It's over: Give a day...

[Next Big Thing]

Not that the million that volunteered won't make a difference, but what is the loint of having a promotion that only lasts 2 1/2 months? I mean, 1 million volunteers is a big number and should make a difference, but they really had a chance to make a HUGE difference with this and instead chose to put a limit on the amount of people who could volunteer, which really is a shame.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I'm not really sure that Disney can write this off. It's not like Disney wrote a check for $85 million. And keep in mind this was a promotion...Disney wasn't donating tickets to charities, it was giving tickets to volunteers who were doing charity work. And the value of the ticket is abstract...it doesn't actually cost the company money (well, outside of the value of the actual media used). So their deduction, if any, is very unlikely to be anywhere near the full face value of the ticket.



They most likely underestimated the number of people who would volunteer. They could have capped the number of tickets per household to 2 tickets. That would have been fair. Thats still a savings of over $160.



Yes and no. A lot of the opportunities I was seeing for my area weren't really looking for one-time volunteers. Many of the organizations were looking for repeated commitments, so I'm not sure this promotion would have helped them regardless. The one-time event opportunities will be the ones that may or may not notice a lack of help. But I disagree with your "desparate for help" comment. Many of these organizations most likely have enough volunteers to do the work required, it's just that in some cases more is better.

I'm not a tax law expert, by any means... But I do own a handful of companies and have gotten pretty familiar with write-offs.

Make no mistake... Disney did this because they somehow saw a benefit to them. Some of the possibilities:

- Good press
- Tax benefits
- Increased gate numbers
- High probability that this offer would bring in people that otherwise wouldn't be visiting a Disney park this year. These people might just stay for the day, but might even build a whole trip around this that otherwise wouldn't have come. And obviously, a person through the turnstyle is HIGHLY likely to spend money.

Now, that being said... I thought it was a GREAT promotion. Disney gave away something that doesn't have a "real" cost to them, allowed for a tax deduction, would increase revenue in other areas, and at the same time would help those less fortunate. Brilliant. Seriously.

But Disney had to have worked the math on this thing out to either make them money, or break even at the very worst (which I don't believe). It wouldn't take much analysis, especially with all the data I'm certain they have at their fingertips, to show that through various methods, giving away 1,000,000 tickets would benefit them.

*** I'm not bashing the program... I want to be clear. What I said two paragraphs up should show that. But I think it would be awfully naieve to believe Disney doesn't come out ahead with this promotion, just like they have with every other promotion they've ever come out with. Disney is a massive corporation with very shrewd people running it, and they're designed to increase the bottom line regularly. We're in a horrible recession. Disney wouldn't willingly create a program, knowing at the end of it they'd be in a deeper financial hole than they started out in. Disney's clawing for every dollar they can get right now, just like everyone else. It's a little humorous for people here to think they're millions in the hole because of this. I guess they did their job in marketing you!! :lol:***

Great program though. Really. What better way to bring more people to your product and up your revenue than by making those people help others???

Count me in the "very surprised they aren't extending this" group... Although my guess is that they have a magic number of additional people they can add to the park levels per day without greatly effecting operations (meaning if they gave more tickets, they'd have to raise cast levels as well... Additional cost).

 

[kimmychad]

Yes, really.

There is a subset of negativity around here that borders on irrational because it simply centers around either "Disney is not catering to me" or "I know better with my interwebz facts".

And it's gotten to the point that Disney giving away 1,000,000,000 park tickets for people volunteering can't even be met with so much as a congratulation.

In my opinion, that crosses the line for me from disheartening to disgusting.

wow if they gave away 1 billion tickets I am impressed, congratulations disney.
but yes I think it's great that disney found a new way to make money (anyone who thinks this wasn't their motive is insanely naive) and also help people.

 

[mousefan1972]

Not that the million that volunteered won't make a difference, but what is the loint of having a promotion that only lasts 2 1/2 months? I mean, 1 million volunteers is a big number and should make a difference, but they really had a chance to make a HUGE difference with this and instead chose to put a limit on the amount of people who could volunteer, which really is a shame.

They haven't limited the amount of people who can volunteer. They limited the number of free tickets that were given out for doing so.

 

[cdunbar]

They haven't limited the amount of people who can volunteer. They limited the number of free tickets that were given out for doing so.

Well I just hope that it shows people that volunteering can be lots and lots of fun because not only are you doing something helpful, but you also get to meet people that if not for that opportunitiy you never would have....

 

[DisneyGal326]

I found it - How many people used the birthday promo

This article: http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/...rned-by-disney-free-admission-just-for-being/ which is about the "GADGADD" promo has info in it about just how many people used the birthday promo.

