Now, with his directors reassembled and sitting in the first few rows of the theater, Iger set his sights on his next gamble, his boldest yet: to reinvent the brand’s most beloved asset, Disney’s iconic parks.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
The Messy Business Of Reinventing Happiness
Now, with his directors reassembled and sitting in the first few rows of the theater, Iger set his sights on his next gamble, his boldest yet: to reinvent the brand’s most beloved asset, Disney’s iconic parks.
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6 comments:
Happiness is something that is super important in our industry that we often forget about because we get so busy with everything else that is going on that we have to deal with. I am currently trying to figure out my summer just like every other student on the planet. I was torn between two offers and just found out that I had made it to the next round of the application for another job. I had no clue what I should do, so I called my friend who had been in my shoes before to talk to her about options. She gave me some really solid advice which was fantastic! However, the biggest take a way I had from her was that I need to be happy with what I choose. If she had not had said that I would have probably never have thought about that. So, just remember you happiness is important!
This article was particularly interesting in terms of its insight into the process of developing the magic bands, just because I really wouldn't assume that the board would be so willing to open up their arms to this technology which really carries an infinite amount of risks. In some instances, the bands have themselves become a logistical nightmare already. For myself and a few friends headed to Disney World, the process of acquiring and using the bands was relatively simple. This could very easily be attributed to the simple fact that all of us were Florida residents as well as relatively educated on the magic band developments in the first place. From the moment we stepped into our hotel lobby, however, we immediately came into contact with two families who were already having trouble with their bands on day 1 of their vacation. They were unclear on who gets a band and why they were getting the bands in the first place and whether or not their kids were going to be able to go show them to someone and just be able to buy whatever they lay their eyes on because of the bands credit card connection capabilities. I feel like part of the further rebranding of the parks brand lies in a push to educate their consumer base on what these developments are and how they apply to their personal park experience.
This was a very interesting article, though I admit I only skimmed the end of it (it is SO long). One of the more interesting parts of this was definitely thinking of the Parks as an entity resistant to change, and how that could affect the success of the company as a whole. On the one hand, it is absolutely brilliant that the Parks have maintained Walt's original vision, but it is obviously stifling for business. As frustrating as it may be, this generation of Disney-goers is much less easily satisfied by entertainment. Between the shortened attention spans, addiction to technology, and general snobbishness that seems to come along with most of this generation, it can be incredibly hard to present them with something and garner an appropriate reaction. So when you have something as old and unchanging as the Disney Parks, it is definitely a smart decision to try to revamp. I personally love the Parks the way they are (with the exception of the unbelievable crowds), because I was born a little before the whole technology craze, but like I said, it's probably time for a little change. I also thought it was really interesting how many people from other companies were involved with the decision process, it was sort of like a royal council of experts. In general though, I think a push for new technology is a good idea and I'm excited to see where else they go.
This is a very interesting article. I think it is great that Disney is trying so hard to create the best experience for its customers that is can, even if that means changing the park from its original ways of running. Disney is such an old company and they are thought of as the traditional theme park. Being old and traditional is good in some aspects of the park, but it is not always the best when it comes to the logistics of running the park. I think it is good that they are becoming a lot of innovative and technological with their ticketing and general park practices. This generation is very technology heavy and is always expecting things to be more and more high-tech as time goes on. I think the Magic Bands are a very good idea because it reduces that amount of things you need to carry around the park. Since it is your park ticket, hotel key, and credit card, you do not have to worry about carrying along all of those typically separate objects. Losing a key card is always a worry especially when you are riding on rollercoasters and water rides all day. Now you will never worry about losing it if you have your Magic Band on.
When i first heard of the magic wristbands a while back i thought they were unnecessary to the park experience. I hate having to wear a watch or bracelet, that is just who i am. I also saw and still see the many concerns with the bands such as the issue with kids having access to credit as well as guests not knowing everything they can do with the bands. I think what makes the bands worth it at the moment is that they have the potential to make a guest experience different for everyone. the bands can make the park interact with the guests based on what they did. What if a park character was able to ask a child if they had a good time on splash mountain? what if they were able to interact with your phone to tell you where you were on the map and tell you which rides you went on? Another factor that i would want implemented t for it to be a service, not a part of disney. guests should always be able to choose if they want the band or not. if they want these features then they can have them, if they want to go through a vacation like they have always done then you can still do it at disney. Disney is right in wanting to rebrand their company but with many things they should always be adding to an experience, not replacing an experience. there are many different types of people here, many types of families. Each person should be able to make their experience their own.
I absolutely love this idea of the Magic Band. It gives you the freedom to literally not bring anything else to the park with you if you so choose. You don’t need to bring your hotel room key, your wallet because you can use it on your meals, or your phone because it has a tracking system to know where all the people that wear it will be. I think that this is a great new addition and will possibly change theme parks and themed entertainment, as we know it. However, there will definitely be some sort of disconnect that I can foresee because of the amount of technology that you will be dependent on throughout the course of your vacation. Also, I don’t foresee this happening because it looks to be an adjustable band, however, if these get lost you would have a lot of trouble because there seems to be a lot of information on it that is extremely valuable (i.e. credit card number, hotel room key).
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