Year of a Million letdowns?

[jaycat]

I hope someone on the boards wins a big prize so they can tell us all about it.

 

[Robo]

I started this post on another thread, but I found a better way to word it.

A "chance" to win vs. a "sure thing."

In general, I'd rather actually RECEIVE, say, a $5-10 discount... than only be offered a CHANCE at winning $25,000.
The first one is a "deal," the second is mainly just a "faint hope."

Contests are really a rather "low-point" in a choice for promotions.
But they are easy to set up and "no-brainers" for promotions directors.

Radio stations use them frequently.
("Hey, Tom, you're the Promotions Director, what're we gonna do for the Spring rating period?
Er, a... hey baby, let's have a CONTEST! Yah! That'll make 'em listen!)
BUT, radio stations discovered long ago that contests DO tend to make ONE person happy... and disappoint 100,000 (or 2,500, depending on the station)... if the contest is "too hard to win."

That's why the majority of radio contests are for relatively low amounts of cash (tune in and WIN $61), or theater tickets, and other trivial prizes.
They can give out MORE "prizes" and make more folks "happy".

They can also put those folks who won the tickets to the "Hotrod Heaven Tour" into a "special drawing" for the GRAND PRIZE of a trip for two to Oxnard Springs Bed and Breakfast... all expenses paid!

Likewise, Disney is taking the contest "lowest-common-denominator of prizes" route so that more folks can "git pick'd" for a lavish Dole Whip party for the winner herself, and 3 of her closest family members!

I see nothing wrong with doing it... just for fun.

But the actual "draw" of a contest is rather low.
Radio and TV stations have found that its a relatively SMALL GROUP... OF THE SAME PEOPLE who continually "play the contests."
That's why you hear the line "if you've won in the last 30 days, please give someone else a chance to win."
And that means that if you are trying to "GROW an audience," contests DON'T WORK very well, if at all. (Would you switch your radio station if another one you didn't really like was offering a chance to win $71 and a Non-Stick Skillet?)

In the same vein, the vast majority of folks making a vacation decision will likely not choose Disney just BECAUSE of the lure of a contest prize.
They might choose WDW because, in general, it sounds like it might be FUN!

So that's the "real value" of a contest...
to offer something "special" to TALK about in promotional announcements.
Its hard to build excitement with the statement, "Walt Disney World announces the Year of Business as Usual!"

But really (unlike this PAST year, when they based the promotion on NEW ATTRACTIONS for the 50th), when the "new deal" is merely a contest (in effect)... for MOST of the guests (who will NOT "git pick'd") it IS "the Year of Business as Usual."

Not really critical either way, but this could be one of the reasons many posters are so "ho-hum" about this promotion.

 

[KatiebugsMom]

Well we have planned a trip for January 2007 and this was even before all this hoopla was announced. If we win something great, if not that will be great too. Because I am already a winner......

I have my health, my family, a wonderful husband, a beautiful and precious daughter, friends, a great company to work for that allows me to keep my family happy and safe, and allows me the ability pay for WDW vacations. I am proud to have made the emotional (not financial) decision to own DVC and be a member of the magic.........and I feel like a winner each time I step on the Magical Express bus.

A Year of a Million Dreams???........I tip my hat to Disney and thank them for the YEARS of dreams they have already made and will continue to make in the years to come.......

 

[tndisneyfan]

I'm not crazy about this promotion. I prefer something that everyone can benefit from, such as special rides & shows, lower ticket prices, or cheaper package deals. It seems like only a small group of people are going to win anything.

 

[eblack0409]

We do not have children, and I think it puts us at a disadvantage.
I'm just gonna enjoy my vacation, and if it happens I'll be happily surprised.

I agree.....DH and I just said to him that I felt that the CMs would target people with kids.....Disney is for everyone...that's what Walt wanted...I hope the CMs remember that during the Million Dreams.....

 

[cardramblues]

I'm not crazy about this promotion. I prefer something that everyone can benefit from, such as special rides & shows, lower ticket prices, or cheaper package deals. It seems like only a small group of people are going to win anything.

Good point. Which is why Disney considered naming this promotion, "the fill the gap and rake in big profits" promotion. How did they pay for all these cool prizes? Anyone notice that the price of tickets went up for the second time in 8 mos? In fact, only Gasoline is the only product I could find that has outpaced Disney ticket increases in the last 3 years.

With everything I believe that Bob Iger has done good, a few decisions in his theme park operations have been questionable to say the least.

 

[jaurban]

DH and I just said to him that I felt that the CMs would target people with kids.....Disney is for everyone...that's what Walt wanted...I hope the CMs remember that during the Million Dreams.....