"Although 3.5 million people registered to visit Disney for free on their birthday this year, only about 30% of them actually claimed their tickets, giving the theme park giant a huge wave of publicity and not much of a financial downside. Even those people who attended usually brought with them family or friends who spent plenty of money in the parks."

Thats pretty close to 1M if you do the math. Also as others have mentioned, it was one person usually, not multiple people in a party that got the free day or discounted ticket.

Its amazing how the timeline changed when a specific day or couple of days (different bdays within a family) were taken out of the equation. Or the concept that families would be saving $80*# of members instead of just $80 dramatically increased the amount of participants.

I did sign up for the GADGADD and our activity is in April for our May trip. We are going for our Disneymoon. We are two people who regularly participate in activities to give back to the community, but probably would have not done so the month before our wedding if it wasn't for the promo.

I would love to see the numbers next year (like this article did for the free bday) on how many people donated the ticket vs. got a free ticket, vs. free fast past, vs. pin and hat.

We are going for more than 10 days so we will either be using our vouchers for a free 11th day ticket or as a fast pass for two of the days we are there.

 

[jeffk410]

Thanks for the info OP. Yeah I do not understand how some people are so unappreciative.

 

[etwtec]

Good! Now that it is over will they get rid of the stupid pre parade for Celebrate A Dream Come True at WDW and go back to the show stops?

 

[magicmaya]

great. I am scheduled to volunteer at a local library tomorrow, too.

 

[ryguy]

I'm not a tax law expert, by any means... But I do own a handful of companies and have gotten pretty familiar with write-offs.

Make no mistake... Disney did this because they somehow saw a benefit to them. Some of the possibilities:

- Good press
- Tax benefits
- Increased gate numbers
- High probability that this offer would bring in people that otherwise wouldn't be visiting a Disney park this year. These people might just stay for the day, but might even build a whole trip around this that otherwise wouldn't have come. And obviously, a person through the turnstyle is HIGHLY likely to spend money.

Now, that being said... I thought it was a GREAT promotion. Disney gave away something that doesn't have a "real" cost to them, allowed for a tax deduction, would increase revenue in other areas, and at the same time would help those less fortunate. Brilliant. Seriously.

But Disney had to have worked the math on this thing out to either make them money, or break even at the very worst (which I don't believe). It wouldn't take much analysis, especially with all the data I'm certain they have at their fingertips, to show that through various methods, giving away 1,000,000 tickets would benefit them.

*** I'm not bashing the program... I want to be clear. What I said two paragraphs up should show that. But I think it would be awfully naieve to believe Disney doesn't come out ahead with this promotion, just like they have with every other promotion they've ever come out with. Disney is a massive corporation with very shrewd people running it, and they're designed to increase the bottom line regularly. We're in a horrible recession. Disney wouldn't willingly create a program, knowing at the end of it they'd be in a deeper financial hole than they started out in. Disney's clawing for every dollar they can get right now, just like everyone else. It's a little humorous for people here to think they're millions in the hole because of this. I guess they did their job in marketing you!! :lol:***

Great program though. Really. What better way to bring more people to your product and up your revenue than by making those people help others???

Count me in the "very surprised they aren't extending this" group... Although my guess is that they have a magic number of additional people they can add to the park levels per day without greatly effecting operations (meaning if they gave more tickets, they'd have to raise cast levels as well... Additional cost).

Finally someone who gets it..... can't believe it took 7 pages to get to an intelligent summation of what the program is about. Lets keep in mind WDC made 3.3 billion is profits last year, with revenue of 36 billion. In one of the worst economic years in American history. No reason at all the program should have been capped out at a million. I think the key number is how many people went to the parks for more than one day. If they only go one day Disney breaks even, people still buy food and merchandise. If people go more than one day Disney wins.
Canvas your friends who participated in the program and I bet you'll find that those who live more than three hours away from Orlando bought multiple day tickets. Just what Disney was banking on, so in the end everybody wins. Disney makes money and good publicity, and the community gets some volunteers. :sohappy:

 

[Courtney1188]

They haven't limited the amount of people who can volunteer. They limited the number of free tickets that were given out for doing so.

:sohappy:

 

[MKCP 1985]

Not that the million that volunteered won't make a difference, but what is the point of having a promotion that only lasts 2 1/2 months? I mean, 1 million volunteers is a big number and should make a difference, but they really had a chance to make a HUGE difference with this and instead chose to put a limit on the amount of people who could volunteer, which really is a shame.

Is there some interwebz primer that defines how to run a successful theme park promotion? "Rule 7: Promotion must last one full year."

