Spirited Spring Break News, Observations & Thoughts ...

[wdisney9000]

This Social Media Moms event at Disneyland this weekend is fascinating to watch, at least from the safety of my hillside home office 7 miles east of Anaheim. I had no idea this thing existed, but it does. And the comments these women are making on their daily blogs and YouTube videos are hilarious and baffling. Why are they there???

Last year the Disney Social Media Moms kick-off reception featured shirtless male gymnasts performing for the ladies. I guess the Thunder From Down Under was already booked?

http://www.disneyeveryday.com/2013-disney-social-media-moms-celebration-in-pictures-day-1/

I just don't get what Disney gets out of this. They appear to have invited a few hundred mommy bloggers from around the country, some of whom have an affinity for the Disney brand and some who have little experience with it. The East Coast bloggers are excited to be in California yet don't get the Disneyland culture or scene, and are like fishes out of water thus far. The West Coast bloggers are thrilled with a free trip for the hubby and kids to Disneyland and are lapping up the special attention. Tom Staggs is there addressing the group in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel and they are rolling out the red carpet for them with Disney celebs and Imagineers, and unlimited Fastpasses and special viewing areas for World of Color and parades and Fantasmic! and fireworks, cocktail receptions, etc., etc.

Sunday morning they get Cars Land reserved all to themselves for gourmet breakfast and Mimosas and Lightning McQueen photos and walk-on rides on everything in Cars Land. Baffling!

And then you go look at these blogs the women have and watch their YouTube channels. And these women are blogging about the best jogger strollers and non-toxic lavender laundry detergent and their comments section is lucky to have the four or five comments, most of which are made by the same two or three gal-pals posting daily. Their YouTube channels have views of about 12 to 150. That's 12, as in one dozen people clicked on the video. I wonder how many watched the whole thing?

These are just bored housewives, er... stay-at-home-moms is what I meant to say, filling their days with blogs after they turn off The View. And their online presence and readership numbers are very, very small. And they're mainly just communicating with other bored housewi... stay-at-home-moms who think and act exactly the same. And who wouldn't want a free trip to Disneyland with a lanyard that gets you unlimited Fastpass access to everything?!?

And Disney corporate pours all this money and resources and energy into hosting these women and their families? Why?!? I'm just baffled.

This Social Media nonsense seems like the ultimate case of the Emperor Has No Clothes. Maybe that's the secret message of the shirtless gymnasts last year?

I can't decide which is more laughable, the hitler magic band video, or the artificial reality Disney creates for these mommies that I can only assume makes these ladies wet their pants with pride as they upload a video to inform their 7 subscribers which brand of low sodium pretzels will fit into their bag the best, because let's face it, these problems really matter and without these women we would never know which type of peraben free shampoo to buy.

I really appreciate your post for highlighting how shameless Disney is for bending over backwards for a group of bored housewives that garner appx 3 views per month on their YouTube chanel

 

[Goofywilliam]

It's not what it used to be. For every George K. at WDW, there's a Scott Gasparich at BGW. Just check out the BGW forums if you don't believe me.

http://bgwfans.com/2013/mix-it-up-cast-walk-off-and-cancellation/ - just one example of his wrath

Oh yeah. I remember all of that drama going down late last year. Unfortunately I didn't get to visit last year but I hope to soon. I also noticed a drop in quality (especially in the entertainment department) since the change in ownership but my optimism returned with the opening of verbolten! I absolutely love that ride and the backstory. Hopefully any future attractions will be as good as that one.

 

[asianway]

I can't decide which is more laughable, the hitler magic band video, or the artificial reality Disney creates for these mommies that I can only assume makes these ladies wet their pants with pride as they upload a video to inform their 7 subscribers which brand of low sodium pretzels will fit into their bag the best, because let's face it, these problems really matter and without these women we would never know which type of peraben free shampoo to buy.

I really appreciate your post for highlighting how shameless Disney is for bending over backwards for a group of bored housewives that garner appx 3 views per month on their YouTube chanel

Tom Staggs addressed these...well I can't use the word...one would only hope he asks why the hell are we paying for this...

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Ha! I hadn't even noticed that. I just Googled "Disney Social Media Moms Reception" and immediately got photos of shirtless men gyrating for the ladies in the Ballroom of the Americas at the Contemporary, and it was just too good not to share.

Should I be surprised you clicked on the boys first?

Then again, if Disney is willing to hand out free booze and exotic dancers, then maybe I should switch careers.

 

[Travel Junkie]

I'm now following a few of the moms blogging from Disneyland this weekend; all of them from the East Coast and all of them more stereotypical looking/acting than you could even make up. And all of them are following hundreds of people or companies on Twitter, but have their own actual followers numbered in the dozens. Or one dozen, singular. The updates on their blogs garner comments of three or less, and even after a year their YouTube videos have less than 50 views (including family members, as @WDW1974 so wisely pointed out).

