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merlinjones
07-10-2003, 06:53 AM
Remember when the full page ads for Disneyland in the Los Angeles Times (and elsewhere), were colorful, artful, showmanlike concept pieces that would wow you and suck you into the latest campaign? The old ads and inserts gave one reason to believe they were to be immersed in a completely different escapist world of color and adventure at Disneyland. Not unlike movie ads, they sold you on concept, not product. They sold the Disney dream factory.

The recent print ads have all the pizazz of an office supply catalog.

Whether they are advertising nostalgic concerts, soap stars, X-games, new attractions or shows... all the ads look the same. They just sit there in little boxes, pasted together from photos with official brand logos slapped on, like a really low budget JC Penny white sale promotion. Nothing conveys any potential excitement or unique flavor. It all looks the same. So... ick... corporate.

For the public: another reason not to care about going. They don't even notice the ads unless predisposed to do so.

And guess what? Precocious little toddlers clawing at their yuppie parents are already predisposed to going. Why not appeal to a broader market, instead of repeating the same images endlessly?

RStar
07-10-2003, 07:47 AM
Now that you mention it, merlinjones, you're right.

I remember the ad showing Mickey holding the plug to the MSEP, the series with the Toy Story characters walking around TL in full page ads, ect.

Two words, budget cuts.

They most likely went to Joe and Bob's Ad Agency and got the blue-light ad special. Or at least that's what it looks like.

Lost Boy
07-10-2003, 07:55 AM
I am so glad you brought this up. I was beginning to wonder if I was just being overly critical or something, but I am glad to see that I am not the only ones who noticed the cheap ads lately. Some of those old ads (which I saved along with all the other Disney Theme Park Paper stuff I could get my hands on) where really something that made you want to go to the Park. The latest ads do nothing but make me stay away.

merlinjones
07-10-2003, 08:57 AM
Same goes for the signs used for X-Games merchandise at the park. "Available Product"? Who let the Vulcans write copy?

Get some real flesh-and-blood people, artists and creatives in there who haven't been to mall marketing class 1A. The whole internal sales culture has taken over showmanship.

Do they even know we're out here anymore?

TP2000
07-10-2003, 12:12 PM
Originally posted by merlinjones
Same goes for the signs used for X-Games merchandise at the park. "Available Product"? Who let the Vulcans write copy?

Get some real flesh-and-blood people, artists and creatives in there who haven't been to mall marketing class 1A. The whole internal sales culture has taken over showmanship.


Wow, I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt that way too! Bravo for starting this thread.

The recent ads are just so bland and mega-company lifeless. They have no personality, and then they have the modern and meaningless "Disneyland Resort" logo in a font that looks like it belongs on a Danish toothpaste tube or something. I know very little about the advertising industry, or how it works, but the explanation that they have done some seriously cheap cut and paste jobs on all of their recent ads makes sense to me. Whatever they've been doing, the ads have been really boring and lack personality or exciting "brand identity".

I was at Fashion Valley (north San Diego fancy upscale mall) earlier this week and they had those XGames ads on ALL the mall kiosks! I was looking at the mall map and this little boy of about 10 wandered up to look at the XGames ad with Bob Burnquist doing a jump in front of a digital copy of Paradise Pier. The little boy said "Is that a skate shop here mom?" and the Mom squints at the ad and says "No, I don't know what that's for". They both stood there and stared at the ad for about 10 seconds, and then the Mom said "That's for something at Disneyland, but it's in the new California place. We're not going there, remember what the Swensons said about it?" And the boy said "Oh yeah, there's no good stuff there."

And at that moment an official DCA XGames ad in a San Diego mall won over new converts to the glory of Disney's California Adventure Park at The Disneyland Resort. Maybe the mall and military crowd in TDA can come up with another brilliant idea to drive attendance? It's a good thing they fired all of those old Disneyland execs and pro's, isn't it?

merlinjones
07-10-2003, 01:07 PM
Well, check out today's Times (Thursday). Dl buys a full page back cover for every Thursday Calendar tabloid, which must cost a fortune. Then they squander the content.

It may be that they are too cheap to pay for top agencies, artists or ad gurus for the campaigns, but I'd wager a whole lot of money is being spent on this mediocrity anyway. I mean everyone in their executive hierarchy must have to sign off on this pap. I'll bet copious compromising goes on between VPs and departments that results in 500 conflicting "messages" that must be spelled out - - with none coming across.

