What Disney World Can Learn From Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is the most famous person in the world, and has had a massive economic impact as female consumers have fueled her success. It’s only natural for Walt Disney World and other businesses to wonder what lessons they can learn from the “Summer of Women” and “Swiftonomics.”
During her Eras Tour, Taylor Swift tapped into the spending power of women eager to splurge on in-person communal experiences, travel, and seeing their idol live. The singer-songwriter, named by Forbes the second-richest woman in the U.S. music industry, smashed records for ticket prices, crowds of fans and revenues.
The Federal Reserve stated that Swift’s tour helped stimulate travel and tourism. The resiliency of consumers attending is said to be a contributor to inflation. The Eras Tour could generate up to $4.6 billion in consumer spending for the U.S. economy in total. You’ve almost certainly seen countless headlines about Taylor Swift’s economic impact and record-breaking success of pretty much everything she’s done. None of this is really news at this point, nor is it related to Disney. But stick with me…
Late 2025 Update
Since we first published this article two years ago, there have been a couple of major developments. The most recent is that a new Taylor Swift display has arrived at Walt Disney Presents in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, bringing three original costumes from the Eras Tour to Walt Disney World. The limited-time exhibit at DHS ties to the launch of the new Disney+ ‘End of an Era’ Taylor Swift docu-series.
In and of itself, this is not particularly noteworthy. It is kind of odd to have a Taylor Swift costume display in Walt Disney Presents, but this has become something of a flex space over the years. This is just the biggest stretch for the space. Perhaps these costumes should’ve gone elsewhere. And not just due to their thematic fit. Moreso due to overwhelming demand.
Walt Disney Presents is now reportedly opening during Early Entry at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which is because it’s become one of the most popular attractions in the park since Swift’s original costumes debuted.
It’s not just the longer hours–the demand is undeniable, as evidenced by an organized line through the display. Not even the debut of the Tropical Americas model a month ago moved the needle on the popularity of Walt Disney Presents like this!
The sky-high popularity of a simple costume display proves pretty unequivocally that a Taylor Swift attraction at Walt Disney World would be a smash sensation. Well, about that…
The other, less-recent development since we originally published this article is that Walt Disney World will soon replace rockstars Aerosmith with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets. This was announced about a year ago, so not exactly new-news, and the phased reimagining is now underway in the pre-show. The redone ride will debut in Summer 2026.
This is notable because for a while, we had discussed the prospect of an inevitable Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster reimagining. In assessing the possible replacement candidates, we always ranked “Taylor’s Version” of the roller coaster as among the most likely candidates. (Higher than the Muppets and every other option except Marvel. Looks like we got that one wrong…for now!)
Once Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was taken off the table, we turned our attention to ways that Walt Disney World could “respond” to Epic Universe. Among the most likely candidates? Playing the “Taylor Swift Card.”
Here’s what we most recently wrong about leveraging Disney’s relationship with Swift as a counter to Epic Universe:
Disney spent a reported $75 million to acquire the exclusive streaming rights to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. I’m no math whiz, but that sounds like a lot of money to me. And you know what? It was probably worth every penny for the new Disney+ subs it added.
Love or hate her, there’s no denying Taylor Swift’s popularity–she transcends pop stardom at a level probably not seen since Michael Jackson. This is one attraction overlay that would bring an entirely new audience to Walt Disney World. An attraction featuring Taylor Swift could alone be a legitimate answer to Epic Universe in terms of drawing power, which is sorta depressing…but also accurate.
As for what this could be–your guess is as good as mine. The last time the world had this big of a pop star, Disney brought in George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola and made Captain EO with him and a bunch of space Muppet kinda critters. George Lucas seems to have plenty of free time and Francis Ford Coppola needs some money now that Megalopolis has bombed, so maybe we can get Captain ShE-O out of this.
As a huge Muppets fan who is largely indifferent to Taylor Swift (her music is perfectly fine; I’m not a fan nor am I hater), it’s still baffling to me that we’re getting a Muppets takeover of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster as opposed to “Taylor’s Version” of the ride. It’s just so obvious, and such a marketable addition to an attraction that’s already an E-Ticket.
