Year Of A Million Dreams Has Been Cancelled!!!

[kcnole]

I also posted earlier that it looks like Rasulo is out, they're just working out the severance plan from what I've heard. It has to do with his whole global unification of the parks plan he's been pushing and which has garnered more hate than good. The Where Dreams Come True campaign has been a fairly large flop, even more so than the YOMD which has been mildly successful but nothing worth celebrating.

This portion is just my assumption here, so take it with a grain of salt. Hopefully this means that the control of the parks will be given back to those at the local level a bit more instead of being controlled from up top. The parks need their identity back instead of just feeling like some homogenized brand. I think we're seeing the start of that today with the removal of the Epcot Wand from atop SSE.

 

[kcnole]

I do want to add that I found this over at Mouseplanet.com. While it differs from what I've heard, I have also been told that much of what I have heard was unsubstantiated.

Anyone who has taken notice of recent Disney marketing programs knows that Mickey's calendar is a little Goofy. Disneyland's 50th Anniversary celebration went on for 18 months, and the "Year of a Million Dreams" was slated to last at least that long. Now we're hearing that the "Year" may last even longer than originally planned.

The Disneyland Resort is launching the second phase of the Year of a Million Dreams promotion, starting with the physical overlay in the parks. The current "Where Dreams Come True" logos—including the esplanade banners and hopefully the metal "embellishments" around the entrance tunnels—will be removed starting this week. Before you breath an aesthetic sigh of relief, prepare for these décor elements to be replaced with Year of a Million Dreams decorations.

The most noticeable addition will likely be the giant Mickey Mouse Ears hat in the esplanade between Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. The structure will look like a pair of the blue-and-silver Dream Ears, and will be located atop the compass rose. Guests will be able to walk around and under the hat, and a display of video screens will display current promotional videos for the Resort.

As mentioned above, a new grand prize, an overnight stay in a suite of guest rooms in the former Disney Gallery location, is possibly in the works, and sources have told us that the prize distribution may be extended by as much as another year.

 

[Pooh88]

This thread is retarted. I just saw a YOAMD commercial 5 minutes ago.:ROFLOL:

Ummm..that would be retarded:hammer: .

 

[JimboJones123]

The big question --

WHAT WILL GET MERF ALL WORKED UP NOW???


Didn't the rage all start w/the Tink pins, and has been a steady flow since? I feel sorry for you Merf... what to do with all that rage?

 

[PrincessofP!NK]

The big question --

Didn't the rage all start w/the Tink pins, and has been a steady flow since? I feel sorry for you Merf... what to do with all that rage?

MUAHAHHAHA I have 2 sets of tink pins
Princess​

 

[PigletIsMyCat]

Sorry but WDW surveys are often made up to get whatever answer the marketing people want. While YOAMD may have been successful at WDW it has been a failure at DL. When it comes down to it, it was a lame promotion thought up by Rasulo and his whole global marketing initiative. It has showed that you cannot market both resorts(DL and WDW) the same. Personally, I think they would have had a lot more success with a 35th anniv celebration for WDW than some stupid made up gimmick and then they could have gone into a celebration of Epcot's 25th and hey they could have come up with some catchy slogan like "World Homecoming". But what do I know I am just an Annual Pass holder not part of the management team that continues to suck the magic out of WDW.

I know I'm a few pages late, but excuse me? WDW surveys and research are made up? You are terribly, terribly wrong and shouldn't be spewing stuff you can't back up.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I do want to add that I found this over at Mouseplanet.com. While it differs from what I've heard, I have also been told that much of what I have heard was unsubstantiated.

I just saw that. In all honesty, if they want to continue giving out free prizes, that's fine--they seem to think it's profitable, so great. The problem I had with YoaMD was the loss of identity it brought with it--now that it seems WDW and DL will go back to being separate entities, I'll happily take the Dream Fastpasses and free churros.

I know I'm a few pages late, but excuse me? WDW surveys and research are made up? You are terribly, terribly wrong and shouldn't be spewing stuff you can't back up.

Not made up, but the results are certainly slanted, as are the results of any poll. For example, if you are Jay Rasulo and want to save your job, you do your best to make surveys appear in your favor in your powerpoint presentation. I'll give you a for instance (made up numbers, but it gets at the point):

Question: What is your opinion of the Year of a Million Dreams Celebration?
15% of respondents say they love it
45% say they have never heard of it
25% say it doesn't really affect them (i.e. they have won nothing or nothing significant)
15% say they don't like it because it seems like only every one else wins stuff and the merchandise is lame

John Lasseter might look at that and say only 15% of guests are enjoying the celebration.

Jay Rasulo might spin his powerpoint to say 85% of guests are fine with the celebration. Neither of them would be lying.

