E-Culture and Social Networks

BACKGROUND Family entertainment company Walt Disney are one of the best-known – and best-loved – companies in the world, and their theme parks and resorts bring in 126 million visitors annually. With the recent launch of the MagicBand, Disney are able to track guests’ every move around their Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida – from what rides they go on to what they order for lunch. What problem is big data helping to solve? Data from the MagicBand can help Disney learn more about who their customers are and what they want, allowing the company to anticipate customer needs and improve the theme park experience. How Big Data used in practice? In early 2014, Disney launched their innovative MagicBand: a colourful wristband that helps guests personalize the entire Walt Disney  resort experience. Guests can customize the bands before they leave home at My Disney Experience on Disney’s website and, when they arrive at the resort, the bands act as a room key and ...

For over 90 years, Disney has prided itself on producing magical guest experiences that few can match. But in the mid-2000s, as ticket prices climbed and lines lengthened, the sparkle on Disney’s customer experience began to fade. In response, Disney created an exploratory team called the Next Generation Experience project. Focusing on creating “more immersive, more seamless, and more personal experiences  for each and every guest ,” the team has four goals: Driving operational efficiency; transforming the customer experience; personalization through connected products, and enhancing interactivity across channels. So how is Disney using big data and other technologies to create digital magic ? 1. A data-driven approach to operational efficiency The magnitude of Disney’s theme park operation is staggering. Each week, Disney has to schedule 240,000 shifts for 80,000 employees and pay more than 80,000 cast members. Following the implementation of a rule-based, on-demand techn...