Infamy is good, but maybe not for Disney

The recent story about the second death on Disney's space ride reminded me that my family had visited the same park earlier in the year. My 10 year old had come back from the park having gone on the ride and talked about how "a boy had died on the ride a little while ago." For her, it was part of the experience, an added thrill, not a deterrent. She's not a daredevil, but the idea of riding (and surviving) something that killed someone else was obviously intriguing to her.

The fact that this ride now has a mythology around it also reminds me of Meg's report on the Future of Marketing conference and example of Red Bull using its slightly shady reputation as a plus. Disney has re-opened the ride. It will be interesting to track how it does in the coming months and whether the type of riders change. It will also be interesting to see how HP, a sponsor of the ride, react.