On the other hand, the popularity of the costume exhibit at Walt Disney Presents would seem to prove that a Taylor Swift attraction doesn’t have to be anything truly special to have immense drawing power. So perhaps a 3D film at EPCOT or (better yet) Disney’s Hollywood Studios would do the trick. There are underutilized locations in both parks that could work.
Bigger Picture Lessons Disney Can Learn from Taylor Swift
Zooming out, there’s another lesson that Walt Disney World can learn, and it’s not about the need for a Taylor Swift attraction (although that wouldn’t hurt).
The bigger story is about the dominance of women as consumers. Swift’s success and the summer of women is not a one-off; it’s the culmination of economic and demographic shifts that have been under way for a decade or more, due to women having children later in life (if at all), female wage increases, and shifting household gender roles.
Median weekly earnings for women in full-time and salaried roles have climbed 30% over the last five years to $1,076 in the third quarter of this year, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workforce participation among women ages 25 to 54 increased to 78% this year per BLS stats, up from 74.5% a decade earlier, while the percentage of women with children under 18 who work also rose during that period.
This is notable not just because it’s an all-time record, but because it quickly reversed the growing gender and parental status gap that emerged during 2020. If current trend-lines hold, expect that record to be broken again in 2026.
Women are not simply making ‘traditional’ decisions about purchasing products and services for their families. They are now using their growing purchasing power for discretionary spending on things and experiences specifically for themselves. Their power as consumers, as exhibited above, is still underappreciated by many companies.
For over a year, I’ve had a post in draft titled, “Are Demographics Disney’s Destiny?” (The answer is yes.) Then came the massive successes of those concert tours and Barbenheimer. Then I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, “Women Own This Summer. The Economy Proves It.”
During the last decade, Walt Disney World invested heavily in Star Wars and Marvel. This is completely understandable. These were colossal acquisitions for the company, absolutely massive franchises, and neither had much of a presence in Walt Disney World prior to the last 5 years. Not only that, but the parks arguably lacked offerings that appealed to those core demos.
It made sense to spend an estimated $1 billion-plus on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and several hundreds of millions of dollars on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. You could say hindsight’s 20/20, but it probably was less savvy to drop several hundreds of millions of dollars on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. But whatever.
The point is that the biggest attractions and lands added to Walt Disney World during the last round of expansion were Star Wars and Marvel. I’m hesitant to draw broad generalizations based on stereotypes–anyone can like anything–but these are male-centric properties in terms of consumership. If you love them and you’re not a male, that’s fantastic! But the above conclusion doesn’t require stereotypes–we have statistics.
Survey after survey shows a gender gap in Star Wars fandom, with about a 60/40 split at the casual level and a deeper divide among the seriously invested. The numbers are closer with Marvel, but also murkier–different surveys cover comics and the MCU, while some lump the two together.
Nevertheless, MCU audiences are majority-male and millennial. (Marvel’s biggest problem, at least according to the data, is disinterest among Gen Z.) Even Avatar is slightly more popular with men based on box office receipts, which is another big addition from Walt Disney World’s last development cycle.
One lesson that can be learned from Taylor Swift is that women have a massive amount of purchasing power. It makes financial sense to meet these consumers where they are and offer distinct entertainment aimed at them, rather than simply attempting to make male-centric media more appealing to women, too. Casting a wider net can make sense, but so too can using different nets entirely.
As it relates to Walt Disney World, this is interesting because the template for such an approach already exists: Tokyo Disneyland. Japan has long been contending with an aging and shrinking population, along with fears that it’d fall off a ‘demographic cliff.’
Japan has served as a cautionary tale for other countries (or preview of the future) for the last few decades. Since peaking in the late 1980s, Japan has endured multiple ‘lost decades’ of economic stagnation and a shrinking workforce. A third of Japanese people are now over 60 years old, and Japan has the oldest population in the world due to that and a low birth rate.
How Tokyo Disneyland grapples with this has been a topic of countless academic pieces, articles, books, and OLC executive interviews. One big way is Tokyo DisneySea, which was built and originally marketed as a mature foil to Tokyo Disneyland. This is evident both in its core designs and the more adult early advertisements.
