MyMagic+ article from Fast Company magazine

[GoofGoof]

Appreciate the question. Throughout my reporting, I definitely heard a lot of hints of potential uses for MM+ going forward, but mostly in an operational capacity, and a lot of it was aimed at just smoothing out what's already been launched, whether online or in-park.

However, I did here of several features that were killed in the process, which I found particularly interesting. I hate to tease, but I want to hold back on revealing this here now, in case we end up writing a follow-up about this particular topic. Sorry I can't go into more detail!

I vote yes for the follow-up

 

[wdisney9000]

Because I answered truthfully? That tends to be looked down upon in politics!
Why is it hard to believe that someone can like and dislike different parts of something? Do you at times mistake my attempts at humor for truth? Do you think I was not joking when I spoke of wanting to have no reserved seats on airplanes?
What should I have answered? Yes, I'm 100% sold? No, I'm not? I answered the question truthfully.

Here, I give you fair game. Ask me a question, any one, and I will answer it honestly. I will also (likely) abstain from joking.

I meant no offense by comment. It was more of a compliment. If you choose to remain neutral on a debatable topic such as the one being discussed, thats fine. I will just call you Switzerland from now on.

If you need a question to answer, here; How many times a day does a clocks hands overlap?

 

[cosmicray]

Read the article earlier this afternoon, but didn't have a chance to comment until now....Fantastic read, very balanced and interesting. A lot of work and research was put into this, great job!

 

[sshindel]

I meant no offense by comment. It was more of a compliment. If you choose to remain neutral on a debatable topic such as the one being discussed, thats fine. I will just call you Switzerland from now on.

If you need a question to answer, here; How many times a day does a clocks hands overlap?

I don't know. My iPhone doesn't have hands!

Man, I said I wouldn't joke!

 

[wdisney9000]

I don't know. My iPhone doesn't have hands!

Man, I said I wouldn't joke!

Fair enough. No hard feelings?

 

[drew81]

For anyone who reserved Parade FastPass+ viewing tonight, Main Street Electrical Parade is 101.

 

[sshindel]

Fair enough. No hard feelings?

I've honestly tried hard to not take anything on here too seriously. Of course no hard feelings. You've basically said I don't say things to offend people. I do try not to, though fail at it from time to time.

 

[jakeman]

I've honestly tried hard to not take anything on here too seriously. Of course no hard feelings. You've basically said I don't say things to offend people. I do try not to, though fail at it from time to time.

I am offended by your inoffensiveness.

 

[sshindel]

I am offended by your inoffensiveness.

That's ok buddy. It's your right to be offended.

 

[jakeman]

That's ok buddy. It's your right to be offended.

My feelings are valid!

 

[cspencer96]

Asking questions isn't the same as anything you describe above. But you probably know that.

Asking questions, no. Blatantly calling it a puff piece? Yes.

No - It was absolutely a puff piece, No mention of the 'issues' front line CM's have with this not to mention guests who are unhappy with the changes. Overall tone 'look how AWESOME Disney's wearable tech is'.

You've asked questions, Spirit. Others have made accusations. I wasn't refferring to your Royal Spirited Self, considering that you hadn't responded when I posted the message you quoted. I will say now, though, that he is a journalist, and Fast Company is so reputable (and at times controversial) that questioning their journalistic integrity really is something that makes me wonder...

 

[englanddg]

I haven't gotten caught up on the 18 pages, yet (maybe it will be more by the time I finish the article)...but, this is a better place to post my random thoughts as I read through it. A lot of it is just random opinions and thoughts of mine, so...sorry so long.

1) To the author, I really enjoy your writing style. It keeps me going from paragraph to paragraph. In an era where bloggers/online "reporters" tend not to write very well at all, this was quite refreshing! Thanks for posting.

2) I take issue with this (not saying it's not true, but it is a silly conclusion on their part).

"We were failing to recognize key consumer trends that were starting to influence how people interacted with brands," says one former executive. Inside the company, Disney World became known as a "burning platform." As the former executive explains, "If we miss out on that next generation of guests, suddenly our burning platform is fully on fire—panic mode."

