This will be my last post based on our recent trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. I've had a month to reflect on our experiences. Most of them were good and we are glad we went. However the place we visited in 2013 was quite different from the one we experienced during earlier trips.
What we took away from this trip was that, while portions of it were still
wonderful, overall WDW wasn't the magical place we experienced in the
past. There are obvious maintenance issues and cast members, stretched
to the limit, rarely have time to simply chat with visitors. For the first time ever, I didn't spend much money on extras. There was so little that was unique, we weren't tempted.
In addition to the physical changes in the parks, we realized that we no longer fit into the demographic that Disney is chasing. How do we know? Because there were market research people everywhere but no one
asked our opinion about anything. Why? Perhaps because we had no children with
us? We were not obviously grooming the next generation of Disney
customers? Even the vacation club salespeople ignored us; a fact that I
found fascinating considering we were heavily solicited during our last
trip. Obviously we no longer look the part. Odd considering we have more money now than before.
It's all about communication and this giant corporation said a lot to us in eight days. We got the message. We will cherish the memories of earlier vacations to WDW but this trip was the
one where the company told us it no longer wanted us or our money.
Mind
you, I am a big Disney fan and that has nothing to do with my name. But
the Disney World we loved no longer exists. I accept that. Times change. People
and corporations move on. We were a little sad but at least we had the opportunity to say goodbye to an old friend.
Showing posts with label Walt Disney Company. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Walt Disney Company. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Monday, December 9, 2013
Linda Mickey Meets Mickey Mouse
I just returned from a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. A close association with The Mouse is often assumed because of my name however it's been eight years since my last excursion to Orlando. This was a complete vacation - no emails, no phone calls, no touching base with the office, and very few tweets.
The trip will be the subject of the next few blogs because I saw plenty of communication in a variety of forms and all of it was fascinating. Of course electronic and digital forms were plentiful and influenced much of what I encountered but that's not the whole story.
Probably no one pushes a brand better than the Walt Disney Company. Children are indoctrinated at an early age and the corporation works hard to make that carry through from generation to generation. Consider one grandmother's story about her daughter-in-law paying the one day park admission in order to get a photo of her newborn in Minnie's arms. The grandmother was beaming. If he were to hear about it, Bob Iger, CEO of the company, would be too.
In coming posts, I will consider how cast members responded to guests, how the corporation relates to its customers, and what was good or unfortunate in all the factors that combined for the show I observed. To top it all off, snow at O'Hare Airport provided an entirely new experience. Like I said, it was a very interesting eight days.
I'll take some time to reflect and compose my thoughts. Please stop by next week when I will begin the series.
The trip will be the subject of the next few blogs because I saw plenty of communication in a variety of forms and all of it was fascinating. Of course electronic and digital forms were plentiful and influenced much of what I encountered but that's not the whole story.
Probably no one pushes a brand better than the Walt Disney Company. Children are indoctrinated at an early age and the corporation works hard to make that carry through from generation to generation. Consider one grandmother's story about her daughter-in-law paying the one day park admission in order to get a photo of her newborn in Minnie's arms. The grandmother was beaming. If he were to hear about it, Bob Iger, CEO of the company, would be too.
In coming posts, I will consider how cast members responded to guests, how the corporation relates to its customers, and what was good or unfortunate in all the factors that combined for the show I observed. To top it all off, snow at O'Hare Airport provided an entirely new experience. Like I said, it was a very interesting eight days.
I'll take some time to reflect and compose my thoughts. Please stop by next week when I will begin the series.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Disney Second Screen Killing Movie Experience
I blogged about a silly Disney decision back in May. Dumb Disney has done it again. Good grief - don't the suits in Burbank ever think these things through?
In case you missed it, the Disney corporate crazies decided it would be a good thing to fill a theater with kids using tablets and smartphones to augment their movie viewing experience. Doesn't that sound like fun? Imagine being surrounded by hundreds of flashing displays and a cacophony of sounds all competing for your attention. Talk about sensory overload. No way are we paying $10 per ticket for that. We go to the movie to WATCH the movie.
