Disney creepy email

[cjnix29]

Ok....got an email from Disney Destinations tonight. I can't quite tell if there is a pin there, but it was an email inviting us to come to Disney during our school breaks....and actually had the dates of my son's fall and spring breaks in it!! The stalker-esque quality of that just freaks me out. I was weirded out at the fact that our ride photos appeared on our photopass card when we never added them, but this hits just a little too close to home!!!!

 

[pat fan]

I'll trade. I now get the emails & post cards with offers for Old Key West Resort with pictures of gray haired folks and not a kid/character or balloon in sight!

Seriously, they have all your info. Probably just plug your zip code into the big computer and it knows when those areas have their breaks, and VOILA! A personalized offer. Sadly I get the old lady/no kids offer......

 

[ellochka]

I'll trade. I now get the emails & post cards with offers for Old Key West Resort with pictures of gray haired folks and not a kid/character or balloon in sight!

Seriously, they have all your info. Probably just plug your zip code into the big computer and it knows when those areas have their breaks, and VOILA! A personalized offer. Sadly I get the old lady/no kids offer......

LOL!!! I work in an area related to CRM (the people that send the offers), and I can second the zip code suggestion. There are vendors out there who will sell the school break dates to you for $0.02 per address. And Disney likely knows the ages of your kids. If not through you, then off the birth certificates. Public records.

 

[Peaseblossom]

Ok....got an email from Disney Destinations tonight. I can't quite tell if there is a pin there, but it was an email inviting us to come to Disney during our school breaks....and actually had the dates of my son's fall and spring breaks in it!! The stalker-esque quality of that just freaks me out. I was weirded out at the fact that our ride photos appeared on our photopass card when we never added them, but this hits just a little too close to home!!!!

I still tell the story of ride photos appearing on our photo pass card to coworkers. How did they know? Freaky...

 

[manning]

The way Disney mines info I wouldn't be surprised all the info is out there.

 

[Alesia]

I still tell the story of ride photos appearing on our photo pass card to coworkers. How did they know? Freaky...

The RFID chip in your magic band.

 

[wishes114]

Yep, those RFID chips can tell them exactly where you are and have been on the grounds. They can use them to see where the most traffic is during the day and to control crowns. That little magic band is surely magic!

 

[wishes114]

Yep, those RFID chips can tell them exactly where you are and have been on the grounds. They can use them to see where the most traffic is during the day and to control crowns. That little magic band is surely magic!

 

[bumbershoot]

I bet if you compared the vacation dates listed with this person in this post the dates would be the same. They were NOT that person's school breaks; they were yours. They got lucky with you!

Let's face it. School break periods aren't exactly rocket science. They tend to fall around the same set of circumstances each year. Some schools are different but I bet a majority are around the same times as each other.

They don't know the school your kids go to. They are just guessing and hoping.

 

[dpswift]

Around here the school breaks tend to be at the same time. Winter break is Presidents Week and spring break is the week after Easter if it is in April otherwise it tends to be the third week in April. We went one year during a non Easter spring break and I think my kids saw more classmates than if we had stayed home.

Also remember that many people are already booking for those breaks.

 

[MAJPLO]

I bet if you compared the vacation dates listed with this person in this post the dates would be the same. They were NOT that person's school breaks; they were yours. They got lucky with you!

Let's face it. School break periods aren't exactly rocket science. They tend to fall around the same set of circumstances each year. Some schools are different but I bet a majority are around the same times as each other.

They don't know the school your kids go to. They are just guessing and hoping.

::thumbsup::

 

[ICF]

Got the same email...and all 3 breaks listed were accurate, even the 4 day weekend they get for Presidents day.

 

[crisi]

There is a story about Target's data mining - they start sending you things for your pregnancy before you've even announced. They know because women early in their pregnancy buy certain things (pre-natal vitamins is a giveaway, lotion is another one). Women thought this was creepy - to get a mailer for maternity wear and iron tablets and nursery furniture when the stick had barely turned blue - so now Target STILL sends you those coupons - it just looks more general because its hidden along with coupons for toilet paper and DVDs.

 

[Aaeolien]

It's not hard to find school break information. I read this thread and then using google found the dates off all the school closings for 2014-2015 in 3 random zip codes in about 3 minutes. And if you figure most metro areas the surrounding schools all work on the same calendar or at least counties being the same. It's not that hard to mine that data and compare it to their email/mailing database to send out ads personalized in this way. I am surprised that folks are still surprised that things like this happen in this day and age.

 

[luvsJack]

I got one of these emails too and it sort of took me by surprise.

It lists our Spring Break and our Easter break. The odd thing is, there are 3 possible school districts with my zip code and they don't all have the same breaks. All three start dates are within a week of each other but it throws spring break off every year and Easter may be one day in one district, two day in another and 3 days in the third one. They hit ours right on the head.

 

[chalee94]

Ok....got an email from Disney Destinations tonight. I can't quite tell if there is a pin there, but it was an email inviting us to come to Disney during our school breaks....and actually had the dates of my son's fall and spring breaks in it!! The stalker-esque quality of that just freaks me out. I was weirded out at the fact that our ride photos appeared on our photopass card when we never added them, but this hits just a little too close to home!!!!

just don't ever google "universal studios" 'cause...they'll know...

 

[TwoMisfits]

It's lazy, bad marketing and yes, people should push back against it.

If they have done the research to get area's school breaks, they also probably have done the research to show that people both hate creepy privacy-intruding emails and love discounts. So, rather that send these targeted emails telling you to enjoy breaks with them, they should have sent a more generic "Is life getting too busy? Then take a break this fall or spring with Disney" and had a personal coupon code for the person that gave some small discount on tickets or hotel which included the breaktime with a few days on either end (so a 2 week code), so it wasn't so clear they had data mined.

Disney marketing, you can hire me anytime you like, but you probably can't afford me...

 

[justlook3]

I got one of those last year. And I don't have children.
Although in north Texas almost all of the schools have their breaks at the same time (you avoid zoos, museums and shopping malls during that week of spring break that's for sure!) so it's pretty easy.

 

[JillianMarie]

Yeah, we don't have kids either and got one of these too so it's not like they're peeping in windows at night. They just do it by zip code. It's the price you pay for convenience.

 

[Poohbug]

I was a little creeped out too and would have been really creeped out if the dates were correct. My kids do not attend the school district of our zip code city so two of the three dates were not correct. Actually two of the dates were weeks in March, that gives them pretty good odds of hitting a spring break.