I suspect they have hugely expensive consultants and surveys and multiple inter departmental meetings and big ticket lunches and executives with bonuses and stock options to come up with these blocks of type and stick on logos that my nephew could pasteup with photoshop and word in an hour. Whatever money they have is not being spent wisely.

When they had those concerts last year, did you ever see a Monkees or Beach Boys headline or logo - - or anything that looked like a concert? They were just on a list of tiny type next to a stock bear mountain (surely no reason to stop and read that).

I mean, look at today's ad. What is exciting about the X-ad? A motorcycle and a block of type. Who is this going to bring in? It's all words. Who is going to read all of that to get the idea?

What about any of this says "Disneyland" or even "fun"?

LA County Fair in Pomona touts its acts more clearly.

(BTW - I loved that San Diego story).

blusilva
07-10-2003, 02:17 PM
This may wander a bit off topic because it refers to the billboards, but when they changed over the "Disneyland" billboard on the 5 freeway between Slauson and Paramount Blvd to the X Game one, I seriously thought that they had sold the sign. I didn't see anything but a flying motorcycle. The words "Disneyland Resort" are in tiny print in "Disney font" on the sign and the only thing that finally got through to me that they were advertising DCA was that. After having passed it three nights in a row.

That's just bad. People driving by who aren't aware that's a Disney-owned billboard aren't going to even notice the flying motorcycle amid all the other auto-related billboards along that stretch of the 5. There's absolutely nothing about it that says "theme park".

duffman03
07-10-2003, 04:37 PM
'
I was at Fashion Valley (north San Diego fancy upscale mall) earlier this week and they had those XGames ads on ALL the mall kiosks!

I saw the same thing and even took a picture for my scrapbook of 'useless marketing.' I guess they think that because the San Diego area is a 'hotbed' of Extreme Sports, that this would appeal to them. Unfortunately, the extreme sports fans are not shopping at the high end malls... they're out on their skateboards PARTICIPATING in the sports. Extreme sports fans who I know aren't 'spectators'

MonorailMan
07-10-2003, 09:48 PM
Originally posted by TP2000
The little boy said "Is that a skate shop here mom?" and the Mom squints at the ad and says "No, I don't know what that's for". They both stood there and stared at the ad for about 10 seconds, and then the Mom said "That's for something at Disneyland, but it's in the new California place. We're not going there, remember what the Swensons said about it?" And the boy said "Oh yeah, there's no good stuff there."

I love it! A great story. It fits the DCA tried and true mold. ;)

Morrigoon
07-10-2003, 09:53 PM
The truth of it is - do you think a company that pays its CMs less than a dollar over minimum wage pays any better for the other jobs? No, they want to pay out as little as possible, and do.

You know what they say....
"Pay peanuts, get monkeys."

DisneyFan25863
07-10-2003, 09:56 PM
How bout this: If Disney got me a new top-of the line computer, a lifetime annual pass to all parks, and a new version of photoshop, I'll be willing to do the rest of their ads for as long as I live. I gaurentee that they will be MUCH better quality than the junk we have now. :fez:

Morrigoon
07-10-2003, 09:58 PM
You'd better ask for a salary too dear - they do a lot of advertising!

DisneyFan25863
07-10-2003, 09:59 PM
Okay, a room in Mr. Esiners house and a lifetime pass to his kitchen, also :fez:

MonorailMan
07-10-2003, 10:00 PM
If there's one thing I can't stand, it's "Cookie Cutter" adertising. However, I am seeing it all over. The same layout, but with just different pictures, and text. DLR suffers this really bad, however, It's becoming the normal idea. :(

merlinjones
07-10-2003, 10:02 PM
>>The truth of it is - do you think a company that pays its CMs less than a dollar over minimum wage pays any better for the other jobs? No, they want to pay out as little as possible, and do.<<

But you know they pay management and consultants enormous sums of money to supervise and pre-approve this stuff, (even if they skimp on the talent/artists) - - particularly since they think of themselves primarily as a marketing company these days. A good advertising VP should be able to dictate a better layout than this over lunchtime... unless they are just overpaid ivy league dilletantes/apparratchiks (like in most of the company). Why can't the president of the division see this is crud and demand better work?

Answer: those in charge don't get it, even on their own level.