Disneyland's Marketing Strategy for 2020??? Because 2019 Was A Mess!

[__r.jr]

Disney names new leadership for Disneyland and Walt Disney World

Two days after Disney said Catherine Powell will be leaving the company and her position as president of Disney Parks West will be eliminated, the company has shed more light on its strategy going forward.

www.cnbc.com

>>Powell’s sudden departure had many speculating that she was leaving the company after lackluster attendance at Disney’s new Star Wars-themed lands at Disneyland and Disney World. Chapek called the reports “erroneous.”

“I will tell you that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has exceeded every expectation we’ve had,” Chapek said. “There is no there there to this being anything but a runaway success.”<<

A "runaway success".


The staggering attendance miscalculation, the resort-wide entertainment removal, park hours being reduced, the annual passholder ticket promotion, the abrupt Main Street Electrical Parade revival and, most recently, the park's executive shift.

Disney's actions state the contrary.

 

[HauntedPirate]

SW:GE (as opened) - 1 ride with less-than-flattering reviews/feedback, no entertainment, and 14 different shops and eateries to spend money. What could go wrong?

 

[Darkbeer1]

SW:GE (as opened) - 1 ride with less-than-flattering reviews/feedback, no entertainment, and 14 different shops and eateries to spend money. What could go wrong?

“I will tell you that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has exceeded every expectation we’ve had,” Chapek said. “There is no there there to this being anything but a runaway success.”

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Lies. All lies!!!

 

[Phroobar]

“I will tell you that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has exceeded every expectation we’ve had,” Chapek said. “There is no there there to this being anything but a runaway success.”

 

[HauntedPirate]

“I will tell you that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has exceeded every expectation we’ve had,” Chapek said. “There is no there there to this being anything but a runaway success.”

What my dog does daily in the backyard smells better than his pathetic attempt at spin.

 

[Travel Junkie]

“I will tell you that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has exceeded every expectation we’ve had,” Chapek said. “There is no there there to this being anything but a runaway success.”

I'd be curious at some of their numbers. Attendance is obviously not what was forecast. Same is likely for food.

However Oga's remains a full house at almost all hours, the lightsaber experience is doing well. Chapek can't completely make up that comment. My guess is that they are still seeing good enough financials to justify the comments.

 

[TP2000]

Oga's is very busy in the park that is still under Prohibition.

Oga's is a walk-in at the park that has alcohol available every 50 yards.

Once the 21st Amendment finally gets ratified in Disneyland, I expect Oga's wait times will become very different.

 

[SSG]

Oga's is very busy in the park that is still under Prohibition.

Oga's is a walk-in at the park that has alcohol available every 50 yards.

Once the 21st Amendment finally gets ratified in Disneyland, I expect Oga's wait times will become very different.

This.
Once Disney decided to break the no booze rule, it made no sense to limit it to Oga's. if there was a 2nd cantina (an underworld competitor of Oga's, perhaps?) and food options, both would be steadily busy and Disney could lift the artificial time limit at Oga's. I'd also like to see beverage carts added. You could have some sketchy dude selling the local moonshine. Make money and add atmosphere? Do it Disney.

 

[TP2000]

This.
Once Disney decided to break the no booze rule, it made no sense to limit it to Oga's. if there was a 2nd cantina (an underworld competitor of Oga's, perhaps?) and food options, both would be steadily busy and Disney could lift the artificial time limit at Oga's. I'd also like to see beverage carts added. You could have some sketchy dude selling the local moonshine. Make money and add atmosphere? Do it Disney.

At DHS you can get alcohol everywhere in Star Wars Land. They sell Blue Milk with tequila in it at the vending carts. At Ronto's Roasters they sell the same Maker's Mark cocktails that Oga's has, plus beers. Over at Docking Bay 7 they will sell you a Rum & Curacao cocktail as part of the breakfast menu. You don't even have to wait until lunch to booze it up at snack bars and fast food joints in DHS Star Wars Land.

Heck, in 2018 to get ready for Star Wars Land at DHS, they built a new Brewpub right next to the main entrance tunnel so you can have a big Margarita or a bottle of wine before you wander through the tunnel to Batuu to have Tequila Blue Milk.

