Disney to synchronize data to get a better picture of customers
The Walt Disney Co. has an immense amount of data on its customers across all its business units and is now starting to synchronize the data to meet better the customer’s means and the company’s commercial means, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro said during the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media & Communications Conference.
Disney has spent significant investments in software and technology. “We have a reservation system that we put in place, which helps us better predict who’s going to be in the park and how to manage that most effectively,” D’Amaro said.
The tools that were implemented during the pandemic have “been exceptionally productive for us from an economic uncertainty perspective,” he said.
“You know, I don’t think anybody’s completely immune to a recession. We certainly wouldn’t be. But the commercial tools that we have in place right now will allow us to navigate a lot more aggressively and precisely than we have in the past,” D’Amaro said.
The tools help Disney know who is coming to the pars and when they are coming. “That allows us to plan our labor much more aggressively. We can be a lot more precise in targeting consumers and how we think about promotions and price offerings, etc.”
Now, as Christine McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, pointed out last week at the SVB MoffettNathanson Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, Disney is going to start leveraging Disney+ data with theme park investments
According to D’Amaro, there is “quite a bit of work going on right now to synchronize the data from each of the businesses together” so Disney can find out if a person is interested in ESPN, a Marvel franchise fan, how many times the person has been to the theme parks. Disney plans to bring that data together so the company can “talk to you in a much more progressive way that meets your needs and meets our commercial needs. There’s a huge benefit to bringing that data together.
When asked when this will begin, D’Amaro said It’s essentially starting to happen right now and Disney will continue to build on the technology.
