AdventureHasAName
Well-Known Member
No argument from me. Iger is a gigantic part of the problem. He's far worse than Chapek, imho, because at least Iger is smart enough to hide what he's doing from the public.
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News The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors Extends Robert A. Iger’s Contract as CEO Through 2026
- Thread starter DCBaker
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_caleb
Well-Known Member
No, I didn't take it that way. I've always said that there are many factors (changing tastes, tech, trends, polarization, etc.) that have hurt Disney's business. I don't see how this is "blaming the audience." I get the feeling that you (and some here who agree with you) think you haven't changed, but Disney has. I think it's both. Iger's biggest recent failure is in misreading Disney's audiences (and overspending on content). I appreciate that he's acknowledging this, but I think he thinks statements like this are an easy way to win back some of the disaffected.
Ok.
I'm sorry you found my post not worth addressing. I'm not deliberately trying to take any sides (despite the fact that I'm frequently accused of doing so). I genuinely do not see the world the way you do, and I'm trying to understand while also sharing things from my perspective. Would you prefer I not do that?
el_super
Well-Known Member
There was enough real-world opposition to what was going on, that it isn't difficult to believe that many, if not the majority of employees for a Hollywood media conglomerate was opposed to what Chapek said/not said. It's far easier to believe than a made up back door conspiracy to remove Chapek.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure you agree with this, though. It seems to me you've been unhappy with Disney's efforts to appeal to a wider variety of audiences and would prefer they return to prioritizing its legacy audience. Am I reading that wrong?
AdventureHasAName
Well-Known Member
Yes, you're reading that wrong. My complaint is not that Disney is trying to appeal to a wide audience; Disney should be for everyone. My complaints are that:
1. Disney has intellectual property that appeals to different audiences and every property doesn't have to be for every audience,
2. Disney is far more interested in preaching than it is entertaining; and is willing to preach even if it means it will alienate significant portions of its audience (including the primary composition of its fanbase for the last 80 years), and
3. Disney has let people who actively dislike (and feel that are at war with) huge portions of the fanbase into positions of power and those people are (for political and ideological reasons) actively trying to upset these parts of the fanbase.
denyuntilcaught
Well-Known Member
I think there's a piece of this argument that's missing, and that's the role external politics played on shifting public perception around the role DEI should play at corporations, with certain figures making an example out of Disney for political gain. I think Disney's being raked through the coals here a bit unfairly when it comes to DEI, and I think it shouldn't be addressed without acknowledging that the actual inmates (a select cohort in Congress, for example), are running the asylum.
DEI teams and input existed for the longest time, it was the more public-facing role they've played post 2020 that ignited pushback from a portion of the population. Which, in hindsight companies should have been better prepared for - there's always pushback from those who would rather retain the status quo.
IMO? Companies should have bolstered the internal relationship between DEI teams and crisis planners before being more knee-jerk reactionaries to recent events.
Just my two cents.
denyuntilcaught
Well-Known Member
Number 3 really hits the point home.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
I understand you feel this way. It's how you're interpreting Disney's relationship to customers/fans/audiences like you. But this is not the only way to see things, and, in my opinion, has less evidential support than other interpretations. If you'll allow me (and I'm not looking for a fight or name-calling here):
How many properties should Disney provide for your audience vs. other audiences?
I see a lot of what you're calling "preaching" more as "messaging to connect with customers." How should Disney proceed if speaking to one audience alienates them from another?
This makes it sound like you're taking it personally if Disney hires someone who is not like you to create products that aren't primarily intended for you. Again, I'm trying not to put words in your mouth or interpret uncharitably. That's how your reasoning comes across to me.
Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
Who did they not appeal to previously?
I keep reading how they’re trying to appeal to a wider audience, find a new audience, expand their audience, etc and for the life of me I can’t think of a single “category” that didn’t already love Disney.
Who were they alienating before their recent diversity push?
