CEO Bob Chapek has outlined his goals for the next century of The Walt Disney Company in a new memo to Cast Members. He pointed to three specific pillars: storytelling excellence, innovation, and relentless focus on the audience.
Read Chapek’s memo below.
| Team, As we begin the New Year, I want to share our mission and the strategic pillars that will be key to our success—but first, I want to start 2022 on a note of gratitude for all of you, your talent, dedication, and optimism during the most disruptive time in our company’s history. Thanks to you, we are weathering the pandemic and emerging stronger than ever. Over the last two years, we continued to tell the world’s best stories, reorganized, and accelerated our transformation to better serve audiences and guests. We looked inward during a time of social disruption, saw how much was left to do, and made significant change. And of course, we underwent a leadership change—and I am enormously grateful for the tremendous foundation Bob Iger left us. You achieved those things during a once-in-a-century pandemic, and I want to acknowledge those whose roles require them to be in the office or one of our parks, as well as those working from home while managing at-home learning and gaps in childcare. I also appreciate your patience as we begin reopening our offices. Our long-term goal is to provide greater flexibility, and your leaders will be in touch as plans evolve. It’s ironic that this disruption is happening as we prepare to celebrate our company’s 100th anniversary. For nearly a century, we have defined and redefined entertainment, created countless lifelong memories, and delighted fans and families around the world. It’s a legacy that is simply unrivaled—and a welcome responsibility for us to build upon. And so I believe our mission for this year is clear: set the stage for our second century, and ensure Disney’s next 100 years are as successful as our first. To do that, we will focus on three pillars. First, storytelling excellence. What makes Disney so unique is that the stories we tell mean something to people. They inspire, give hope, bring us together, illuminate the world around us, and create memories. That is Disney magic, and we must continue to set the creative bar higher and higher. To that end—and in addition to all my other creative meetings—I am establishing a new standing monthly meeting with our senior creative leaders to discuss the opportunities we face as a storytelling enterprise. This will encourage collaboration, sharing of best practices, and stimulate cross-studio ideation. Second, innovation. Since Steamboat Willie, we have been the world’s foremost innovative storytellers. That must continue as technology evolves, giving our creative teams new canvases like the metaverse on which to paint. We should be especially innovative as we seek to bring stories to life in new ways—particularly if they enhance what many call our “franchise ecosystem,” which is one of the things that sets us apart. And third, relentless focus on our audience. We are a big company with many constituents and stakeholders, all of whom have a place in our decision-making. But at the end of the day, our most important guide—our North Star—is the consumer. Right now, their behavior tells us and our industry that the way they want to experience entertainment is changing—and changing fast thanks to technology and the pandemic. We must evolve with our audience, not work against them. And so we will put them at the center of every decision we make. When you look at the entertainment landscape, I believe Disney stands alone. We have the world’s most creative storytelling engine along with the world’s most beloved brands and franchises—which we can bring to life in ways no one else can. We have a portfolio of distribution platforms across the world—including powerful streaming services—with the ability to reach audiences anywhere, anytime. We have the #1 news organization and the most trusted brand in sports. We bring people together and make magical memories that last a lifetime at our parks and on our cruise ships. We have a unique ability to impact culture and connect with people on deeply personal levels. And we have you—the best team in the business. I couldn’t think of a better combination, and I could not be more optimistic about our future. I look forward to setting the stage for our next century with all of you, and to making the unique brand of magic that only Disney can. Bob |
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Source: Variety
1 Profit
2 Profit, despite creativity.
3 Profit, despite Guest experience.
Fixed it for you, Bob.
Hope?? Chapek is full of it. He is a greedy man bent on destroying Walt’s vision. He has no idea how to run Walt’s company. Just change the name to greedy man chapekland and stop using Walt Disney’s good name.
Being an “audience member,” I hope it works out. They have been weak on story at times. They don’t seem to want to give consumers a break.
Pillar 1: Count beans, make cuts
Pillar 2: raise prices, piss off loyal fans
Pillar 3: piss off staff, ruin the magic
Fourth pillar. Get the money. Get all of it.
bob the beancounters three pillars for success. cheap, cheaper, and cheapest. oh yes, i almost forgot the fourth pillar just like bob the beancounter has. AND CHARGE MORE FOR IT!
