Ten Ways To Fix The Disney Company

[Bryy2001]

K everyone, I've been thinking a lot about the recent problems with the Walt Disney Company have compiled a list of the top 10 things to do that will better the company. Let me know what you think and more suggestions are always welcome!!

1. Fire Michael Eisner--Ok, I may get flack on this. I DO think he did A LOT for the company from 90-98 but boy has he let things slip the last 5 years or so. ABC is in major trouble, theme park attendance is sliding, there market share in movies is falling year by year, stock prices are falling, money is tight...and what does he do....BREAK GROUND FOR ANOTHER PARK IN CHINA?!? Hey Eisner, how about fix Disney parks stateside then worry about oversea's stuff. Save the money being spent on a new park and give some parks new E-tickets to boost attendance, is that so hard?

2. Fix FastPASS--Fastpass works...mostly. The problem is it makes a standby line that normally took 15 minutes to queue an HOUR long. FastPASS should be reserved for those staying on Disney property for vacations, multi-day ticket holders, and annual pass holders, that's it, period. One day park visitors should NOT get the same priveleges as those spending thousands of dollars on a weeks vacation. OR give those staying on Disney property and annual pass-holders unlimited FastPASSes for their trip.

3. Fix Disney's California Adventure--This park was supposed to be Disney's crown jewel...and it turned into a big joke in the industry...not enough rides or things to do, relatively small, the list goes on and on. Add more rides, damage control.

4. Fix ABC--It is floundering, it is coming back, but slowly, it loses the company billions of dollars every year, get an expert in to help programming and don't just pack as many reality shows into the line-up as possible, just cause they are cheap doesn't mean they are very good.

5. Start Two Congruent Advertising Campaigns--One the targets families (the "Where Magic Lives" is a GREAT START). But also develope a campaign that specifically targets teens and twenty-somethings, show the Disney brand thrill rides (TOT Rock N Dinosaur), give Universal just what they've been asking for with their snooty ad campaigns.

6. ReVamp EPCOT--Face it, it needs something, attendance at this park alone has fallen more than Magic Kingdom and MGM COMBINED (no I didn't just make that up, it's true). Project Gemini is very ambitious and will pay off in the end, go all out, don't budget cut and only do it half assed, make something spectacular.

7. Fastlane Important Projects--It seems that Disney, more than any other company, takes FOREVER to design and build E-ticket attractions (Test Track or MS anyone). Fastlanne big E-Ticket attractions, which will boost attendace far more rapidly. Universal will have The Mummy Coaster up and running by Summer of 2004 that is a year and a half of construction, pretty fast when compared to Disney.

8. Get Rid of "Dead Weight"--FOX Family and ABC Family (both owned by Disney) are costing the company a fortune, get rid of them, you don't need them.

9. Keep PIXAR--In 2005 Pixar has the opportunity to leave the Disney company and start a partnership other places. The still owe Disney the NON-SEQUEL movies (two after Finding Nemo). If Disney is smart they will give PIXAR whatever they want to keep them at Disney. PIXAR gave Disney almost 1/4 of the total money that Disney took in last year from movies (Monsters, Inc.) don't let them get away, the partnership is good, keep it that way.

10. Give guests even more--Give more perks to those staying on Disney propery for a vacation. Discounts should be given for return visitors, as I said before unlimited FastPASSES should be given, something that will bring people back to Disney. Plus lowering prices on admission and lodging couldn't hurt, especially now when things are particularly bleak for the company. Also MORE BIG RIDES, give us a new reason to enjoy Disney, new E-tickets, several of them in the next few years, it will give a fresh new look and feel to WDW and DL.

Thanks for hanging in there, I know this was long, sorry!

 

[McArcDes]

Here! Here! Well thought out, Well Spoken and reailistic. I agree with all you said. Now lets just hope Disney starts thinking the same way! (as unrealistic as that may be.)

 

[TURKEY]

Fixing ABC isn't a quick process. You could put on the greatest show ever on TV against NBC and CBS on Thursday and it wouldn't last. Sure they could introduce new shows against weak competition and get great ratings, but moving them against established shows and moving days would then kill those shows.



ABC Family is Fox Family. They don't have very many original programs, mainly things in syndication. They're costs aren't that high, but neither is income. The bad thing was that Disney did buy the channel. That's where most of the money went for it.

 

[Bryy2001]

I never said Fixing ABC was something that could be done quickly, and actually, according to a good source (thanks Pheniex) ABC and FOX Family (which WERE two DIFFERENT channels) lost the Disney company over 5 billion dollars.

 

[TURKEY]

Originally posted by Bryy2001
I never said Fixing ABC was something that could be done quickly, and actually, according to a good source (thanks Pheniex) ABC and FOX Family (which ARE two DIFFERENT channels) lost the Disney company over 5 billion dollars.

Then tell me what's on Fox Family and what's on ABC Family, cause I think they are the same.


You admit that things are starting to turn around at ABC. It seems like you think it can be done quickly because you don't seem happy with the improvements they are making.