More significantly, Tokyo Disneyland aggressively attempts to appeal to women. OLC long ago recognized that its guest profile was predominantly female–a number that has been 70-78% of guests in the last decade. Children make up a relatively small percentage of guests–10% to 17% in the last decade.
In particular, Tokyo Disneyland is tremendously popular among Japan’s young full-time working women, many of whom have plenty of disposable income. These women “have become a major target market, with unique ‘cultural styles of consumption and self-expression,'” according to Harvard Magazine. “One such style is burikko, or pretending (buri) to act like a child (ko). Another is kawaii, or ‘cute.’ Together, these behavioral codes create the favorite expressive idiom…kawaiiko burikko, or pretending to be a cute child.”
Just about every unique wrinkle of Tokyo Disney Resort and decision made by OLC is with the young working woman demographic in mind. The Duffy Phenomenon, seasonal offerings, ticket types, and which attractions have been greenlit and which have not. Although OLC has never offered a formal explanation as to why they passed on Cars Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, or any number of other recent expansion proposals they’ve been pitched, its guest profile is undoubtedly a big reason why.
This is why Tokyo Disneyland greenlit Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, Happy Ride with Baymax, Mickey’s Magical Music World, and Minnie’s Style Studio. With less than 10% of guests being under the age of 11 in its most recent guest profile report, it’s probably safe to say these attractions are not actually aimed at small children.
It’s a similar story with Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea. This new area is themed to Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan, with attractions that are mostly boat rides. All kid-friendly rides…that are not aimed at actual children. We’ve spent extensive time in the new land, parking a stroller and perusing the gift shop there many times. It’s very obvious that our daughter is not the target audience.
It would be reductionist to say that all of this is aimed exclusively at women. Kawaii culture is big across demographics in Japan, “Danshi Disney” (boys’ trips) are growing in popularity, there’s also the aforementioned aging population to consider in developing new attractions–and much more. But the numbers speak for themselves, and there’s little denying that OLC is building with its visitor stats front-of-mind.
To some extent, Walt Disney World is also doing this. Many of Walt Disney World’s most successful and lucrative merchandising initiatives–Spirit Jerseys, Loungefly, Pandora charms, color trends, ear headbands–have skewed towards millennial women with disposable income. So they’ve at least learned from the Tokyo Disney Resort merchandising team!
The main lesson that should be learned by Walt Disney World from Swift is that this demographic is powerful, and catering to it with merchandise alone is small-scale. It’s also arguably superficial, skimming more money from guests who already visit instead of capturing new ones. No first-timer is planning a trip to Walt Disney World for the release of a new Spirit Jersey. Some would if their favorite film turned into a ride.
As you’ve likely heard, Disney has Plans to Invest $60 Billion in Walt Disney World, Disneyland & Beyond. That’s a tremendous amount of money that’ll be dumped into Walt Disney World over the course of the next decade. Thus far, it means new lands and attractions themed to Villains, Cars, Monsters, Indiana Jones, Encanto & more. There are also reimagined rides, new entertainment, dining, and more.
In the second half of the 10-year plan, a very sensible thing would be building lands or attractions that appeal to millennial women. Basing new lands and attractions on movies from the Disney Renaissance that were popular when they were kids would be an optimal approach. I would’ve argued for this years ago–Swift’s success just further vindicates it.
This demographic has purchasing power and childhood nostalgia, and is going to be a strong consumer for years to come during their prime earning years. This is precisely why Walt Disney World has doubled-down on building bars and other experiences appealing to millennials, meet & greet characters from the 1990s, etc. (Jollywood Nights is a prime example of a mix of these approaches in action.)
It’s not just women, either. I’d hazard a guess that there’s a fair amount of crossover appeal and sentimentality for most Disney Renaissance-era and more recent Disney and Pixar movies. It’s also not just single women, men, or couples–although those are huge, growing demographics to which Disney should be doing more to cater (see Japan as a preview of the future). Millennial parents undoubtedly want to share their favorite films and characters with their kids, too.