I'm not sure Disney has any idea how much of a hold they already have on that next Generation then. When I was growing up, it was stupid to want to go to Disney after a certain age (ahem...teens). Now? Yeah...ask someone 4 years older than me (36) and they think it's stupid. Ask kids in their early to mid 20s who have or will be starting families soon...yeah... And, it has nothing to do with "apps" and "magicbands"...

Cons and social media had more to do with it than much else.

3) I'm not sure this is correct...

"The park was filled with complications, such as a tiered ticketing system with wonky rules."

Huh? That was decades upon decades ago. There have been KTTW cards for quite a while, and it's been a VERY long time since A-E ticket systems were used. I don't recall the year offhand, but it had to be no later than the early to mid 80s when that ticketing scheme was dropped at WDW.

4) I'm not sure I agree with this either...

"The rest of Disney is younger, more progressive—risk takers—but [Parks] is not," explains one former high-level company leader with strong ties to NGE. "It’s built to be industrial and resilient, for consistency and volume; it’s not built for change."

Yeah...but that's not where it started, nor is it the history of the parks. Just look into Disneyland's history of change, not to mention WDW (4 major theme parks, one every 7 - 10 years, for 3 decades, and then BAM...pretty much nothing of any scale and scope for the past 15 years...though that tide is shifting with NFL and Avatarland, I wholly admit...but that's where the fan gripes came from, and, it's arguable, perhaps, that Iger and Co began to come around that plastic wristbands don't beat amazing experiences). It's the fallacious thinking that makes executives think that new rides and experiences are worth less than plastic wristbands and iPhone apps.

5) "Parks has tried big, transformational efforts before, but most failed because the culture killed them," the former high-level leader says.

Then, maybe, that's where your core issue is...

6) A character like Goofy, with access to real-time guest data, could even wish happy birthday to a child without prompting. For years, birthday boys and girls had worn a little button on their clothing to get such recognition.

- and -

"old-school inefficiencies like birthday buttons."

This...just makes me so frustrated I could claw my eyes out with the overly ambitious and short-sighted nature of the concept. Yes, and those buttons, on a six year old's chest, and they are, generally, proud of them as they march around with them on their little chests. Also, the fact it's a cheap trinket for Disney to give out, but one that is free, is something that parents look on as a good show. I'm willing to wager those buttons don't get thrown out and make it into scrapbooks years later. I know I still have my kid's "first visit" button, and it means a heck of a lot more to me than her third plastic wristband. The double service is that they prompt not just Goofy (who can't speak in costume, though they are playing with Talking Mickey, I don't think he's become a full time thing at the M&Gs yet), but ALL cast members to wish them a happy birthday or first visit. My arguments are not placed in some conservative, obstructionist mindset. It's that this is such backwards thinking!

Ok, gonna take a break with "chapter 2"

Again, a shout out to the author, I think it's neat how you broke the story up into "chapters" and named them after Disney rides. Good show! But, I need to take a break for a few minutes and grab a snack.

REALLY enjoying this!

 

[PhotoDave219]

So where do I really start here.....??

I guess its the mindsets of the executives. Thats what gets me... the mindset. I really feel that Austin reveals how out of touch the Parks leadership is with their guests.

In the mid-2000s, however, Disney executives had reason to worry about the future of the business. Disney World, Parks’ crown jewel, seemed to be losing its luster. According to multiple sources, certain key metrics, including guests’ "intent to return," were dropping; around half of first-time attendees signaled they likely would not come back because of long lines, high ticket costs, and other park pain points.

So we've got people getting irked that there are long lines, they're losing return business & people are feeling squeezed. What is the response from management? To build new attractions? No. To build necessary infrastructure.... and thats what this project is. We're looking at this wrong, its simply a utility project. Its shiney. Its trendy. Its what executives think will capture the next guest audience.

