Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Whatever the place is called let's hope that they do a better job of marketing the place and the new changes than they did the first time around.
Originally Posted By ArchtMig >>>Whatever the place is called let's hope that they do a better job of marketing the place and the new changes than they did the first time around.<<< They didn't have much to market in the first place. And most of the marketing pumped up Paradise Pier, which was not what Disney's traditional customers wanted from Disney. So first - do a better job making something worth marketing - then do a good job marketing. I suspect this current crop of folks in charge will do a better job on both fronts than the last crowd did.
Originally Posted By labretbear Since Disney's Hollywood Studios seems to be taken, how about Walt Disney-Pixar's Studios? Or Walt Disney-Pixar Adventure? Since most everything announced thus far is toon related, either of those names'd fit.
Originally Posted By jonvn How about Elizabeth? I always liked that name. Or Kathy, maybe. If I had a daughter I'd name her Katherine Mary, I think. Or Katherine Elizabeth. Yeah, name the park something like that. Has about as much meaning as anything else.
Originally Posted By ArchtMig >>>They had plenty to market and they blew it. Big time.<<< Bad marketing is not why the park was a dud. The park was a dud because the park was a dud. You can market the heck out of something, but if it's not what the people want, all the marketing in the world won't save it. Just ask the producers of "Snakes on a Plane". Or the creators of "New Coke". Or the folks behind the show "Caveman". All heavily marketed. To say that better marketing would have saved DCA is ridiculous. Quality wins out, and when the product is lacking, the customer knows when they're being scammed by glitzy marketing. There wasn't enough that was truly great at DCA to build a full marketing campaign around. Not to the point where people were going to pay full price for a one day non-park hopper ticket to go into the place. Which was the only way you could get in back in the early days. I know you really loved the place from day one, or at least it sure seems that way given how much effort you spend to defend it and explain away its deficiencies. But if everyone felt the way you do, Disney wouldn't have needed to do a lot of marketing. Yet if the majority doesn't agree with you, all the marketing in the world wouldn't make a difference.
Originally Posted By dshyates I first though, "South Park" but that was taken. I checked. So how about, "Disney-Pixar's California Animation Studios Adventure Kingdom Theme Park."
Originally Posted By BlueOhanaTerror >>>They had plenty to market and they blew it. Big time.<<< They marketed the heck out of it in repeated campaigns in Southern California - their base audience. The result? Their base audience kept going to Disneyland, with scant time paid to DCA. They'll make these changes, improve the image, give the sense that there's investment, change, new stuff to see, and MOST "Disney" of all - a new, more "Disney" sort of vibe. That will bring people in. People want atmosphere from Disney, along with great rides and attractions..
Originally Posted By WorldDisney <<Bad marketing is not why the park was a dud. The park was a dud because the park was a dud. You can market the heck out of something, but if it's not what the people want, all the marketing in the world won't save it. Just ask the producers of "Snakes on a Plane". Or the creators of "New Coke". Or the folks behind the show "Caveman". All heavily marketed. To say that better marketing would have saved DCA is ridiculous. Quality wins out, and when the product is lacking, the customer knows when they're being scammed by glitzy marketing.>> In a word, YEP!! Also I always find it funny that just because they market people, that means people will just LOVE IT!!! You can market something to death, it doesn't mean people are going to fall in love with it just because they see a commercial for it 30 times a day. If it doesn't interest you, it doesn't interest you. Funny this is when HKDL started tanking, it was the exact same excuse lol.
Originally Posted By jonvn In a word, no. You can build the greatest thing in the world, and if you don't tell anyone about it, no one is going to buy it. The marketing for the park when it first opened, was abysmal. The ads didn't explain what they were for, and it looked like they were just Disneyland ads. No one was told what the park was, why it was, or what was in it. You need to do marketing to figure out where to advertise and you need to follow through. You just don't open the place up, and expect the people to flood in for no reason. And it simply was not promoted. It was not promoted around here at all. People seem to think that marketing a product doesn't really do anything. Of course that is wrong. Companies spend billions a year on advertising because it works.
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<The lack of that magic that's embalmed in Disneyland and the total lack of it in most of California Adventure >> What's that supposed to mean? That DL is lacking in magic?
