Spirited News & Observations II -- NGE/Baxter

LuvtheGoof

LuvtheGoof

DVC Guru
Premium Member
WDW1974 said:
That's why folks have been able to pull up other guests' personal information and vacation plans since the new site went live (and some have been paid off for their problems, but without even a note or letter included with the gift cards because Disney knows that would open up liability in a legal sense).
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A few weeks before our vacation, when I logged into the Disney website, it asked me to completely recreate my profile, pretty much from scratch, and then relink everything. I wonder if that is related to those issues? We never experienced the problem, but obviously, enough did that may have prompted them to take this step, and start over.
 
Genie of the Lamp

Genie of the Lamp

Well-Known Member
WDW1974 said:
I think Disney would like it if I accidentally got hit by a bus (preferably not a WDW one) these days, which as a whale of a guest and a Disney lover I find so telling about the way the company is being run right now.
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I'm sure George A. Kalogridis would break into tears if he knew of this.

Edit: Speaking of George, what should our confidence level be in terms of him being present at the Monstrous Summer Press event and scoring an interview with a fanboi? On second thought after him being seen today, maybe will start seeing him in public more often.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
WDW1974 said:
Well, according to her website I was guest No. 1567 (that's the total views in the history of the site) and she has appoximately 400 followers. Let me put that in some perspective for everyone, just this one thread receives a multiple of that in clicks daily, and I AM the evil, vile, Godless, Commie, Fanboi-abusing, Disney hating Spirit.
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Thank you for the startling perspective.

My hunch is that this weird, tiny demographic that reaches a tiny audience (that has already bought into the product concept anyway), is an incestuous half of a self-propagating whole. The bloggers lap up the attention and swag from Disney's local offices in Anaheim and Orlando, and the local office CM's puff up the importance of the whole thing to keep them employed. These CM's aren't just doing mundane things like operating theme parks and hotels, these Social Media Department CM's are on the cutting edge of talking to a tiny handful of people who have little to no impact. But it sounds so hip and important and cutting-edge to their executive team who are 25 years older and don't really get it but are just playing along and continue to fund the whole thing lest they be seen as an aging fuddy-duddy who is out of the loop.

I think funding a Social Media team is the new way an executive tries to remain relevant. In addition to dying their gray hair and getting a little Botox, they keep talking up the Social Media team and all the great 21st century stuff they're doing.

Meanwhile, Pirates of the Caribbean cycles through 3,000 visitors per hour, which is more visits than the average Mommy Blogger website will get in a year. Or two years.

It's all just a big scam. I wonder how much longer all of these companies can pretend Social Media is as important as they make it seem. Cause it's not.
 
Soarin' Over Pgh

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Thank you for the startling perspective.


It's all just a big scam. I wonder how much longer all of these companies can pretend Social Media is as important as they make it seem. Cause it's not.
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It's amazing what one can convince themselves of. Like a person who religiously plays the lottery, because someday- just once- they're going to hit it big. Nevermind all the money lost in the persuit of a (possibly small) payout.

It's equally amazing the power of influence. If NBC has a social media club, Target has a social media club (you'd be surprised!), Universal, hell- even local parks like Kennywood and Cedar Point... then why shouldn't Disney? To them, it's marketing without having to pay the full price of 'actual' marketing.

It's easy to pay off ...err, offer someone a free hotel room, free access to an event, and perhaps a free meal if you know they are going to rant and rave about how awesome their trip was. Nevermind that 4 people will read that rant and rave- that's 4 more people that will be thinking about how this person had an awesome trip. Disney comes out looking golden. Bloggers are a helluva lot cheaper than 'real' marketing techs.

Also, it's easier to mail out a gift card than it is to say "We're sorry for screwing up and sharing your information with who-knows-how-many-people". Even when all the person wants is a little acknowledgement that it DID indeed happen. Sometimes that's worth more than a gift card. Just sayin'.
 
George

George

Liker of Things
Premium Member
I'm not sure if now is the time to admit, that not only am I Bob Iger, I also do all of the "mommy blogging" before retiring for the night. We pay some people to be "bodies" so guests may have the exciting experience of running into a real "blogger" in the parks from time to time.
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
TP2000 said:
It's all just a big scam. I wonder how much longer all of these companies can pretend Social Media is as important as they make it seem. Cause it's not.
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So your taking disney's bad moves as why the whole concept is bad??

This phrase puts it best , 'we need to be where our customers are..'

When you find people spend more time reading Facebook then they spend time reading a newspaper... You better have presence in the right spots if you want to reach your audience
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
ASJHLJ said:
I'm not sure if now is the time to admit, that not only am I Bob Iger, I also do all of the "mommy blogging" before retiring for the night. We pay some people to be "bodies" so guests may have the exciting experience of running into a real "blogger" in the parks from time to time.
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Here we go again. How many times must I tell you that I'm Bob Iger!?!? This a a blatant identity theft if I've ever seen one. :mad:
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
flynnibus said:
So your taking disney's bad moves as why the whole concept is bad??

