Three Cast Members Connect with Guests by Pin Trading, Photo: Offbeat Training LLC

Can anyone beat Wal-Mart on price? Not usually. Those big box stores have deep pockets. They can always lower their price until you are out of business. When cost is the primary purchasing factor, price becomes paramount and the low-price leader wins. When emotion is the primary purchasing factor, the experience becomes precious, and price becomes irrelevant. As Walt Disney explained, “Others hit the intellect. We hit the emotion. Those who appeal to the intellect only appeal to a very limited group.”

The way to win, therefore, is to deliver an experience so engaging that people want to return for more, regardless of price. Although technology, attractions, food or entertainment are important aspects of that experience, the most important element is the connection between the employees and customers. It is through those personal connections that commodity becomes experience, and experience becomes memorable.

Disney has, over the years, gained a clear understanding of what is required to connect emotionally with its guests. In this article, and the next two to follow, we will examine some of the techniques the Mouse House uses to connect emotionally with their guests, beginning with  Touch Point Tools.

Walt Disney World has identified specific Touch Points where guests and cast members are likely to intersect. Every one of those Touch Points has been orchestrated for maximum emotional impact. Tools for enhancing each interaction have been devised, trained, and delivered.

• Name tag personalization – Cast name tags are personalized with hometown, favorite movie, favorite character, or other information relevant to the Walt Disney World marketing campaign of the year. These bits of information help cast and guests relate to each other at a personal level.
• Training ribbons – Cast members in training wear 'Earning My Ears' ribbons. The ribbon communicates that the cast member is still learning his or her role and provides a vehicle for conversation.
• Transportation trading cards – Baseball inspired trading cards featuring the boats, trams, and monorails in the Walt Disney World fleet. They were created so that transportation cast members could give them to guests as collectable keepsakes.
• Passports – At Epcot, in alignment with its World Showcase of countries, children can get a ‘passport’ stamped at every ‘country’ they visit. Passports are customized for special events, especially Epcot’s Flower and Garden and Food and Wine Festival offerings. Each time the guest gets a passport stamped, there is a chance for a cast-guest connection and conversation.
• Pin trading – Cast members wear lanyards loaded with pins commemorating Disney Company characters, movies, TV shows, theme parks and attractions. Guests can trade any pin of their own for any pin on the cast member’s lanyard. The cast member lanyards and the pins on them are company issued and worn as a part of the cast member’s costume. Pin trading has become so popular that guests often show off their pins to cast members. The cast members then use the trading transaction as an opportunity to make a personal connection.
• Clothing and Logos - Cast members are also taught to comment positively on the items of clothing a guest is wearing, especially if the guest is wearing clothing with a logo on it. A guest wearing a sports team cap, for example, might be asked how that sports team is doing. A man with a bright orange jacket might be asked if he’s a Florida orange grower. A woman wearing earrings might be complimented on the uniqueness of the jewelry. Whatever the clothing item, the cast member delivers comments that compliment and relate to the guest.

All of these activities spark conversations that lead to emotional connections. Do you, in your workplace, provide ways to begin conversations? Although you don’t likely have a theme park at your disposal, you can still do things to open up conversations. Personalizing your nametag, decorating your desk, placing a candy bowl nearby, and commenting positively on what people are wearing are all touch point tools that can get your conversations started.

In our next snap, we will share another Disney trick for emotional connections: Magic Moments.