Disney Turning Fantasyland into Reality?

05Jan14

There’s been so much discussion about how our personal data is being tracked and collected online lately, that it’s easy to forget how valuable our “real life” movement and behavior can be. The New York Times has a really interesting glimpse into what the not-so-distant future of offline data collection might look like.

“Imagine Walt Disney World with no entry turnstiles. Cash? Passé: Visitors would wear rubber bracelets encoded with credit card information, snapping up corn dogs and Mickey Mouse ears with a tap of the wrist. Smartphone alerts would signal when it is time to ride Space Mountain without standing in line. Fantasyland? Hardly. It happens starting this spring.”

Within the next few months, Disney theme parks will be introducing a new program called MyMagic+, which uses spending trends and location data to more closely monitor park patron behavior. While the program will be used to increase personalization towards users, it also raises substantial privacy concerns – especially for children. Nevertheless, it does provide a fascinating look at what the future of branding entails.

Filed under: Branding, Culture, Data, Marketing, Offline   |  Closed
Tags: branding, culture, data, disney, marketing, privacy