Page 37 - The Disneyization of Society

THE DISNEYIZATION OF SOCIETY

What this brief discussion of the tribulations faced by themed restaurants
shows is that despite the enthusiasm for theming and similar devices among the
28 advocates of the entertainment economy and the experience economy, 40 provid-
ing people with entertaining experiences is not a guarantee of success. On the
other hand, it is striking that in spite of these troubles, openings of themed restau-
rants continue although at a less hectic pace than in their mid-1990s heyday and
rumours of new themes persist.

McDonald’s

In this and the next four chapters, McDonald’s will be considered as a possible site of
Disneyization. Such a discussion is significant in two respects. First, its restaurants are
extremely widespread throughout the world, so that, if it can be shown to be a carrier
of Disneyization, it would be a very important one. Second, as the primary carrier of
McDonaldization, a consideration of the possibility that McDonald’s is Disneyized
is potentially significant, since it would imply that the two processes co-exist.
McDonald’s can be viewed as themed in different ways and at different levels.
41
First, it is themed in terms of itself and as such is reflexively themed. This theme
is expressed in the corporate decoration, modes of service delivery, staff clothing,
and various architectural cues that are pervasive features of these establishments.
Such theming is essentially self-referential and refers to those relatively rare
instances in which a brand provides its own organizational narrative. McDonald’s
as a company is acutely aware of its self-referential theming. It portrays its eating
environments as experiences. Benjamin Barber quotes Jim Cantalupo, then presi-
dent of international operations, who explains how McDonald’s ‘is more than just
price. It’s the whole experience which our customers have come to expect from
McDonald’s. It’s the drive-thrus … it’s the Playlands … it’s the smile at the front
counter … it’s all those things … the experience’. 42 When Ray Kroc, the founder
of McDonald’s, once observed, ‘when you are in this business you are in show
business’, 43 he was drawing attention to the way in which the development of a
brand was to do with turning the perception of it into an experience by which it
becomes instantly recognizable. Certainly, Manning and Callum-Swan have
drawn attention to the way in which there are theatrical or dramatic connota-
tions to a McDonald’s visit. Thus, when it is suggested by the latter writers that
‘McDonald’s is a brilliantly conceived dramatic production’, 44 it is the brand as a
unique eating experience that is crucial. As Twitchell has observed, with branding
‘[w]hat is being bought is place, prestige, comfort, security, confidence, purpose,
meaning’. 45 Thus, McDonald’s as a company is acutely aware of the significance
of its brand as a provider of meaning and organizer of experiences.
There is also evidence of McDonald’s becoming increasingly attracted to the use
of external narratives in its restaurants. Chicago’s rock ‘n’ roll McDonald’s serves
as an illustration of the use of this kind of development (see Figure 2.1). The