DISNEYLAND PARIS:

CULTURE VULTURE
KXB201 Part II: Individual Essay

YLER BAILLIE: N8873356

1290 WORDS

Introduction
Very few global brands can boast the kind of passion and loyalty that generations
of Disney fans feel for their beloved Disney (Jones, 2013). For decades this
family-orientated entertainment company has prided itself on creating truly
entertaining experiences and has produced lucrative business ventures that
maintain worldwide appeal, yet the particular Disneyland Paris brand extension
has majorly suffered as an entertainment product since its 1992 debut. There is
a prestigious brand reputation attached to Disneys six globally operational
theme parks, however, this world renowned standard was found to be lacking at
the European instalment. Disneylands brand philosophy is to be the happiest
place in the world, but to keep visitors happy across the globe each instalment
is tweaked to cate to local cultures and tastes (Tang, 2012). The opening of Tokyo
Disneyland in 1983 proved a huge success as many aspects of American culture
such as food and entertainment are highly embraced by the Japanese (Tang,
2012). Yet when Disney decided to take this same methodology of normal
standardisation overseas to Paris, damaging cultural issues arose in the form of
social, financial and regulatory discrepancies.

Description of issues
The launch of the theme park in Paris experienced vast issues regarding
glocalisation, ultimately; cutting and pasting the product from one culture to
another without properly adapting it. This gave rise to a catalyst of issues which
continued to shape the parks (mis)fortunes, such as consumer dissatisfaction,
poor branding, finances, employment ethics and tensions with trade unions.
Initial appraisals by the French heavily criticised the parks dissonant blend of
French and US traditions. To its intended European audience, the poorly
glocalised product was widely considered as cultural imperialism of Euro Disney
and felt it would encourage an unhealthy American type of consumerism in
France (Lichfield, 2010). Consequently, through the first year of operation the
park was only attracting an average of 25,000 visitors a day instead of the
predicted 60,000, and merely 3 in 10 consumers were French (Solarius, 2006).
The economic backlash ensued, with Euro Disney company stock beginning a
slow downward spiral, rapidly losing almost a third of its value (Solarius, 2006).
The

consumer-driven

Save

Disneyland

Paris

(2013)

petition

has

since

accumulated almost 9,000 signatures and ultimately claims that due to the
parks constant financial problems, the overall quality of the experience has
slowly deteriorated over the years. The many years of budget cuts in
maintenance, entertainment and food and beverage, have left the resort in an
unacceptable neglected state (Abel, 2013).
In addition to the heavily Americanised product not being culturally tailored to its
primarily European audience, the companys regulatory practices did not
financially or socially suit their French employees. Whilst the company was found
to offer employee housing, rent was majorly cut out of pay and did not consider
other

living

necessities

(Disneyland Paris 2016

such

as

food

costs,

internet

Frank. N. M. 2004). Subsequently,

and

laundry

Disneyland

Paris

wages did not satisfy the corresponding accommodation and living expenses for
employees. Further Disney dealings within their employment sector have
constituted unethical and even illegal regulatory practices by the Disneyland
Paris company. These legal misconducts have caused internal tensions and
negative social publicity surrounding the park, further severing the Disney
product from its brand mantra of being the happiest place on Earth. Further
cultural and social controversies were sparked when Disneys strict appearance
code was imposed on staff. French labor unions mounted several protests against
the code, claiming it was an attack on individual liberty and insensitive to
French culture, individualism and privacy (Yue, 2009). During constructions at
the park, legal disputes rose between the American company and their French
subcontractors due to misinterpretations of the European Labor Laws, which lead
to large scale unequal labor payments (Yue, 2009). Consequently this regulatory
issue further increased Disneyland Paris debt and negatively impacted the
brands reputation concerning its employee treatment (Yue, 2009). Overall, there
was a strong cultural belief that the American management demoralized the
work force and a series of ill-advised, disruption regulatory practices had
ultimately affected the influx of French visitors to the park (Yue, 2009).
Through analysis, it has become evident that the company failed to properly
consider how the entire entertainment project would work together; the product,
the people and the story they tell after leaving stories are the manifestation of
the brand and people tell stories (Jones, 2013). Disneys lack of cultural and
economic research resulted in a poorly glocalised product that did not constitute
moral economy. Specifically, the product did not meet the social expectations

and emotional investment that consumers had in the Walt Disney brand, and was
affected by negative word of mouth reviews and comparisons with other
Disneyland Franchises.

