Disney is in a bind. The company is struggling to keep its streaming subscriber numbers up after years of price hikes, but it also wants to spend less money producing new content that might draw more people in.
The solution? Perks!
Disney is making a big to-do about its new “always-on” perks programs for both Disney+ and Hulu. In a press release, the company boasted of “rewards ranging from one-of-a-kind experiences and limited-time sweepstakes to everyday savings and special discounts.”
But despite the grand proclamations, the perks program is pretty much an empty gesture, full of sweepstakes you’ll never win and cross-promos that ultimately lead to the customer spending more money. If Disney really wants to reward subscriber loyalty and incentivize year-round subscriptions, it needs to try a little harder.
Oops! All upsells
Part of what Disney is offering is just a set of free trials to other services. Those include six months of DoorDash’s DashPass, three months of Clear+, and two months of Super Duolingo.
Not all of these offers are new or unique. I spent two minutes searching the web and found a promo code for the same three months of Clear+ (MDGP25EN2CC8C6, if you’re wondering), with no Disney+ subscription necessary. DoorDash regularly hands out its own extended trials (including the same six-month offer with Roku last year), and you can’t redeem a new trial from Disney if you’ve ever enrolled in DashPass before..
All of these trials also require payment info up front and the services will auto-bill you at the end. If you don’t cancel the trials before they’re over (or sign up with a limited-use payment card), you’ll eventually be paying full price just like everyone else.
Disney’s shopping discounts aren’t much better. There’s a 15-percent discount on Funko and Loungefly store items—barely more than the WELCOME10 code that works for anyone—and a 20-percent Adidas store discount that’s only available with an Adiclub membership, which requires handing over a bunch of personal info. (Amusingly, Disney-branded items are also on Adidas’ long list of discount exclusions.)
Once you get past all the cross-selling, you’re basically left with a handful of digital items in games like Disney Emoji Blitz and access to a few Disney-related sweepstakes (which you can also just enter by mail without a subscription). With the fine print noting that “millions of internet users” could participate, your odds of winning a Disney cruise or Comic-Con tickets are pretty slim.
Perhaps Hulu’s promise of “exclusive” perks “inspired by” shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Only Murders in the Building will fare better, but Disney hasn’t explained what those are going to be. For now, the perks program serves little purpose beyond getting you to spend more money on unrelated products and services.