It’s absolutely wild that there are no real rides for Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan or Tarzan at Walt Disney World (especially the first three entries on that list). That could likely be extended to include Lilo & Stitch, The Emperor’s New Groove, The Incredibles, Tangled, Up, and other Disney and Pixar films from the aughts.
This is not to say Walt Disney World should exclusively target these “older” intellectual properties for its expansion plans. For a number of reasons beyond the scope of this post (including demographics!), it makes sense to add more Moana, Coco, Inside Out, Frozen, Zootopia, and more recent releases from the Disney+ era.
It’s completely understandable that Disney would want to build attractions from active franchises that move merchandise and perform well in terms of key metrics, like minutes streamed. But the argument for building these attractions doesn’t need to be made. It’s self-evident; it’s the default.
It’s crazy that this even needs to be written. Peter Pan’s Flight and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, rides based on movies that are over a half-century old, have among the highest wait times in Magic Kingdom. Current box office, minutes streamed, or merchandise sales are hardly conclusive of attraction popularity or drawing power. I don’t know which executive needs to hear this, but Disney+ and Walt Disney World are two very different things!
A final lesson that Walt Disney World could learn from Taylor Swift, and perhaps this is the bigger one is that people crave communal, in-person experiences. The good news is that this is exactly what Walt Disney World is–and the enduring popularity of this type of ‘tentpole’ activity could be part why the company plans to invest $60 billion into Parks & Resorts.
Nevertheless, it bears mentioning because Walt Disney World has spent the last decade-plus making the communal activity of theme parks less so in ways big and little. The Play Disney Parks app, for example, takes guests at least partially out of the tactile world and into the virtual one. Then, of course, there’s the suite of features in the My Disney Experience app that cause guests to bury their faces in their phones.
Look, I’m not a technophobe. Features like Mobile Order, Walkup Waitlist, and more are fantastic (and potentially important for an aging population!). But there’s a delicate balance. I don’t know exactly where that is, but the pendulum has swung too far towards technology, and things like the Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses are exactly the wrong solution.
Walt Disney World should lean more into its core quality as a communal, in-person experience. This is something that people are going to crave more and more as an antidote to the ever-increasingly virtual and isolated media landscape. Guests will still be on their phones–that’s the nature of the beast–but don’t try to compete with or add to that. Let them spend that time as they will, on social media creating content that generates more FOMO for the parks!
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Your Thoughts
Do you think there are any lessons that Walt Disney World could learn from Taylor Swift? Agree or disagree with our commentary about demographics and catering more towards millennial women? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
This was incredibly well written and fun to read.
Tom, can you please write an article about Disney’s Lorcana and the Upper Deck lawsuit? Disney essentially has the “impossible to find” gift of the season in Lorcana. The eBay prices are outrageous as a lot of people have been investing in collecting the cards. However, the legal battle is hard to understand. Your coverage of the FL Governor vs. Disney was amazing. I am hoping you can shed the same light on this.
As the dad of a pre-teen girl who is obsessed with both Taylor Swift and Disney content, I feel like Taylor’s superpower is the way she cultivates her audience through an authentic love and deep appreciation for “Swifties”. They can trust her to remain her authentic self, and that their fandom won’t be humiliated when it’s revealed Taylor’s true nature is hidden behind a calculated facade.
Whereas, on Disney’s side it’s similarly clear that most of the golden age and renaissance classics were made with heart and great affection for their audience. Disneyland (and to a lesser extent WDW) itself has that same “authenticity” — even in a park that’s literally full of facades. But modern minds (even 7th graders) can sense when the Panderstone has been activated. Unlike many serial complainers, my daughter is totally on board with the TYPES of messages Disney has been conveying in recent projects, but she doesn’t connect with films/IP that feel like they’re “engineered by committee” for her demographic. She can sense calculation vs. heart — yeah, she’ll still watch the calculated content, but won’t “bond” with it.
So while I completely agree that Disney should be focusing on women, and on communal experiences, I think the real lesson from Taylor Swift is to get back to the core foundation of storytelling and imagineering from the HEART.
