The Happiest Place On Earth

Traipsing Disneyland with 7 and 9 year olds puts you in a whole new frame of mind (thank you Cate and Sam). Living in the moment is critical to fully enjoy the experience. But when replaying it afterwards, it hit me.

The park has all the right elements for a glorious quest.

Good battles evil. You can shoot Zurg’s robots to save the galaxy. Steer your jeep around falling rocks to reach the Holy Grail. Become a Jedi warrior to best Darth Vader. In the end, the good guy (that would be you) always prevails.

You are the hero. Indiana Jones. Buzz Lightyear. Belle. Cinderella. Pick your favorite. For the price of a hat or tiara, you can be someone else for a day. Tired of being good? Try being the bad one instead—evil stepmothers and wicked aliens can tease out the hero in others.

You’re always part of a posse. No one goes to the happiest place on earth alone–you ride with your buds, your family, your tribe. Seeing it through the eyes of others seals the experience and creates an unforgettable memory.

Ultimately, you’re drawn to the Disney experience by how it makes you feel. You can do the same with your brand: discover how you make your best clients feel. And lead with that.

The happiest place on earth anyone?



4 Comments

  • Regarding the client relationship part, I was taught as a sale professional to be the customer’s advocate when speaking with your company and to wear your company hat when communicating with the customer. It seems that, when you do good for someone or some company, they will do good for you. This is a good segue into your current topic… :?)

    I believe “Happy Places” to be a fundamental distraction and a resetting energy source for the human psyche. The memory of your Disney trip or other fun, sweet, tranquil or happy memories can also act as that resetting distraction from our busy lives. Personally, I like my Barbados beach or pub (there’s nothing better than to sit and chat with a person from another country while sharing a cool beverage) for memorable, stress revealing moments. Other happy places I visit are rooms with lots of puppies or many giggling children… :?) There is nothing to recharge the spirit that being part of the innocences of youth, especially when they’re happy. For some reason, puppies are always happy! Of course, these places were witnessed and now a place I can visit, even if its just in my own mind.

    Cheers… :?)

  • Thanks Tom–I like your definition of happy places as well as thinking of them as a “reset”! Disney’s genius (which we can all apply to our own brands) is in aligning their vision with day-to-day execution.

    Meanwhile, your response made me want to find a room of puppies to play with….

  • Being with good friends makes the whole experience wonderful!

  • Always–seeing it through their eyes was amazing!

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