But there they are this weekend, slurping free champagne at the Disneyland Hotel while their husbands and kids go round and round on Radiator Springs Racers and every other E Ticket in Anaheim with their unlimited Fastpass lanyard.

All because they got a dozen views on their opinion of cheap yoga pants for sale at Target. I just don't get what Disney is doing here with these women. It feels almost like a bad pyramid scheme about to collapse.

This is all another example of how Disney (and many large companies) don’t understand many new technologies. They wine and dine bloggers and lifestylers because that is how they have always treated VIP clients. Yet those VIP clients brought in loads of money in return while these social media types have little to no influence and can’t possibly return the favor in drumming up new business.


Analyze all of Disney’s social media endeavors and it’s easy to see they have no clue what makes social media successful and how to use it properly to enhance their brand. They are merely copying what others have done and use old style tactics like kissing the behinds of people who can’t possibly give them a return on investment.

 

[WendyTinkerbell]

I was just thinking the same thing!

 

[WendyTinkerbell]

About switching careers...

 

[lazyboy97o]

What are you talking about, a more cynical society?

Sorry but you obviously don't remember the 1970s.

Nixon, Watergate, Vietnam War, gas shortages, Stagflation, rampant drug use, meaningless disco sex, urban decay, fear of global cooling (yes, global cooling), Three Mile Island, Love Canal.

Movies such as Marathon Man, Three Days of the Condor, Taxi Driver, The French Connection, Dog Day Afternoon, Dirty Harry, Deliverance, Jeremiah Johnson, MASH, Little Big Man, The China Syndrome, Parallax View, Rollerball (the original), Westworld, and Network were all representative of the cynicism and angst of the time.

Compared to the 1970s, these are days of wine and roses.

That's part of what made WDW (opened in 1971) so special.

Of course, the 1980s and 1990s were totally awesome and so was WDW!

People haven't "magically" become more critical of WDW in recent years. Today's criticism of WDW has nothing to do with some recent uptick in cynicism.

Today's criticism of WDW has to do with a declining product caused by a change in Disney leadership who view WDW as a profit center instead of as a theme park.

The Billboard Hot 100 is currently topped by a song entitled "Happy." Enough said.

 

[wdisney9000]

Tom Staggs addressed these...well I can't use the word...one would only hope he asks why the hell are we paying for this...

Does these ladies' knowledge of Disney extend anywhere beyond knowing basic facts like which park Space Mountain is in, how to change an ADR, or where the M&G for Anna and Elsa is? Or do they actually keep up with current affairs in the corporate world? because judging by what I've seen/read, I'd be shocked to find out they took time out of their busy zinfandel box opening lives to care.

 

[bubbles1812]

Ole Lou jello is apparently having some event as Dixie Landings tonight. Group of 7-10 people that would have dropped $500+ easy decided not to go as a result. Place is crawling with Twitwhores.

Last I was at WDW, ol' Lou was at the Swan with his family/crew/God only knows who else. My mother and I were eating at The Fountain when they walked into the restaurant. Must have been a party of 15-20. I heard Lou say they were getting all the meals comped. Watched multiple groups of potentially paying! people walk away because of the noise of the group and minimal room to sit as that area isn't exactly big. My mom and I would have probably stayed for dessert, but their group made us want to light on out of there as well. Twitwhores indeed.

 

[ScoutN]

Oh yeah. I remember all of that drama going down late last year. Unfortunately I didn't get to visit last year but I hope to soon. I also noticed a drop in quality (especially in the entertainment department) since the change in ownership but my optimism returned with the opening of verbolten! I absolutely love that ride and the backstory. Hopefully any future attractions will be as good as that one.

Nope. Next won't. Id rather have no new ride next year vs what is coming and where it is going.

 

[ParentsOf4]

The Billboard Hot 100 is currently topped by a song entitled "Happy." Enough said.

Hey, the 1970s wasn't all bad. They gave us Bohemian Rhapsody:

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality.​

Almost 40 years later and it's one of the most popular songs at my teenagers' high school.

 

[MarkTwain]

This is all another example of how Disney (and many large companies) don’t understand many new technologies. They wine and dine bloggers and lifestylers because that is how they have always treated VIP clients. Yet those VIP clients brought in loads of money in return while these social media types have little to no influence and can’t possibly return the favor in drumming up new business.


Analyze all of Disney’s social media endeavors and it’s easy to see they have no clue what makes social media successful and how to use it properly to enhance their brand. They are merely copying what others have done and use old style tactics like kissing the behinds of people who can’t possibly give them a return on investment.

