Epic Room Round Up

So it's time to bring this room review baby home.

I think you've got the message that when you stay at a Disney hotel you can have the fully immersive experience and stay in room unlike any other. And of course, you realised that Disney wasn't going to just leave it alone with Pirates - didn't you?

So let's wrap up accommodations for now with an Epic Room Roundup!

Disney have jumped into this room theming idea with both feet and here's a quick look at the whole lot:

Royal 'Princess' rooms at the Port Orleans Resort

Wellbeing rooms at the Contemporary Resort:

With sustainable bamboo flooring, 100% cotton linen, rainwater showerheads and your personal use cardio equipment. Yoga classes will be available in the Wellness Studio

A Haunted Mansion Room, (this is another example of Disney turning an attraction into a movie):

Apparently the bathroom is secretly hidden behind the bookcase!

If you happen to be going to Disneyland, Anaheim, you can stay in the Mickey Mouse room:

The Fairytale Suite:

The Adventureland Suite:

and my favourite: The Big Thunder Mountain Railway Suite (I wonder if there is a movie in planning?)

Apparently the door bell sounds of howling wolves

I'm sure I've seen Clint Eastwood in that bath

Now the poor Tokyo Disney Resort, for all it's real Italian marble, hasn't quite kept up. So they took another route and introduced a seasonal overlay for Easter this year:

If the chocolate eggs don't cause cavities, the sweetness of this room will.

Now I think this is bringing a new dimension to the rooms - guests would want to return at different times of the year to see the different overlays. Can you imagine Christmassy Pirates?


So where would you sleep? If you could have your dream themed room, what would it be?


all photos from Walt Disney Company and the Oriental Land Company

Yo ho yo ho a pirate's bed for me ...

Used to be that you'd make a film, and if it was successful you'd sell some matching merchandise. When Uncle Walt decided to build Disneyland he took merchandising to a whole new level - with a matching ride attraction! (sorry - gotta get my Disney lingo correct). 

"What youngster has not dreamed of flying with Peter Pan over moonlit London, or tumbling into Alice's nonsensical Wonderland? In Fantasyland, these classic stories of everyone's youth have become realities for youngsters - of all ages - to participate in." Walt Disney (apparently - I can't prove it)

And so Fantasyland has Snow White's Scary Adventure, Peter Pan's Flight, The Mad Tea Party and the iconic Flying Dumbos.

In 2003, Disney turned the formula on its head and instead made a movie based on one of its early and most famous rides: Pirates of the Caribbean.

Added bonus! Gratuitous picture of Johnny Depp for my friend, Penny:

OK - So stories abound on how long it took to get the project off the ground --blah blah --- no one interested in pirates  -- yada yada ---- Johnny Depp makes Jack Sparrow gay and drunk & frightens then Disney CEO, Michael Eisner  -- etc etc -- and SUCCESS and everyone got into the pirate act

So Disney starting thumping the piratey treasure chest pinata and the Disney dollars started raining down.

I thought the method was blindfolded and with a stick, but this kid, much like Disney's approach to merchandising, goes in with a baseball bat

Given, this post is meant to continue our voyage around Walt Disney World Resorts accommodation options, guess what happened next ..... yes ... yes they did .... have a look after the jump

Your Zonta dollars hard at work

Found this short electronic presentation on the ZIF website, giving a quick overview of the ZIF International Project supporting the Fistual Hospital in Liberia.

A good reminder of the strength of the ZIF Projects and why we all contribute

Damaging the Status of Women Worldwide Part II

In my last post I showed examples of advertising targeted at young women with the aim of encouraging alcohol consumption, and then questioned the 'success' of such advertising given the rapid expansion of that market.

One approach is to link alcohol to independence, success, confidence, glamour - and what young woman isn't attracted by those things? (None of my parties are that glam ....  then again I don't drink Jacob's Creek .... that must be the reason!)

And another tactic alcohol companies have taken is to use those appealing stories and imagery to make drinks traditionally favoured by men, like beer, attractive to women. One of my favourites is this ad for Canadian beer, Molson, which was placed in Cosmopolitan magazine in North America:

Puppies.

In continuing with Prof. Jones, we now add a new, modern dimension to this tale.

Social Networking

beyond videos and websites.

The big brands are setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts and interacting directly with their audience. No more hoping someone sees your TV ad and picks your product, from among the many, off the shelf. You can now be 'friends' with your friends AND your favourite bevvie!