It's no wonder that Oga's at DHS has walk-ins available all day long. And also not rocket science why the one place in Disneyland to get alcohol has a line out the door and just raised their prices.

This also explains why the hostesses guarding the front door of Disneyland's Oga's are in such desperate need of mental health resources. The poor dears.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Oga’s Cantina raises prices on intergalactic cocktails as demand remains strong at Disneyland bar

The price increases at the interstellar watering hole bring the menu prices at the Disneyland bar in line with the recently-opened Oga’s Cantina at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

www.ocregister.com

>>Business is booming and prices are rising at Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge as the Disneyland bar continues to rack up reservations and pack in the crowds.

The price increases at the interstellar watering hole bring the menu prices at the Disneyland bar in line with the recently-opened Oga’s Cantina at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

Cocktail and beer prices at Oga’s of Anaheim climbed $1. Disneyland tacked $3 onto the cost of a pair of signature cocktails served in collectible mugs. The highest priced $75 beer sampler will now set you back an additional 10 galactic credits.

The California cantina raised drink prices 6 to 13 percent, according to the Oga’s Cantina menu on the Disneyland website.

Oga’s at Disneyland hiked prices $1 on most alcoholic cocktails. The Jedi Mind Trick will now set you back $15, the Fuzzy Tauntaun will run you $16 and the Bespin Fizz will cost $18. The price of the Yub Nub rum punch in the souvenir Endor mug climbed to $45, a $3 increase.

Prices remained unchanged for most of the non-alcoholic cocktails — except for the Cliff Dweller in the souvenir Porg mug, which rose 9 percent to $35.

Oga’s beer and cider prices climbed $1. The pricey Rancor beer flight got even pricier, with Oga hiking the price 10 bucks. The $85 sampler comes with four beers in a souvenir stand with Rancor teeth glasses. The hard-to-get collectible was often sold out during the opening weeks of Galaxy’s Edge.<<

 

[Darkbeer1]

This.
Once Disney decided to break the no booze rule, it made no sense to limit it to Oga's. if there was a 2nd cantina (an underworld competitor of Oga's, perhaps?) and food options, both would be steadily busy and Disney could lift the artificial time limit at Oga's. I'd also like to see beverage carts added. You could have some sketchy dude selling the local moonshine. Make money and add atmosphere? Do it Disney.

Why not offer beer and wine while listening to Dueling Pianos?

 

[TP2000]

Why not offer beer and wine while listening to Dueling Pianos?

That would also dramatically increase the ability of people to sing along, too. It's a win-win!

 

[Mickeyboof]

Did they sharpie over the menu prices or print new ones?

 

[Captain Neo]

Hi gang. I've been absent for the past few days because I had to fly up suddenly this past weekend to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho of all places for a family issue. (That resort town is heavenly after the summer crowds leave!) While sitting in the Spokane airport's restaurant this morning waiting to fly home, I noticed on the lounge TV that two different Disneyland commercials played. One was a generic HalloweenTime commercial with Oogie Boogie, and one was that Plaza De La Familia commercial we were making fun of last week.

Star Wars Land was never mentioned in either ad, but the lady sitting across from me glanced at the Disneyland commercial on TV and said to her traveling companion (paraphrasing) "Julie wanted to take the kids to Disneyland this summer, but did you know they'll only let you in with a reservation now because it's so crowded?! You have to make a reservation! Kirk refused to even consider it." while the traveling companion clucked her tongue before their conversation wobbled into what grades the kids were in now that school has started.

On the flight home today I stared out the window at the Golden West passing below and thought about what a messy summer Disneyland has had, and what a mess 2019 overall has been for them.

I completely understand their thinking a year ago on how to prevent the maddening crowds from overwhelming the park once Star Wars Land! opened and all of America wanted to get in to see it. Heck, we all thought that was going to happen, we can't just blame TDA and Burbank. But in the biggest surprise since the 1984 Olympics, it didn't happen. Probably due to several reasons (Star Wars fatigue, a phased opening that has the best ride still closed, Mr. Chapek's infamous decision to cut almost all entertainment and interactive elements from the budget, a slightly underwhelming response to the one ride that currently works, etc.)

