MORE DL pillaging

Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom

After they decorated Cinderella's Castle as a birthday cake, I can handle anything Disney has to dish out!

 

Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney

A lot of us 'oldtimers' feel the tacky, cheap, castle B-Day cake was the beginning of the end of the WDW we knew and loved.

 

Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom

I'm sorry but I never understood the idea behind dressing up a building as a birthday cake. All I can think of is someone going to WDW for the first time and seeing this huge structure drapped with fabric looking like a cake. Makes you want to ask where David Copperfield the Magician is hiding?

It was soooo stupid! I did enjoy the birthday cake at Mickey Birthday thing.

 

Originally Posted By gurgitoy2

"I finally saw it. I don't know what people want them to say in a 30 second spot. The point of the commercial is to sell WDW. Throw in Walt, the castle, a couple of people having fun on rides and and there you go. What should happen? Stop the commercial midway through and have some geek take 5 minutes to explain that it's really DL that's 50 yrs old blah, blah, by that time you've lost 99% of the viewers."

Yeah, but there's a solution to this. Don't use Walt footage, and be honest. Why couldn't they just have a commercial selling the virtues of WDW and tie it into the 50th celebration.

I don't really feel angry about this, just frustrated that Disney is further confusing it's guests, when it could easily create marketing that was straight forward. Synergy is one thing, but to just blurr the lines between the resorts is just dumb if they want to have any chance at making Disneyland a destination resort. They might as well just give up the Strawberry field to Aneheim and be done with it then.

 

Originally Posted By gurgitoy2

"Yeah, but there's a solution to this. Don't use Walt footage, and be honest. Why couldn't they just have a commercial selling the virtues of WDW and tie it into the 50th celebration."

That paragraph sounds funny to me. I mean to say that WDW should just not use the Walt footage, and have an honest campaing that extolls the virtues of WDW and not try to make stuff up. There is no explanation needed either. Nobody has to come on screen and give a lecture as to why WDW is celebrating 50 years, just sell WDW for what it is.

 

Originally Posted By danyoung

>I don't know what people want them to say in a 30 second spot.<

It would have been incredibly easy to say something like "50 years ago Walt dedicated Disneyland, and today the magic is still flowing at Walt Disney World." There's even 25 seconds left over to sell pins and Pal Mickeys!

 

Originally Posted By TDLFAN

>>A lot of us 'oldtimers' feel the tacky, cheap, castle B-Day cake was the beginning of the end of the WDW we knew and loved.<<

I agree, as the 25th of WDW was so underwhelming as opposed to WDW's Tencennial, the 15th or even the 20th! ...and won't get any better since the 30th was none existent, and I fear the 35th will be forgotten as well. Anyone remember when DL turned 35th and celebrated with their biggest parade yet..Party Gras?? How sad we don't see stuff like that anymore.. The parades of today are more about sentimentality that does not age well, as opposed to true Disney-style celebrations.

>>I'm sorry but I never understood the idea behind dressing up a building as a birthday cake.<<

Don't be sorry for that, and blame DLP for starting the trend... Besides, having a Pepto-Abysmal Castle made more sense than blocking MGM's castle (AKA Chinese Theater) with a huge ugly hat that is nothing but a pin trading shop. ..and while I am at it. TAKE THE WAND and HAT DOWN!!!

 

Originally Posted By Labuda

Well, turns out the commercial appeared during Lost this week, so whn I watched Lost this morning, I got to see it. And I'm now wondering how confused the average consumer is going to be in another 16 years when WDW *really* turns 50.

 

Originally Posted By Jim_n_Ruth

I finally got to see the commercial. I see this as proudly displaying the world of Walt Disney. Where & when it began, where it is, and may possibly go. I don't see this as trying to confuse Disneyland with Walt Disney world at all. I see it as one magical world....DISNEY.