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Let me explain:
In your mandatory attempt to pump the tires on Disney, it’s bad leadership, and everything they do…you blamed the audience for the failure Iger acknowledged
Even he didn’t go that far…
Not just the audience…that evil slice that pollutes the water for what you believe is the 99% of 8 billion people on earth that actually loves Disney and all they do
…and Flynn marked you for it.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Step one in any correction is 'acknowledging the problem'. Here you have the CEO of a mega conglomerate acknowledging their past product had misses and specifically calls out the need to focus on entertaining before making statements. That is significant vs simply being vague.
I was responding to your comment made - not your beliefs on the whole topic. Iger spoke about the product - you spoke about the audience. That's the difference.. he chose to address what they output.. you chose to address how people recieved things. That's the difference. One took ownership, the other blames the reception.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
It was time for Eisner to go…so he resigned
It’s time for Iger to go…so will he do it with dignity? Or will he go down with less class than his predecessor.
Peltz and perlmutter are old putzes…so Mother Nature will take care of them…
…but the reason they even have any traction at all is Bob
Bad management for years coming to the fore…the coward Covid quit…the shill board…a bald wet fish “successor”…
All those mistakes have piled up.
Bob reminds me of like an old college football coach
So desperate for attention and not wanting to be a has been…you stayed till you were a has been
*CoughKIRIHARTCough*
el_super
Well-Known Member
You think they are the first generation in history to look back on the works of their parents and feel embarrassment?
It's their world now. They get to choose how to shape it.
Here's the dividend announcement from Disney.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) Board of Directors today announced a cash dividend of $0.30 per share in respect of the second half of fiscal year 2023, payable January 10, 2024 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 11, 2023.
“This has been a year of important progress for The Walt Disney Company, defined by a strategic restructuring and a renewed focus on long-term growth,” said Mark Parker, Chairman of the Board. “As Disney moves forward with its key strategic objectives, we are pleased to declare a dividend for our shareholders while we continue to invest in the company’s future and prioritize meaningful value creation.”
thewaltdisneycompany.com
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) Board of Directors today announced a cash dividend of $0.30 per share in respect of the second half of fiscal year 2023, payable January 10, 2024 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 11, 2023.
“This has been a year of important progress for The Walt Disney Company, defined by a strategic restructuring and a renewed focus on long-term growth,” said Mark Parker, Chairman of the Board. “As Disney moves forward with its key strategic objectives, we are pleased to declare a dividend for our shareholders while we continue to invest in the company’s future and prioritize meaningful value creation.”
The Walt Disney Company Declares Cash Dividend of $0.30 Per Share - The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors today announced a cash dividend of $0.30 per share in respect of the second half of fiscal year 2023.
thewaltdisneycompany.com
CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
Not if audiences hate it, they don't! They can go picket and protest in their free time all they want, but when they're on the clock, they're obligated to act in the best interest of the shareholders of The Walt Disney Company.
Yes. I am old enough to remember Woody Hayes and how horrible it went at Ohio State just before we was forced out.
el_super
Well-Known Member
That's true, but we are seeing a period of time where Disney is being pulled between keeping older audiences happy with more of the status quo, and trying to reinvent themselves again to maintain relevancy for the younger audience. It isn't the first time they've had to do it, and it won't be the last. What is certain though is, they can't keep working to maintain an audience that will be gone in 20 years, at the risk of alienating the younger generation.
Which is ultimately why Iger's comments are hollow here. He may not want to see so much social change within Disney personally, but he is powerless to stop the march of time. An irony to remember here, is that the children taking power today, taking up these social change positions are the ones that grew up watching The Little Mermaid and Aladdin and being told that outsiders should be included and anyone could be a diamond in the rough.
Tom P.
Well-Known Member
Everything they are making is a retread of a retread of a retread. There are no original ideas coming out of Disney and there haven't been for a long time. Let's trot out Marvel Movie # 4,273. It's all so tired and boring.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
I think I might need someone to explain your explanation!
How is it blaming the audience if I say that the audience changed?
And I've said pretty clearly that Iger is responsible to find customers.
I guess I do believe that toxic fans can take the fun out of things a bit. But I'm not sure that would equate to blaming them for Disney's failures. Seems like navigating that is part of the business, and if they can't do it well, they're going to have a much smaller business. But Disney has to decide who they want to sell entertainment to. I've been saying for a while now that pleasing everybody isn't a viable option.