External Communication at Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World’s external communication is pretty impressive. It starts with the training of its employees and continues through its messaging in commercials, stockholder meetings and press conferences.
Because Walt Disney World is so large, employing 64,000 people in the Orlando area, the people who are part of the corporate communications framework could never communicate everything to those stakeholders outside the company that are important to communicate. A majority of the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the company’s front line employees.
The strongest message that the company wants to communicate is that the individual person who is visiting the park is the most important person there. That means that every person’s visit needs to be made special. Buttons that people can wear are a part of the experience because they let every cast member recognize that person.
It may seem paradoxical, but treating everyone the same is a part of making every person feel special. The idea is that children and adults deserve the same respect and each interaction flows from that respect first. Characters do not ignore adults, regardless of how many children are around. Likewise, cast members will speak to the children just as easily as they will speak to the adults in a group.
Walt Disney World has its own channels that have shows like “The Must-Dos,” which show guests what they shouldn’t miss at the parks and a show that highlights the Disney Vacation Club.
The commercials are structured to touch the heart strings and to make people laugh. Everything is geared to making people happy and giving them a good time.
Because Walt Disney World is so large, employing 64,000 people in the Orlando area, the people who are part of the corporate communications framework could never communicate everything to those stakeholders outside the company that are important to communicate. A majority of the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the company’s front line employees.
The strongest message that the company wants to communicate is that the individual person who is visiting the park is the most important person there. That means that every person’s visit needs to be made special. Buttons that people can wear are a part of the experience because they let every cast member recognize that person.
It may seem paradoxical, but treating everyone the same is a part of making every person feel special. The idea is that children and adults deserve the same respect and each interaction flows from that respect first. Characters do not ignore adults, regardless of how many children are around. Likewise, cast members will speak to the children just as easily as they will speak to the adults in a group.
Walt Disney World has its own channels that have shows like “The Must-Dos,” which show guests what they shouldn’t miss at the parks and a show that highlights the Disney Vacation Club.
The commercials are structured to touch the heart strings and to make people laugh. Everything is geared to making people happy and giving them a good time.