But I think one of the biggest reasons is the thing that kept Julie and Kirk and the kids in Spokane this summer instead of at Disneyland. Bad Marketing. It was a muddy and messy marketing message that either scared everyone away, reinforced the well-deserved reputation of Disneyland as an overcrowded nightmare of long lines and gridlocked walkways, and/or convinced them that they had to have a reservation that were already all gone. What a mess!

The big cheese, Botox Bob, also didn't help things by insisting that the official marketing be done lightly and cheaply.

“I’m thinking that maybe I should just tweet, ‘It’s opening,’ and that will be enough. I think we’re going to end up with incredibly popular and in-demand product with these two new lands. It’s not going to take much marketing to do that. That’s a signal that I just sent to our parks and resorts people to keep that budget really low.” - Bob Iger, Official Company Earnings Call with Wall Street, February 6th, 2019

The summer marketing strategy that was light on Star Warsy excitement, but heavy on "Must have a reservation that already booked up a month ago! Must stay at Disneyland Hotel at $600 rack rate or else you are steerage trash! Don't even try to get in! Why are you still looking at us?!" obviously didn't work too well.

So how does Disneyland Resort recover from this for 2020?

It's very interesting to me that Disneyland's Star Wars marketing message seems to have gone suddenly silent this fall, and has switched to seasonal Halloween stuff. Barely 100 days after Star Wars Land opened, they are airing TV commercials touting a decorated food court patio in DCA instead of the Billion Dollar Star Wars Land. #DisneyFamilia

TP2000 Star Wars land disappointing has more to do with the fact last Jedi (the star wars movie from 2017) angered a lot of fans and Lucasfilm got antagonistic insisting the fans were the problem not the movie. Then the year after came Solo a movie nobody asked for and ending up being lame after years of production difficulties it was a flop and even the upcoming big conclusion of the new Star Wars trilogy there is very little excitement. Disney and Lucasfilm completely mishandled relaunching Star Wars. Yes the first 2 made a lot of money and received favorable reviews because people were excited the old characters were coming back they were willing to overlook problems but by the last Jedi people had had enough. Doesn’t help that these movies were rushed into production to meet quick deadlines and felt like they were checking off boxes rather then trying to tell good stories with interesting characters.

 

[TP2000]

TP2000 Star Wars land disappointing has more to do with the fact last Jedi (the star wars movie from 2017) angered a lot of fans and Lucasfilm got antagonistic insisting the fans were the problem not the movie. Then the year after came Solo a movie nobody asked for and ending up being lame after years of production difficulties it was a flop and even the upcoming big conclusion of the new Star Wars trilogy there is very little excitement. Disney and Lucasfilm completely mishandled relaunching Star Wars. Yes the first 2 made a lot of money and received favorable reviews because people were excited the old characters were coming back they were willing to overlook problems but by the last Jedi people had had enough. Doesn’t help that these movies were rushed into production to meet quick deadlines and felt like they were checking off boxes rather then trying to tell good stories with interesting characters.

Thank you. Although again, that kind of stuff makes my eyes glaze over. I saw Star Wars in '77 in a Cinerama theater. I saw the other movies in the early 80's with Billy Dee Williams who also did those malt liquor commercials in the 80's. (Right?) I think I saw the one with Jar Jar Binks on TV about 15 years ago, but don't remember much from that one. I didn't see the other movies around that time, and then four years ago I went and saw the big new one they released in Christmas '15, then have skipped all the rest.

And I think I'm pretty average as far as Americans go with their relationship with Star Wars. I like it, but I don't live it. I can't tell you which "trilogy" is which, or who that Boba Fett guy in Tomorrowland is related to. I just don't care that much.

But what I do know is that Star Wars Land in Disneyland seemed dull and lifeless and kind of boring when I visited this summer, which is hard to do because the land is so obviously finely designed and gorgeously Imagineered to look alien and rustic and weird. Millennium Falcon: Target Run was a good ride, but not a great one, and noticeably not as good as Radiator Springs Racers or Indy or Pirates. I didn't see Leia or C3PO or R2D2 or Luke or Han Solo or Darth Vader. And Chewbacca had the night off when I was there. It was kind of dull and boring, and I'm not in a big hurry to go back.

