Mostly Anonymous
08-22-2007, 01:19 PM
Interesting article to share:
Bloggers Key Marketing Aid For Wizarding World Theme Park (http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=66157)
Instead of doing big press releases about the new Harry Potter addition to IoA, Universal is going to release information gradually via the internet fan sites. It's more of a "viral" marketing strategy, that should build a lot of excitement among all of the fans who will be most excited about seeing this new land.
I've wondered sometimes if Disney would/should start trying to use the fan sites in a similar way. Generally the information that gets leaked on the internet doesn't seem like stuff the company intended to leak, so I don't think they're trying this yet.
An interesting comparison would be Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point a few years back. They managed to completely clamp down on information, there were no leaks about what they were doing. As people began to notice a new coaster under construction - and as the structure got bigger, and bigger, and bigger - theme park websites were really buzzing about it. There was plenty of excitement among roller coaster fans even before Cedar Point made any announcements about the ride, and that marketing didn't cost the company a penny. I'm not sure how much of it was planned vs. accidental, but it was a marketing coup.
Bloggers Key Marketing Aid For Wizarding World Theme Park (http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=66157)
Instead of doing big press releases about the new Harry Potter addition to IoA, Universal is going to release information gradually via the internet fan sites. It's more of a "viral" marketing strategy, that should build a lot of excitement among all of the fans who will be most excited about seeing this new land.
I've wondered sometimes if Disney would/should start trying to use the fan sites in a similar way. Generally the information that gets leaked on the internet doesn't seem like stuff the company intended to leak, so I don't think they're trying this yet.
An interesting comparison would be Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point a few years back. They managed to completely clamp down on information, there were no leaks about what they were doing. As people began to notice a new coaster under construction - and as the structure got bigger, and bigger, and bigger - theme park websites were really buzzing about it. There was plenty of excitement among roller coaster fans even before Cedar Point made any announcements about the ride, and that marketing didn't cost the company a penny. I'm not sure how much of it was planned vs. accidental, but it was a marketing coup.