The Datafication of Disneyland

At Disney, it’s all about the magic right? Well guess what? With their new Magic Bands (BTW its still in the testing phase), Disney will be able to give their customers a whole new kind of personalized magical experience. The MagicBands allow you to connect to every aspect of the Disney Experience in a single place – park tickets, resort room keys, and payment methods. The magic begins when you get to pick your own Magic Band color. It even has your name printed on the back.

 Recently Mailchimp chief data scientist John Foreman talked about his experience with the MagicBand when he appeared on  the Structure Show podcast. This is what he had to say:

“What does Disney get out of the deal? In short, it tracks everything you do, everything you buy, everything you eat, everything you ride, everywhere you go in the park. If the goal is to keep you in the park longer so you’ll spend more money, it can build AI models on itineraries, show schedules, line length, weather, etc., to figure out what influences stay length and cash expenditure. Perhaps there are a few levers they can pull to get money out of you.”

Take a look at some of the highlights of that interview in GIGAOM and you will be amused and amazed at just what the Data Scientists at Disney are doing to make the Disney experience all that more magical.

 And let us know what you think? Would you like to be tracked? Would you like Mickey to come up to you and say hello to you by name? Would it add to the magic?

 Image courtesy Candace Lindemann