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merlinjones
04-12-2003, 08:21 AM
How much of Disneyland's twee marketing in recent years has been aimed only at the babies/toddlers and their parents? (Disney Store has gone that way too).

Walt's Disneyland was a cool place for everyone - - and they would sell it that way. But lately, all we see in ads is these little pampered kiddies getting showered with merchandise while leading mommy and daddy around by the nose (or maybe some heavy handed rediscover the nostalgia hook for oldsters).

Now, obviously, that is the core demo of the park (and should be). But those people are already going to go anyway. By portraying Disneyland as only for the youngest of kids, they reinforce stereotypes of the place by older children and young adults. Even the overwhelming emphasis on uninspired, exclusionary kiddie ride additions like Bug Land and Pooh reinforce this message.

Whatever happened to Date Nights at Disneyland, Disneyland After Dark and other initiatives for upward demographic good clean fun?

Even when DCA was supposed to be for adults, I never got the impression from any ads who they expected to go there (now its sold for little kids too). But DL is another story.

Don't they need an entirely new approach to marketing and running the park for kids of all ages? Or is the new Disney just too far away from its roots to go there anymore?

Matterhorn Fan
04-12-2003, 08:31 AM
Darn, I thought this thread was going to be about something else entirely.

merlinjones
04-12-2003, 08:32 AM
Bait and switch!

Doodle Duck
04-12-2003, 08:34 AM
Matterhorn Fan: The tank Tops are out in force in the park. :D :D :D :eek: :eek: :eek:

YellowMan
04-12-2003, 09:45 AM
Well merlinjones, there's a first time for everything, and it looks like this is the first time I agree with you. I too have been noticing how the commerials are focusing only on younger kids and maybe a little on families with younger kids. And the point about the kids leading the parents around and getting showered with merchandise is most definitely true, as I have thought this while watching the commercials myself. I think that they need to rethink how they promote the parks a little bit, and try to attract the older (not senior) crowds with or without kids. Disneyland Resort most definitely is not a couple of parks built only for kids (yet) and they should try to advertise that a little more.

merlinjones
04-12-2003, 10:42 AM
>>And the point about the kids leading the parents around and getting showered with merchandise is most definitely true, as I have thought this while watching the commercials myself. I think that they need to rethink how they promote the parks a little bit, and try to attract the older (not senior)crowds with or without kids. <<

I guess they have to remember its a park - - a leisure destination, not a store or giant retail outlet. Seems like the sales per square foot obsession of mall retailers is at work here. Maybe those Princesses are more consistent/perisistent shoppers, but that doesn't mean everyone else should be excluded from importance at the resort.

Maybe new management will change this point of view. It's definitely hurting the park's image as a fun place for all ages (and its got to be hitting merchandise sales too. If everything is the same in every store and is only geared to mommies and kiddies what does everyone else buy? Nothing.).

hazlnut
04-12-2003, 01:19 PM
the marketing must be working, because we took our daughter when she turned one. We've been back several times. She's two now and is starting to warm up to some of the characters. She loved the parade of the stars and the tea cups.

As far as Date Night. I remember Disneyland in my 20s as I place I took girls on a make-up date, you know, after I really screwd up and did something that got me in dutch, then I'd blindfuld them and take them to Disneyland. It worked like a charm.

merlinjones
04-14-2003, 09:54 AM
>>the marketing must be working, because we took our daughter when she turned one. We've been back several times. <<

Did you need marketing to create an urge to do this, or is it just natural to take your kid to Disneyland as soon as she's old enough? Seems like an American rite of passage.

Maybe the marketing should reach people beyond the usual demos, remindeng them how cool Walt's Dl still is?

LSPoorEeyorick
04-14-2003, 10:50 AM
I think that DL should take a hint from the minds at WDW/Cruiseline advertising. Most of that advertising is directed at adult audiences, but two in release last year were particularly strong:

1) "You don't talk to me 'in that way' anymore."
The you've-lost-that-lovin'-feeling approach to rediscovering the Disney magic in a relationship. Tender and devoid of cynicism, it promotes renewing the youth in a relationship by renewing your own inner child-- via Disney. Who couldn't resist a Donald-Duck-voiced "I love you"?