Link please! :lol:

What was Universal Studios Florida's point in spending millions of dollars in advertising leading up to and including a 30 second ad (youtube clip below) that aired three times during Super Bowl XLIII (2009) and gave away up to 300,000 vouchers good for 7 day tickets, worth an estimated total value of $35 million dollars?
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/200902/1045/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxcw6UV6WJQ

 

[Duckberg]

WDW saw the the numbers WERE working, BUT maybe now they are NOT working for the Mouse :veryconfu Duckberg

 

[SMRT-1]

I found this and thought I would share...
http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2010/3/6/591762.html

"Another volunteer, Zana Cutler, picked up something even stranger -- a loaded gun."

 

[hrcollectibles]

I was watching episodes of Flashforward today on hulu and all the ads were Promoting this promotion :ROFLOL: Glad it was a success

 

[benji]

I am singed up for March 20. I called WDW info to see if I get a free ticket and they told me if you are signed up you will still get your free ticket because you were counted in the total million people.

 

[VT GAL]

We took our dinner to the Ronald McDonald house today! :sohappy:

I think that it was a great promotion, because it hopefully got people interested in volunteering more in their community!

 

[sockmonkeygirl]

We made blankets for Project Linus. The blankets will go to kids in hospitals, or to other people that need them. I have volunteered for various things in the past, was involved with fostering homeless animals for a couple years. Volunteerism is a wonderful thing, but it can be exhausting as well. I consider this promotion a way to help the helper, and I see nothing wrong with that.

Thanks, Disney. My family and I appreciate both the opportunity and the incentive. We'll see you in April.

 

[Studios Fan]

I'm glad the program was successful.

 

[fosse76]

I'm not a tax law expert, by any means... But I do own a handful of companies and have gotten pretty familiar with write-offs.

Lol. Me neither. The reason I said I'm not sure they can write it off is because it's an admission with no actual cost value (i.e., it doesn't cost the company money to let a person in for fee).

Make no mistake... Disney did this because they somehow saw a benefit to them. Some of the possibilities:

Without question!

- Good press
- Tax benefits
- Increased gate numbers
- High probability that this offer would bring in people that otherwise wouldn't be visiting a Disney park this year. These people might just stay for the day, but might even build a whole trip around this that otherwise wouldn't have come. And obviously, a person through the turnstyle is HIGHLY likely to spend money.

Absolutely. I'd venture every single one of those is true.

Now, that being said... I thought it was a GREAT promotion. Disney gave away something that doesn't have a "real" cost to them, allowed for a tax deduction, would increase revenue in other areas, and at the same time would help those less fortunate. Brilliant. Seriously.

Again, not so sure about the tax deduction, for my stated reason above. The tickets themselves weren't going to charity, so this was definitely a marketing incentive (like "buy one, get one free"). However, they may get a tax break on the business aspect of the free admissions. My only "question" is because of the nature of what they were giving away. If they were giving people money or an actual physical item with real value, then I can totally see the deduction. But since this is something that doesn't have a real value, rather one that is set by the Company, I question whether or not Disney can deduct it as lost income and not thrown in as a marketing cost.

But Disney had to have worked the math on this thing out to either make them money, or break even at the very worst (which I don't believe). It wouldn't take much analysis, especially with all the data I'm certain they have at their fingertips, to show that through various methods, giving away 1,000,000 tickets would benefit them.

Disney, like all other theme parks, makes its money on in-park spending. That's where the bulk of their money (profits) comes from. Obviously, at some point, they need the admissions revenue, but it only makes up a small fraction of their revenue. So they definitely viewed this as a win-win.

*** I'm not bashing the program... I want to be clear. What I said two paragraphs up should show that. But I think it would be awfully naieve to believe Disney doesn't come out ahead with this promotion, just like they have with every other promotion they've ever come out with. Disney is a massive corporation with very shrewd people running it, and they're designed to increase the bottom line regularly. We're in a horrible recession. Disney wouldn't willingly create a program, knowing at the end of it they'd be in a deeper financial hole than they started out in. Disney's clawing for every dollar they can get right now, just like everyone else. It's a little humorous for people here to think they're millions in the hole because of this. I guess they did their job in marketing you!! :lol:***

Agreed. It was a program that didn't cost them any money (excluding marketing). They have 1 million + people visiting this year, most of whom likely would not have gone this year. And most of whom will be staying more than the one day, thereby increasing their bottom line.

Great program though. Really. What better way to bring more people to your product and up your revenue than by making those people help others???

Exactly. Disney couldn't lose on this one.

Count me in the "very surprised they aren't extending this" group... Although my guess is that they have a magic number of additional people they can add to the park levels per day without greatly effecting operations (meaning if they gave more tickets, they'd have to raise cast levels as well... Additional cost).

Possibly. I'm convinced that they underestimated how popular the program would be (i.e., they didn't expect to end THIS soon). But I'm sure there was a financial reason to stop it at 1 million. They most likely had a formula to determine how many people would sign up who otherwise wouldn't visit vs. those who would have visited regardless of the free ticket.