” But at the end of the day, our most important guide—our North Star—is the consumer.”
I am not sure that I will ever be able to read that without laughing.
I can’t see one thing that has been done in the parks that benefits the consumer.
Mr. Chapek may believe all that he has said but speaking as a Disney fan of 63 years (TV and movies) and a 39 year veteran of Disney vacations, I am saddened by what I see as his token nods to storytelling, innovation and audience focus.
Anyone who cares to read the many guests and employee complaints on various media threads knows the long stoy of disappointments that began on his watch. My entire family has decided to let their Annual Passes expire and move on to other sources to meet these interests. For us, paying Disney’s first rate fees but getting a much less experience, just isn’t worth our time and treasure.
I hope that someday the world will once again experience the magic that Disney once proudly offered to its guests. Sadly, what Chapek offers is NOT that! Fortunately, we have so many past memories and pictures of the history of Disney Magic to remember, back when there was REAL storytelling, innovation and and an audience focus.
That “customers first” line made me choke! This guy talks out of one side of his mouth while giving orders and making decisions the exact opposite out of the other side of his mouth. What a freakin’ joke!!
CEO Bob Chapek Establishes His Three ‘Pillars of Success’ for the Next Century of The Walt Disney Company:
Mo Money, Mo Money, Mo Money
What about nickel and diming everyone as if run by a bean counter? They literally are taking the magic away on a daily basis.
1 – Resing
2 – Resing
3 – Resing
I know people have badmouthed Bob Chapek and claimed him greedy but it seems this is actually good advice and he seems determined to prove that he can provide creativity. This may prove that the reason for the suposed claims of a lack of it is due to trying to settle things down and keeping the company alive during this Pandemic and these hard times. He has been put in a difficult position during these tough times and he had made some hard choices which while may seem bad for people (with online people hating it the most which is a bit unfair) he was actually doing this ti try and save the company and most people online don’t seem to either remember or know that Disney lost a lot of money and if there’s no money then no Disney. Both my family, friends, and even Cast Members have told me that he is doing his best. So everyone who reads this comment don’t jump to conclusions. Instead let’s just wait and see what happens next and see if he can live up to his vow to prove himself. I would give him a chance since I am human….. maybe you all can too. Also to the writer if you like I can give some more information too.
Okay who gave this two misuses. It’s the truth.
“Relentless focus on our audience” like turning the pretty mediocre Fastpass+ into the REALLY mediocre Genie app?
Whoever wrote this memo for him should be ceo cause I’m pretty sure Bobby’s three pillars are 1. Charge more, 2. Give less, and 3. Charge more.
His third point is inconsistent with recent deliverables and experiences. The guiding principle – the North Star – is the shareholder — not the consumer.
Words are wind. Judge his actions.
I always look at people’s actions first and their words second. If they are in alignment, then they are good. And if they are not in alignment, then I am convinced that they simply can’t be trusted.
Can you list 3 of Bob Chapek’s actions where the customers appeared to be favored over increased profits? (I know I could name at least 5 or 10 actions where the customers have suffered.)
It was rumored that the reason he didn’t go to the D23 get together was because he would have been booed. Of course the rumor could have been wrong, but it did seem to fit. D23 members are some of his most loyal customers, but they don’t seem to be happy with his decision making. Clearly, they don’t think they are one of his three pillars.
I actually talked with family friends and even cast members about the Negativity and they told me some stuff that people might not get. Want to hear it.
He certainly is not talking about the park experiences. Maybe you could go along with what he is saying regarding Disney+ but nothing else.
The primary focus for the park guest is to fleece them of every last penny they have. Next is to frustrate the guest to death by dropping all of the rules, worthless apps, strict timelines, on them until they burst. The final pillar is to take as much away from the guest experience as possible all while we raise prices.
It used to fun and magical to get in the Disney bubble, now it is like a prison sentence.
The question is, would Walt approve of his plans and would they be in keeping with Walt’s vision and not Chapek’s !
Wouldn’t it be great if they did an episode of “Undercover Boss” for him??!!
Disgusting corporate jargon. Meaningless. Show us your care and commitment, Bob. Don’t just state it in an internal email to CMs.