They have to fix that. They are trying desperately this fall to hype the land with all the recently announced flogging on various ABC talk shows and sitcoms, but the land hasn't changed any since it opened this summer. They've got to fix the land first, but this latest salvo of ABC marketing tells me that Bob Chapek thinks all this land needs is better marketing.

The similarity to this to what they thought DCA needed a few months after it opened back in 2001 is striking. And also kind of telling that Bob Chapek and company still don't get it, and/or are digging their heels in hard and doubling down on their executive decisions to cut entertainment and interactivity from this land. This is going to be fun to watch!

 

[DanielBB8]

Thank you. Although again, that kind of stuff makes my eyes glaze over. ...

But what I do know is that Star Wars Land in Disneyland seemed dull and lifeless and kind of boring when I visited this summer, which is hard to do because the land is so obviously finely designed and gorgeously Imagineered to look alien and rustic and weird. Millennium Falcon: Target Run was a good ride, but not a great one, and noticeably not as good as Radiator Springs Racers or Indy or Pirates. I didn't see Leia or C3PO or R2D2 or Luke or Han Solo or Darth Vader. And Chewbacca had the night off when I was there. It was kind of dull and boring, and I'm not in a big hurry to go back.

They have to fix that. They are trying desperately this fall to hype the land with all the recently announced flogging on various ABC talk shows and sitcoms, but the land hasn't changed any since it opened this summer. They've got to fix the land first, but this latest salvo of ABC marketing tells me that Bob Chapek thinks all this land needs is better marketing.

The similarity to this to what they thought DCA needed a few months after it opened back in 2001 is striking. And also kind of telling that Bob Chapek and company still don't get it, and/or are digging their heels in hard and doubling down on their executive decisions to cut entertainment and interactivity from this land. This is going to be fun to watch!

MF Smugglers Run was based on the Solo movie that you didn’t see with the Coaxium storyline. Now that you call it a dull ride, would you call the movie a bore? This is an indictment of the whole failed Sequel and prequel reboot of Star Wars. Failure is right there yet they keep flogging it.

 

[wowsmom]

Oga’s Cantina raises prices on intergalactic cocktails as demand remains strong at Disneyland bar

The price increases at the interstellar watering hole bring the menu prices at the Disneyland bar in line with the recently-opened Oga’s Cantina at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

www.ocregister.com

>>Business is booming and prices are rising at Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge as the Disneyland bar continues to rack up reservations and pack in the crowds.

The price increases at the interstellar watering hole bring the menu prices at the Disneyland bar in line with the recently-opened Oga’s Cantina at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

Cocktail and beer prices at Oga’s of Anaheim climbed $1. Disneyland tacked $3 onto the cost of a pair of signature cocktails served in collectible mugs. The highest priced $75 beer sampler will now set you back an additional 10 galactic credits.

The California cantina raised drink prices 6 to 13 percent, according to the Oga’s Cantina menu on the Disneyland website.

Oga’s at Disneyland hiked prices $1 on most alcoholic cocktails. The Jedi Mind Trick will now set you back $15, the Fuzzy Tauntaun will run you $16 and the Bespin Fizz will cost $18. The price of the Yub Nub rum punch in the souvenir Endor mug climbed to $45, a $3 increase.

Prices remained unchanged for most of the non-alcoholic cocktails — except for the Cliff Dweller in the souvenir Porg mug, which rose 9 percent to $35.

Oga’s beer and cider prices climbed $1. The pricey Rancor beer flight got even pricier, with Oga hiking the price 10 bucks. The $85 sampler comes with four beers in a souvenir stand with Rancor teeth glasses. The hard-to-get collectible was often sold out during the opening weeks of Galaxy’s Edge.<<

I find it interesting that they act like only the prices at Oga's went up, when that's not the case. The Magical Star Cocktail (my favorite on DLR property) just went from $15-$16 (and was "only" $13 two years ago). Also, I've recently seen people commenting (I think in a facebook group) that all the drinks at Carthay Circle just went up in price as well.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Incentive to quit drinking.

 

[Phroobar]