If Disney wanted these more tech-oriented generations to love it as much as their parents, who had grown up with fewer entertainment alternatives, had, it would have to embrace change now. "We were failing to recognize key consumer trends that were starting to influence how people interacted with brands," says one former executive. Inside the company, Disney World became known as a "burning platform." As the former executive explains, "If we miss out on that next generation of guests, suddenly our burning platform is fully on fire—panic mode."

All Disney did was to do things that people expect at resorts anymore: Wi-Fi & SmartPhone Apps. You go anywhere, you expect to be able to book a reservation for dinner or whatever on your phone. (Its called open-table). You expect to have WiFi, its everywhere. Its a "must-have" in society these days. Its basic infrastructure. You go to a theme park, you expect to be able to be able to check the wait-times with your phone. So what did Disney do that was really revolutionary?

the project eventually ballooned to include a collection of outside contractors, such as Accenture, HP, and Synapse, as well as smaller consultants. These teams, along with Frog and the NGE crew, dreamed up one innovative idea after another. They mocked up new payment portals, in the hope that guests could one day sync their credit cards with the MagicBand to buy goods. They imagined a digital reservation system for attractions, later called FastPass+, which would end the need for paper tickets. The traditional turnstiles at Disney World’s entrances could be replaced by sleek digital access posts, designed by Frog, which would grant entry after scanning a guest’s MagicBand and act as a checkpoint at each attraction.

Well..... You can use this band as your room key, your park admission & a way to pay for your wares. Disney did this in the 90s, it was called the KTTW (Keys to the World).

You can now use that same band to do Fastpass. As everyone knows, Fastpass is also a creation of Disney from the 90s. Now you can schedule a FP just like you schedule dinner reservations. None of this is new by any stretch of the imagination beyond you've now incorporated your phone into the process.

So what else is revolutionary? What else do the guests get that isn't simple infrastructure?

There was, for instance, Padgett’s concept for reengineering the airport arrival and departure experience. A team started designing a plastic cart for the guest’s luggage, so compact that it would fit through a special Disney x-ray machine without forcing passengers to separate and throw suitcases and backpacks on the conveyer belt. It was a sort of TSA PreCheck for baggage, which would seamlessly be transported straight to a guest’s hotel room.

Bags delivered to our room? Thats so 2004 with Disney's Magical Express. Also, nothing new and also something Disney pioneered before NGE.

"Honestly, it’s not so magical," one cast member tells me about MyMagic+, echoing a common sentiment I hear from park employees during my visit. "It’s just for your hotel room [door] and paying for things." When you look closely, there’s less to MyMagic+ than what some on the team had hoped for.

All of this is infrastructure. None of that will actually go to attracting new guests. None of it will grow MK 32% over ten years. (It did, 2003-2013) All of it is behind the scenes and modernization of things we already had. $1B (plus bangers and mash!) to reinvent what Disney already invented and to do what they already do.

We've been teased with upgrades to the Bus System so you can tell exactly when your bus is coming and to which park..... taunted since the mid 2000s. Teased recently with hints that it will be incorporated with MDE at some point, ETA unknown.

And we actually know what the guests do now.

The MagicBand would also collect valuable consumer data. Insiders say the company historically knew little about its guests, even its most loyal ones. "We just treated everybody as a giant blob of people," says the former longtime manager involved with NGE. "It was time to figure out who our customers were so we could better serve them and stop delivering this one-size-fits-all experience."

Thats the most damming of all. They had no idea exactly WHAT a daily guest at WDW really does.

So what would have been revolutionary? Imagine.... imagine if the show interacted with you?

There were also mock-ups of the in-park experience, including a main entrance; a mini version of the Haunted Mansion ride to demonstrate how attractions could be personalized with consumer data

Remember those screens at the end of IASW? (@AustinC, not sure if the PR folks mentioned it to you but at the end of Its a Small World, these are installed on your right. They were supposed to interact with the individual guests as they went by to unload.) There were all sorts of plans for the show to interact with you.... which was the point of this project from its very inception.

