DISNEY WORLD'S RESPONSE TO ALLIGATOR ATTACK ON TODDLER: CRISIS COMMUNICATION LESSONS LEARNED.

• Author: Kanso, Ali

INTRODUCTION

Five years ago, Lane Thomas Graves (a 2-year-old Nebraska boy) was enjoying with his parents many services that the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney World's Grand Floridian Hotel and Spa in Orlando offers. When the family headed down to a beach located on the premises, the toddler bent over closer to the water to pick up wet sand for his sandcastle. However, an alligator came up from the water and struck him. Lane's father Matt heard a splash in the water and saw his baby boy's head in the gator's snout being taken into the water. He dove into the water to fight the alligator off, but the gator dove further into the water and took the toddler with him. Witnesses of the attack were struck with surprise at what happened, and the parents wept as they realized that their son was in serious danger.

There were no signs at the resort to warn guests about alligators or even snakes in the water, and the beach on the premises was not fenced. Lifeguards who were quickly called to try to save Lane saw the alligator swimming further away, and authorities searched for any sign of Lane for hours. Unfortunately, his body was later found near the shore in the same area where he was attacked. It was then determined that Lane suffered from serious neck injuries and drowned (Allen, 2016). The lack of safety precautions at Disney Grand Floridian Resort and Spa resulted in the death of the two-year-old toddler.

This case study examines the public relations activities that the Disney Company and the Disney Floridian Resort and Spa implemented after the unfortunate accident. It also addresses aspects that were overlooked. The analysis follows the Hayes, Hendrix, & Kumar (2013) process model of public relations which applies the mnemonic "ROPE" as a template to evaluate a public relations initiative. ROPE involves four phases. The first phase is Research, which explores the client, the problem or issue to be solved, and the public(s). The second phase is Objectives, which is a grouping of the desired outcomes of the public relations plan. Next is Programming, which probes into the actions of the plan used to achieve the objectives. The final phase is Evaluation, which is the process of measuring the effectiveness of the campaign.

RESEARCH

Company Background

The brand Disney has been a well-known company and name since the 1920s with their evolution from cartoons to movies, and later even theme parks. Disney has been able to strive in several industries while maintaining the same morale, mission, and purpose. The company's mission is "to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world premier entertainment company" (Disney, n.d.).

Disney has been able to create things like Disney Channel, Disney Plus, Disney Princesses and so much more. There is no way of predicting how far the brand Disney will go in the future as they attract more people of all generations. From a public relations perspective, however, the company of this size needs to worry about winning more audiences and maintaining a positive image throughout its general public. If a company this large can win over the hearts of generations of people, then it will be very difficult to damage its brand because, regardless of what happens, people will always want a little bit of that Disney magic.

Disney has managed to create fun and loving environments for people from all over the world. Everyone wants to go to the "happiest place on earth" at least once in their life. Now there are parks and resorts like Disney Land in California, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and Disney Resorts all around the world. With so many different branches to this brand, Disney's public relations team works very hard to make sure that each location is an accurate representation of the entire franchise and that they all uphold what it takes to be considered a Disney park or resort. A Disney resort such as the Disney Grand Floridian Resort and Spa offers their guests services, several amenities, and attractions such as distinctive dining selections, large pools, beach access. and several others (Disney, n.d.). The Grand Floridian Resort first opened on June 28, 1988. Since then, the resort has gone through major renovations including a name change in October of 1997. The resort was then named the Disney Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and it has been continuing to grow since 2007 (Mirarchi, 2017). All the Disney World expansions pursue three core principles, but in addition to those principles, the Disney Grand Floridian Resort and Spa follows the Disney World mission statement.

The Walt Disney World Resort's corporate citizenship mission is to strengthen the Central Florida community, with a focus on children, through our special brand of magic. We cultivate strong relationships with community leaders and nonprofit organizations to better understand their needs. We seek to influence outcomes and make the greatest impact through contributions of money, product and resources. (Disney, n.d.) Because there are so many expansions and branches of the Disney brand, fostering relationships with the general public is very important. Thus, several other departments coordinate efforts with the public relations department. For example, one department works with travel reporters, and another handles the requests of business reporters. Disney did not need to hire a public relations firm in response to the alligator attack (Disney, n.d.).

Like other large corporations, Disney is influenced by social, political, and economic environments. These factors determine the measures that need to be taken in response to events, such as the alligator attack at the Disney Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

* Social: Disney has a social responsibility of "providing comfort, inspiration, and opportunity to children and families around the world" (Disney, n.d.). Their social responsibility was negatively impacted by the 2016 alligator attack. The lack of safety precautions allowed the accident to even occur. Other than this accident, Disney has good relationships with the general public and continues to provide happiness to their general public.

* Political: Any Disney park, program, event, etc. must follow policies and guidelines that are upheld by the brand itself. There are certain policies like human rights, antipiracy, environmental, conflict minerals, etc. that must be abided by or followed. On other terms, because Disney is so big, they are even considered influential in society and Disney World is even considered one of...