That’s a big (and nebulous?) ask, and I feel like the only way to make it work is to recommit to embracing the “auteur” concept for films/attractions. Almost without fail, when you know the NAME(s) of the person or team who put their heart into movie or a ride (for decades that name was “Walt”), that’ll be on the list of classic/iconic films or attractions. This is the same with Taylor Swift’s output — regardless of whether you enjoy it, and even if she curates her narrative for the broadest appeal, there’s no debate that it all starts and ends with her and her heart.
Great comment!
I grew up with the late 50’s , 60’s Disney movies, tv shows and love all the stuff that came under Walt’s guiding hand. However I also love all the “Renaissance” movies starting with Little Mermaid and the 90’s. The bottom line here is quality. The 2000’s had some good stuff too then picked up with Princess and the Frog, Frozen, etc.
True Disney fans will come for all of that regardless of their age. So yeah I agree with new rides, lands, entertainment featuring all that great material.
Men / women?
One thing I do know is that happily married men will go to something they normally wouldn’t go to because the wife wants them to. And often we find we had a better time than we expected. Like a quilt show. Who would have thought those quilts would be so impressive and beautiful. The odds of hearing a guy say, “Hey Tom, there’s a quilt show down at the Church. Some of the guys are going. You in?” are slim.
I’ve heard plenty of stories about how women forced hubby to go to WDW or their husband did it for the wife and kids and ended up enjoying themselves. I’ve never heard it the other way around.
Men know better than to take their wives or girlfriends to something they won’t enjoy. My wife’s done accompanying me to Mets games or Godzilla movies. I know there’s a Met’s joke in there but you won’t get it from me.
So your assertion that Disney should add attractions that appeal to younger folks and the ladies can’t hurt.
Actually there’s plenty of stuff at each Park to attract all sexes. My wife could care less about Star Wars and Marvel but LOVES Toy Story land and everything else in HS.
Just make quality entertainment. And plenty of it.
Excellent points.
Some might say the Mets and Godzilla have a lot in common. Well, if Godzilla were doing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage to himself.
Just arrived home from taking my son and WIFE to see Godzilla Minus One. My second viewing and their first. Yes, you read that right, my wife went.
After seeing it for the first time by myself, on an IMAX screen, I knew even my wife would enjoy this Godzilla because the human story is just that good. Tonight we watched it on your typical regular sized movie screen and GOD(zilla) it was just as terrific. In fact, second time around was even better.
As for Carolyn? She had to admit she liked it.
There may be hope for the Mets yet!
As an older Gern X-er, every time you list the Renaissance movies that have no attractions in the park, I am flabbergasted. Makes me want to get in line to be the next CEO. What a crazy amount of missed opportunities.
Fans today think we have it rough, but it’s easy to forget that most of Eisner’s ambitious plans for a “Disney Decade” in the 1990s were abandoned due to the EuroDisney debacle. It took a long time for ambitious additions to be built after that, and it’s also why every Disney-funded park built in the late 1990s or early aughts was underfunded and only a half-day park at opening.
With that said, I am surprised that none of the major additions from the recent round of expansion were from the Renaissance era. (Unless you count New Fantasyland as part of the recent round.)
Mostly tend to agree on this, even though I think it’s hard to paint so many issues with such a broad brush.
One nit to pick with your assertion: “Love or hate her–and it’s usually one of the extremes.” I think the majority like her fine and know a few songs and think there are some good ones. I would say that maybe 5% (or less) of the population truly LOVE or HATE her. But like many other things today, the fringes get amplified all out of whack, and media want you to pick a side in The Great Swifty War. So there’s a clear divide between the crazy tails of the bell curve, and if you’re even slightly nearer one end, you get put into the LOVE/HATE camp, because this is war, dammit.
It’s a trap worth avoiding when you possible.
This is very wise advice, and completely accurate.
(Well, I don’t think only 5% of the population loves Taylor Swift–I’m guessing that percentage is actually much higher. But your point still stands.)
We’re in 80% agreement but here’s what I’d add.
I think another huge driver of Taylor is – identity. You allude to it – post pandemic people are looking for ways of mass connection but often in a safe and comforting way. People want to demonstrate their sincere fandom alongside like minded people. It’s why we all wear Disney merch. It becomes who we ‘are’ and enables us to meet others like ‘us’ (even if there are millions of ‘us’!).