What is Disney really saying with this marketing ploy? First, it is telling the world that it doesn't think The Little Mermaid is engaging. Human imagination isn't enough. If it were, the company wouldn't feel the need to add anything to the movie viewing experience. If Disney thinks so little of the film, why re-release it at all? Second, Disney apparently feels that kids' brains don't function without stimulus from some kind of technology; that no child will sit through ninety minutes of animated movie unless they experience additional sensory input.
Since Mermaid is a fairy tale geared to girls, perhaps the developers of Second Screen (the name given to this fiasco) were exclusively men trying to find a way to sell this film to boys. How else would the Disney suits have decided that tablets in a movie theater is a good idea?
There is a silver lining, I suppose. If kids are holding tablets, they aren't eating or drinking. Perhaps this is Disney's way of addressing the childhood obesity problem. Great idea that should cut down on messy, sticky floors. It will also reduce concession purchases, the primary money-maker for theaters. I wonder how theater owners feel about that.
I never saw The Little Mermaid in the theater and would have gone to see it because it holds an important spot in the Disney archives as the first film in the company's animation renaissance. I guess the DVD will have to do.
In case you missed it, the Disney corporate crazies decided it would be a good thing to fill a theater with kids using tablets and smartphones to augment their movie viewing experience. Doesn't that sound like fun? Imagine being surrounded by hundreds of flashing displays and a cacophony of sounds all competing for your attention. Talk about sensory overload. No way are we paying $10 per ticket for that. We go to the movie to WATCH the movie.
What is Disney really saying with this marketing ploy? First, it is telling the world that it doesn't think The Little Mermaid is engaging. Human imagination isn't enough. If it were, the company wouldn't feel the need to add anything to the movie viewing experience. If Disney thinks so little of the film, why re-release it at all? Second, Disney apparently feels that kids' brains don't function without stimulus from some kind of technology; that no child will sit through ninety minutes of animated movie unless they experience additional sensory input.
Since Mermaid is a fairy tale geared to girls, perhaps the developers of Second Screen (the name given to this fiasco) were exclusively men trying to find a way to sell this film to boys. How else would the Disney suits have decided that tablets in a movie theater is a good idea?
There is a silver lining, I suppose. If kids are holding tablets, they aren't eating or drinking. Perhaps this is Disney's way of addressing the childhood obesity problem. Great idea that should cut down on messy, sticky floors. It will also reduce concession purchases, the primary money-maker for theaters. I wonder how theater owners feel about that.
I never saw The Little Mermaid in the theater and would have gone to see it because it holds an important spot in the Disney archives as the first film in the company's animation renaissance. I guess the DVD will have to do.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Disney Destroys a Difference
The Walt Disney Corporation makes me sad sometimes. I realize that all its decisions are about making more money but please - sexy, slinky Merida? Fans are disgruntled and I am one of them. (Read about it here.)
I never fit in comfortably at school. While I wasn't a tomboy, I did things the other girls didn't do. I read, I went to plays, I loved classical music. I didn't look like them either. In fact, when my hair wasn't short, it looked exactly like Merida's. It is naturally curly and when I was a child it was so tangled it was nearly impossible to brush. I shared more than appearance with Merida. I, too, was fiercely independent and anxious to be on my own. While, as a rule, girls do not suffer through arranged marriages in this country, there were certain expectations for females that I fought against. In so many ways, she is me. Even as an adult, Merida is the Disney princess who speaks to me.
So what's the deal? Why the redo?
The marketing and merchandising people at Disney Corporate don't care about a girl's self-image or about girls at all. All marketing mavens know sex sells so they made Merida sexy. It's that simple.
Hey Bob Iger. This may not be as bad as Classic Coke but do you really want to do this? What about you, John Lasseter? Pixar created the look. It seems you should defend it.
Sometimes a company should do what's right and concern itself with more than the bottom line. Sadly, it doesn't appear that this is one of those times for The Walt Disney Company and that is why I'm sad.
I never fit in comfortably at school. While I wasn't a tomboy, I did things the other girls didn't do. I read, I went to plays, I loved classical music. I didn't look like them either. In fact, when my hair wasn't short, it looked exactly like Merida's. It is naturally curly and when I was a child it was so tangled it was nearly impossible to brush. I shared more than appearance with Merida. I, too, was fiercely independent and anxious to be on my own. While, as a rule, girls do not suffer through arranged marriages in this country, there were certain expectations for females that I fought against. In so many ways, she is me. Even as an adult, Merida is the Disney princess who speaks to me.
