Who Wants to be Millionaire - Press Start to Continue

There have been endless discussion within the halls of both Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts divisions on what is to become of the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire-Play It!” show at the Disney-MGM Studios. Indeed, the DCA version of the show has already been gutted, and the show was built originally only to capitalize on a growing (and short-lived) television phenomenon as well as some unused warehouse space that would normally contain old, beat-up set pieces from some horribly out-of-date movie.

But do these facts give Disney enough motive to close the show? Fans would like to argue that no, it does not, while Disney will admit to the show having diminishing returns, resulting in the shuttered show in California as well as the abolishment of Fastpass to the show in Florida. Does this spell the end of Millionaire?

Personally, I wouldn’t be so hasty. The Millionaire in California had problems that the Florida show does not, namely, a place in an obscure and empty area of an obscure and empty park. Add to this fact that a majority of the tourist base in California is based on Annual Passholders, who either a) avoid DCA like the plague to begin with or b) are restricted by the show’s policy of a 30-day wait to return to the Hot Seat once you’ve experienced its glory (ironically, Disney was biting the hand that fed them in this instance). And surely it wasn’t the lack of quality for the show, as the more-accessible and easily-identifiable MuppetVision show ran on similarly low turnstile counts (a problem that has since been temporarily remedied by the revitalization of the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area). Of course, there’s also the issue of the Fastpass removal from the Millionaire show in Florida. But Fastpass was also removed from MuppetVision at the same park, as well as Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, who clearly do not suffer from a lack of popularity, but because of the infrastructural and practical problems associated with it, which is what I would argue brought about the demise of Millionaire’s Fastpass (after all, Primeval Whirl retains its Fastpass despite a lack of popularity). The problems associated with offering Fastpass with a scheduled show is just too much hassle, which is why I would expect the Indy Stunt Show and Lights, Motors, Action to lose their respective Fastpasses soon (more on that in a later column).

So the question remains: should Disney close down Millionaire? If they were to find a suitable replacement, I would of course say yes, they should, as the Millionaire show does not hold the thematic and cultural vice-grip on the MGM Studios as, say, It’s a Small World has on the Magic Kingdom (which prevents Disney from replacing it with a more advanced, and arguably better, attraction).

But to whether or not they should close the show without a replacement (as they did at DCA), I would say the answer is a definite “no.” Here’s why: assuming all monetary and operational concerns continue as normal (and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t), Millionaire will be able to make Disney more money in the long-term than they would lose. First, there is the simple fact that the show being in operation means that there is one more attraction operational at MGM than there would be otherwise. This may seem like a no-brainer, but this is not without its merits, because it adds to the value of the park overall. One more attraction means more attractions per dollar spent on admission, which drives up the perceived value of the park. Also, the capacity of the park is increased, meaning both that the park will be sending more Guests through the attractions (rather than clogging the walkways) and that Guests will spend more time in attractions and less time standing in line. But then again, Disney doesn’t seem shy to close attractions with no replacement in site, so obviously park value in general isn’t what keeps an attraction open. Instead, it is the long-term value, which is what I believe should keep Millionaire open.

For one, the Millionaire show is very unique, and its distinctive components cannot be found in any other show in any other park on the planet. Of course, this spells “instant PR,” convincing first-timers to at least give it a try. Second, the show has massive repeatability…I mean, the chance to win a cruise is kind of alluring. These, combined with its innovations in theme park technology, makes the Millionaire show a good investment, at least until Disney chooses to leapfrog it technologically or a competitor chooses to copy the technology. In conclusion, at least for now, Disney would be wise to keep Millionaire around.

So now that Disney has kept Millionaire for the foreseeable future, the question now becomes, is that your Final Answer?

Labeling the Magic

There’s a quote from the movie “Fight Club” that I think is suitable to what I have to say to Disney’s marketing strategy:

“Sticking a feather up your a** doesn’t make you a chicken.”

Inappropriate language aside, these words speak volumes as to the kind of ideas Disney’s Marketeers are coming up with to get people to visit the park. Namely, their tendency to label everything associated with the Disney parks as “magical.”

Just labeling something as “magical” doesn’t get you anywhere. Instead, it creates seriously heightened expectations that, due to the overwhelming drive towards mediocre attractions as of late, some parks and attractions will fail to match. This is an inherent problem in labeling, one that Marketers around the world are unwilling to address. At the heart of the problem is this:

Labeling something will inherently narrow the expectations of all those who experience it.