I think there’s also something in safety. We live in a supremely troubling world and these experiences are quite comforting.
I love your journalism but I do cringe whenever I read about male interests vs female interests. I think the key part is -society enables women to express many of these interests whereas men are less able. It also gets confused to me when we try and apply this Male vs Female thing to Universal IP like Super Mario – I doubt there’s such a split.
In addition, are huge numbers of queer Disney fans (I honestly believe Disneyland could sell Pride Nite six times over at least) and I find the gender binary thing a bit reductive. Easier to say- millennials maintain huge passion and interest in things they liked when younger – and will spend a lot of money on them.
Great point about identity. If anything, that’s another reason why Disney could apply these lessons: the company has a similar cohort of fans.
I think there are plenty of interests that don’t have much of a gender split. Increasingly, Mario is probably one of those. (Although there was a time when video games were “for boys,” but I doubt that’s the case any longer.) But I do think there are plenty of interests where that breakdown does exist, and it can be worth noting. That’s not the same as endorsing its existence or putting people in boxes.
Wow – fantastic article Tom! As an older female Millenial (xennial?) with 3 young kids, this really hit home. I love riding Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom because of the full nostalgia for me. That’s a prime example of what Disney means to me and I’m transported straight to my childhood. While my kids don’t necessarily watch the Disney Renaissance era films super frequently, they know ALL the soundtracks. Because how could you not sing and dance to those? Music is such a magical component of Disney. I’m always surprised at the lack of Renaissance era rides. Also, I saw your earlier comment about seeing Elton John in concert. While I’m a little old to be a “Swifty,” Elton John was also my last concert. Incredible!
this seriously needs a TL, DR summary for people who care exactly zero percent about pop stars.
Start with “The bigger story is about the dominance of women as consumers.” Basically, after going so hard after boys that Rapunzel and the Snow Queen got renamed Tangled and Frozen, and every other major company decision was focused only on pursuing boys and men, Disney needs to recalibrate.
Yup. a Tangled attraction somewhere, a Beauty and the Beast ride in HS Animation Courtyard, and a new show in an enclosed Theater of the Stars.
I’m 74. I hope to.manage one more trip to Disneyworld. I first went in 1990. We were stationed in Japan from 94-2001, and hit Tokyo Disneyland, where the kids decided I had to be the one to kill the villain in the Villain Section in the castle. I had a hero’s medal to prove it. Or did until movers stole everything that did not fit in the car. Instead of a vacation, we spent the next 8 years,replacing furniture, clothes, etc.
As soon as I walk in, I become a very old child. The magic never ended for me.
Millennial woman with kids here, who stayed at the Galactic Starcruiser and went to the Eras tour (no I’m not made of money, I managed to luck out with the presale lottery and got tickets at retail). I would argue that they have more in common than you would think, in terms of being communal experiences where everyone around you is deeply immersed in the same storytelling. I’m crushed the Starcruiser closed but couldn’t have less interest in any of the new Marvel movies and shows, I can’t keep up with it all anymore and I don’t want to. Guardians is a fantastic coaster but I would argue the music and the amazing track design does a lot of the heavy lifting – if it stripped out the Marvel theming I wouldn’t care.
I think your points about 90s era Disney renaissance films are true, but I also think they need a brand new IP. Something Avatar or Harry Potter level, but with a strong woman (or group of women/girls) at the heart of the story.
And maybe if they’re gonna retheme Rock and Rollercoaster and not make it Muppets, they could feature some legendary all-girl or woman-fronted rock bands, like Blondie, Tina Turner, etc. I like the idea of making it The Great Movie coaster the best, but there are a lot of legendary women who could be included if it was like a journey through rock history instead of focusing on one band with a problematic lead singer.