 

[DisJosh]

Originally posted by Bryy2001
I never said Fixing ABC was something that could be done quickly, and actually, according to a good source (thanks Pheniex) ABC and FOX Family (which ARE two DIFFERENT channels) lost the Disney company over 5 billion dollars.

FOX Family and ABC Family are NOT two seperate stations. Disney bought FOX Family and it became ABC Family just a year or two ago. Search the forums...I remember a bunch of threads about the whole thing.

Go watch your TV guide channel or look through a TV Guide...you won't see any FOX Family.

 

[Bryy2001]

Hey guys, my bad, they are now the same channel...however, the fact still remains that they lost the Disney company over 5 billion dollars since they merged

 

[imagineersrock]

hey there, just wanna say i completley agree with the top ten list. great points! -oh yea, you forgot #11 though; 11.) Hire me!:lol: but seriously, i think targeting teens was an excellent point. as well as the one about fixing fastpass [i've never been a huge fan because though a minority of people get a shorter time in line, those fast passes still tend to sell out by 2 o'clock for major e-tickets meaning the majority of guests have to wait around an hour more than neccisary. -oh yea, and the final point i liked was the one regarding giving more perks to annual pass holders, returning guests, etc. this is one of the few things i was very pleased with while holding annual passes for universal orlando; we received numerous perks, and discounts, etc. it was simply overall cheaper to stay at UO. so disney; LOWER YOUR PRICES! -i love you but your prices are simply ridiculous; approx 400 bucks for one night in one hotel room, the only thing i find more outragious than those prices is the fact that people actually do it! (lol i have to admit i'm guilty of it too) but seriously i would be sure that people would have started boycotting disney hotels a long time ago, but they're full as ever! anyway seriously, just lower the prices (on everything) from hotels, to park tickets, etc. and you will receive alot more business which will in time bring in just as much $$$ as the current prices, plus the fact that lower prices will generate ALOT more return guests, which will definently start bringing in the $$$ for disney.

 

[Bryy2001]

bump! cuz it's my thread and I want to! :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[jaimjaim25]

Stop building things that no one really cares about! (in disney world)

 

[strobe]

This is one of the most well written and thought posts I have seen on this matter. I agree 110% with everything you said, great job! Could not have said it better (or even as good) myself. You hit all of the major points, but does 'Mikey like it?'.

If he is smart, he will seriously start listening to the suggestions of the consumers that support his company. But then again, if he did any of that, you wouldn't have listed item number 1. :animwink:

 

[BUZZ BABE 34]

i have to say that after working at disney for a year now i agree with you on these points. poor walt has got to be sad at what is happening and i know alot of us who care are. give the company back to the family and get the family values going again. also i work in an attraction that has fastpass and ill tell ya its a nightmare. people yell at you in the standby line. they cuss you and ive even been spit on . i wish people would understand that we only work there. its not our fault that they are waiting in line. also the company should take care of their full time cast. they are the backbone and they are the ones who stick around when it gets tuff. heres hoping for a better disney future.

 

[FourFourSeven]

Because it's fun, I'm going to go through your points step by step and give my comments.

1. Fire Michael Eisner..... money is tight...and what does he do....BREAK GROUND FOR ANOTHER PARK IN CHINA?!?

Without going into whether or not to fire Eisner, as far as the Hong Kong park - it is being mostly financed by the local government. It will probably be the #1 attendance park in the world. They'll have a monopoly on the Hong Kong area market. It's going to make them a LOT of money, and it's costing them relatively LITTLE. It's a GREAT use of funds...

2. Fix FastPASS...FastPASS should be reserved for those staying on Disney property for vacations, multi-day ticket holders, and annual pass holders, that's it, period. One day park visitors should NOT get the same priveleges as those spending thousands of dollars on a weeks vacation.

Remember several years ago, Disney got rid of all Park Hoppers for day guests? There was TONS of bad press, and a huge outcry. They sheephishly brought them back. I think the same thing would happen if they did this with Fastpass.

Also, Fastpass enables people to spend more time in shops, buying food, etc. Why would they take that AWAY from some people?

3. Fix Disney's California Adventure--This park was supposed to be Disney's crown jewel...and it turned into a big joke in the industry...not enough rides or things to do, relatively small, the list goes on and on. Add more rides, damage control.

I agree DCA needs work, but remember that Disney has limited funds.- but where is the $$$ coming from? Their debt rating was recently lowered by Moody's...

4. Fix ABC--It is floundering, it is coming back, but slowly, it loses the company billions of dollars every year, get an expert in to help programming

I'm 100% certain that ABC has countless experts helping with programming. Whether or not they are making good decisions remains to be seen. But, as I'm sure you know, it's far more complex than simply "Fix ABC."

Of course, Disney probably shouldn't have bought ABC in the first place, but that was in the days of media acquisitions...

5. Start Two Congruent Advertising Campaigns--One the targets families (the "Where Magic Lives" is a GREAT START). But also develope a campaign that specifically targets teens and twenty-somethings...

I don't have a comment on this.

6. ReVamp EPCOT--Face it, it needs something ...Project Gemini is very ambitious and will pay off in the end, go all out, don't budget cut and only do it half assed, make something spectacular.

