But is enabling their use at another show enough to convince more visitors to buy the ears, which run about $25 a pair? What else could Disney offer would-be buyers to convince them to get these ears?
When the entire crowd is wearing the Glow with the Show ears, the effect is stunning - it expands the show into the audience and makes the event a truly immersive, 360-in-the-round experience. But when only a few people in the crowd have the ears... meh. It just looks like a few people wearing hats that randomly light up. There are not enough ears blinking to see the coordination that's supposed to be there.
I wrote about Disney's Prisoner's Dilemma problem with Glow with the Show ears. But what if Disney offered another inducement when you bought the ears, such as a free, bonus Fastpass to any attraction? Or a reserved space in a special viewing area at a Glow-enabled show? (That perk would have the added benefit of concentrating the ears in one area, making it easier for everyone else to see them in action.) Or what if Disney just expanded the use of Glow ears to Walt Disney World, too. Would being able to use them on both coasts entice you to buy?
Please tell us in the comments if there's something else you'd like to see Disney do to spread the use of the ears - giving them away to on-site hotel guests, including them in package dining deals at selected table-service restaurants, etc. (Let's skip the obvious option of lowering the retail price. I suspect Disney would just dump the program before it sold the ears at a loss.)
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My solution, give them away with the purchase or renewal of an Annual Pass. APs cost anywhere from $269-$649, we should get these hats for free for the enormous price we pay!
If Disney wants to maintain the full effect, I see two simple options not suggested above:
1. Rent the ears. Perhaps charge $5 per pair plus a $30 deposit so people have a strong incentive to return them. This would be much more affordable for a family while still giving them the same level of enjoyment.
2. Distribute them at showtimes, then collect them as guests exit (similar to 3D glasses). To distinguish the distributed pairs from purchased ones, perhaps only a headband with the ears and equipment is given out instead of a full hat.
Now, if each pair came with a Dream Fastpass equivalent and I was visiting on a crowded day, I might change my mind, but until then I'll never buy a pair of these.
And if you can show a hat at the ticket booth, you even get a $25 discount, what a deal.
It seems that there could be interactive elements on light poles, trees... - things that would be more consistent anyway. There is no way to know how many hats will turn up at any showing.
Really don't see how people can pay the same 25 dollars for the tire hat in CarsLand. It just looks plain stupid.
I went to see Coldplay and they used this technology in wrist bands and those were given out before the show. It may have been covered by a sponser or in the ticket price, but they sure did not expect members of the audience to get in on the act by paying an extra $20 or whatever..... because then hardly anyone would have done it and the effect would not have been the same.... but because they gave them to everyone pretty much, the effect was a spectacle that I have never seen at another concert.
Think about it.....You are in the pre-queue for TOT and when the lightning happens on the vid, your ears flash with it! Same for Haunted Mansion. You get the idea: They could be programmed with so many Disney activities. Parades! Shows!
If they expand their capabilities (and a perk would be nice) they would have no problem selling them by the thousands each day.
I love the idea of having these be a perk for Passholders. We've been Premium Passholders for almost 10 years and I think we get a thank you card and 10% off for early renewal.
But then again, I also love Luigi's Flying Tires, so maybe I'm just different.
If it fails, it fails. At least Disney tried instead of going with the Status Quo.
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A special viewing area would be nice, or a free fastpass, but what about for everyone in your party..? And can you go to the special viewing area every time you watch the show, or is it just the time of purchase?
It's a tough problem to crack...but those ears are the coolest thing i've seen in a long time.