Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt ^^Agreed. Yes, DCA does have a perception problem. However, that doesn't necessarily translate into "'Disneyland Resort' [is a] a concept being foisted on some people...†My point is that despite the poor perception at the local level, I believe the DLR audience outside of Southern California is less opinionated about the place.
Originally Posted By 9oldmen Again, you're saying "I believe", which, again, offers no hard evidence. Maybe I'm not offering any either, but neither are you.
Originally Posted By gadzuux But you're both "right". DLR as a whole represents a greater value for those that travel from more than (say) three hundred miles. Those guests that are traveling longer distances and doing multi-days with lodging will see a greater value with the two parks. On the other hand you've got "locals" who can reach the park in two hours or less and just visit for the day. With the limited time available to these folks, they're more inclined to skip DCA altogether and just do a 'one-day one-park' ticket. And they won't be using it at DCA. Practically nobody comes to DLR with the intention of just going to DCA - maybe some APers, but that's not the demographic the park was built to attract. Out-of-towners may be just as opinionated as the locals about the relative worth of DCA, but it's still included in their multi-day tickets, so they go anyway.
Originally Posted By Blacksheep Uncle yup..much ado about nothing... Disney is advertising the Disneyland Resort now...no more. no less... they're simply trying to change the "Disneyland" brand from meaning a single theme park to a "resort"...it's been going on for a few years now so it hardly seems surprising to me...
Originally Posted By idleHands But that's the point. Disneyland still brings in far more locals than tourists. The percentages are still hovering around the two-thirds locals to one-third tourists range. So trying to change the "Disneyland brand" into something resort-based, like WDW, doesn't work when the overwhelming majority of your visitors are day trippers with one-day admissions or APs. The tourists are never going to see the billboards until they are in SoCal. And the locals who do see the billboards would be interested in knowing whether or not the new attraction is in DL or DCA. The billboard is misleading, just as the ToT billboards were. And it's deliberate.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>In Anaheim, the idea of the "Disneyland Resort" seems to be a concept being foisted on some people who still think of Disneyland Park as being just that.<< Judging by the low vacancy rates and rising room prices on Harbor Blvd, I would say it appears to be working.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Again, you're saying "I believe", which, again, offers no hard evidence. Maybe I'm not offering any either, but neither are you." You're right. However, the increase in visitors and increased hotel occupancy rates suggest that more travelers are visiting the DLR. Charles Ahlers, President of the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau had this to say in regards to the region’s tourist business at the end of 2004: “According to Bureau tracking, 2004 looks to be a nice improvement over 2003. Through the month of November the Anaheim Hotel Market is at 70.24% occupancy, up 3.02% from last year. Our average rate has also improved slightly to $90.67, 03% better than last year. Other notable figures include Smith Travel Research identifying Anaheim up 8.5% in RevPar through November year over year.†“Projected tourism numbers for visitor count and spending are also showing growth. According to CIC Research, Orange County experienced a record year in 2004 while hosting 43.61 million visitors who spent $7.35 billion, increases of 2.0% and 7.7% respectively. We also had a substantial increase in visitors staying overnight in hotels - from 9.67 million to 10.19 million, a gain of 5.4%.†“2005 has the making of a great year thanks to Disney’s 50th Anniversary. A spike in leisure travel will be welcomed and at the same time we should see an increase in international travel due to the Disney focus by receptive operators.†His forecast for 2005 proved to be right, as DLR saw a dramatic increase in attendance. So then, do you think that the increased attendance at the DLR since a decade ago is a result of increased local visitation? Do you believe that the traditional ratio of tourists to locals has remained the same?
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "The tourists are never going to see the billboards until they are in SoCal. And the locals who do see the billboards would be interested in knowing whether or not the new attraction is in DL or DCA." The message in the billboards is no different than the television advertising we see here in Bay Area. None of it is park specific. What is the big deal?
Originally Posted By BrigmanMT 2 My beef would be more with the MONSTER portion and nothing else. The attraction would be more succesful without promotion. Cluster it into an add about the 50th celebration, just like they do in the current TV commercial. Show a picture of the characters sitting in a vehcile. People will associate it with the smaller classic attractions, and a nice compliment to the park for the whole family. The image makes it look like a film based attraction, and the writing makes it sould like the next Tower of Terror. As for the Disneyland text, yes it is misleading, but I no longer believe it is an issue. If Disney wants to present the park as a resort they should go for it full force, as they appear to be. However, I do miss that red/orage/purple logo with the Grizzley and the orange crate text. I thought it was mighty purddy.
Originally Posted By Globalizer Hehe, I see this billboard every morning on my way to work, and I always chuckle. I feel so sorry for all of the people who will plunk down their $59 and spend all day walking around DL looking for the new Monsters Inc ride! On a similar note, one of the local news stations just ran a commercial during the NFC championship game today saying, "Tomorrow morning we'll bring you a sneak peek at the new Monsters Inc ride, live from Disneyland!!!" lol
Originally Posted By idleHands Billboards, along with television ads out of the area, do not affect non-local visitors' decision about whether or not to check out the new ride, because tourists mostly use park hoppers, and not single gate one-day admission. As for locals, the 2fer ticket offer gives them the opportunity to check out Monsters basically for "free." But the offer does not diminish the fact that the second gate location of the new ride is being deliberately muddled by relying on "DL Resort" macro advertising, instead of "DCA" micro advertising. And for the throngs of non-AP locals who would be interested in experiencing Monsters, the distinction between "DL Resort" and "DCA" is not a minor one.