Agree, and I think that's what the plan is. Again, Disney doesn't have unlimited $$$ - I hope they have the cash to do this right, but they may not.

7. Fastlane Important Projects--It seems that Disney, more than any other company, takes FOREVER to design and build E-ticket attractions (Test Track or MS anyone)....

But don't we generally agree that Disney is on the leading edge with their e-ticket attractions? The non-leading-edge ones (Rock-n-Roller) tend to get built relatively quickly. It's only when they push the boundaries that it takes a long time. You can't have "leading edge" and "fastlane" at the same time - it's impossible.

8. Get Rid of "Dead Weight"--FOX Family and ABC Family (both owned by Disney) are costing the company a fortune, get rid of them, you don't need them.

As has been discussed, there's only one Family channel. Anyway, it was obviously a poor acquisition - the amount of debt they had to take on ($2.3 billion!) was too high, among other things. However, it's not like there are lots of buyers out there that will not only take on the channel, but the debt, as well. The channel without the debt makes money. It's just that darn debt. You can't get anyone to buy that!

9. Keep PIXAR

I'm sure Disney knows the value of the Pixar relationship. Unfortunately, Pixar knows that most of the value comes from Pixar at this point. Disney helped Pixar become a huge name when Pixar needed it. However, Pixar has every incentive to shop around now. Of course Disney wants to keep them. But Dreamworks (I would imagine) would also desperately want them to give the studio more cachet, and they may be willing to overpay (and even take a loss?) to get them. If that occurs, what's Disney supposed to do? Take a bigger loss to keep Pixar?

It's a major issue for Disney, no doubt. Unfortunately, it's more complex than just deciding to keep Pixar, as I'm sure you're aware

10. Give guests even more--Give more perks to those staying on Disney propery for a vacation. Discounts should be given for return visitors, as I said before unlimited FastPASSES should be given, something that will bring people back to Disney. Plus lowering prices on admission and lodging couldn't hurt, especially now when things are particularly bleak for the company. Also MORE BIG RIDES, give us a new reason to enjoy Disney, new E-tickets, several of them in the next few years, it will give a fresh new look and feel to WDW and DL.

I'd love lower prices and more rides. More perks would be nice too. But that's hard to do - all that stuff costs money for Disney! As I stated, Disney does not have unlimited cash.

Disney has (I would hope) all sorts of pricing experts that figure the price for items that optimizes income. If lowering prices would increase attendance to the point where revenue minus expenses is higher, I think they would do it.

In short, if Disney had tons of money sitting around, most of these are good ideas. But they have limited funding, and need to make difficult choices. Yes, you and I may agree that they need to invest more into the future than they do today, but there really is only so much they can do.

Thanks for hanging in there, I know this was long, sorry!

Thanks for reading my reply! It may have been even longer!

 

[Sir Hiss527]

I agree with you about saying to Fire Eisner. He's a total idiot. But I sure don't agree on you saying that the Fastpass should only be for "People staying on property". And you also said "It just should only be for people spending thousands of dollars or something". It's not are falt you are spending thousands of dollars. Even though I am a Passholder, mine is going to expire very soon. So when I go next time I sure don't want to see some jackasses going through the fastpass line, and not the regular crowd. That makes a feel weird and ed.

-Sir Hiss-

 

[imagineer boy]

Good points made. Although, I don't agree with Fireing Mike Eisner. He's a good guy. Don't worry. These dark times will pass. Once they get Mission: Space up and running and get a few movies out and they'll be fine. I'm looking forward to the April release of Holes. Holes is going to be a big hit, I'm guessing. I like the idea about the comercials. California Adventure will definately improve. I'm betting the imagineers are working on many improvement things for it. I'm positive that Disney is going to have Projest Gemeni soon. In time, Disney will be up and running soon. So, stop complaining!

 

[McArcDes]

California Adventure will definately improve. I'm betting the imagineers are working on many improvement things for it.

Do we all realize that Disney is making major cuts at Imagineering? Imagineering is becoming more and more a supervisory tool for outside vendors. ie: Architects and Engineers etc.

While it still has a little resemblance to W.E.D. Enteprises Imagineering is getting farther and farther away from what is was every day.

Who do you think designs all of Universals parks? FORMER Imagineers.....Just food for thought.

 

[Brooke]

1. somewhat agree

2. don't agree

3. can't say-never been to DCA

4. agree

5. agree but not with the universal comment

6. agree

7. agree

8. agree

9. agree

10. agree

basically i agree with most of what you said

 

[Katherine]

THose are some great ideas!! And put so kindly,IMHO.

 

[SewIn2Disney]

About fixing ABC....

BRING BACK "TGIF"

Actually, It bears repeating...

Bring Back TGIF!

Does anyone else remember it? It was great, Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, and a few other classics.

 

[Horizons#1Fan]

(1) Fire Eisner. I agree with everything the first person said.

(2) Lower prices somewhat. This trip I'm planning in August is already at the $3000 mark (the tickets alone for the family are costing $700+ and the moderate hotel is costing about $130.00 a night). You need to be rich to stay at some of these hotels.

(3) And my biggest problem, they got rid of Horizons!