Evaluation of Recommendations
Apart from the unforeseen terrorist threats and financial climates that have
plagued Europe, there are various improvements that can be made to the park
that are within the Disney Companys control. These recommendations address
the current financial, cultural and social discrepancies that are hindering the
success of their Parisian entertainment product. Firstly, ten years on from its
debut French intellectuals are still referring to the park as a cultural Chernobyl
(Tang, 2012). Evidently, the park needs to better incorporate French culture and
traditions in order to become more accepted and enjoyed by local audiences.
BBC Travel Expert Phillip Tang commented that the cultural criticisms at
Disneyland Paris have led Disney to take extra care when adding culturally
specific elements to their parks in both Hong Kong and Tokyo in order to become
better customized (Tang, 2012). Elements such as menus, entertainment/shows,
characters, rides, setting and marketing should all be evaluated on their cultural
significance, in order to strengthen the emotional connection (Disneys magic
ingredient) between European consumers and the current overly-Americanised
product.
Additionally, the Disney board needs to consider the Save Disneyland Paris
Petition which directly addresses the board

members

poor operational

management and unsustainable budgeting. This stern petition represents a large

consumer voice and opinion concerning the much needed restoration of the
companys policy to strive for excellence a value that deeply characterises the
activities of The Walt Disney Company since its creation by Walt himself (Abel,
2013). Ultimately, the thousands of petitioners believe that Disneyland Paris has
become a most-unDisneyfied place during its 20 years of existence (Save
Disneyland Paris, Change.org, 2013). In order to boost consumer satisfaction and
strengthen brand equity, this feedback needs to be listened to. Specifically,
Disneys agenda needs to attend to maintenance, repairs, unsustainable budget
cuts, bland food menus and theming, in order to raise the park up to Disney

standard and make sure the entertainment product is no longer sending their
European guests away with substandard memories. Subsequently, employee
satisfaction still remains a very prevalent issue for the Disneyland Paris
company, who needs to work on mending their relationship with trade unions
and staff. To soothe internal tensions, the company needs to look into
implementing policies and procedures that aim to boost staff productivity and
morale, such as offering staff more job autonomy across park sectors.
Through problem analysis, it was evident that the park's unfortunate lack of
cultural considerations have led to extensive issues with the company's social,
technological,

regulatory

and

economic

standing.

Successful

companies

understand that strengthening the connection between their brand, their

employees, and their customers will promote financial success (Jones, 2013).
Therefore, Disney needs to continue building personal brand relationships based
on authenticity and trust, in order for the entertainment company to develop
levels

of

commitment

that

better

contribute

to

sustained

growth and success (Jones, 2013). Ultimately, to relief the overarching financial
pressures, the parental Walt Disney Company needs to step in to financially
assist their struggling Parisian park.

References
Abel, J. (2013). Europe to Disney: Please fix Disneyland Paris. Retrieved from:
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/europe-to-disney-please-fix-disneylandparis-091613.html

Disneyland Paris (ca 2016). Living. Retrieved from:

http://disneylandpariscasting.com/en/content/view/full/249

Frank. N. M. (2004). Chronology of TwentiethCentury History: Business and Commerce [EBL version]. Retrieved from:
https://books.google.com.au/books?
id=ySJpAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_
summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Jones, B. (2013). Brand Loyalty: Applying Disneys Formula for Long-Lasting

Success. Retrieved from:
https://cdns3.trainingindustry.com/media/3647005/disney%20brand
%20loyalty.pdf

Lichfield, J. (2010). The Dark Side of Disneyland Paris. Retrieved from:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the darksideofdisneylandparis1964505.ht

Solarius. (2006). The History of Disneyland Paris. Retrieved from:

http://www.solarius.com/dvp/dlp/dlphistory.htm

Tang, P. (2012). Different Disneylands Around the World. Retrieved from:

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20121213differentdisneylandsaroundtheworld

Yue, W. (2009). The Fretful Euro Disney. Retrieved from:

http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijms/article/viewFile/4214/6427