Think about it. If I were to advertise that “It’s a Small World” was “An edge of your seat THRILL,” wouldn’t you be disappointed when you found out that it wasn’t? I mean, sure, “It’s a Small World” has many good qualities to it, but “edge of your seat thrill” is not one of them. Therefore, even if you or I would normally find the attraction enjoyable, we would be disappointed with the attraction because it did not live up to the expectation of “an edge of your seat thrill,” and denounce it as a failure.

You may think this to be an extreme example, but really, it’s not. Take a look at Universal, who find absolutely no restraint in brandying their parks as “Faster,” “More Exciting,” “Edgier,” “More Adult,” and even “Funnier” than any other park in the world (if you don’t believe me, just drive Westbound on I-4 from Orlando), and than Disney at the very least. Yet, most people who have visited Universal will find this laughably untrue. Of course, some people might disagree with that last statement, but unfortunately Universal has tried to get people to agree with their overblown advertising (who will then stay longer and spend more money), in the process sacrificing their entire customer base (who would have seen that the parks have its merits in other areas), causing these potential customers to see the parks as not living up to expectations.

Or how about good ol’ Cedar Point? Those Ohio guys and gals have absolutely no qualms about saying how they are “THE BEST PARK IN THE WORLD” on EVERY SINGLE television advertisement. Or how they post banners AT THE ENTRANCE to the park proclaiming that their roller coasters are the BEST EVER (do you think they’re compensating for something)? What they don’t realize is that if your customers don’t think it’s the “greatest park ever,” your excessive labeling has failed (and they wonder why attendance and per capita spending has been tanking lately), and your customer base will simply stop believing what you say, or just not listen. Either way, you lose.

You see what I mean? Disney is doing itself a great disservice by labeling their parks and attractions, be it “magical” or “enchanting,” or whatever nonrepresentational adjective you want to replace it with. This is especially true with that God-awful “Top 7” embarrassment that can be found on Walt Disney Worlds’s resident TV advertising. This show is exactly what the Marketers should not be doing: forming a “Top Seven” list of things to do at WDW, not based on consensus Guest opinion, but based on what attractions are new, under the Machiavellian guise that these “selections” are actually the most popular things to do, or the most “must-see.” With this, Disney has not only labeled certain attractions as “better” than others (something that Marketers should NEVER, EVER do, because it undermines the entirety of your other products or services), but has deliberately LIED to its Guests that these “Top 7” attractions are the most popular. This is absolutely unacceptable.

So what’s the solution? Well, don’t label. Instead, MAKE the parks magical instead of labeling them so. All you have to do is build awareness for the parks and attractions, and let people judge for themselves. If you’ve done your job, those parks and attractions will be very popular, and make lots of money in the process. More importantly, you’ll be surprised on how many people find these parks and attractions enjoyable for COMPLETELY different reasons (just look at “Pirates of the Caribbean” or “Haunted Mansion”- two of the most quintessential Disney attractions), made possible ONLY by the lack of false expectations. It’s worked for Disney before. Labeling was unnecessary for the Disney parks for decades. And a neat little trick that comes with it: your Guests will tell you what they ACTUALLY think about a park or attraction, rather than whether or not they agree with what you force them to think.

I’ll talk more about the short-term and long-term strategies with Marketing in a later post. Till then, do the right thing, Disney!

To All Who Come to this Happy Place, Welcome!

And welcome to all who have heard that dedication WAY too many times (you know who you are). Allow me to introduce myself: I am FiddlersGreen, Disney Fan and entertainment fanatic extraordinaire. I have created the blog that stands before you in the hopes that all who visit may have a better understanding of what makes the Disney parks and animated movies so very, very good, and hopefully gain a new insight on what Disney can do to improve its enterprizes for the future.

Personally, I've been a Disney fan for my entire life, and you will find that all other contributors to this site are have also been tied to Disney for longer than they care to remember. I have visited Walt Disney World at least once a year for my entire life, and Disneyland almost as many. My movie collection features extensive Disney animated movies, and you will find that I have more than enough passion for both animation and Imagineering. Put simply, Disney has inspired me more than any other company ever will, and I hope to carry around its history and values through whatever life choice I care to make.

We all hope to have a little fun, and encourage viewers to comment or disagree with the various postings. Along the way, we hope to uncover some truths about Disney's past (including the oh-so-interesting history of certain attractions), as well as provide hope for the future. Who knows, maybe some day I'll actually put all these thoughts down in a book. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, eh?

In the past, I've voiced my opinions on certain discussion forums, and I encourage others to spread the word on what Disney means to them. Though our opinions may differ, I hope that we realize we do this because we love Disney.

Now, come with us, to a world of joyous song and wondrous miracles! Please stand clear of the doors.

(Sings copywrited song, not printed here for fear of lawsuit)