Crazy Comments: Perceptions of Disney from a non-Disney Person

[Walt Disney1955]

There are perceptions people have, and that's fine. We keep thinking we live in such a progressive society nowadays but we don't. How do I know? Because we have more access to information at our fingertips than ever before but we are just as stupid as ever. We can learn anything we want but we choose not to.

I just might have a story that beats everyone else's when dealing with a non-Disney fan. At work it was well known I went to WDW with just my wife and I. The ones who never have gone didn't get it and poked fun at me a bit for it. I can live with that. But one guy was so adamant that I was doing something "wrong" by going without kids that he took a Facebook picture from my profile, copied it and showed it to people at work. The picture was my wife and I with Donald, smiling. I actually love that picture but it wasn't enough for this guy, he had to try and convince people that going to WDW without kids is foolish and I was an example of something you shouldn't do.

Now, most people thought he was a tool for trying too hard. But a few who had never been went with the flow and couldn't understand why I would get my picture taken with a character. I think it bothered him the most when I wasn't actually bothered by people seeing that picture. I mean, I had it on Facebook for crying out loud, how embarassed could I have been? Not at all.

 

[wendysue]

There are perceptions people have, and that's fine. We keep thinking we live in such a progressive society nowadays but we don't. How do I know? Because we have more access to information at our fingertips than ever before but we are just as stupid as ever. We can learn anything we want but we choose not to.

I just might have a story that beats everyone else's when dealing with a non-Disney fan. At work it was well known I went to WDW with just my wife and I. The ones who never have gone didn't get it and poked fun at me a bit for it. I can live with that. But one guy was so adamant that I was doing something "wrong" by going without kids that he took a Facebook picture from my profile, copied it and showed it to people at work. The picture was my wife and I with Donald, smiling. I actually love that picture but it wasn't enough for this guy, he had to try and convince people that going to WDW without kids is foolish and I was an example of something you shouldn't do.

Now, most people thought he was a tool for trying too hard. But a few who had never been went with the flow and couldn't understand why I would get my picture taken with a character. I think it bothered him the most when I wasn't actually bothered by people seeing that picture. I mean, I had it on Facebook for crying out loud, how embarassed could I have been? Not at all.

Wow! What a nasty person he was. Good for you for not paying any attention to what he was trying to do....Just continue to enjoy your trips there.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

As a side note, to the people who don't understand the marketing think about this. Disney is brilliant for what they do. You aren't going to market Disney to teens who watch Jersey Shore. No matter what you do that is an age group where kids are scared to death to like something remotely uncool for social reasons. As adults we don't care, and as young kids we don't care either.

So think about it. If you are 7 years old and see a commercial for Disney you'll see the Castle, you'll see Snow White, Mickey, Goofy, Donald, etc. It seems very magical. What do you do? You run into the kitchen and beg your parents to take you. Eventually your parents relent and go. Here's the kicker, the parents like it as much as the kids but they don't know it until they go themselves. That's how Disney lures you in. Promote it as a family vacation and they will all come. The kids who go growing up end up going alone as adults and then bring their own kids when the time is right. How do I know this? Because my dad took us when we were old enough and his first time was in 1973 when he was 28!

If you gear it towards adolescents you won't get the crowds. If you gear it towards adults the same thing will happen. What you need to do which they do to perfection is gear it towards the kids who entice their parents to take them. Once everyone is there, the parents, the teenagers and the kids all love it. Case closed. Hey it works doesn't it? 17 million people went through the gates at Magic Kingdom in 2011. That's more than any other park in the world and by FAR more than any other park minus Disneyland.

So who cares what the cashier at your grocery store thinks. They haven't done their homework at all, they just watch a commercial or two and think they have it figured out. But when their kids try to convince them to go they'll feel stupid for missing out on it all those years

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Wow! What a nasty person he was. Good for you for not paying any attention to what he was trying to do....Just continue to enjoy your trips there.