2) The glass slipper commercial
What kind of a man proposes with a shoe box? A triumphantly romantic Disney fan, as it turns out. Much like the first example, its approach is warm and without snark. If this commercial doesn't give you warm fuzzies, you had better check your pulse to make sure you're not dead already. Watching this commercial on the big screen in World of Disney in Orlando with my father was fun-- at the end, we ended up giggling terribly because both of us had been reduced to tears.


There are several other adult-centered WDW commercials, but these two commercials certainly do their job pulling heartstrings and reminding us that Disney is capable of helping us discover the magic within ourselves.

If only the ad gurus at DL would take a hint.

Ace
04-14-2003, 11:16 AM
Originally posted by Matterhorn Fan
Darn, I thought this thread was going to be about something else entirely.

They need to add something in the FAQ about not posting misleading threads. There was one about the MATRIX except it was about the Matrix car, but I clicked on it anyway. This thread could read "BabIes in Disneyland..."

BUT NO.

kennyhues
04-14-2003, 02:14 PM
1) "You don't talk to me 'in that way' anymore."
The you've-lost-that-lovin'-feeling approach to rediscovering the Disney magic in a relationship. Tender and devoid of cynicism, it promotes renewing the youth in a relationship by renewing your own inner child-- via Disney. Who couldn't resist a Donald-Duck-voiced "I love you"?

YES!! That was absolutely perfect, except it might have been too vague to be effective - Were they marketing the theme parks? The films? Or just Disney magic in general? In any case, it was a wonderful 30 seconds of tender scripting, great casting, and note-perfect acting. Get the same ad people on the DL account! Disney parks engage lots of emotions - it's not all empty thrills like at most other parks. Market that!!

Klutch
04-14-2003, 06:26 PM
Originally posted by Matterhorn Fan
Darn, I thought this thread was going to be about something else entirely.

Ditto. I was hoping for pictures of Jaque in New Orleans square. Sigh, I know it's not cool to post pics of cast members, but I was hoping anyway.

By the way. Why are there babies in Disneyland, anyway? As comedian Steven Wright once said, "Babies don't need vacations". ;)

Of course, I'm kidding. Babies add to the Disney ambiance and are much less disruptive than rowdy pre-teens.

stinkerbell
04-14-2003, 10:23 PM
I have no comments really on the babies at Disneyland thing, but I really, really enjoyed being a teen at Disneyland in the late 80's. It was great! The skybuckets, Videopolis, InnerSpace, StarCade.......so many places to hang out and just have fun.

And I, too, thought this thread was going somewhere else. ;)

furbE95
04-14-2003, 10:27 PM
Originally posted by Ace
They need to add something in the FAQ about not posting misleading threads. There was one about the MATRIX except it was about the Matrix car, but I clicked on it anyway. This thread could read "BabIes in Disneyland..."

BUT NO.
I dont want to speak for merlin jones (even if he likes speaking for everyone else ;) ), but i believe the thread is supposed to be a play off the title "Babes in toyland"

(not to mention the extra views, and all the complaints that you perverts are posting ;))

Woodpecker Planet
04-15-2003, 05:24 PM
They take the same approach to their movies that they do with the parks. Every time they put out an "adult" animated film like Treasure Planet, Black Cauldron and Atlantis, they always stack them with enough "kid friendly" characters to keep the kids happy. But then when these abortions fail, they say "Oh, we guess teens and adults aren't interested in animated movies."

Same goes for DCA. They said "Well we built a park for adults but they didn't come" so then they desperatley try to add a bunch of kiddie attractions.

This is a sign that the marketing accountants are in control of this once great creative giant.

They know who their primary market is and that's all they cater towards. So that's why they saturate the market with Pooh and build a half-arsed Pooh ride, and then act shocked when the adult online community disowns the peice of junk.

This is also why I think we'll see something done with Superstar Limo after all. Yeah it will be worse than Pooh but they dug their hole and now they have to fill it.