Few rides other than Test Track tap into the storytelling potential of MyMagic+. "When you go to the park today, you’ll say, ‘Where is it all?’ " says one former top NGE manager. "The Imagineers, the R&D group, they’re supposed to be the innovative team—they’re the Walt Disney Imagineers, for Christ’s sake! And yet, for this newest innovation, they simply didn’t deliver. Well, they delivered the barest, thinnest, most minimum creative support for NGE."

Why? Here's your answer:

Iger cautioned the team not to bite off more than it could chew, according to people in attendance; at one point, he recommended that the NGE team "cut [their ambitions] in half"

So what bothers me entirely is that the managers & directors of this company think that something shiney is what you need to drive new business and retain existing business. Not new attractions, parades, shows, or basic entertainment but that somehow the gods of technology will swoop in with their shiney and that will somehow drive business. "A Magical Tracking Band" (to quote Bill and Ted's from HHN) that will somehow save the day? Guess what. "This is Orlando, the Gods Will Not Save You" (to paraphrase 'The Wire').

While Iger may have said repeatedly "IBFW", all they did at the end of the day was to install necessary infrastructure upgrades. Nothing interesting beyond risking to alienate their core guest base.

I have serious trouble believing that Disney will replicate its 30% growth from 2003-2013 without having addressed any of the root problems: long lines and high prices. Fastpass was there beforehand, fastpass is still there; that did absolutely nothing to actually address the issue beyond I can now make a FP reservation at home to listen to Luke Friggin Skywalker talk while in bed.

We haven't added attractions beyond a net gain of one with the Fantasyland Expansion. One attraction.... while stuff at DHS closes left and right. While DAK sits idly by, in year four since Avatar was announced. Epcot also sits idle, with a plussing/overlay of one ride. Stagnation is setting in. Laws of Motion are starting to set in. ("Objects at rest tend to stay at rest"). Leadership is beating its chest over doing..... what, exactly? Infrastructure.

Disney managed a 30% growth in ten years by expansion and adding attractions. They managed it without the gods of technology. They managed it through show and through story. They managed it through guest service. They gave guests a quality experience, made them feel like Kings of the world all at a reasonable price.

Only time will tell if NGE/MM+ will manage to beat the 30% growth in attendance the years leading up to it. IBFW? I sure doubt it.

--------------------

Edit: I did enjoy the article, @AustinC. I dig your narrative style and frankly, you did a great job at explaining the poisoned behind the mouse culture that exists.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I haven't gotten caught up on the 18 pages, yet (maybe it will be more by the time I finish the article)...but, this is a better place to post my random thoughts as I read through it. A lot of it is just random opinions and thoughts of mine, so...sorry so long.

1) To the author, I really enjoy your writing style. It keeps me going from paragraph to paragraph. In an era where bloggers/online "reporters" tend not to write very well at all, this was quite refreshing! Thanks for posting.

2) I take issue with this (not saying it's not true, but it is a silly conclusion on their part).

"We were failing to recognize key consumer trends that were starting to influence how people interacted with brands," says one former executive. Inside the company, Disney World became known as a "burning platform." As the former executive explains, "If we miss out on that next generation of guests, suddenly our burning platform is fully on fire—panic mode."

I'm not sure Disney has any idea how much of a hold they already have on that next Generation then. When I was growing up, it was stupid to want to go to Disney after a certain age (ahem...teens). Now? Yeah...ask someone 4 years older than me (36) and they think it's stupid. Ask kids in their early to mid 20s who have or will be starting families soon...yeah... And, it has nothing to do with "apps" and "magicbands"...

Cons and social media had more to do with it than much else.

3) I'm not sure this is correct...

"The park was filled with complications, such as a tiered ticketing system with wonky rules."

Huh? That was decades upon decades ago. There have been KTTW cards for quite a while, and it's been a VERY long time since A-E ticket systems were used. I don't recall the year offhand, but it had to be no later than the early to mid 80s when that ticketing scheme was dropped at WDW.

