Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
Yikes! All of the hate for a little 2x2 chart! Well, I have never done a SWOT at work in my life, so I don't harbor any ill will. I wasn't going to do one, but after reading all of the "hate mail", I guess I have to.
STRENGTHS
-Customer service exceeds expectations: Even if you think it's not what it was, the service in the rest of the world has gone downhill faster.
-Diverse and plentiful array of offerings: watersports, golf, horseback riding, running, team sports facilities, shopping, (some)nightlife, water parks, theme parks, and more. You could definitely spend a week or two there.
-The ability to leverage the love for the parks into different revenue streams that require minimal investment: namely, I'm thinking of DVC, backstage tours, and to some extent merchandise (especially the high end collectibles).
-Wonderful stable of characters represented at the parks that have rides, do meets and move merch.
-Elements of the parks that are ingrained in popular culture: Pirates, Mansion, Small World, Epcot, Dumbo, Castle fireworks, probably more. It's like free advertising whenever these are mentioned somewhere and they are stuck in people's minds.
-WDW dining has come miles from where it was years ago. I think people view it as a dining destination, so they come with pocketbooks open for food.
WEAKNESSES
-The size of the property makes it hard to maintain and hard to keep an eye on everything.
-The development of the property, many would say, was not very well planned out. There should be more areas like the Epcot, Boardwalk, Y&B, S&D, DHS corridor and less like the DAK, AKL, VAKL, Coronado, All-Stars section of property.
-Downtown Disney is a chore to get to. Especially on Disney transportation. And this is even more true for people in your most expensive rooms at the monorail resorts.
-There are several cases where there was more to do in the past or the offerings were substantially better. There are fewer attractions in Animal Kingdom than there were five years ago. Pleasure Island is still empty. If things opened like that it would be different, but having something there and then having it taken away creates a sour taste.
-The marketing seems very family-focused, almost to the point of excluding people without kids.
-The Disney "image" makes them susceptible to scammers and bad news affects them more. See the GAC abuse (and I'm ONLY talking about for the people who don't need it). There have been stories of tour guides using it as their "secret" to get their groups around faster. Since Disney moreso than other companies rules with a velvet fist, they haven't taken any action yet. When it looks like Tigger punches someone or someone dies on Mission: Space, it's national news. Even though Disney really did nothing wrong in these cases that I'm aware of, it makes national news.
-Homogenization of merchandise. It seems like it's easier to throw the same stuff in every store, but WWoHP and Carsland/Buena Vista Street have reawakened the idea that merch matched to a well-themed location will move in a big way.
-A very large portion of DHS was originally the Backlot Tour and, thus, was never designed for guest flow or navigation. A large part of the park is being used in a substantially different way than originally envisioned, and it hurts. Even in DCA, they replaced a bad entrance area with a good entrance area, they replaced facades and finishings. They replaced stores with better-looking stores. They replaced attractions with other attractions. The whole back half of DHS was designed for the needs of the trams and a working production facility.
OPPORTUNITIES
-In addition to the many characters substantially represented, there are many Disney characters (no licensing needed) that are either unrepresented or underrepresented. Wall-E, Incredibles, Nightmare Before Christmas, Princess & the Frog, Tangled, Aladdin, and even Lion King I would say are underrepresented and would make good rides of varying types that would draw people to the parks and move more merch than they're moving now.
-Even now, a majority of guests stay off-site. That suggests that there is still room for more hotel rooms.
-Every park has areas where expansion could occur or where you could knock something down with minimal effect on park operations.
THREATS
-Fuel instability. The average WDW guest comes from far away. That makes it more expensive to travel. If fuel prices go up, some may not go at all and some may drive instead of fly. If you're already driving, you're more likely to go off-property to eat and visit non-Disney attractions.
-Increased investment from nearby parks. WWoHP has shown that even off of Disney property, people will still make their way to see quality attractions. It has given confidence to Uni's new deep-pocketed owners. Yikes. Even Sea World is stepping up its game, and Legoland seems to be doing OK.