This phrase puts it best , 'we need to be where our customers are..'
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If the goal is to reach a half dozen bored housewives reading a Mommy Blog about MAGICAL! Disney vacations, then Disney should keep right on playing the Social Media game with lots of small players. Players that would mostly end up in the parks anyway.

But I would bet two churros that if Disney shut down all Social Media outreach tomorrow, and stopped comping rooms and pandering to Mommy Bloggers with a few dozen website hits per week. Or even stopped pandering to Fanboi Bloggers who get a few thousands hits per month.... That the exact same number of people would flood in the gates of WDW and Disneyland a month later, and a year later, even without the Social Media "outreach" from Disney.

I'm not saying Disney should abandon online marketing. It has it's place. The Disney Parks Blog is a valid offering, even if its completely vapid and fairly useless. But the pandering to kitchen table bloggers and minor website owners is just dumb. That's the part where no one in TDO or TDA or Burbank has the guts to get up and say The Emperor Has No Clothes! and Social Media is a big worthless scam that wastes time and money that should go to actual marketing.

Or money that could go to build an actual ride in a theme park. Remember when Disney built rides more than once per decade?
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
TP2000 said:
If the goal is to reach a half dozen bored housewives reading a Mommy Blog about MAGICAL! Disney vacations, then Disney should keep right on playing the Social Media game with lots of small players. Players that would mostly end up in the parks anyway.

But I would bet two churros that if Disney shut down all Social Media outreach tomorrow, and stopped comping rooms and pandering to Mommy Bloggers with a few dozen website hits per week. Or even stopped pandering to Fanboi Bloggers who get a few thousands hits per month.... That the exact same number of people would flood in the gates of WDW and Disneyland a month later, and a year later, even without the Social Media "outreach" from Disney.

I'm not saying Disney should abandon online marketing. It has it's place. The Disney Parks Blog is a valid offering, even if its completely vapid and fairly useless. But the pandering to kitchen table bloggers and minor website owners is just dumb. That's the part where no one in TDO or TDA or Burbank has the guts to get up and say The Emperor Has No Clothes! and Social Media is a big worthless scam that wastes time and money that should go to actual marketing.

Or money that could go to build an actual ride in a theme park. Remember when Disney built rides more than once per decade?
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You interchange and conflict yourself no less than 5 times in that message. 'Social Media' is not the same as a handful of people with no reach. You take Disney's stupid moves and interchange them at will with social media marketing universally.

Again... 'we must be where our customers are' - obviously a blogger with a few dozen followers does not meet that criteria.
 
asianway

asianway

Well-Known Member
flynnibus said:
You interchange and conflict yourself no less than 5 times in that message. 'Social Media' is not the same as a handful of people with no reach. You take Disney's stupid moves and interchange them at will with social media marketing universally.

Again... 'we must be where our customers are' - obviously a blogger with a few dozen followers does not meet that criteria.
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Even the bloggers with reach are preaching to the choir. Cant wait for the first pass by "the consultants" through CP.
 
Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge

Well-Known Member
I think, in general, "social media" advertising is puffed up, and costs more than it brings in.

But I do think WDW should do more to encourage people to send more pictures on Snapchat and Instagram. WDW social media outreach should encourage guests to share details of their vacations with their friends.

(I'm not particularly optimistic that Disney would ever consider a demographic other than "parents and grandparents" as worth advertising to, but I really think it would be worthwhile)
 
Figments Friend

Figments Friend

Well-Known Member
Genie of the Lamp said:
Saw this article here on Jim Hill's site talking about WDW Interactive Queue's and how they (I.Q.'s) are actually encouraging guests to be more destructive:
http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_c...theme-park-guests-to-be-more-destructive.aspx

Edit: Hey @Figments Friend, is that you he mentioned in the beginning of the article?
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Alas no, i cannot claim the fame...it is not this 'Figment's Friend' mentioned at the start of this article.
I rarely read Jim's website, and have never sent him a e-mail.

I have however met him once....one fine late morning on Monorail Silver...the day after the big EPCOT 25th ta-do. Made for a interesting afternoon...
 
WDW1974

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
LuvtheGoof said:
A few weeks before our vacation, when I logged into the Disney website, it asked me to completely recreate my profile, pretty much from scratch, and then relink everything. I wonder if that is related to those issues? We never experienced the problem, but obviously, enough did that may have prompted them to take this step, and start over.
Click to expand...

While I can't say for certain, my guess would be that it did. They don't trust their own systems (thus far with good reason).
 

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