4) I'm not sure I agree with this either...

"The rest of Disney is younger, more progressive—risk takers—but [Parks] is not," explains one former high-level company leader with strong ties to NGE. "It’s built to be industrial and resilient, for consistency and volume; it’s not built for change."

Yeah...but that's not where it started, nor is it the history of the parks. Just look into Disneyland's history of change, not to mention WDW (4 major theme parks, one every 7 - 10 years, for 40 decades, and then BAM...pretty much nothing of any scale and scope for the past 15 years...though that tide is shifting with NFL and Avatarland, I wholly admit...but that's where the fan gripes came from, and, it's arguable, perhaps, that Iger and Co began to come around that plastic wristbands don't beat amazing experiences). It's the fallacious thinking that makes executives think that new rides and experiences are worth less than plastic wristbands and iPhone apps.

5) "Parks has tried big, transformational efforts before, but most failed because the culture killed them," the former high-level leader says.

Then, maybe, that's where your core issue is...

6) A character like Goofy, with access to real-time guest data, could even wish happy birthday to a child without prompting. For years, birthday boys and girls had worn a little button on their clothing to get such recognition.

- and -

"old-school inefficiencies like birthday buttons."

This...just makes me so frustrated I could claw my eyes out with the overly ambitious and short-sighted nature of the concept. Yes, and those buttons, on a six year old's chest, and they are, generally, proud of them as they march around with them on their little chests. Also, the fact it's a cheap trinket for Disney to give out, but one that is free, is something that parents look on as a good show. I'm willing to wager those buttons don't get thrown out and make it into scrapbooks years later. I know I still have my kid's "first visit" button, and it means a heck of a lot more to me than her third plastic wristband. The double service is that they prompt not just Goofy (who can't speak in costume, though they are playing with Talking Mickey, I don't think he's become a full time thing at the M&Gs yet), but ALL cast members to wish them a happy birthday or first visit. My arguments are not placed in some conservative, obstructionist mindset. It's that this is such backwards thinking!

Ok, gonna take a break with "chapter 2"

Again, a shout out to the author, I think it's neat how you broke the story up into "chapters" and named them after Disney rides. Good show! But, I need to take a break for a few minutes and grab a snack.

REALLY enjoying this!

Ha! We posted some of the same points. Love it.

 

[jakeman]

So just curious...is there a Universal app with wait times and in park wi-fi?

 

[englanddg]

Ha! We posted some of the same points. Love it.

I ain't done yet. But, I'm bored, and was posting these in another thread where they don't belong. It's basically stream of consciousness as I read the (quite well written, another shout out to the author) article.

Anyhow, snack in hand, off to chapter 2 (3?).

 

[Lee]

You're a DISNEY HATING HILLBILLY!!!! Why don't you go to Universal so the lines will be shorter for the rest of us who see the MAGIC, who feel the MAGIC, who live the MAGIC!!!

Yup...you know where to find me...up the road in Diagon Alley sipping my Butterbeer. Riding rides without a reservation and eating at Mythos without an ADR required.

 

[Nubs70]

So where do I really start here.....??

I guess its the mindsets of the executives. Thats what gets me... the mindset. I really feel that Austin reveals how out of touch the Parks leadership is with their guests.



So we've got people getting irked that there are long lines, they're losing return business & people are feeling squeezed. What is the response from management? To build new attractions? No. To build necessary infrastructure.... and thats what this project is. We're looking at this wrong, its simply a utility project. Its shiney. Its trendy. Its what executives think will capture the next guest audience.



All Disney did was to do things that people expect at resorts anymore: Wi-Fi & SmartPhone Apps. You go anywhere, you expect to be able to book a reservation for dinner or whatever on your phone. (Its called open-table). You expect to have WiFi, its everywhere. Its a "must-have" in society these days. Its basic infrastructure. You go to a theme park, you expect to be able to be able to check the wait-times with your phone. So what did Disney do that was really revolutionary?



