Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is responding to Disney
specialists who have been told by the company not to use the
designation in their marketing and promotional materials, including
business cards.
Last week, Disney specialists received an e-mail from Disney
executive Randy Garfield reiterating its policy on the use of the
designation in agency marketing and advertising.
The action followed the news of an Illinois travel agent who was
directed by Disney to remove the specialist designation from her
business card, in accordance with Disney’s policy to protect its
brand (News, Sept. 9).
In the e-mail, Garfield, executive vice president of sales and
travel operations, wrote: “Although I understand why a travel agent
would like to use the Disney specialist designation in their
marketing and advertising materials, we cannot vouch for each of
the over 50,000 individuals worldwide who completed the training at
any point over the past 10 years, and monitor their service
standards and level of proficiency on an ongoing basis, in order to
enable us to permit our brand to be used in that fashion.”
Garfield said the principal objective of the College of Disney
Knowledge “was not to bestow a marketing entitlement, but to
provide detailed product knowledge and sales training to help you
sell Disney vacations more effectively.”
Graduates of the college were told upon completion to
“prominently display their diplomas in their offices as well as
tout their achievement to their local community through the
approved press release we provide,” he said.
Garfield said the guidelines for the program and other ongoing
trademark and copyright policies ultimately protect the Disney
brand.
“If the brand becomes eroded in the eyes of the consumer, then
we all lose, because Disney vacations would be less appealing to
potential clients,” he said. “We cannot allow that to happen.”
Early last week during a conference call with trade reporters,
Garfield said most travel agents already know about the
restrictions in advertising. He said he had lunch with some AAA
agents in Los Angeles recently and “they got it.” He reiterated
that Disney “is not in the position to police ... service standards
and proficiencies” of agents who complete the course.
