Interview with Bob Iger about the Parks

[SirLink]

I posted something earlier in this thread which I deleted, for reasons. But the above shouldn't shock anyone, Iger only likes fanbois not fans.

 

[SirLink]

2 things.

In case anyone is unaware....Nepal is right next to India

If he didn't mean Everest, it's really interesting how Joe Rohde took it as a point to tweet specifically about the work that went into Everest right after

Its almost they don't like each other and maybe because he can only work on IP

 

[twebber55]

just spit balling here
maybe his comment was off the cuff and afterwards ruffled some joe rohde feathers he recognized this and tried to fix it

 

[Oddysey]

Interesting last question.

What’s your favorite thing when you go to the parks—or do you just look at it as a businessman?

I look at it as a human being. I go there and I marvel at how many people are there having the time of their lives. You just get the sense that in a world that can at times feel dark and as sinister as it is, these are people that have escaped all of that. They have spent time and good money, I will say, to provide themselves and their friends, their family, their loved ones, an experience that not only is going to make them feel good, but that they’re going to remember forever. That is never lost on me. I appreciate it as an executive, as a human being, and as a parent. I have grandchildren I take there.


I wonder if he connects with the complaint department

Great sales pitch on Iger's part. While it is impossible to be objective in his position, he did a good job of capturing the appeal of the parks and sounding objective. Has probably used that line a time or two.

 

[Indy_UK]

People seem to have a real issue that Igor isn't really the biggest fan of the parks.

He was brought in to run a huge company. To make it bigger and printing money well into the future which is exactly what's he's done.

Although they did leave the parks stagnant for years before deciding to do anything, he is now (more to catch up with Universal) it doesn't mean he has to love the parks as much as everyone on these boards.

I'd love to run Sony... doesn't mean I have to be in love with their phones

 

[jt04]

People seem to have a real issue that Igor isn't really the biggest fan of the parks.

He was brought in to run a huge company. To make it bigger and printing money well into the future which is exactly what's he's done.

Although they did leave the parks stagnant for years before deciding to do anything, he is now (more to catch up with Universal) it doesn't mean he has to love the parks as much as everyone on these boards.

I'd love to run Sony... doesn't mean I have to be in love with their phones

"catch up with Universal"?

thanks for the laugh.

 

[RSoxNo1]

to me the IP thing gets blown out of proportion
make a great land thats well executed where i feel immersed into the land
sunset blvd does that
pandora does that
diagon alley does that
Africa does that
all are successful in their own way

Balance, even 70/30 balance is all I'm asking for. The only non-IP addition under Iger has been Rivers of Light.

 

[lazyboy97o]

People seem to have a real issue that Igor isn't really the biggest fan of the parks.

He was brought in to run a huge company. To make it bigger and printing money well into the future which is exactly what's he's done.

Although they did leave the parks stagnant for years before deciding to do anything, he is now (more to catch up with Universal) it doesn't mean he has to love the parks as much as everyone on these boards.

I'd love to run Sony... doesn't mean I have to be in love with their phones

Nobody is saying he has to love the parks. The problem is that he doesn’t like the parks (remember, he wanted to sell them off) but also insists on controlling them instead of delegating to someone who likes and knows the parks.

 

[RSoxNo1]

The India coaster could be a recent proposal for a new pavilion in WS, the Indy coaster in Paris or just a throwaway comment.

A lot of armchair CEOs desperate for a gotcha quote. Sad.

It reinforces behavior. You know that. Name a new stateside ride that he has approved that isn't tied to a movie.

 

[Indy_UK]

"catch up with Universal"?

thanks for the laugh.

In the terms that if Universal didn't go and do Harry Potter or build loads of hotels that undercuts Disneys hotels and offers better then I don't think Disney would have bothered with Galaxys Edge or Pandora.

Universal will never be Disney world. That's obvious but Universal dam sure are gonna try and be.

 

[Indy_UK]

Nobody is saying he has to love the parks. The problem is that he doesn’t like the parks (remember, he wanted to sell them off) but also insists on controlling them instead of delegating to someone who likes and knows the parks.

I think he gives Chapek a budget of what he can spend and Chapek wants to do as much as possible for as cheap as possible. Igor sadly isn't too interested in the quality as long as it prints money. Only way for the parks to print money is cutbacks and price hikes.

I still personally believe it's more Chapek hasn't got a clue what he's doing and Igor sadly is letting him get away with it

 

[lazyboy97o]

I think he gives Chapek a budget of what he can spend and Chapek wants to do as much as possible for as cheap as possible. Igor sadly isn't too interested in the quality as long as it prints money. Only way for the parks to print money is cutbacks and price hikes.

I still personally believe it's more Chapek hasn't got a clue what he's doing and Igor sadly is letting him get away with it

Did Chapek blackmail Iger for his job? He has the job because he does as Iger desires.

The parks printed money without cutbacks, price hicks and a disdain for themed entertainment as a creative medium.

For someone you claim is doing a oof job, maybe you could ge his name right.

 

[Indy_UK]

Did Chapek blackmail Iger for his job? He has the job because he does as Iger desires.

The parks printed money without cutbacks, price hicks and a disdain for themed entertainment as a creative medium.

For someone you claim is doing a oof job, maybe you could ge his name right.

Not at all. This is the failure of Igor. Giving the job to that tit Chapek. If the parks were stagnant in their earnings, he would have been gone by now

 

[jt04]

It reinforces behavior. You know that. Name a new stateside ride that he has approved that isn't tied to a movie.