Insert IMOs where appropriate.
STRENGTHS
-Customer service exceeds expectations: Even if you think it's not what it was, the service in the rest of the world has gone downhill faster.
-Diverse and plentiful array of offerings: watersports, golf, horseback riding, running, team sports facilities, shopping, (some)nightlife, water parks, theme parks, and more. You could definitely spend a week or two there.
-The ability to leverage the love for the parks into different revenue streams that require minimal investment: namely, I'm thinking of DVC, backstage tours, and to some extent merchandise (especially the high end collectibles).
-Wonderful stable of characters represented at the parks that have rides, do meets and move merch.
-Elements of the parks that are ingrained in popular culture: Pirates, Mansion, Small World, Epcot, Dumbo, Castle fireworks, probably more. It's like free advertising whenever these are mentioned somewhere and they are stuck in people's minds.
-WDW dining has come miles from where it was years ago. I think people view it as a dining destination, so they come with pocketbooks open for food.
WEAKNESSES
-The size of the property makes it hard to maintain and hard to keep an eye on everything.
-The development of the property, many would say, was not very well planned out. There should be more areas like the Epcot, Boardwalk, Y&B, S&D, DHS corridor and less like the DAK, AKL, VAKL, Coronado, All-Stars section of property.
-Downtown Disney is a chore to get to. Especially on Disney transportation. And this is even more true for people in your most expensive rooms at the monorail resorts.
-There are several cases where there was more to do in the past or the offerings were substantially better. There are fewer attractions in Animal Kingdom than there were five years ago. Pleasure Island is still empty. If things opened like that it would be different, but having something there and then having it taken away creates a sour taste.
-The marketing seems very family-focused, almost to the point of excluding people without kids.
-The Disney "image" makes them susceptible to scammers and bad news affects them more. See the GAC abuse (and I'm ONLY talking about for the people who don't need it). There have been stories of tour guides using it as their "secret" to get their groups around faster. Since Disney moreso than other companies rules with a velvet fist, they haven't taken any action yet. When it looks like Tigger punches someone or someone dies on Mission: Space, it's national news. Even though Disney really did nothing wrong in these cases that I'm aware of, it makes national news.
-Homogenization of merchandise. It seems like it's easier to throw the same stuff in every store, but WWoHP and Carsland/Buena Vista Street have reawakened the idea that merch matched to a well-themed location will move in a big way.
-A very large portion of DHS was originally the Backlot Tour and, thus, was never designed for guest flow or navigation. A large part of the park is being used in a substantially different way than originally envisioned, and it hurts. Even in DCA, they replaced a bad entrance area with a good entrance area, they replaced facades and finishings. They replaced stores with better-looking stores. They replaced attractions with other attractions. The whole back half of DHS was designed for the needs of the trams and a working production facility.
OPPORTUNITIES
-In addition to the many characters substantially represented, there are many Disney characters (no licensing needed) that are either unrepresented or underrepresented. Wall-E, Incredibles, Nightmare Before Christmas, Princess & the Frog, Tangled, Aladdin, and even Lion King I would say are underrepresented and would make good rides of varying types that would draw people to the parks and move more merch than they're moving now.
-Even now, a majority of guests stay off-site. That suggests that there is still room for more hotel rooms.
-Every park has areas where expansion could occur or where you could knock something down with minimal effect on park operations.
THREATS
-Fuel instability. The average WDW guest comes from far away. That makes it more expensive to travel. If fuel prices go up, some may not go at all and some may drive instead of fly. If you're already driving, you're more likely to go off-property to eat and visit non-Disney attractions.
-Increased investment from nearby parks. WWoHP has shown that even off of Disney property, people will still make their way to see quality attractions. It has given confidence to Uni's new deep-pocketed owners. Yikes. Even Sea World is stepping up its game, and Legoland seems to be doing OK.
Insert IMOs where appropriate.
