Have you ever felt frustrated trying to find Waldo and asking for help finding him?
Let’s think about Waldo’s perspective now: how nice it would be for him to feel immersed and cared for as an individual in such a crowded environment if there was something customized to suit his needs and wants.
We can correlate Waldo’s scenario with the current park’s situation and all the new digital expectations.
Just come with us…
Walt Disney once said: “You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”
THE CHALLENGE: CONNECT WALT’S VISION WITH THE MODERN WORLD
The variety and growth of experiences now provided by parks mean the guest can sometimes become overwhelmed by the scale and competing demands on their attention and fully finding JOY gets lost. Also, guest expectations are changing and needs and wants are as different as the guest that come through the gate, each an individual.
Each guest weaves a different path around a park, which makes finding the perfect path for everyone a bit like finding Waldo, a single-striped sweater in a crowded scene.
How to adapt the Walt Disney Vision to these new market expectations?
PERSONALIZATION IS KEY TO MEETING NEEDS AND WANTS
Technology has made it possible for different industries to personalize interactions with their consumers in many different ways, and when we look specifically at services, there is always a core debate about how to improve the guest experience.
There are apps and online services available for everything from paying bills on your PlayStation to doctor appointments, leading guests to expect their own personalized experience journey in a park, resort, ship, or location together.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: People are at different stages of need and wants
WEB 3.0 IS COMING TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE GUEST EXPERIENCE
This pressure on operators will intensify when web3 is fully launched and the digital experience is given the tools to become more democratic and mass personalization is adopted.
It’s a new reality knocking at your door! Experience-enabling technology is making whole new capabilities for personalized guest experience delivery more accessible for venues of all types.
Guest experience software and personalized solutions to meet guests needs and wants will be trending much sooner than we think.
ADAPTING TO THIS NEW REALITY WITH JOY
Joy Economy thinking highlights that investing in resources and capabilities to engage consumers on an individual level by personalizing the guest experience, empower team members to interact frequently and richly, and illuminate barriers to engagement will translate into a cycle of deeper engagement.
Making use of the merging tools available to simplify the guests’ personal journey, so it is less waldo, will increase brand loyalty, trust and confidence and business value!
Waldo can now be seen in the midst of so many…
Every guest’s preference, expectations, and engagement patterns can be recognized and leveraged in the service of improving and enriching their next engagement – in the moment – in the future and – on return visitation.
The goal remains as it has long been in Walt Disney vision: to deliver JOY above all else.
THE PRACTICAL CYCLE OF JOY
It might sound more expensive, but JOY drives a value cycle for all parties, and it gives clarity of direction and purpose which will energize your operations and businesses.
The engine of the Joy economy is a flywheel driven by attention to the delivery of joy…
- for each guest in a personalized way…
- attending to their needs wants and desires…
- elevating opportunities for them to engage in deeper joyful experiences…
- which will then drive increased engagement and consumption leading to spending…
- because of the satisfaction driven, guest and staff will be happier…
- your brand will become preferred…
- and beloved…
- guests will want to organically share their experiences with family and friends at social events and online…
- All of which then leads to an intent to return…
As Walt’s quote proves these are not new aspirations, but we now have the tools to help our industry reconnect with our purpose to create Joy.
Revenue, brand affiliation, staff retention, brand building and reputation.
THE JOY ECONOMY COMMUNITY
Each month we’ll be sharing perspectives on the path to a perfect guest journey where the destination is this mutually beneficial joy cycle, so please be part of the Joy Economy Community and register at JoyEconomy.co
We’ll share with you case studies, insights and interviews into the problems and solutions for our industry that should create and reorient the understanding of joy and the guest experience.
Together we can create perfect days every day!
A practical cycle where joy is the trigger of success