Such an interesting article! Would love the idea of more “evergreen” attractions for movies I grew up on as a millennial mother who works full time with money to burn! (LOL) I also feel like they need to bring in more millennial women to consult on merchandising.. there have been many times I’ve visited the parks with a desire to purchase merch and just can’t find something I like… I’ve walked out of stores empty handed when I would have spent money if there were more products that interested me. (But I’ve spent plenty on Etsy sellers/small businesses who do a better job at creating more relevant items)
“I also feel like they need to bring in more millennial women to consult on merchandising…”
Okay, I’m going to “defend” Disney on this one…
They need to consult more real people, period on merchandising. It’s not just a products for women thing–it’s everyone with eyes and taste. I can’t count the number of times I’ve looked at stuff and thought, “who is this for?!?” And it’s not just me being out of touch–I’m routinely vindicated by all these weird product lines sitting untouched in gift shops and showing up at the outlets.
I feel like they’re doing a pretty good job with the Spirit Jerseys, Loungefly bags, color trends, etc. Perhaps all of that trends a bit younger than millennials, though.
I am with you Gabby. I have wanted to purchase items at both Disneyland and Disney World that last several years. I have come away with a couple of items. We have purchased many more items on Etsy or vintage items on Ebay. I am specifically thinking about t-shirts for adults. Why do so many have to be the darker or boring colors. Give us more great attraction t-shirts. Love BTM but does it always have to be brown? I saw a vintage one on Ebay and it had the fab 5 on BTM. It was so cute. We have gone into the stores and thought “why would people buy this”? I agree the Loungefly items are cute and I enjoy looking at them but they are not something I would use. I also think, perhaps, so many retailers now have a license for Disney and they have better/nicer/more attractive items. Particularly, Hallmark.
Missed opportunity, Tom!
“Who run the world? Girls.” –Queen Bey
I’ve been obsessively reading your blog for a few months as I’m planning a first Disney World trip for my daughter (thank you – such a wonderful resource!) We are both Swifties who attended the Eras Tour this year. So obviously love this article. I can’t say much about Disney as we’ve never been but I wanted to highlight that for us the communal aspect of the Eras Tour was what made it so special. In particular we loved trading friendship bracelets and bought SO MANY BEADS (to quote Time: “Friendship bracelets traded by her fans at concerts became a hot accessory, with one line in a song causing as much as a 500% increase in sales at craft stores.”) There was an anticipation about the concert in the weeks leading up to us going as we made our bracelets. And then there were so many sweet interactions with other fans on the day of the concert we traded them. I’m don’t how this would translate to Disney at all, but to use a word I see used a lot: those small friendly interactions we had with others who were just as excited as us to be at a (very expensive, crowded) event were simply “magical.”
Great insight!
I read a couple articles about the friendship bracelet phenomenon. Really interesting stuff. That’s the type of organic thing that I don’t really think you can manufacture, but I do think Disney has quasi version of that with families making matching shirts, decorating their hotel room windows, pin trading, etc. Obviously not even on remotely the same scale, though.
In general, Walt Disney World could benefit tremendously by improving the communal quality of the parks and removing the (artificial, technological) barriers that keep guests and Cast Members isolated. That alone could do wonders to improve the vibe.
Fabulous analysis! I am a Gen X female, married to and older Gen X man, with Boomer/Silent Generation parents, and Gen Alpha kids we had late in life, traveled to WDW with my Millennial cousins in 1996 for the 25th anniversary.
We (parents) are fans, and our daughter is a major Swifty! Son, a mild fan of the music but not into the hype. I/we are Star Wars/Avengers fans, but it gets old with the never-ending orb/cube/stones of power and alien baddies battling superheroes. Plus, there’s not a ton of humor to get you through all 30 of the Marvel movies and spinoffs. The best of Disney and Pixar are FUNNY and make you remember happy moments, not a sweet Spiderman being turned to ash in Tony Stark’s arms. The kids and us ‘rents are always quoting the funny stuff — “Wrong lever! Why do we even HAVE that lever?” and every time we enter the Emporium, it’s going to cost us big “Buck, buck, bucks!” Our kids did a mini singalong at home to “Nobody Like U,” and my husband often jokingly threatens that “The foot is down, the foot is DOWN!”
