I'm in advertising, so I always look for the "root" or the reasoning behind things. That may have come out very egotistical, but I couldn't find a better way to word it (ironic, I know.) It wasn't meant in that way, though..
Anyway..
I was excited about the roll-out of FP+ and MagicBand when it first came out. One trip down, it served us well. Now, on our first trip, they didn't have their "tiers" and still had paper FP - making the experience SO much better. It was crazy how fast we got everything done. This year will be the real test, and I'll gladly report back if my opinion changes.
But here's the deal..
The marketplace is quickly shifting to digital - I see it with advertising, marketing and e-commerce. Go to your local Starbucks and you won't see anyone reach for their wallet, but rather, pay with their phone. Google and Apple and making HUGE pushed to digital wallets. Think of the MagicBand as your digital wallet.
With that mindset - let's look at what brands are doing using these digital wallets. Starbucks has a famous rewards program. The more you buy, the closer you get to the coveted free drink. Where else would you spend $30 for a $4 drink? Aside from rewards, brands are using your purchasing habits to better serve you. With the
Walmart app, you could see past purchases - so can Walmart! Walmart is tracking your purchases - as are many other brands. So, rather than sending you copious amounts of coupons and throwing (you know what) at the wall and hoping for something to stick - they're sending you coupons for brands and products YOU purchase. You're getting coupons for Diet Coke because you've purchased it before - not for regular Pepsi, which you never drink.
It's all part of marketing research. THey track consumers' purchases, spending and buying habits. It's similar to the reward program at your local grocery store. You sign up and "spend $100 and get a free turkey for Thanksgiving.." Grocery stores then use that data to re-stock shelves, see what is selling and who is buying it.
So now, think of the FP+ as that free turkey (what? My MagicBand is a smartphone and the FP+ is a turkey?
) Kind of.. Every brand needs an incentive to get consumers to use their "royalty" or "reward" program. In this case, Disney needs a reason for guests to stay on-site. The longer you're on-site, the more they can track your behavior. Hence - the 60-day FP+ window as opposed to one-day guests that have to secure FP+ the day-of or off-site that get only 30-days.
My family goes every year for Christmas. We'll be part of Disney's Q4 (or Q1 report?? I always forget their fiscal calendar..) I imagine a marketing team sitting around reporting to their superiors.
"well, people between the ages of 20-35 spend more time at Table Service restaurants and eating and drinking."
"X% of guests were repeat-riders of 7DMT" or "X% of adults 25-40 went on Tower of Terror"
and so on...
You won't see the $2Billion put to work right away. You may not even see it take effect for the next few years. But, in order for Disney to (1) Stay with the times and (2) remain competitive - it's necessary and mandatory that they digitize their platform. EVERYTHING is data driven now-a-days. You can't survive based on hypothesis and trial and error. By the time you implement something, there's already new findings.
So, in summation - FP+ wasn't bought for you - the MagicBands and MyMagic+ was. The FP+ is a perk (although many would argue it's not.) The MyMagic+ is the real foundation here. But, on a positive note for all you FP+ nay-sayers - because FP+ is just a "perk" they'll probably be more prone to change it and make it work for you. The key is to keep you happy, keep you coming back and keep collecting data.