Explains the youtube channel purchase a bit more, doesn't it? I didn't realize how out of touch Disney's social networking/online skills were but this is starting to make much more sense.

 

[Next Big Thing]

Stop talking about hotels. Every time you do, I feel the need to chime in. (And wasn't Portofino Bay lovely.)

As recently as 2008, WDW's hotels were running at 90% occupancy. IMHO, this was a direct result of Disney's new Magic Your Way ticket pricing structure and Disney's Magical Express. Since then, they've added BLT (a DVC with a high occupancy rate), AOA (a Value Resort with a high occupancy rate with the exception of its badly priced Family Suites), and VGF (another high occupancy rate DVC).

How does the bolded statement make sense? 75% of AOA is Family Suites. So it has a high occupancy rate except for the 75% of the hotel that houses those family suites? That doesn't sound like a hotel doing good business to me.

 

[Captain Neo]

Gotta be honest with you @WDW1974 that Seven Dwarfs mine train attraction is shaping up really well. It's certainly not an e-ticket or anything but for a mid-level attraction its a huge step up from attractions like Buzz Lightyear Spaceranger spin, Superstar Limo, pooh, etc. The mine train will at least have some thrills, great theming, and real audio animatronic robots (not cardboard cutouts, static figures, or video screens). First time in a long time i'm seeing an original attraction @ Walt Disney World that is in keeping with the spirit of the attractions designed by Walt Disney himself.​

Maybe Iger and Staggs aren't always the theme park devils you paint them to be...

 

[Next Big Thing]

Yeah, it will. Disney's not going to keep throwing good money after bad. The franchise was dormant until Jason Segal got all juiced up about it. And then even HE lost interest. So have audiences, it seems...

He didn't lose interest, he's a Muppet superfan. He didn't want to do another movie because he didn't want to tarnish the view people had of the first movie he did. It was largely viewed as one of the best films of 2011 and is a great film all around.

 

[wdisney9000]

First time in a long time i'm seeing an original attraction @ Walt Disney World that is in keeping with the spirit of the attractions designed by Walt Disney himself.

Maybe Iger and Staggs aren't always the theme park devils you paint them to be...

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

 

[FigmentJedi]

He didn't lose interest, he's a Muppet superfan. He didn't want to do another movie because he didn't want to tarnish the view people had of the first movie he did. It was largely viewed as one of the best films of 2011 and is a great film all around.

This. Segel was a Muppet fanboy that made a big-budget Muppet self-insert fanfic to get the Muppets back in the public eye again.

As far as what happened with the marketing on Most Wanted, Toughpigs.com observed that most of the ad campaign was focused on Social Media and such versus regular platforms (which were pretty saturated with Sherman and Peabody) and that the advertising might have been more compelling if they had more emphasis on the wedding climax as the whole Kermit/Piggy "Will they/Won't they" thing has been ingrained in the felt for years.

In before Magenta Panther makes the same obnoxious comment along the lines of "No, Muppets Most Wanted failed entirely because the Muppets are loser poopy-heads that nobody likes anymore"

 

[PhotoDave219]

Gotta be honest with you Spirit that Seven Dwarfs mine train attraction is shaping up really well. It's certainly not an e-ticket or anything but for a mid-level attraction its a huge step up from attractions like Buzz Lightyear Spaceranger spin, Superstar Limo, pooh, etc. The mine train will at least have some thrills, great theming, and real audio animatronic robots (not sets, static figures, or video screens). First time in a long time i'm seeing an original attraction @ Walt Disney World that is in keeping with the spirit of the attractions designed by Walt Disney himself.​

Maybe Iger and Staggs aren't always the theme park devils you paint them to be...

Spirit of Walt Disney? Fun with a Ouija board?

 

[Next Big Thing]

This. Segel was a Muppet fanboy that made a big-budget Muppet self-insert fanfic to get the Muppets back in the public eye again.

As far as what happened with the marketing on Most Wanted, Toughpigs.com observed that most of the ad campaign was focused on Social Media and such versus regular platforms (which were pretty saturated with Sherman and Peabody) and that the advertising might have been more compelling if they had more emphasis on the wedding climax as the whole Kermit/Piggy "Will they/Won't they" thing has been ingrained in the felt for years.

In before Magenta Panther makes the same obnoxious comment along the lines of "No, Muppets Most Wanted failed entirely because the Muppets are loser poopy-heads that nobody likes anymore"

I'm a muppets fan and still have not seen it. The plot of the movie looked cheesy (well, it is the muppets after all...), but what really made me just not put the effort into going was how bad the marketing was for it. The marketing didn't make me WANT to go see the movie. It made it look like an ok muppet showcase, but nothing special like the last movie.