Disney Theme Park Customer ("Guest") Experience

I should preface this post by saying that, in Disney-speak, there are no "customers," only guests. Likewise, there are cast members instead of employees, costumes instead of uniforms, and attractions instead of rides. These terms, in and of themselves, demonstrate Disney's serious commitment to their theme park experience.

In my previous blog, I wrote about Disney theme parks as a meaningful customer experience. I would like to continue with this idea for my current topic report and believe that this topic would be well-suited for a case study format. As previously discussed, Disney is a topic that is near and dear to my heart and I look to integrate the Walt Disney Company into any course project with an open topic choice. This case study will focus on the holistic customer experience of visiting a Disney theme park, possibly including vacation planning elements.

Potential topics include:

• Multiple personas – Though Disney theme parks are associated with children and families, the parks appeal to a wide variety of personas, including college students and older couples. Walt Disney famously designed Disneyland as a place where parents and children could have fun together. However, the theme park experience has evolved over the years, with programs such as the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, Disney Fairytale Weddings, and College Nights, which clearly cater to a wide variety of demographics. An interesting way to approach this case study would be to look at the different customer experiences that Disney parks offer to different segments/personas.
• Theme park design elements – Designing Disney’s Theme Parks, The Architecture of Reassurance, by Karal Ann Marling, examines “the influence of Disneyland on both our built environment and our architectural imagination.” This book would serve as a reference for examining how design impacts the customer experience of a Disney theme park, and how certain elements are a product of their time (i.e. 1950s, 1980s, etc.) Also somewhat relating to this subject is how customer experiences evolve over time.
• Strategic Experiential Modules – Disney theme parks could fit into all of the experiential modules in one way or another. I think that Disney does one of the best jobs in terms of the SENSE module, and Disney is widely known for their sensory experiences. Disney theme parks have built an incredibly strong fan following (as evidenced by the hundreds of fan sites, blogs, conventions), and it would be interesting to examine the link between these positive customer experiences and intense brand loyalty.
• Disney Institute – One might say that the true test of an exemplary customer experience is the desire of other companies to emulate you. The Disney Institute is a workshop for professionals to learn the secrets of Disney’s business success. According to their website, “you will literally step into a ‘living laboratory’ at Disney Theme Parks and Resorts for guided behind-the-scenes field experiences.” It would be interesting to examine what key elements are universally necessary for creating exceptional customer experiences, as many Disney Institute attendees are not in the theme park, or even the entertainment business. This Businessweek article describes Disney’s basic principles that can be transferred into any service industry. Jeff Kober at MousePlanet.com also writes a very interesting series of articles called “Magic of Business” which would be another source that could serve as a general foundation for this project. 
• Disney College Program – Who would take a semester off from college to work minimum wage jobs, ranging from custodial to attractions, at Disney’s theme parks? Over 5,000 college students each semester do just this as part of the Disney College Program. One of this program’s mantras is “Live. Learn. Earn.” Like with their guests, Disney markets this program to students as an overall experience, where you live with other College Program students, take Disney classes, and work in the theme parks or resorts. They are clearly pitching an experience vs. a product (the basic job). It would be interesting to examine the customer experience from an internal marketing perspective, and compare Disney’s methods with its cast members vs. guests.

I believe that the most difficult part of this report will be narrowing my topic focus. I believe that Disney is the champion of exceptional customer experiences, and there are many different approaches to take. I have a wide variety of Disney literature from different perspectives that would be useful tools for this report. A challenge, which I recognize, is that I must take extra caution to be objective when writing this case study, because I am familiar with the brand, experience, and company.