A Spirited Perfect Ten

Next Big Thing

Next Big Thing

Well-Known Member
ford91exploder said:
The greater point which you missed is with a hub retheming they had an opportunity to select a design unique to WDW instead they chose to use a generic design from a industrial supply catalog. #FAIL,

I could see the generic ones during the construction phase if they did not want to telegraph the design choices but right now it's pretty obvious that Cheap-N-Nasty rules the day, Show be D----ed. What's next recycled 55 gallon drums?
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Have you seen the trash cans in New Fantasyland? (I can't believe we're having this type of conversation about trash cans...) You don't want to know how much the new themed trash cans in New Fantasyland/Storybook Circus cost. It's a pretty penny. So no, they aren't phasing out themed trash cans to be more generic. What exactly does a turn of the century themed can look like anyway?
 
DisneyElephant

DisneyElephant

Active Member
WDW1974 said:
So, WDW is running massive commercials telling people they can book for this summer for 30% off. Yep, the business plan continues. Raise prices like crazy, cut quality and then discount. Hey, it works wonder for The Walmart, right?
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This is outdated Marketing strategies in a nutshell. And more and more high level marketing people that have been using such a strategy are getting canned as a result....because it DOESN'T WORK! I don't think its surprising, yet incredibly frustrating, that Disney continues to use this strategy. It tells me how old their high-level marketing strategists are. Because they're completely out of touch. I guarantee they're still using the strategies that they were taught to use 20/30 years ago that are now outdated and null and void. And because marketing and ahem, the world (pardon the pun ;)) has changed significantly in the last 15 years, they're at a complete and total loss as to what to do. So like a robot, they just keep using the same answer over and over again because that's how they're programmed.

For a little perspective, where I work, we fired our Marketing Director this past summer for the same exact reason. This person kept using this "discount" strategy for about 8 or 9 years. There were a number of other reasons they were fired, but that was the bulk of it. We needed a new strategy and they refused to adapt. So now, we've hired another person who is younger and has a very fresh, unique, and truly intelligent approach that is WORKING. Why Disney hasn't given in to this yet is beyond me.

Two other things and then I'll shut up.

1) I was recently on vacation in Florida staying in a beautiful condo by the beach (going to Disney hasn't crossed our minds in some time) watching TV and relaxing at night when my father (64) saw a commercial for Disney. He promptly said without provocation or any other previously held discussions "They're really pricing themselves out of the market deeming them completely inaccessible to the average middle class family. Rather than a 'return' visit time and again, they've made themselves a 'once in a lifetime' destination. That's not a good strategy." Keep in mind that my father never spent time in business, worked for the state his whole life, and is a HUGE Disney fan.

2) Now, here me out on this, but I think that the focus for Disney since our good friend Bobby took the lead wasn't supposed to be on Parks and Resorts, in fact, I think it was very very likely anything but. I think the entire organization "tried" (and I use that term loosely...) to go back to animation and make that the focus of the BRAND (as '74 so warmly capitalizes :)) because they internally felt that their films were really subpar. Well the biggest problem with that in my opinion is that, with maybe less than 3 exceptions, Disney animation films haven't even been HALF the quality over the last 15/20 years as they were previously. So that when something like Frozen becomes a hit, they tap it for every dime its worth because they're keenly aware of just how poor their films are overall and as such, they compensate by churning out as many as possible and seeing what sticks. I can understand wanting to do that, but it throws the entire company out of balance if you half anything. It comes down to a lot of things, but primarily leaderships goals, and the overall talent pool for every single branch of the business. All of which, I know all of you are aware.

:steps down from soapbox:
 

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