Disneyland can never be replaced. If it wasn't for Disneyland, and the success it had, Walt Disney world or any other Disney park would exist.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

I just saw the commercial and headed right here. It's terrible! I hadn't even seen this thread, since I've been gone for a while, but it truly made my jaw drop, and not in a good way. I really like the choice of music (the soundtrack from Rudy) and the footage, with the exception of Walt. If they wanted to use Walt, then do it, but at least make some sort of reference to DL and how it is DL's 50th, and WDW is just tagging along. There was absolutely no mention of DL at all. It just said that Walt opened a special place 50 years ago, and then went into the WDW footage. I think that the shots from around the parks is great and should be worked into another commercial, but it really is a terrible commercial, which just adds to the confusion. People thought that WDW was 25, then 100, and now it's 50, and all within 10 years. The marketing department needs to explain the whole 50 thing and say something like "DL is 50, and we're joining in the celebration too," instead of "A special place opened 50 years ago, WDW is great!" Although I understand why they are doing it that way, it really doesn't excuse it at all.

 

Originally Posted By danyoung

>I don't see this as trying to confuse Disneyland with Walt Disney world at all. I see it as one magical world....DISNEY.<

That's because you (and all of us online) know the difference. Yes, I could look at it that way, too. But if you look at the spot through the eyes of the Disney illiterate, you see a direct connection between Walt and WDW's apparant 50th birthday. I know they only have 30 seconds to tell the story, but it's totally possible to tell it better than they're doing. In other words, market to the Disney illiterate, but throw in a few bones to us knowledgeable folks, too.

 

Originally Posted By trekkeruss

<<market to the Disney illiterate, but throw in a few bones to us knowledgeable folks, too.>>

They _deliberately_ marketed WDW this way because they knew this would push some buttons... what better way to make a memorable commercial than to create a stir?

 

Originally Posted By Jim_n_Ruth

Critical bunch on these boards. Very critical. I see what you're saying, and respect it. Your post was very open minded.

I just sit back and think that some folks are reading too much into this, and creating something I really don't believe was intended. But, that's my nature. Disney does so many wonderful, unique, creative things that I enjoy so enormously, that I tend to look at them through grateful eyes.

If they make a mistake or two, well, as they say...you can't please everybody.

 

Originally Posted By danyoung

>They _deliberately_ marketed WDW this way because they knew this would push some buttons.<

>I just sit back and think that some folks are reading too much into this, and creating something I really don't believe was intended.<

Of the two opinions above, I strongly agree with the second one. I don't think Disney has the marketing chops these days to come up with something that would intentionally push the buttons of us online geeks. No, the problem is that they are looking at the Disney properties as a whole, picking the elements that they want to use for a spot, and ignoring the rich history that brought them here in the first place.

I'm not losing any sleep, nor am I reducing the frequency of my trips or the amount of my spending. I just think it's sad that the Disney company mashed all of these elements together with no consideration for the true history of the company, or the place in Anaheim that Walt personally envisioned that began the entire theme park industry.

 

Originally Posted By MinnieSummer

Wow, I finally saw it this week and I was so prepared to say that everyone was reading more into it than was necessary but I really think this was a slam to Disneyland. As DanYoung said, they really could have made a much better add and not given the GP the idea that WDW was 50. Although, as someone else pointed out most people don't even realize there are two parks anymore.

Labuda, I'm convinced that most of the GP wont even remember this celebration when WDW really does turn 50. The short attention span/memory of the masses. LOL

 

Originally Posted By trekkeruss

<<I don't think Disney has the marketing chops these days to come up with something that would intentionally push the buttons of us online geeks.>>

I was joking.

<<No, the problem is that they are looking at the Disney properties as a whole, picking the elements that they want to use for a spot, and ignoring the rich history that brought them here in the first place.>>

If they were ignoring the rich history, they wouldn't bother to use Walt at all. But they were going for touchy-feely, _that's_ why they made the spot they way they did.

<<I really think this was a slam to Disneyland>>

Um, no. It was an ad aimed at those who are WDW's core audience.

 

Originally Posted By movieguy

These boards are so much fun. I always begin my day with a laugh. Keep up the good work!

 

Originally Posted By BrerOtter

When the 50th came around and the only "special" things about it were a copycat ride from the MK, a warmed-over parade, the "grand reopening" of an E-ticket ride that had simply been closed for two years to spark interest, and the closing/alteration of a groundbreaking attraction for six of the event's eighteen months for a gimmicky holiday makeover, I think this commercial is about the least offensive part of the whole thing.

 

Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider

^^ What did they get from the MK?

 

Originally Posted By BrerOtter

Buzz Lightyear