The merchandise that sells for Star Wars is all the Han/Leia “I love you — I know” stuff and cute Baby Yoda/Mandelorian stuff, not Thanos snapping his fingers after killing Gamora with unlimited power. Yes, Disney, lean IN to the fun and somewhat girlie, and let’s also feature boys in that puberty range with humor and sweetness like Mei Mei.
Why can’t they come up with a quasi competitive/team scavenger hunt meetup for the kids our just groups? Daytime hours, hunt World Showcase for the Spike/Olaf/Remi for the kids and get a cool special pin/ears/sipper, and for the adults at night a voucher for a cool snack and cocktail/pin/ears/Loungefly. Yes, make it interactive and NOT on the phone. We did the Eras movie since we couldn’t get/afford tickets, and our daughter was dancing and singing with strange women/adult fans for THREE HOURS, LOL. Get the princesses out of their boring meet and greets behind a paywall/Genie+ lane and get them meandering like Disneyland. More Grogu/Mandelorian in the parks and Storm Troopers wandering around like before. Get us Mossy, dammit! How freaking cute is that guy? Speaking of which, our kids LOVE the fake baby T-Rex/raptor that the park ranger “feeds” and shows off for the dino meet and greet over at Universal. It’s a puppet, people, but it’s engagement with the fans/audience/live people not on their phones.
Yes, more communal experiences that engage and charm fans, please.
as a millennial woman Swiftie who has read your blog religiously for over 5 years and just returned from a trip to Tokyo I’m finding it hard to believe this article wasn’t AI generated to appeal to my specific interests. Needless to say I agree with your points and hope Disney goes this direction! I’m also hoping that opening photo is proof you and Sarah and megatron attended the eras tour!
“I’m also hoping that opening photo is proof you and Sarah and megatron attended the eras tour!”
LOL, it is not. That’s the concert movie poster. We are not Swifties. I think she’s incredibly fascinating from a business perspective, and I respect the high-level at which she performs, but I don’t love her music enough to justify the concert ticket prices. (I do like it, though!)
It’s been a while since we’ve been to a concert, but the last performer we saw was Elton John. I’ve been to several Bob Dylan shows, and Paul McCartney is my ‘bucket list’ concert. That probably gives an idea of what type of music is more my speed.
Has Megatron made her Disney Park debut yet?
“Millennial parents undoubtedly want to share their favorite films and characters with their kids, too.”
Exactly this. This is a really interesting article. If Disney were to build a Tangled attraction (not just a bathroom), its line would make folks long for the good old days of Peter Pan wait times. And the stories millennial women love are not just for them — they are teaching their kids to love those stories so Disney would have built-in demand from both a nostalgia generation and one of the youngest current Disney generations. As so many readers have expressed, Disney really needs you onboard as a consultant.
“As so many readers have expressed, Disney really needs you onboard as a consultant.”
The current ‘arrangement’ is probably the best for everyone: they have access to free consulting should they so desire, and I’m not subject to corporate politics or bureaucracy. There’s no way I could handle actually working for Disney. I know what it’s like and I have no interest.
Very interesting, unique, and well-thought out analysis. This is the kind of article only Tom could write! A great read.
Two of my favorite subjects!!! Loved this article. I agree with so much of it. I will say that I love the idea of some of those nostalgic movies, but my kids less so. I know the point of your article was more for the women without kids so that doesn’t factor in to it.
They could even do an epic ride that was a mash up of those old movies and I bet the line would be super long all the time.
“I know the point of your article was more for the women without kids so that doesn’t factor in to it.”
It doesn’t not factor into it, either. As Tokyo Disneyland demonstrates, there’s a good amount of overlap. There’s also overlap between women without children and those with.
Above all else, the point is that women without kids is an emerging demographic that’s only going to become more powerful as a consumer. Walt Disney World should do something to capture their money beyond just making Spirit Jerseys, etc. In so doing, they’ll capture plenty of other demos, too.
Thank YOU SO MUCH, Tom. I delete, avoid, and ignore the diahretic (is that a word…) coverage of Taylor Swift…and NOW you insert her into my beloved Disney news????
I’m gonna fly like Tinkerbell – without the safety harness… yep.. gonna do it 😉