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The Sorcerer's Hat Is Staying
- Thread starter Merlin0402
- Start date
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Due to budgeting in the parks, disney could either re-do Tomorrowland every ten years and not build anything else in the Magic Kingdom, or generate a land that can stick around for a while and improve the other lands. Do you realize how much money goes into replacing an entire land?
plpeters70
New Member
I do, but they could easily afford these costs if they would get a few well placed corporate sponsers to help pay for these renovations. Then we could have these new things, plus changes to Tomorrowland as well.
Unfortunately, Disney hasn't been very good at attracting corporate sponsers lately, but I'm sure that if they really need the money, they could find a few good ways to attract companies to invest in the parks in exchange for publicity again.
By the way, did you know that in Tokyo Disneyland almost everything - from rides to shows to parades - has a corporate sponser? It's to bad they don't do the same here in the States. Maybe then they could afford to upkeep the attractions better, as well as freshening them up every once in a while.
jmarc63
New Member
First you have to rember that Japan is a whole different ballgame remember ther not americans there japaneese with a culture that has many many ingraine cultural idologies and a certian way of thinking than we do here in the US. Second ther nearly 100% sponsorship is based on thoes cultural idologies. POINT: there Monorail is based on the design of the national mode of transportation the Commuter train , so there Monorail is taller and wider. so for TDL to have full sponsorship steams from the way they conduct Bussiness and sponsoring an attraction or show is a matter of pride and an honor for there company to have been chosen to be that attractions sponsor and worth the money it costs them to show there pride.
In the US it is unfortunitatly not the case for companies to show pride in having there name in public it is more along the lines of advertising. And with the Bussiness climate and declining profits for some companies in the US, for them to make the investment of sponsoring an attraction at a Disney park is a HUGE expense for them and they usually want to see some kind of tangiable return for the Dollars thet spend, so this is probably many attraction go unsponsored here.
Look at the monorail situation, Disney wont spend the money to expand the line because they are saying that it would not be cost effective for them to do so as much as we love to see them do it.
plpeters70
New Member
And there's nothing really wrong with that. These companies are spending a lot of money - they should get advertisement.
You do make some good points jmarc63, and I agree with you about Japan, but I still think Disney isn't making a proper effort to get money from sponsers here in the US. I have heard that Disney is very demanding of their sponsers, and expect a lot of money for very little return advertisement, and that's just not working in today's market. Perhaps Disney should change their practices a little, and maybe give sponsers more visulisation in the parks - like they do for GM at Test Track. No, I don't really want to see corporate ads all over the Magic Kingdom, but if it gets them to perform better upkeep and build more attractions, then I'd rather have that than closed attractions that sit there forever like the Sub Lagoon.
jmarc63
New Member
well you definatly wont see billboards but with sponsorship you get your logo on the attraction and on the guide books and that is about it . as for as demands I am not shure what more than the logos and featuring there name promently in refering to the attraction that corporations want for there money
plpeters70
New Member
How about a large space to show off their products like GM gets with Test Track? Having a showroom for their cars that millions of people pass everyday must be a nice incentive for them to keep sponsering at Epcot. Perhaps something similar at the other parks??
The alternative seems to be Disney paying for everything -- and lately this has lead to shutdown attractions that sit empty and carnival rides like DinoRama and Aladdin's Spinner.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
I do not ever want to see the parks turn into a showroom for other businesses. Even Six Flags has not dropped to those standards. The fact that there are several McDonald's on property, they sell Coca-Cola beverages, Kodak film, Nestle candy and ice cream, and Exxon-Mobil gas is enough for me. Oh...and HP is on the websites and I assume all the pcs will go from Compaqs to new HPs, as well.
plpeters70
New Member
Which is fine by me - as long as the ride itself is top quality, I have no problem with them having a few displays highlighting the sponsers products. As long as it's tasteful, and doesn't take away from the attraction's theming, then I really don't see a problem with it.
The parks have always been somewhat of a showroom - even in Walt's day. Remember Monsanto's House of the Future? It's just done in a way that is nonintrusive. I don't think it will ever get so bad as having huge billboard's around the park for companies, but a few showspaces for them to advertise their products wouldn't be so bad. As long as it's done tastefully.
STGRhost
Member
This is more or less true, but you have to look at the bigger picture. Disney owns more than the theme parks, and the money the parks make goes to holding up other parts of the company that aren't doing so well. They can't have the parks doing well, and let the rest of the lines tank.
plpeters70
New Member
I agree with you, BUT what happens if the parks start to decline as well?? The parks need constant re-investment in order for them to stay on top, and I think Disney needs to be very careful when taking money from the parks to shore up other underperfroming business units.
STGRhost
Member
Ideally, yes, but the current powers that be seem more concerned with what's going on ~now~(IMO) . Also, I think that the majority of the guests that visit the parks (remember, a very small percentage are die-hards, or even visit boards like these regularly) don't notice that things aren't "updated" frequently, either because they don't go often, or they just don't care. Seriously - the vast majority of guests that I talk to are in awe of the place... They don't notice all the litte things that we notice...
(Edited to add that) I don't ~LIKE~ that things are this way, I've just seen enough of this side of things to understand WHY they are this way.
Fievel
RunDisney Addict
Thank you.....As a small community out here, we are constantly talking about, thinking about, designing for, and criticizing disney. Your average Joe on the street will not even care about some of these things. I'm betting that we are less than 1% of the population of even the most die-hard fans.
That being said, Disney is not going to try to cater to us. They are going to continue to improve to make people say "wow" the minute the guests step through the gates. That's exactly what they've done, and I for one applaud them. This is not only smart business sense, it's good sense for disney in general.
MKingdom25
New Member
Good point Fievel and others. Although when I am surfing the forums it seems like there are zillion of die-hards out there, I agree that this is a small portion of WDW visitors. Plus, there are a large number of people out there who although not hardcore fans, still enjoy WDW! My parents and sibiling aren't into as much I am but they still really love it
Another thought:
Even if the "average visitor" is so easily won over, then what stops them from being so easily lost? From working with a travel agent, I know that some people will go to WDW one year and then stop going for another ten years. They'll take their money and go anywhere else, even that place right down the street.*
* And for anyone planning a trip to Universal Orlando this October: Unless you book now, forget it. I had to call four times today to get rooms at the Hard Rock, which I ended up settling for, because they are BOOKED SOLID for the weekend I am going to be there. Looks like they may need those two new resorts soon.
Even if the "average visitor" is so easily won over, then what stops them from being so easily lost? From working with a travel agent, I know that some people will go to WDW one year and then stop going for another ten years. They'll take their money and go anywhere else, even that place right down the street.*
* And for anyone planning a trip to Universal Orlando this October: Unless you book now, forget it. I had to call four times today to get rooms at the Hard Rock, which I ended up settling for, because they are BOOKED SOLID for the weekend I am going to be there. Looks like they may need those two new resorts soon.