We get along to be honest, he wasn't trying to be malicious, it was more of a prank to try and get me going and when it doesn't work he tries harder. But he actually does try to convince people that Disney is just for kids. He just goes too far and I let him dig his own grave. The sad thing is, the people that have never gone might never even give it a chance after hearing it from someone like that. That is who I feel sorry for, the ones without minds of their own

 

[invader]

"You were just there last weekend! Why are you going again?!"

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

I get this ALL the time!!

Them: You're going to Disney AGAIN?!?!!?
Me: Yep and I'm really excited!
Them: Haven't you been there a million times??!?
Me: Not really, around 20 to be specific
Them: Don't you own a map? There's other places to go, ya know
Me: Yeah but its NOT Disney
Them: Your son is grown, Disney is for kids!
Me: We always have a great time, its relaxing
Them: You're crazy, for the amount of money you spend, you can go anywhere in the world
Me: Are YOU paying for this???
Them: Well, no
Me: OK then, see ya after vacation!!

I must get this EVERY year we head to Disney, I actually thought of making flash cards with the conversation above! What gets me, is most have never been to Disney! They just don't get it!! :shrug:

 

[ChrisFL]

As a side note, to the people who don't understand the marketing think about this. Disney is brilliant for what they do. You aren't going to market Disney to teens who watch Jersey Shore. No matter what you do that is an age group where kids are scared to death to like something remotely uncool for social reasons. As adults we don't care, and as young kids we don't care either.

So think about it. If you are 7 years old and see a commercial for Disney you'll see the Castle, you'll see Snow White, Mickey, Goofy, Donald, etc. It seems very magical. What do you do? You run into the kitchen and beg your parents to take you. Eventually your parents relent and go. Here's the kicker, the parents like it as much as the kids but they don't know it until they go themselves. That's how Disney lures you in. Promote it as a family vacation and they will all come. The kids who go growing up end up going alone as adults and then bring their own kids when the time is right. How do I know this? Because my dad took us when we were old enough and his first time was in 1973 when he was 28!

If you gear it towards adolescents you won't get the crowds. If you gear it towards adults the same thing will happen. What you need to do which they do to perfection is gear it towards the kids who entice their parents to take them. Once everyone is there, the parents, the teenagers and the kids all love it. Case closed. Hey it works doesn't it? 17 million people went through the gates at Magic Kingdom in 2011. That's more than any other park in the world and by FAR more than any other park minus Disneyland.

So who cares what the cashier at your grocery store thinks. They haven't done their homework at all, they just watch a commercial or two and think they have it figured out. But when their kids try to convince them to go they'll feel stupid for missing out on it all those years

I have to disagree with this.

The older marketing of Disney wasn't designed for the kids only to convince their parents to go along with them, it was marketed as a place where the kids AND adults would have fun equally, not that somehow the adults would stumble upon fun things for them to do also.

Just think about how many amenities the resort hotels have, and the golf courses, taking a boat on the seven seas lagoon for the evening, parasailing, all of the adult friendly stuff. Disney doesn't market like that at ALL.

Disney markets to small kids and to moms. There's a good reason that Disney has a "Mom's Panel" now, that's their market demographic.

 

[Devin36]

They used to target adults & couples more.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKgMzqO06AI&feature=related

This one is a perfect example of the type of adds they could run...I mean this is the situation you are all talking about..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xqiD6tEZTo

 

[Minnie1976]

My friend's comment, "Ya'll need to get over Disney and go somewhere else."
She just doesn't get the fasination we have for Disney at all, especially when I was so excited over my new Mickey Mouse Crocs.

 

[leglessdog]

If you don't have an affection for Disney's product, you don't really have a desire to go for yourself if you haven't been before (at least based on how they market it).

If you haven't gone, you don't have an opportunity to 'get it'.

I didn't go until I was 30, and wouldn't have gone of my own volition. I never really cared for the classic characters, I have a pretty active dislike for most of the princesses (Snow White! Really good at cleaning up after boys, and that's pretty much it. Belle! Tolerates domestic abuse because she made a promise. Ariel! Change yourself so a boy notices you, etc.) -and all that being said, now I'm here, poking around for info, rumor, and opinion. Now I know who John Hench is. Now I can tell you the relative date a Google Maps photo of the Fantasyland Expansion was taken.