 

[PigletIsMyCat]

I just saw that. In all honesty, if they want to continue giving out free prizes, that's fine--they seem to think it's profitable, so great. The problem I had with YoaMD was the loss of identity it brought with it--now that it seems WDW and DL will go back to being separate entities, I'll happily take the Dream Fastpasses and free churros.
Not made up, but the results are certainly slanted, as are the results of any poll. For example, if you are Jay Rasulo and want to save your job, you do your best to make surveys appear in your favor in your powerpoint presentation. I'll give you a for instance (made up numbers, but it gets at the point):

Question: What is your opinion of the Year of a Million Dreams Celebration?
15% of respondents say they love it
45% say they have never heard of it
25% say it doesn't really affect them (i.e. they have won nothing or nothing significant)
15% say they don't like it because it seems like only every one else wins stuff and the merchandise is lame

John Lasseter might look at that and say only 15% of guests are enjoying the celebration.

Jay Rasulo might spin his powerpoint to say 85% of guests are fine with the celebration. Neither of them would be lying.

Well, that is the basic job of a marketing department. The post was stating that the actual surveys were made up. The surveys and research done in the parks are not made up, and they go to great lengths to insure this doesn't happen. Many, many big changes have come about directly due to the research done in the parks. A big one that comes to mind is the Magic Your Way ticket pricing structure. The pricing structure was rethought and redesigned because research was finding that too many guests were confused about ticket pricing, and wanted something easy to understand with the option to save money by not paying for extras they wouldn't use. Magic Your Way was born.

 

[Nicole220]

I do want to add that I found this over at Mouseplanet.com. While it differs from what I've heard, I have also been told that much of what I have heard was unsubstantiated.

quote:Anyone who has taken notice of recent Disney marketing programs knows that Mickey's calendar is a little Goofy. Disneyland's 50th Anniversary celebration went on for 18 months, and the "Year of a Million Dreams" was slated to last at least that long. Now we're hearing that the "Year" may last even longer than originally planned.

The Disneyland Resort is launching the second phase of the Year of a Million Dreams promotion, starting with the physical overlay in the parks. The current "Where Dreams Come True" logos—including the esplanade banners and hopefully the metal "embellishments" around the entrance tunnels—will be removed starting this week. Before you breath an aesthetic sigh of relief, prepare for these décor elements to be replaced with Year of a Million Dreams decorations.

The most noticeable addition will likely be the giant Mickey Mouse Ears hat in the esplanade between Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. The structure will look like a pair of the blue-and-silver Dream Ears, and will be located atop the compass rose. Guests will be able to walk around and under the hat, and a display of video screens will display current promotional videos for the Resort.

As mentioned above, a new grand prize, an overnight stay in a suite of guest rooms in the former Disney Gallery location, is possibly in the works, and sources have told us that the prize distribution may be extended by as much as another year.

Ewwww. :hurl: I don't like that at all. Sounds very tacky and ugly. They did that early on for the 50th, but with a huge cone to represent the Block Party Bash.

So according to these people, the Happiest Place on Earth isn't returning?

edit: Found my answer. The Where Dreams Come True has indeed transformed into the YoaMD. Disney is fast! There's already new banners and new DCA letters. Some pics from darkbeer:

This is all much better than this crap:

 

[skellington216]

The diluting of park individuality was a bad idea from the start. That is modern day America for you though. Everything has to be homogenized and stripped of anything that makes it different. Instead of celebrating diversity in all walks of life we pretend everything is the same and cater to the lowest common denominator. I love Disneyland and WDW in very different ways. The 'World' is far superior in its size, location and variety of activities. But Disneyland is the original and has finer attention to detail. They should play up those differences rather than just say 'well if you've been to one, you've been to 'em all'.

I have been to both Disneyland and WDW during the YOMD. I am very mixed on this promotion. I was SUPER excited when it started. I had dreams (far fetched though they may have been) of walking through the gates of the MK and being awarded a nights stay at the Cinderella Suite. But, as it turned out I only ever ended up being near someone who won a prize. And I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. Only a small minority of guests will be awarded a prize. So is it a good idea to make the visit of one guest extra magical, while in the process taking a bit of the magic from the 10 that were there, but not so lucky? Hard to say. Maybe if I had been a prize winner I would think it was the greatest promotion in Disney history? On the other hand, I have to remind myself that during previous promotions NOTHING was given away, so maybe I should just be happy at the opportunity... the possibility of winning something, when before there was none. At the very least I will say that I am glad they are trying new things (whether they work or not) and obviously hard at work to make the trip worth the hard earned dollars we spend there.

 

[kcnole]

So according to these people, the Happiest Place on Earth isn't returning?

That's not what the article said. The Where Dreams Come True tagline is leaving. It sounds like the Happiest Place on Earth is coming back where we're celebrating the year of a million dreams.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I know I'm a few pages late, but excuse me? WDW surveys and research are made up? You are terribly, terribly wrong and shouldn't be spewing stuff you can't back up.

Or put it another way, surveys and research can skew information dependant on how questions are asked and what answer options are available.

FACT!

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Or put it another way, surveys and research can skew information dependant on how questions are asked and what answer options are available.

FACT!

When you ask an open ended question with multiple choice answers, you are definitvely setting yourself up to get information back that may not be reflective of what is actually being believed.

 

[ssymes]

I don't even want to think what it would be like at WDW if someone from this board took over!

