Originally Posted by DisneyYorkian74
Giving away prizes is NOT being desperate IT'S being generous.
Because I'm flabbergasted, AND lazy, and oh-so-desperate to pad my post count
![Roll Eyes :rolleyes: :rolleyes:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
rather than belabor the argument, I'm just gonna copy-and-paste what I wrote before, and bold it up where necessary...
Well, you COULD argue that WDW is desperate to destroy the competition. I'm essentially paraphrasing what others have said in the "desperate desperate Universal" thread (which also means I'm paraphrasing myself, how meta of me), but Disney has made a point of creating "experiences" comparable to other attractions at other parks, or in fact whole other parks, to keep people on property. Sure, they had River Country, but when Wet n' Wild started siphoning off people looking for a more thrilling water park, they built TL and then BB. When Universal announced plans to build their first park in Orlando, WDW hauled butt to not only announce a movie-themed park, but to get it opened first (and personally, I think that speed has always hampered The Studios' park, and they've been trying to bring it up to par ever since. I'd even consider Universal more a full-day visit then The Studios, despite my love for ToT and Muppets). The same could be said for Animal Kingdom, vis a vis Busch Gardens in Tampa.
To lure people into staying on site, they offered extra hours in the parks just for resort guests. Church Street used to be Orlando's go-to place for nighttime entertainment. Pleasure Island pretty much decimated it. To keep people from eating off-site, they've started more affordable dining plans. You need rainy day activities? Disney Quest will keep you from looking anywhere else. Movie theater on site. People are going off-site to play miniature golf? Sacrilege! Make a mini golf park! Hell, make TWO!
And while it's far too soon to tell, I really wouldn't be surprised if the new Beltway property will include outlet stores to keep people from going to all the Orlando outlet stores.
And finally, sorry to break it to you, contests are NOT just about being "generous." If they can convince people on-the-fence about visiting that they might win some awesome prizes if they go, it might persuade people to go, especially with that emotional call-to-action that is spending a night in the Castle, something so many people have dreamed about.
When Coke has a million-dollar giveaway, it's not because they want to give away a million dollars. It's because they don't want YOU to drink Pepsi. When a car dealer offers free movie passes with a test drive, it's not because they're cineasts. They're really hoping you'll buy the car, and are willing to shell out a few ducats to get you in the car to try it out. Disney's contest is all about influencing a decision to get you to go to the parks. All us Disney nuts are always planning to go, but for a lot of people, it's an occasional treat, maybe a once-in-a-lifetime event. And a big contest might be the incentive people need to go sooner rather than later.
Now, you can argue that Disney is merely giving the customers what they want.
But that doesn't mean they're doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They don't want you to leave. They want all of your money. Just because they're not making decisions out of necessity doesn't mean they aren't, techincally, "Desperate" to quash the competition by providing everything you need on-site. Any local business is a threat to WDW, every dollar you spend elsewhere is a dollar Disney desperately wants. When it comes to competing businesses, if you're not number one, you're desperate to BE number one. But if you ARE number one, you're desperate to STAY number one.