Saturday, February 21, 2009

Dark Clouds, Half Full...


I know that times are tough and the Walt Disney Company is looking where it can cut, but...

That genius of an executive, Jay Rasulo has a marvelous Recession/Depression/Concession plan to consolidate all of Walt Disney World and the Disney Resort's marketing/business and job cutting plan together into one Disney that's known as... One Disney. Get it?

And I have to say...

It might not be all bad. Some of it has been needed for a long time. The company's executives in TeamDisney Anaheim and TeamDisney Orlando have been bloated for far too long. Particularly in Orlando. And it appears the bad news in the economy may wind up doing what has been needed, but avoided or put off with excuses and explanations. I hate bureaucracy. I always have. I hate it when you have four people doing jobs that one person could do. It's inefficient, wasteful and diverts money that could be used for other things.

Orlando's Walt Disney World bureaucracy is known to be like quicksand when dealing with issues. There have been many more problems with the Suits in Florida than California with some treating their areas as their own little kingdoms. The bureaucracy you have to deal with trying to get through a simple idea rivals that of Washington D.C. in red tape. Cutting through all these layers will get rid of a lot of driftwood.

Now some of the negative aspects could be the homogenization of merchandising which has happened partially before. I like many of you hate seeing all the same merchandise at the parks. Having said that, it's a lot easier to change that plan over the long run than it is to get rid of these executives. This is one of those opportunities that comes along as blessing in disguise. It doesn't mean that there are things about it I don't like. But one of the ways you get the change you want is to be vocal. Make your voice known that you want different and unique merchandise. Or anything else for that matter. Let them know at City Hall. Send e-mails. Don't just whine on a chat board. There's power in your voices if you use them properly and wisely(don't be rude or use fowl language).

Change won't happen overnight, but it will happen. In the meantime, I look upon this reorganization as way to rid ourselves of most of the remainder of Eisner's bean counting, soulless Suits.

If only Jay Rasulo would surprise us and add his name to the list, that would be the best news of all...

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stop buying. That's what I think about Disney's merchandising policies. Besides, haven't you had enough of Disney stuff? After accumulating my junk, I finally gave the practice up. I had no place to display it and I realized that I'm not going to advertize my fan obsession a la "40 Year old Virgin" (which is a pretty hilarious movie). (I also gave up collecting Star Wars merchandise too.)

Sometimes, its better to record your experiences in photos and video and thats all. Then again, it should be practiced in moderation.

Debbie said...

Honor's right about making your voice heard in a constructive way. As a side note, if fowl language is bad, FOUL language is worse. (-:

Tuckenie said...

Debbie, you may have a point. But remember, Donald has been complaining for years and main gate treats him like a quack.

Anonymous said...

"Change won't happen overnight, but it will happen. In the meantime, I look upon this reorganization as way to rid ourselves of most of the remainder of Eisner's bean counting, soulless Suits."

Of course, that's ONLY if they actually get rid of the "bean counting, soulless suits". Unfortunately, I think some of this may be used to get rid of some of the "difficult" creative people that Disney management seems to have so much difficulty with, but are totally necessary for the continued success of the company.

Anonymous said...

I use to love buying Disney t-shirts; had a collection of them. Many of them were so clever and cute. But now? Feh. Last time I went to WDW I found only one shirt I wanted. Because the same collection of shirts were everywhere in the park. Or were the wrong size or style. And the Disney stores? NEVER BOUGHT ANYTHING IN THEM. I saw specialty shops elsewhere that had a better collection of Disney stuff than the Disney stores! How messed up is that???

Anonymous said...

I think you meant getting rid of dead wood rather than driftwood. either way, spring time is a good time to prune the trees and clear away rubbish.

Anonymous said...

I must say that, in theory, cleaning house is a good thing. BUT -when have you known or read where Rasulo makes good people decisions on what to keep and what to cut. Apparently already four marketing heads are gone from Anaheim - but what about Orlando? is it possible that consolidation to one disney means in Orlando? this is my concern...

Anonymous said...

I wish that they could get rid of the bean counters at WDW that get in the way of new attractions. People aren't going to come see the same attractions year after year in decent numbers. However, there was one part of the announcement that sounded interesting. That there will be a group that plans for new parks. - In a related point, another site claimed that Iger's recent visit to WDW included a tour of the land for a possible 5th park. The site claimed that it will not be Night Kingdom/Jungle Trek, but a real theme park. Apparently, the research has been done and the plans drawn up. Yet, the writer claimed that it is a decision that still has to be made. Anyone know anything about this?

Anonymous said...

^^^^
Sounds something like what they had before: Strategic Planning. Not necessarily a good thing.