But, from the rules, it seems that there will not be a lot of discretion involved in selecting the winners, it seems very structured, and includes mail-in entries. So, I don't think that being a family with kids, or dressing in cute matching outfits or anything else will get someone a prize. (In fact, the underwriters of the contest would probably frown on that.) While that might be something that is helpful in getting picked to be in the parade, not so much for the contest.

 

[Fitswimmer]

So, I don't think that being a family with kids, or dressing in cute matching outfits or anything else will get someone a prize. (In fact, the underwriters of the contest would probably frown on that.)

I would think that there would be legal issues with picking winners based on anything that isn't random.

 

[Allison]

I'm not crazy about this promotion. I prefer something that everyone can benefit from, such as special rides & shows, lower ticket prices, or cheaper package deals. It seems like only a small group of people are going to win anything.

Yeah, only a million or so.

 

[Bliss22]

Am I the only one that thinks this promotion is just a bad idea for Disney parks? I mean think about it, part of the "magic" of Disney is having pixie dust come from unexpected places, not from cast memebers that are put in no win situations. I mean for every one that gets a castle night, there are 24,999 other people at MK that day that are disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, the prizes are cool and who wouldn't want to win a DVC membership or one of the other 1 in a million odds prizes. But think about it, wouldn't it have been better for Disney to do this without a formal promotion? Think about the publicity of people being blindsided with with these prizes?

Thoughts?

It's all about getting people in the parks. There will be people in the parks looking for the "Dream Squad" and that will be thier soul purpose is to capitalize on their where abouts. Folks will camp out in certain ares once the word spread where they have been seen coming in and out of the particular park that day. For us it is all about the magic for them its all about the money.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Everyone is so focused on not telling their children because they don't want them to be disappointed if they don't win. Well you don't always win in life either. So I think that it would be a good lesson and might teach children a thing or two. Not keep them in the dark. Not everyone can win.

AMEN!!! I can't tell other people how to raise their children (or treat others), but this "everyone is 100% equal" junk needs to stop. We ARE all equal in that we all start out with the same OPPORTUNITIES. How we use those opportunities are another thing! Unfortunately, through life, there are lots of highs and lows. Good things and bad things. Everyone's goal in life should be to take the opportunities given to you, find other opportunities, and work hard to get what you want. You may get it, you may not. That's life. This is a game of chance. I think it is a great idea to take advantage of the OPPORTUNITY if you can and visit Disney, even hope to win.

If you don't, oh well-- that's life. Move on and try something different.

I'm so sick of seeing all of this stuff where we can't "disappoint" anyone. We can't have a winner and a loser in a game because the "losers might feel bad." We can't keep score because "the ones with less points will feel bad." Sometimes we can't even have a valedictorian or GPAs anymore! And all of those are things that REQUIRE EFFORT-- MORE EFFORT CAN MEAN BETTER RESULTS!!! It therefore creates the MOTIVATION for someone to work harder when things don't go there way.

Now, we are actually saying that when a CORPORATION has a PROMOTIONAL contest, everyone needs to win something??!!? No. That's not the way life works. You take the chance to go on vacation, and maybe you get a cool prize. You buy a lottery ticket and maybe you win. You don't win just because you are entitled. Because you're not. Nobody is entitled to anything.

Phew! That felt good to say

 

[kaytieeldr]

These same CMs are being put in a no-win position where giving out a lanyard and pins is no longer cool, but just a sign you won the ****ie prize.

How is it a "no-win" position for the CM when a Guest is being given anything for any reason? Sure, I'd love to win the DVC membership - but I'd be happy to win the lanyard & pins... even the Mickey ears IF they come with hairpins to keep them on my head . But I'll be just as happy to be AT Walt Disney World. I've already "won". I'm going to Disney World (and I'm eating for free, but that's a thread for another time )

The whole point of this Year of a Million Dreams is purely promotional, IMO.

Whereas The Happiest Celebration on Earth wasn't... or Magic Kingdom's 25th Anniversary... or the (I think) 15th Anniversary - where every tenth person to enter the park won a prize, including a car each day... were just for fun?

I also think some of the prizes are hard to redeem. I skimmed through the rules last night. The rules say things like if you can't go on the trips during the dates chosen by "Sponsor" that you forfeit the trip and receive NOTHING.

Well, one that comes to mind immediately is spending the night in the suite at DL Hotel or in Cinderella Castle at the MK. If you can't sleep there THAT night (i.e. the night you're chosen), then, yeah, common sense is that you forfeit the prize. While MOST of the Guests who win one of those prizes will be able to accept it, the family who's flying home at 5 PM that day, well, can't. And all the other nights will be taken up by the Guests who win that prize on those specific nights.