Originally Posted By WorldDisney <<In a word, no. You can build the greatest thing in the world, and if you don't tell anyone about it, no one is going to buy it. The marketing for the park when it first opened, was abysmal. The ads didn't explain what they were for, and it looked like they were just Disneyland ads. No one was told what the park was, why it was, or what was in it.>> Sure, when it OPENED, maybe....but that was 6 years ago. I'm sure by NOW they should be able to figure out a way to sell this park better and I'm sure the word has been waaaay out for DCA by now, but people are still hardly biting because it doesn't matter how much you market something people just aren't interested in buying, period. Again though its odd to compare the marketing from 2001 to today, as some people like to remind us it ain't 2001 anymore . And the marketing thing in the beginning can ONCE AGAIN rack up to Disney arrogance. They just thought they had a slam dunk with this pathetic park and opened up a park with sub par attractions and shows at full price with no park hoppers or AP's, meanwhile just basically putting 'Disney' on the sign and of course that fabulous word of mouth was just going to catch on...it didn't. They only have themselves to blame how the ENTIRE thing was handled .
Originally Posted By WorldDisney And no one is saying marketing don't work, OF COURSE it does, but there is also something called competition. Everyone is out there to make the same money as everyone else, if you're advertising a car, you have to realize there are eight more cars looking at the same demographics and people to go after. Again, Disney just thought, 'we advertise it as being next door to DL' they seriously thought that ALONE was going to get people there when there are still other theme parks in L.A. people still go to. Obviously not as much as DL, but they are there. DCA not only didn't define what the park was about, the little it DID basically was the same crap you find at the other parks like PP, GRR and etc. It didn't distinguish itself from everything else because mostly what is there minus the wonderful Disney themeing was like everything else in California and why it bombed.
Originally Posted By jonvn " I'm sure by NOW they should be able to figure out a way to sell this park better " I have not seen one single solitary ad for the place since 2001. And yet, according to Bean at least, attendance has grown year after year. Some days this last summer the place nearly closed its doors for being so full. Maybe things aren't so cut and dried as you'd like them to be.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney ^^LOL dude, okay, cut and dry sure . And yes, attendance has grown, but I'm guessing with Disney doing EVERYTHING to bend over backwards, from ONE day park hoppers, 2fers, highlighting AP's and everything else, then sure you are going to get more people in there. The only time most of my friends bother is with the 2fers, if not they never bother. Wow, nearly closed its doors huh? I'm glad when I was there in August, the place was moderate at best for 5 days. I couldn't imagine being in DCA with a full attendance--I ONLY go there because it isn't now ;D. But yeah, ticketing is what is saving this park. Cut all that out and sell one day passes like 2001 and I'm willing to bet DCA's attendance will shrivel up like a prune lol. And wow, it's too bad Disney doesn't even want to advertise separately for the park anymore. It's almost like they given up trying to sell the park as its own place and basically just add on to DL, sad. I know they sorta of do that at WDW too, but that place is HUGE and its a bunch of mainly vacationers anyway. DCA should at least be advertised on its own to the locals, but I guess they just don't think it will do much good .
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Much of the marketing of DCA is directed to Southern California Residents and Annual Passholders. Disney prefers to advertise the "Resort" to out-of-town Guests, and sell hotel rooms and packages. But everytime DCA had a new attraction, There were TV and Radio ads, Billboards, Newspaper Ads, and e-mails and mailers. AP previews help to drive attendance. When Tower of Terror opened, there was a big promotion with McDonald's, with a chance to win prizes, including free tickets, and it was easy to get an Early Entry coupon when you could enter DCA before it opened to ride Tower of Terror. There were plenty of Monsters, Inc. ads and Billboards when it first opened. And I presume a big push when Toy Story Mania! is opened to the public. But I also predict a few weeks of soft openings and AP previews, where AP's can register for a specific date and time and check out the attraction. No cost to the AP holder, but will drive additional attendanc into DCA as the AP holders make a special trip to check TSM! out. And of course, the 2fer promotion the last few years, that is heavely marketed in Southern California, the tickets say "Purchase a Disneyland Park ticket for one day and visit Disney's California Adventure Park on another day for FREE!" <a href="http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/gallery/2348468/1/122919197/Large" target="_blank">http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/ga llery/2348468/1/122919197/Large</a> This promo is a major driver of attendance for the last few years. I remember the summer of 2001, when the park was empty, even though Disney had an offer of $10 off Adult Tickets ($33 instead of $43) and for every adult ticket, you got a Child's Ticket for free (and back then, it was 3 thru 11, not the current 3 thru 9). And that Promo really didn't work.
Originally Posted By jonvn Ticketing, or just people going. As I have said, and Bean has backed up again, is that this expansion is to encourage continued growth of the place. That's the only thing that makes any sense. "Disney doesn't even want to advertise separately for the park anymore" Disney does not advertise any of their second or third gate parks. " It's almost like they given up trying to sell the park as its own place and basically just add on to DL" That's what it was intended as. That doesn't make it sad, it makes it what it is.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney I don't know, I still think its sad . DCA should be marketed more, that's all.