So what's the deal? Why the redo?
The marketing and merchandising people at Disney Corporate don't care about a girl's self-image or about girls at all. All marketing mavens know sex sells so they made Merida sexy. It's that simple.
Hey Bob Iger. This may not be as bad as Classic Coke but do you really want to do this? What about you, John Lasseter? Pixar created the look. It seems you should defend it.
Sometimes a company should do what's right and concern itself with more than the bottom line. Sadly, it doesn't appear that this is one of those times for The Walt Disney Company and that is why I'm sad.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
What Are They Thinking?
You may have seen the news that the Disney Company wants to change Mickey Mouse. I have no problem with updating The Mouse. I have a huge problem with the attributes they have given him. Apparently the Disney Company is telling us that a cunning, selfish, and naughty Mickey is better than an honest, cheerful and friendly one. Good Lord – what does that say about the Disney Company and about us? Below are excerpts of the letter I sent today to Robert Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company.
Per the New York Times, “Mickey won’t be bland anymore, either. I wanted him to be able to be naughty — when you’re playing as Mickey you can misbehave and even be a little selfish,” Mr. Spector said.”
Selfish? Naughty? Isn’t there enough of that in this world? Aren’t we in economic turmoil because people are selfish and naughty? It seems to me that Wall Street, Washington and board rooms are overflowing with “cantankerous and cunning.” We get enough “edgy” on the evening news. I think you’d better take a look at the Mickey frame shown on MSN.com today. His look isn’t edgy. It’s evil.
My family, including the teens, likes Mickey because he is NOT bad. He is honest, warm-hearted and cheerful – all attributes we wish were more plentiful in the world. What is next to the Harry Potter poster? A stuffed Mickey. What do you see on car antennas everywhere? Smiling Mickeys. Who gets the biggest hug when we go to Florida? Mickey.
Mickey can and should do new things – place him in new situations, have him use new technology. Mickey can street dance, he can text. He is static only because you didn’t pay any attention to him for years. Approving an evil Mickey is not the way to make us spend more money on him. I guarantee that we will not visit a cunning Mickey at Walt Disney World nor we will buy a game that features a selfish Mickey.
I strongly encourage you to rethink your vandalism. Mickey can be updated (we have a poster that shows his evolution) but do not make him just another slug in our society.
If you feel the same way, you might want to contact the Disney Company and tell them what you think. The mailing address is 500 S Buena Vista St, Burbank CA 91521
Per the New York Times, “Mickey won’t be bland anymore, either. I wanted him to be able to be naughty — when you’re playing as Mickey you can misbehave and even be a little selfish,” Mr. Spector said.”
Selfish? Naughty? Isn’t there enough of that in this world? Aren’t we in economic turmoil because people are selfish and naughty? It seems to me that Wall Street, Washington and board rooms are overflowing with “cantankerous and cunning.” We get enough “edgy” on the evening news. I think you’d better take a look at the Mickey frame shown on MSN.com today. His look isn’t edgy. It’s evil.
My family, including the teens, likes Mickey because he is NOT bad. He is honest, warm-hearted and cheerful – all attributes we wish were more plentiful in the world. What is next to the Harry Potter poster? A stuffed Mickey. What do you see on car antennas everywhere? Smiling Mickeys. Who gets the biggest hug when we go to Florida? Mickey.
Mickey can and should do new things – place him in new situations, have him use new technology. Mickey can street dance, he can text. He is static only because you didn’t pay any attention to him for years. Approving an evil Mickey is not the way to make us spend more money on him. I guarantee that we will not visit a cunning Mickey at Walt Disney World nor we will buy a game that features a selfish Mickey.
I strongly encourage you to rethink your vandalism. Mickey can be updated (we have a poster that shows his evolution) but do not make him just another slug in our society.
If you feel the same way, you might want to contact the Disney Company and tell them what you think. The mailing address is 500 S Buena Vista St, Burbank CA 91521
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)