I doubt the board will approve anything non-IP at this point. There is just too much source material so can't blame them.

 

[Oddysey]

If you read through the entire interview, there are a couple parts that jump out at me. The bold, italicized parts are my emphasis.


How has your day-to-day routine at Disney changed over the years?

I delegate a lot more. The company [has grown] so large that no one human being could possibly manage in terms of hands-on on a daily basis. My senior team makes many more decisions. My priority hasn’t shifted in that we are as a company are far more reliant on the quality of our storytelling than anything else. There isn’t a day that goes by that something related to storytelling—a movie we’re making, a television series, a park we’re building—doesn’t end up on my agenda. I believe, because of my background, I bring some value to that. There’s nothing wrong with accountants, but it’s not like I’m an accountant reading a television script. I came out of the business of making things.


What’s your favorite thing when you go to the parks—or do you just look at it as a businessman?

I look at it as a human being. I go there and I marvel at how many people are there having the time of their lives. You just get the sense that in a world that can at times feel dark and as sinister as it is, these are people that have escaped all of that. They have spent time and good money, I will say, to provide themselves and their friends, their family, their loved ones, an experience that not only is going to make them feel good, but that they’re going to remember forever. That is never lost on me. I appreciate it as an executive, as a human being, and as a parent. I have grandchildren I take there.


Do you have a favorite ride?

I happen to love Pirates [of the Caribbean]. It was the last attraction Walt was really involved in creating. He died just before it opened. And you go and you think, this is just silly, but it’s great. You look at Main Street and you look at kids meeting Mickey. I love it because of what it means to people. I don’t go thinking, “Wow, look what we’re charging for these churros. Isn’t that great?”


You can be cynical all you want. I'm sure some people will say that it's all just marketing BS and that he doesn't mean any of it. But here, in this interview, we have him talking about how good storytelling is more important to the company than just looking at the numbers; that he acknowledges people spend good money for their experiences in the parks and that it's about creating experiences they will remember; that he takes his own grandkids to the parks and enjoys them as a human being, not just a businessman; and that he even has an appreciation for the attractions that Walt built.

It's almost as though Bob Iger is a real human being with his own kids and grandkids who appreciates the parks, who appreciates good storytelling, and who is concerned about the content Disney puts out. It might possibly be -- and I'm just spitballing here -- that while he might have a different opinion as to what makes good park rides or movies or TV shows than someone else might, and while he might make decisions that some people disagree with, that he isn't actually just a bean-counting automaton who cares about nothing but dollars and cents.

Hook, line, sinker.

I do not mean this as a criticism of Bob Iger or even you. As I said in a previous post, he made an excellent sales pitch.

The issue is that it is all but nearly impossible to be objective when you are the CEO of said company that is one of the largest in the world. As a person in his position, he is most definitely impressed by the churro prices they are able to attain while noticing how "silly" (his words) the PoC attraction is. It would be extremely rare for a person in that position to walk the parks as a typical "human being" and just enjoy the product without thinking of or criticizing the business side. I know I couldn't.

 

[jt04]

In the terms that if Universal didn't go and do Harry Potter or build loads of hotels that undercuts Disneys hotels and offers better then I don't think Disney would have bothered with Galaxys Edge or Pandora.

Universal will never be Disney world. That's obvious but Universal dam sure are gonna try and be.

the MK and Epcot happened long before Uni so this argument doesn't hold up.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Not at all. This is the failure of Igor. Giving the job to that tit Chapek. If the parks were stagnant in their earnings, he would have been gone by now

At some point coincidence after coincidence is a pattern. Rasulo, Staggs, Chapek. Over a decade of the same.

 

[eliza61nyc]

At some point considence after considence is a pattern. Rasulo, Staggs, Chapek. Over a decade of the same.

Because the pattern is meeting the metric. The object is to make money and increase shareholder profit. We simply don't like the way that is being done. But seriously what incentive do they have to change? The parks are packed. The parks will probably continue to be robust for the next 10 years thanks to the current slew of upgrades.
So why would they change? serious question. I wouldn't vote them out.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

the MK and Epcot happened long before Uni so this argument doesn't hold up.

And then Universal opened up the runaway hit themed land of the 2010's and changed both their game and Disney's.

And then did it again with Diagon Alley, proving they had the goods to keep it coming if they wanted. Disney had to change course.

Even AFTER that, Disney STILL toyed with the idea of Star Wars Land being a simple overlay of Echo Lake. That we're getting what we're getting instead of that is a testament to the fact that they know they can't get away with playing this one safe if they want to assert their creative dominance with the park-going public.

For the first time in history there are significant numbers of people who unabashedly prefer Universal's product over Disney's. "Catching up" doesn't mean Universal is suddenly making more money than Disney, it means Universal is making them look bad and they're working to get ahead of it. Context clues. Epcot and MK being built first have nothing to do with it.

 

[montyz81]

People seem to have a real issue that Igor isn't really the biggest fan of the parks.

He was brought in to run a huge company. To make it bigger and printing money well into the future which is exactly what's he's done.

Although they did leave the parks stagnant for years before deciding to do anything, he is now (more to catch up with Universal) it doesn't mean he has to love the parks as much as everyone on these boards.

I'd love to run Sony... doesn't mean I have to be in love with their phones

Yeah.. it kind of does!