Scoop challenge: Take 2

[hopemax]

In 1988, DL had a spring promotion which was called "Blast to the Past. " At the gate you were handed a card with 4 trivia questions, if you got it right you won a prize. They had hula hoop contests, girls in poodle skirts, 50's groups performed at the Videopolis, they had a special parade, and I'm sure there were a bunch of other things that have long slipped my memory.

Nice, the Started By a Mouse Website has a feature. http://www.startedbyamouse.com/features/BlastToThePast.html

The purpose was to get more people in the parks during the off-season, and it worked. I think a key aspect of its success is that it targeted the PARENTS. The parents in 1988 &1989 were kids and teens during the 50's. Everything Disney did, worked to bring out those nostalgic feelings.

So my suggestion is do it again. Today's parents were teens during the early 90's. Go back to 1992, and go Country, set up in Frontierland, book Billy Ray Cyrus (he's on the state fair circuit, so he can't be too expensive), set the world record for line dancing to Achy, Breaky Heart. Yeah, you're laughing, but you know you did it and you have good memories with who you danced with, what else you were doing,etc. Get a few more Country acts, encourage people from the South to just hop in the car and pop down to WDW.

And since prices are an issue, during the period of the promotion roll back some of the prices. Soda would be an easy one since the margins are so high, that even at 1992 prices, Disney would make a profit, but the guests will feel like they are getting a bargin! Offer a matching hotel/ticket package which zaps you back to 1992. Instead of a 5 day hopper, you pay 2 days ZAP the other 3 days at 1992 prices.

Sell it, not as a discount, but something that has to be done to sell the illusion that it's 1992. It's a SHOW issue. And because the prices are so strongly tied to the promotion, when the promotion ends it should be easier to slide the prices back to today.

 

[Lesley]

Sorry, you have to go back a little further than 1992 for a large portion of parents today. I'm not that old and I graduated from high school in 1990. Go back to the early 80's.....now wait....eeewwwwww......would we really like to remember the early 80's?....um, I don't really like this idea at all. I think it would repel me more than attract me (same goes for Billy Ray Cyrus)

Perhaps since we're only about 15 years beyond 1988 we need to move up only about 15 years from the 50's.......but isn't that kind of what they're trying with the "Flower Power" concerts during the Flower and Garden Expo? How is the response to those?

I can see something along these lines perhaps helping though...I'm just not sure what.

 

[mjstaceyuofm]

I honestly think we're way beyond promotions to fix things. We need to see more of LB's VALUE being put back into WDW in general: fix the place up, restore EE or some form of on-site guest perk, give us new, innovative attractions, etc., etc., etc...

I also think Lesley is right - country is a big thumbs down and so is, like, oh my god, the 80's!