None of that happens if I don't go despite my aversion to some of the source material. While, I'm into it, I'm keying into something a little different than someone, with all due respect, who gets giddy over their Mickey Crocs. Neither one is more valid than the other though, and that's part of the beauty of the experience. We all have our own rabbit hole, so to speak.

So, not to get all Johnny Buzzkilll, but there's plenty of reasons to not 'get it,' least of all, it's just not your thing.

 

[sittinpretty]

As a single man who has been a huge WDW fan since my teenage years in the 80s, when I make a trip every 3-4 years I've stopped telling people I'm visiting the World, I just say I'm going to Florida, if I'm asked where I tell them I'm going to spend two weeks 'at the beach'. One woman once said "I don't understand why you're going all that way just to see cartoon characters", I tried to explain that WDW was the largest entertainment complex on the planet & has plenty of attractions for adults and that there were the more 'adult' parks at Epcot, AK & DHS but she completely refused to listen to me and walked off! I now keep my mouth shut. People haven't got a clue that Epcot, AK & DHS exist, they just think that WDW is Fantasyland and whirling tea-cups.

Frankly, you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming into Fantasyland on a hot summer's afternoon with its wailing 3 year olds in princess costumes, it's my idea of hell when it's like that. I'm much more of a drinking around the World at Epcot man myself!

 

[Walt Disney1955]

They used to target adults & couples more.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKgMzqO06AI&feature=related

This one is a perfect example of the type of adds they could run...I mean this is the situation you are all talking about..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xqiD6tEZTo

I like those commercials. But would the cynical adult even buy that? Think about it from their angle.

I agree with the idea that Disney should be marketed towards kids AND adults having fun in the same place as Walt intended, but when something is engrained in your mind so much would it even matter what audience they were selling it to?

The safest bet is targeting it towards families and I think Disney figures this is where they hit their core and then word of mouth spreads. Not to mention those kids grow up

 

[Sweet Melissa]

The misconceptions about the Disney parks don't bother me at all. I'm not in the business of converting people. You're not interested in Disney? Fine. I'm not interested in sharing it with my everyday life anyway.

What really bothers me are the misconceptions about the man himself. I hate it when some irresponsible ignoramus perpetuates the lie that Walt Disney was a racist, for instance.

 

[cristabelita]

I am in my late twenties, and to be honest I kind of like things the way that they are.

When I go to WDW, it's an escape from the stupidity of my peers on a typical "adult" vacation — pretentious clubs, random hook-ups and sloppy drunkenness. I agree that Disney should do a much better job marketing to couples and some segments of more sophisticated young adults, but I'm just fine being in a predominantly family environment when I go to WDW. I don't think adding large groups of young adults looking to party will make the experience better. Bringing back a jazz club for example may attract a younger but mature crowd. Bringing back nightclubs just attracts rowdy locals, because let's face it — people looking to party on vacation aren't going to pick WDW for the club scene.

Disney marketing does target families with small children, but in all honestly it seems to be working pretty well from a business perspective. The parks are more crowded than ever. And when the target audience is families, you get less cheap-thrill roller coasters and more Spaceship Earth's.

I guess my point is that maybe we should be content with keeping WDW as our adult vacation secret, otherwise the demographic in the parks may change and things may be less enjoyable. It's also always funny to bring first-timers along and watch their reaction as they realize they had no idea how wrong their perceptions were of WDW. Yes, it's annoying when people make comments about our vacation plans, but I usually just smile and let them stay ignorant.

I'm 23 and I hate hearing about my co-workers or classmates' weekends - like getting so drunk they don't remember what happened but it was "fun". And one of these friends is in their late 30s with a teenage daughter. I don't know exactly how that could be fun, I'd find that kind of scary.