The emphasis on "get together with your close friends" was made by Baileys, not me.

The Bailey's Australia Facebook page has 53,829 likes - and Baileys are having direct conversations with these people. I've blanked out the names. Of 61 comments in this thread, 57 were female.

61 comments on this thread and not one negative comment - in fact no negative comments on any of the Facebook pages. How does that happen?

Many of the brands are taking up this approach:
Vodka Cruiser, Adore Midori, Malibu Rum, Absolut Vodka, and just about every other brand I tested.

Yes the brands are taking marketing to their logical extension. It has long been the dream of a product manager to lock in repeat business through building relationship. Cheaper than finding new customers all the time. And social networking has the benefits of being cheap, direct and immediate.

Social media also has the added benefit of not being subject to the advertising code of practice and regulations restricting what is allowed in the public media. Thus through this media marketers can push the boundaries a bit further than usual.

Here is an extreme example of this phenonomen, and nothing to do with alcohol marketing, but it demonstrates what an advertiser can get away with on Youtube that would never been shown on TV. And given it is for Air New Zealand, perhaps it is representative of the acceptability of such practices in corporate settings. Now this stuff doesn't bug me - but viewer discretion is advised. (see how I care for you?)

And that was one of the tame ones. Rico is quite risque. Yet I still share this with you - see how pervasive is this medium?!

So back to alcohol advertising. The other BIG force in advertising is partnerships - hoping the credibility and acceptability from another entity rubs off onto you. The breast cancer research NFPs have been into this area for a long time. Here in Australia, we have seen the NBCC stick it's pink ribbon on airplanes, bottled water, chocolate biscuits, and even oven gloves and washing up sponges. Makes everyone a winner!

Unfortunately, in the US in 2010 the motives of such marketing was called into question and was labelled 'pinkwashing'. I think Steven Colbert summarises the situation quite succinctly (although you have make your way through an earthworm story first). As we all know, behind the humour is a grain of truth.

So in among reports that increasing alcohol comsumption can increase your risk of developing breast cancer, several alcohol companies made deals with various breast cancer research organisations and got access to the 'pink ribbon'. Obviously, this got up the goat of the Breast Cancer Action advocacy group and fueled their 'pinkwashing' campaign. Here in Australia, the National Breast Cancer Foundation has managed to keep it's pink ribbon shop free from such controversy.

Another perfume bottle?

when a bloke's gotta do what a bloke's gotta do ..... or is this for women who wanna drink like blokes? It's as confusing as the nationality of Air NZ's furry bathmat creature

 So after a bit of wandering, let me return to Prof. Jones and some final statistics that will give you pause.

In the UK (Hickley, 2008) there has been a 50% increase in the number of women arrested for drunk and disorderly offences between 2003 - 2007; and women aged 35 - 44 are seven times more likely to die of liver disease than they were 30 years ago.

Data from Australia shows a 200% increase among 18 - 24 yr old females in alcohol related hospital admissions. (Fitzgerald & Jordan, 2009). Australian women rank 3rd in the world (behind Uganda and New Zealand) for negative consequences of drinking (Dietze et al, 2011)

So we have increasing complex and covert marketing of alcohol products aimed directly at young women. We have dramatic increases in the alcohol related incidents and diseases. Some would say the two are linked.  Whatever is happening our young women are being encouraged to buy into an illusive story of glamour that is eventually liver disease or worse.

I am not adverse to the odd drink myself - and I have enjoyed many a bottle of good wine or a fun cocktail with my Zonta friends. Fortunately, I have never met a Zontian I would classify as a binge drinker.

For a Zontian, how does this issue affect the status of young women? What could be an appropriate response from Zontians?

Thank you to Prof. Sandra Jones for most of the content of this post, and to Janette Curtis, D24 Area 2 Director - firstly for arranging the presentation, and for supporting me. I have sourced all examples of advertising content, directly from the brand websites.

Internet Withdrawal Symptoms

Hello avid reader

I have, unfortunately & unexpectedly, found myself without internet access - for a whole week! In the middle of the UNSW Business Campus no less. (what uni won't give internet access??)

I am stealing a bit of time to tell you that I will finish the current thread on Alcohol Marketing to Young Women soon.

Cheers - and enjoy your long weekend.