenue. That's existing in room spending per guest. It's certainly not a new source of income.

 

[Nubs70]

Yes but that doesn't translate to an additional revenue stream.

You also cannot predict Nor measure how much each guest will end up overspending just because they've got a little bracelet on the arm.

Either way I can't see how this will increase guestroom spending by 11 to 15%…

And for the record, yes. I have tested my magic plus. I have used in Magic band. Mine works fine. It's currently sitting in my car. I like it and I have no complaints about it beyond the transparency of the behind-the-scenes metrics.

I fail to understand how an RFID band would cause me to spend additional $400 - $600 during a trip.

 

[G00fyDad]

I fail to understand how an RFID band would cause me to spend additional $400 - $600 during a trip.

It is predicated on the idea that you will place a certain amount of money on your band and it will make it easier for you to spend the money, or at least not "see" it as spending the money. If you have to pull out your wallet each time you will soon get the idea that you're laying down some serious money. It is the same idea behind no clocks or windows in casinos. They don't want you knowing how long you have been emptying your bank account, and Disney doesn't want you to know how much you have been tossing away in the parks all day.

 

[Nubs70]

It is predicated on the idea that you will place a certain amount of money on your band and it will make it easier for you to spend the money, or at least not "see" it as spending the money. If you have to pull out your wallet each time you will soon get the idea that you're laying down some serious money. It is the same idea behind no clocks or windows in casinos. They don't want you knowing how long you have been emptying your bank account, and Disney doesn't want you to know how much you have been tossing away in the parks all day.

But I can already do this with my kttw card. Did they draw inspiration for this after a night of buying strippers drinks?

 

[Bairstow]

Yes but that doesn't translate to an additional revenue stream.

Right. It would increase existing streams of revenue.

You also cannot predict Nor measure how much each guest will end up overspending just because they've got a little bracelet on the arm.

On an individual basis, of course not.
It would, however, be extremely easy to analyze guest spending data on a larger scale and then to compare it with guest spending from before the program was implemented or against guest spending that is done with conventional credit cards. I would imagine that Disney is especially eager to see what the data looks like when they track MagicBand spending and compare it to spending events keyed to credit cards used to pay for resort rooms on property but not done with the MagicBand. In any case, the data necessary to prove the program's worth is being generated right now and probably won't be valid until the bugs are worked out of the system, assuming this happens.

Either way I can't see how this will increase guestroom spending by 11 to 15%…

If those were the numbers used to sell NextGen to corporate, I assume this figure also factors in longer resort stays encouraged by the program and possibly some other guest spending incentives that haven't been implemented yet. A rewards system of some kind, perhaps.

 

[Bairstow]

But I can already do this with my kttw card. Did they draw inspiration for this after a night of buying strippers drinks?

But the Key to the World card is a card, so it feels like using your Visa or American Express.
Magic Bands don't, and that's the whole point. You don't even have to reach into your pocket to pull it out.
The goal here isn't simply to allow guests to charge things to their room, but to make the kinetics of spending money as different as possible from what is familiar.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I fail to understand how an RFID band would cause me to spend additional $400 - $600 during a trip.

Exactly! While i think its pretty convenient from the guest perspective to have one of these doo-hick-ee's on your wrist and it works as advertised (when it works)... i just dont see how it increases guest spending or introduces a new revenue stream.

 

[PhotoDave219]

But I can already do this with my kttw card. Did they draw inspiration for this after a night of buying strippers drinks?

Brilliant.

 

[PhotoDave219]

It is predicated on the idea that you will place a certain amount of money on your band and it will make it easier for you to spend the money, or at least not "see" it as spending the money. If you have to pull out your wallet each time you will soon get the idea that you're laying down some serious money. It is the same idea behind no clocks or windows in casinos. They don't want you knowing how long you have been emptying your bank account, and Disney doesn't want you to know how much you have been tossing away in the parks all day.

But 15% more?

 

[G00fyDad]

But 15% more?

Oh, I'm not saying that I agree with Disney's predictions. Not at all. I was simply explaining the thought process (right or wrong they may be) behind the MagicBand idea.

 

[G00fyDad]

But I can already do this with my kttw card. Did they draw inspiration for this after a night of buying strippers drinks?

You still have to take that card out of a wallet, or where ever you may keep it and use it. It also has the same "feel" as a credit card so the human mind still sees it as spending money. The band is, on some primitive level, not the same.

 

[Captain Neo]

Do you think Star Wars stuff is going to be announced in the near future then? And would it be at both DLR and WDW?

I wouldn't think so no. The project is still very much in the design phase. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it didn't get announced until 2015 (with some work on it getting started earlier). I don't know off hand but I would assume its for both DLR and Hollywood Studios since Disney is not going to build anything that they can't clone on both coasts (Cars land was a unique exception).