OK, I'm much better today. The headache is gone and I finally got some sleep after my whirlwind weekend at Disney World. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!!!Between the food, the limos, the wine, the hotel room, and the VIP treatment (Go right to the front of the line ladies!) it would be very easy for me to simply gush about the whole weekend and leave it at that. Honestly, I still have not come completely down from the experience. Yeah, it was THAT good. But to just go on and on about how great the treatment was would not even begin to touch on how much of an impact this weekend had on me.
Despite the dizzying luxury and all out fun, the best part of this mixer was without a doubt… meeting the other Mamas. The purpose of this weekend was for Disney to get a deeper understanding of the perception of their brand within the African American community. So where do you go when you when you want to know what families are watching, how they're spending their $$, which characters the kids love, and how a brand is viewed within a certain community? Straight to the source, of course…you go to Mama!
The Disney execs gathered a panel of 10 African American mom bloggers from around the country. We repped the East Coast, the West Coast, the South and the Mid-West. We were teachers, and lawyers, writers and artists, stay at home moms, home-schooling moms, working moms, execs and entrepreneurs. We were NO JOKE, OK?
With such a diverse group of intelligent and well-spoken women I think Disney got far beyond what they anticipated. And their method for getting our feedback was smart.
#1 They fed us
#2 They sat us down and gathered our perceptions of the Disney brand. You know this group didn’t hold anything back. We shared our views on: the affordability of their vacations, the lack of diversity among their characters, our feelings on the pretty princess stereotype (you know that was me), the lack of role models for boys, and the fact that for many in the AA community Disney is a non-issue because it's deemed as out of reach (as far as affordability) and out of mind (as far as not developing successful advertising that targets our demographic).
#3 We ate
#4 They unleashed us into the parks. We sampled the best of what Disney had to offer: the food, the shows, the parades, the rides, the educational attractions. Did I mention the food? We were sent out with the task of looking at the parks with a critical eye, finding the issues that concerned us and also being open to discovering things that we may not have known before.
#5 They gathered us again and de-briefed us on our experiences. For me, this was the most impactful part of the weekend. Not only had many of our perceptions of the brand changed, but we were able to give them a wealth of ideas for better communicating the good things that they have to offer to our specific audience. I think they got much more than they bargained for. Enough to start developing a real plan of action to make a change. Go Mom Bloggers!
Speaking of which. Allow me to introduce you to the other savvy Mamas I shared my weekend with:
MelADramatic Mommy
MamaLaw...Making Sense of the Maze of Motherhood One Law at a Time
Days like These!--Daily Accounts by Tanyetta
Mom In The City
Cutie Booty Cakes
The Integrated Mother Blog
EbonyMommy.com
Mom Bloggers Club
Mom on the Rise
Be sure to check out their blogs because they will ALL be talking about this weekend and it will be so interesting to read how this experience impacted each one of us in different or similar ways.
Tomorrow: Disney Week Part III-Behind the Magic
Despite the dizzying luxury and all out fun, the best part of this mixer was without a doubt… meeting the other Mamas. The purpose of this weekend was for Disney to get a deeper understanding of the perception of their brand within the African American community. So where do you go when you when you want to know what families are watching, how they're spending their $$, which characters the kids love, and how a brand is viewed within a certain community? Straight to the source, of course…you go to Mama!
The Disney execs gathered a panel of 10 African American mom bloggers from around the country. We repped the East Coast, the West Coast, the South and the Mid-West. We were teachers, and lawyers, writers and artists, stay at home moms, home-schooling moms, working moms, execs and entrepreneurs. We were NO JOKE, OK?
With such a diverse group of intelligent and well-spoken women I think Disney got far beyond what they anticipated. And their method for getting our feedback was smart.
#1 They fed us
#2 They sat us down and gathered our perceptions of the Disney brand. You know this group didn’t hold anything back. We shared our views on: the affordability of their vacations, the lack of diversity among their characters, our feelings on the pretty princess stereotype (you know that was me), the lack of role models for boys, and the fact that for many in the AA community Disney is a non-issue because it's deemed as out of reach (as far as affordability) and out of mind (as far as not developing successful advertising that targets our demographic).
#3 We ate
#4 They unleashed us into the parks. We sampled the best of what Disney had to offer: the food, the shows, the parades, the rides, the educational attractions. Did I mention the food? We were sent out with the task of looking at the parks with a critical eye, finding the issues that concerned us and also being open to discovering things that we may not have known before.
#5 They gathered us again and de-briefed us on our experiences. For me, this was the most impactful part of the weekend. Not only had many of our perceptions of the brand changed, but we were able to give them a wealth of ideas for better communicating the good things that they have to offer to our specific audience. I think they got much more than they bargained for. Enough to start developing a real plan of action to make a change. Go Mom Bloggers!
Speaking of which. Allow me to introduce you to the other savvy Mamas I shared my weekend with:
MelADramatic Mommy
MamaLaw...Making Sense of the Maze of Motherhood One Law at a Time
Days like These!--Daily Accounts by Tanyetta
Mom In The City
Cutie Booty Cakes
The Integrated Mother Blog
EbonyMommy.com
Mom Bloggers Club
Mom on the Rise
Be sure to check out their blogs because they will ALL be talking about this weekend and it will be so interesting to read how this experience impacted each one of us in different or similar ways.
Tomorrow: Disney Week Part III-Behind the Magic
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8 comments:
Such a great post. I loved the pow-wow sessions the most. I would have loved to talk more about what Disney means to all of us. That was so crucial, especially when we were on the porch at the House of Blues. I could have talked all day.
That's what I'm talking about! You know you have broken it all the way down. I shall link to this post too. Ya'll are way better writers than I am. :)
Great recap! It WAS an amazing experience overall, right?
Thanks ladies.. Yes, Kim it was an amazing experience. I swear I'm still trying to dissect it in my head, but it was so intense. People seriously don't understand how much we did in that little bit of time.
Jennifer I wanted that House of Blues chat to go on longer, too! Plus I was feeling all emotional after the gospel music... shoot, I would have gladly sat out there all day trying to help Disney understand how we roll. lol!
Tanyetta, Aw....this is what I do, girl...but YOUR blog is funny as hell! I logged on at work today and damn near fell off my chair! YOU need to be on Comedy Central. I would watch your show every week just ready to laugh...with a big bowl of popcorn and a juice box.
What a great post. I am still trying to keep up with other obligations but my posts are coming. Promise. If I get technology to agree with me I will be posting my first piece tomorrow.
Well said, Mommy B. It was so much fun. Looking forward to reading more about the trip so that I can relive it all again!
Great post. I am still trying to find the words to describe this weekend. I want to share it all but am feeling too- wonkwonkwonk. LOL. We really need to get together one weekend.
Very well said! I think Disney took a great first step and I hope everything we said will be taken to heart (I'm sure it will!).
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