Disney and Other Parks Blatant Kissing up

Gringrinngghost

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
While ya'll will generally think I am salty towards this post, I wonder if anyone else feels the same about this. I've increasingly noticed in the past year and a half how willingly the general Orlando Parks are willing to suck up to the Social Media 2.0 crowds. It's amazing and personally, I've seen among other park crowds (i.e Universal Orlando Annual Passholders) that people are getting sick and tired of the same people being selected to the events. If you saw the Disney Parks Blog posting today from the Pandora meetup, you'll notice Disney (or universal) aren't even trying to hide the kissing up to Social Media.

Pandora Meetup:
Orlandoparkpix
Orlandobrothas (Orlando Informer contributor and a employee of a competitor's social media team)
WDW NT
Banks, Brittani and Vincent from Attractions Magazine.

To Disney and all other Orlando Parks: Guy's just hold media events and not try to make it a cute way for free advertising.

- Signed A
member of Orlando Park Coverage.

To all those: Yeah... Yeah... Yeah... I get it. There is no such thing as bad publicity or anything else along those lines. But you can't have these "limited space events" where the keen eye can point out all of the orlando social media 2.0 in the pictures they release. There is a reason they have "media events" and generally it tips the scales - Hell some of these people have spent 4+ days already in pandora. I just find it funny that the new way of "press events" is a "we'll open it up to everyone to get a shot at it, but we know who the press are and they get top pick...

I might be a bit salty about it... but guys it really gets on my nerves when it takes literally multiple emails to Disney for a comment on a news story that is if I even get an answer but seeing the same faces over and over and over again at the events. It gets annoying.

For further clarification: The site I am a contributor too... as the owner put it when we were talking about Pandora: "The only thing I have to worry about is getting to avatar [Since Universal has us for Volcano Bay]. We probably won't get an invite though."
 
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Gringrinngghost

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Im not even part of the socialmedia crowd and Disney invited me to enjoy Pandora during the first part of June. Im even staying at the Poly meals included.
I'm just saying that it's funny how these "limited space events" sure do have a lot of media involved...all the same people too.
 
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MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
To Disney and all other Orlando Parks: Guy's just hold media events and not try to make it a cute way for free advertising.

Wait. You're saying that giving special access to social media fansites as a form of free publicity is supposed to be a secret? It's not a secret. It is very much purposefully and intentionally done as a form of free publicity.

Politicians give interviews to sell themselves to the public for free. Actors and directors do the same for their projects. Companies try to create 'viral advertising' that is picked up by social media for... free advertising.

Fansites cooperate because it's in their interest to do so. They need to publish to succeed. The more they can give pics and videos and stories of the events, the more subscribers they'll get an the more web advertising dollars they'll get.

Does that make them biased? Possibly. Does someone who's spent $6,000 on a family vacation give dispassionate reviews, or, are they choice-supportive biased, or perhaps subject to post-purchase rationalization?

Stop falling for Spirit's ad hominem attacks on "lifestylers and bloggers."

Cf. "pixie dusters"
 

Minnie Mum

Well-Known Member
Are you really that naive, or uninformed about how corporations handle publicity? Their aim is go get as much exposure as possible. They will, of course, court those known sources who can provide that large exposure. Who better - the person or site with a million viewers, or the little known stringer from the Podunk Gazette with a few hundred? This is nothing new - it existed back in the olden days of print media, too.

Really, your post reminded me of my DGS whining because he wasn't picked first for dodge ball at recess.
 

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Don't understand the issue. Everyone uses the media to showcase new products, new events. Even Walt knew the wisdom of using the media to build good will, get free mass publicity and use reporters to his advantage before DL opened up. One of the first things he did was use press releases. Today with even more forms of social media as way of reaching out to the masses of potential guests, its only good business sense to utilize it. Those sucked up media people give back way more than they receive. Its a Disney gold mine.
 

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