Well..... You can use this band as your room key, your park admission & a way to pay for your wares. Disney did this in the 90s, it was called the KTTW (Keys to the World).

You can now use that same band to do Fastpass. As everyone knows, Fastpass is also a creation of Disney from the 90s. Now you can schedule a FP just like you schedule dinner reservations. None of this is new by any stretch of the imagination beyond you've now incorporated your phone into the process.

So what else is revolutionary? What else do the guests get that isn't simple infrastructure?



Bags delivered to our room? Thats so 2004 with Disney's Magical Express. Also, nothing new and also something Disney pioneered before NGE.



All of this is infrastructure. None of that will actually go to attracting new guests. None of it will grow MK 32% over ten years. (It did, 2003-2013) All of it is behind the scenes and modernization of things we already had. $1B (plus bangers and mash!) to reinvent what Disney already invented and to do what they already do.

We've been teased with upgrades to the Bus System so you can tell exactly when your bus is coming and to which park..... taunted since the mid 2000s. Teased recently with hints that it will be incorporated with MDE at some point, ETA unknown.

And we actually know what the guests do now.



Thats the most damming of all. They had no idea exactly WHAT a daily guest at WDW really does.

So what would have been revolutionary? Imagine.... imagine if the show interacted with you?



Remember those screens at the end of IASW? (@AustinC, not sure if the PR folks mentioned it to you but at the end of Its a Small World, these are installed on your right. They were supposed to interact with the individual guests as they went by to unload.) There were all sorts of plans for the show to interact with you.... which was the point of this project from its very inception.



Why? Here's your answer:



So what bothers me entirely is that the managers & directors of this company think that something shiney is what you need to drive new business and retain existing business. Not new attractions, parades, shows, or basic entertainment but that somehow the gods of technology will swoop in with their shiney and that will somehow drive business. "A Magical Tracking Band" (to quote Bill and Ted's from HHN) that will somehow save the day? Guess what. "This is Orlando, the Gods Will Not Save You" (to paraphrase 'The Wire').

While Iger may have said repeatedly "IBFW", all they did at the end of the day was to install necessary infrastructure upgrades. Nothing interesting beyond risking to alienate their core guest base.

I have serious trouble believing that Disney will replicate its 30% growth from 2003-2013 without having addressed any of the root problems: long lines and high prices. Fastpass was there beforehand, fastpass is still there; that did absolutely nothing to actually address the issue beyond I can now make a FP reservation at home to listen to Luke Friggin Skywalker talk while in bed.

We haven't added attractions beyond a net gain of one with the Fantasyland Expansion. One attraction.... while stuff at DHS closes left and right. While DAK sits idly by, in year four since Avatar was announced. Epcot also sits idle, with a plussing/overlay of one ride. Stagnation is setting in. Laws of Motion are starting to set in. ("Objects at rest tend to stay at rest"). Leadership is beating its chest over doing..... what, exactly? Infrastructure.

Disney managed a 30% growth in ten years by expansion and adding attractions. They managed it without the gods of technology. They managed it through show and through story. They managed it through guest service. They gave guests a quality experience, made them feel like Kings of the world all at a reasonable price.

Only time will tell if NGE/MM+ will manage to beat the 30% growth in attendance the years leading up to it. IBFW? I sure doubt it.

--------------------

Edit: I did enjoy the article, @AustinC. I dig your narrative style and frankly, you did a great job at explaining the poisoned behind the mouse culture that exists.

Spot on

 

[PhotoDave219]

So just curious...is there a Universal app with wait times and in park wi-fi?

They have Wi-Fi, yes. (It did not work well the last time I was there)

Not sure if they have an App. If they don't, the sure as hell should. Its 2015. Its part of the basic experience that guests expect.

 

[englanddg]

So just curious...is there a Universal app with wait times and in park wi-fi?

Yep.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/official-universal-orlando/id878217080?mt=8

And, they aren't as reliant as Disney (for obvious logistical reasons) on wifi as the local data/cellular networks are far more available. Hard to find "low signal" at Uni, as I recall.