I am sitting here writing this getting very upset with people, now if you don't win and you see someone else win, you wouldn't be happy for that person!!!!

Of course we would - even after they turn down my offer of letting them 'adopt' me for the goal of sharing their prize with me!

***
Two things: first, to the posters who think Disney would be better off lowering prices, or special shows and rides (as if everything at WDW - except the Alien Encounter replacement - isn't already special),,, replace "Disney" with, oh, I dunno - Walmart. Say it's Walmart with the fifteen-month promotion, including both on-the-spot awarding and mail-in entries. The prizes may not be the same, but they're both businesses, they both want to increase profits, sales and attendance/presence. Nobody would expect Walmart to lower prices or install special attractions or anything. Contest = contest. Period.

Second: Where's MY dream???? While, sure, DVC membership would be nice, and it's been a while since I've been on a cruise, and being able to stay in a virtually deserted park after everyone else left would be cool... where's my Backstage Magic Tour? That's MY dream prize!!!!!

 

[MomWith2Cinderellas]

I have to say...We have a trip planned for Jan/Feb and this does not impact my trip in anyway....All I care about is making sure that my family and I have a blast!

I want everyone to stay healthy and happy on this trip....

I want to see the smiles on my DD's faces when they see Snow White...That is the best prize I could ever get!

 

[blondeheroine]

NOTE: To make 1-million wishes in the year, they must give out 2740 per day.

Those are going to be some busy CMs if my math isn't off.

 

[Disney8704]

Its going on for 12 months..hence a YEAR of a million dreams.

1,000,000 wishes / 12 months = 83,333 wishes per month

83,333 wishes / 30 days = 2778 wishes per day

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Its going on for 12 months..hence a YEAR of a million dreams.

1,000,000 wishes / 12 months = 83,333 wishes per month

83,333 wishes / 30 days = 2778 wishes per day

Well.. you know what a year is... and I know what a year is... but Disney somehow thinks a year is 15 months...

The "year" of a Million Dreams goes from October 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007. Go figure!

 

[bell.of.the.ball]

Actually, doesn't the promotion start on October 1st of this year? So, if you include October, November and December of 2006 and all of 2007, they need to give out 2,188 wishes per day.

And the prizes go to WDWand DW

 

[kitchenfairy]

All right I have to put my 2 cents in. Is there anything that Disney can do right? I mean it seems lately that no matter what is going on with Disney someone has a complaint about it. Like one of the other posters said,this is a promotion to get more people to the parks. The list of prizes is phenomenal!If you are one of the lucky winners than good for you! But your chances of winning are like one in a bazillion. So if your booking a trip during this time with the idea that your going to win something and if you don't your going to be all upset and complain about it, well that's just silly! That's all I have to say about that.

 

[Ltl Mermaid]

I agree with the majority of the posters here! It is ridiculous that a "promotion" has to be equal now. Promotions (where a small percentage of the population win something and the rest do not) have been going on forever, and in almost every company in the world. Coca Cola has "buy it and win: contests ALL the time. and how many of us have looked under the cap to find.."sorry please try again"?? Obviously you would be dissapointed if the ONLY reason you bought the Coke was to win a prize. Same goes IMO for the Disney Promotions...if you are only going to WDW or DL in order to win a stay at Cindy's Castle, you will be sorely upset. I am going to WDW for the parks, resorts, food, and FUN. If I happen to get any extra pixie dust (anything from an extra fastpass, a free upgrade, towel animals, extra special CMs, night in the castle, DVC membership, or a free Disney Cruise) I will be thrilled. Those of you that cannot be happy for those that get a something, while you are right next to them....shame on you! Honestly, I have been at DL multiple times and seen people get fun extras. I do not begrudge this! I even saw a family from Finland (I think) walk in right before me and they were the _th (I do not remember the number) guest to go into the DL turnstiles. They won Free premium Annual Passports for life and a BUNCH of free merchandise...thousands of dollars worth. I was SOOOO happy to be able to witness this pixie dust firsthand. Of course I would have liked it to be me, but I was NOT in any way upset or mad that I didn't get it. I cannot believe that people would rather them just do nothing, instead of this awesome promotion. This makes me very surprised.

 

[Disney8704]

Are you sure? Cuz Epcot 25th Anniversary is supposed to start in October 2007.

Well.. you know what a year is... and I know what a year is... but Disney somehow thinks a year is 15 months...

The "year" of a Million Dreams goes from October 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007. Go figure!