I don't bring up Disney but when people bring it up, I discuss it. If someone makes an incorrect statement about Disneyland (my 2nd home) I say "excuse me, but..." and correct them. Ignorance is one of the biggest reasons more young adults don't do DLR or WDW. I'm not in the business of converting but if you ask me about Disney, you might want to sit down because it'll be a while.

I had to physically show my DBIL what exactly WDW was and why he should go, at least once. My sister and I have been once, I'm going solo in September, and she wants us to go next fall so I got the information.

Now that he knows what's there, he's excited too. He enlisted in the army so we'll be getting discounted tickets and hotel rates next year :sohappy:

 

[Lucky]

Slides. . .

I can't think of a slide.

unless they were thinking of the water parks

 

[Lucky]

I am in my late twenties, and to be honest I kind of like things the way that they are.

When I go to WDW, it's an escape from the stupidity of my peers on a typical "adult" vacation — pretentious clubs, random hook-ups and sloppy drunkenness. I agree that Disney should do a much better job marketing to couples and some segments of more sophisticated young adults, but I'm just fine being in a predominantly family environment when I go to WDW. I don't think adding large groups of young adults looking to party will make the experience better. Bringing back a jazz club for example may attract a younger but mature crowd. Bringing back nightclubs just attracts rowdy locals, because let's face it — people looking to party on vacation aren't going to pick WDW for the club scene.

Disney marketing does target families with small children, but in all honestly it seems to be working pretty well from a business perspective. The parks are more crowded than ever. And when the target audience is families, you get less cheap-thrill roller coasters and more Spaceship Earth's.

I guess my point is that maybe we should be content with keeping WDW as our adult vacation secret, otherwise the demographic in the parks may change and things may be less enjoyable. It's also always funny to bring first-timers along and watch their reaction as they realize they had no idea how wrong their perceptions were of WDW. Yes, it's annoying when people make comments about our vacation plans, but I usually just smile and let them stay ignorant.

nice post - couldn't agree more

 

[disneylemons]

I guess my point is that maybe we should be content with keeping WDW as our adult vacation secret, otherwise the demographic in the parks may change and things may be less enjoyable. It's also always funny to bring first-timers along and watch their reaction as they realize they had no idea how wrong their perceptions were of WDW. Yes, it's annoying when people make comments about our vacation plans, but I usually just smile and let them stay ignorant.

Agreed!

 

[zooey]

The misconceptions about the Disney parks don't bother me at all. I'm not in the business of converting people. You're not interested in Disney? Fine. I'm not interested in sharing it with my everyday life anyway.

What really bothers me are the misconceptions about the man himself. I hate it when some irresponsible ignoramus perpetuates the lie that Walt Disney was a racist, for instance.

Unfortunately, cynics have this need to ruin something that otherwise appears to be pure and wholesome. That's what happens to people like Walt Disney. Now, he was a complicated guy, with a full, highly detailed life all with major cultural sweeps and changes as a backdrop. I think cynics find it more pleasurable to discredit him fully than do a few hours of research and find out what they want to believe is not true.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Is it possible that WDW is using generational marketing to try to time their message to match what they may see as babyboom3? It is a shame they do not do more marketing to the older demographics. I like the idea of multiple messages on the DVD, one for kids/families, one for young adults, one for older fans. People would probably watch all three but would focus/remember the one that applies most to their station in life. I also agree that it is okay to have others continue their misconceptions, as long as it keeps more room for me.

 

[zooey]

Is it possible that WDW is using generational marketing to try to time their message to match what they may see as babyboom3? It is a shame they do not do more marketing to the older demographics. I like the idea of multiple messages on the DVD, one for kids/families, one for young adults, one for older fans. People would probably watch all three but would focus/remember the one that applies most to their station in life. I also agree that it is okay to have others continue their misconceptions, as long as it keeps more room for me.

Marketing is an ebb and flow. Right now, they've decided to market to adults for them to take their children. "Do it for your children!" and then someday, they will try advertising to the adults once again, when they actually build something for them to do, i.e. night life.