Walt Disney World : The Vacation Museum of the World

"Where Everythings Frozen in Time"

"Come see EPCOT Center, where old logos and capital spelling are key!"

"Get your photo taken with our new mascot, Clarabell Cow!"

"Witness our nighttime spectacular Illuminations: Burn Pixar Burn ( w/ a hypocritical tribute to John Lassetter )!"

That is funny! :ROFLOL:

 

[CaptainMichael]

Very good news!

 

[nibblesandbits]

Had I not finally decided that I wanted to research more about Walt and Disneyworld, I'd still be in the dark on what they were celebrating. I think the internet geeks seem to forget that we are the huge minority of Disney lovers. Your average person doesn't come home from a Disney trip and check the comptrollers website for rehab information. :hammer:

This quote here is something that I think a lot of people forget. The average Disney guest does not do much of anything...usually before their trip...to help them along in their trip. They might look at some of the attractions and see what they'd like to ride...but in all...the average person puts very little effort into planning their trip...much less doing any research once they get back from their trip. They don't know what ADRs are, they don't know the best ways to get around the parks, and even still, some don't know what Fastpass is. We really are, a minority, because I can guarantee that the average guest usually just goes into a Disney vacation with very little planning. Because who needs to plan, plan, plan when you're just going to a theme park? :lookaroun

-end rant-

 

[WDWFigment]

This quote here is something that I think a lot of people forget. The average Disney guest does not do much of anything...usually before their trip...to help them along in their trip. They might look at some of the attractions and see what they'd like to ride...but in all...the average person puts very little effort into planning their trip...much less doing any research once they get back from their trip. They don't know what ADRs are, they don't know the best ways to get around the parks, and even still, some don't know what Fastpass is. We really are, a minority, because I can guarantee that the average guest usually just goes into a Disney vacation with very little planning. Because who needs to plan, plan, plan when you're just going to a theme park? :lookaroun

-end rant-

You call this a rant, but I think it's a great thing. If you don't do your homework, you should be prepared to have a lesser experience than those who have (this goes with anything in life).

People here make the argument that FastPass doesn't help one way or the other. This assumes that everyone uses it, not everyone does. Therefore, it's good for me, someone who utilizes it to full advantage.

Others don't know how to avoid long lines on certain attractions; I spend a few hours researching this (at work, nonetheless, so I'm being paid) and more than make up for my time in the parks.

I make ADRs and get to eat where I want, when I want. Others don't, and are stuck with what's left. Again, extra legwork pays off.

Ignorant people can be a pain, but it seems they put themselves at a disadvantage and give hard workers (yep, hardcore Disney fans are now equated to hard workers) the advantage. Just like in every aspect of life.

 

[dxwwf3]

If you don't do your homework, you should be prepared to have a lesser experience than those who have (this goes with anything in life).

:sohappy:

 

[nibblesandbits]

You call this a rant, but I think it's a great thing. If you don't do your homework, you should be prepared to have a lesser experience than those who have (this goes with anything in life).

People here make the argument that FastPass doesn't help one way or the other. This assumes that everyone uses it, not everyone does. Therefore, it's good for me, someone who utilizes it to full advantage.

Others don't know how to avoid long lines on certain attractions; I spend a few hours researching this (at work, nonetheless, so I'm being paid) and more than make up for my time in the parks.

I make ADRs and get to eat where I want, when I want. Others don't, and are stuck with what's left. Again, extra legwork pays off.

Ignorant people can be a pain, but it seems they put themselves at a disadvantage and give hard workers (yep, hardcore Disney fans are now equated to hard workers) the advantage. Just like in every aspect of life.

Oh...I guess I made it sound like a good thing. :lol: I meant to make it sound bad.

I am one who doesn't think that people should have to research and research and research to have a great time. Yes, I think people should have to do a little research just to know the basics of where they are going and to make sure that they will have a great time. But I don't think that people should have to go to the extent that some people do around here for a Disney vacation. I honestly don't think ADRs should be allowed 180 days in advance. That's way too early for most people and usually, if you don't call 180 days in advance, you miss out on all the good restaurants. I think 90 days is prefectly fine. That's 3 months ahead of time. Heck, I even think 120 days is good. That's 4 months. But 6 months ahead of time to me, is a bit excessive. And if you don't do your research, (not just basic research, but hard research) you might not even know that sit down restaurants 1. exist and 2. that you have to have reservations for them. Most places...especially where I live, you just walk up and get a table. So why would it be different at Disney World?

There are other examples...this is just one.

Yes, I agree...a vacation is what you put into it. If you put in work to find out how to make your vactation the best...you're gonna have a great time. So in the essence research is important and vital. But in some respects, I think that maybe that it has gotten to the point that researching has gotten a little too much...especially for the average guest who honestly doesn't know that this much research is needed to have an udderly amazing time.

P.S. Sorry to hijack the thread on this. Just something that I feel is important.

 

[cymbaldiva]

This has been a long and exhausting read...whew!

Do we get a prize for reading this whole thread? :lol: