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Possible Attraction in France pavilion (Epcot) Update - new Attraction Greenlit
- Thread starter doctornick
- Start date
Very good point; it's notable that their marketing pushes of late focus so heavily on the "bring the little ones" type of advertising while Universal is cornering the market on the "the kids are older now, they need a more exciting vacation" ads. It's strange to see that evolution in themed entertainment, considering Disney's biggest market in WDW's early days was younger, childless couples. Obviously there's always been a childlike component to the theme park experience, and I'm forever grateful to my family for bringing my brother and I to WDW as frequently as they did back in our childhoods, but it was a WDW that felt like it could be appreciated by all ages, not just us kids at the time, that kept my brother and I coming back for more as we grew older.
I was very lucky as well to live in Florida and take frequent trips as a kid in the late 80s and early 90s. As a teen I spent more time at Universal before getting back into the Disney bubble and now I hit both. I actually just found a picture of me with Mickey when I was a kid.
I get parents want their kids to experience everything, but the truth is, they can't. We all had to wait to experience things. It's life. It's like getting a trophy for just participating. Well, we all had to experience loss ...
I think the ad where the kids watch a hotel clerk "deliver the magic and pixie dust" isn't awful but it's 100% focused on kids only.
Universal focuses on what they have to offer, they don't really focus on specific age groups, just something I've noticed. I found their latest ad to be far better and more appealing.
But I'm off-topic.
How about that Rat ...
I get parents want their kids to experience everything, but the truth is, they can't. We all had to wait to experience things. It's life. It's like getting a trophy for just participating. Well, we all had to experience loss ...
I think the ad where the kids watch a hotel clerk "deliver the magic and pixie dust" isn't awful but it's 100% focused on kids only.
Universal focuses on what they have to offer, they don't really focus on specific age groups, just something I've noticed. I found their latest ad to be far better and more appealing.
But I'm off-topic.
How about that Rat ...
Thank you for what you can share @marni1971 !
Interestingly, this is one of the few areas where I think the MM+ project has been a success. I travel to WDW in groups with only adults, and have gotten some very well-targeted marketing materials from them, indicating that they're aware that their audience is more than families with young children
The 40-page glossy booklet they send after booking a room is filled with guests enjoying WDW's offerings. In the booklets I've recieved there are no children to be found (other than an occasional CGI marketing image, like the family riding a Soarin' vehicle over the Golden Gate Bridge). It's an amazing 180 from their mass produced/publicized marketing materials; my jaw literally dropped the first time I saw it. If you didn't know better, this was an advertisement for a place that catered to adults and only begrudgingly allowed children too
Predictably these images often feature expensive "not included with your ticket price" activities like dining, drinks, and spas, but they also manage to avoid the current marketing clichés like character meet & greets or barely-themed flat rides. Instead, they focus on the relaxing elements, occasional educational opportunities, and themed environments...what a crazy concept!
Granted, you don't get any of that information until after you've already booked your room, so I'm not sure how effective it really is at convincing people to visit in the first place, but someone somewhere in Disney's marketing department is aware that people visit WDW without children. Is WDW still the most-visited honeymoon destination in the US?
The 40-page glossy booklet they send after booking a room is filled with guests enjoying WDW's offerings. In the booklets I've recieved there are no children to be found (other than an occasional CGI marketing image, like the family riding a Soarin' vehicle over the Golden Gate Bridge). It's an amazing 180 from their mass produced/publicized marketing materials; my jaw literally dropped the first time I saw it. If you didn't know better, this was an advertisement for a place that catered to adults and only begrudgingly allowed children too
Predictably these images often feature expensive "not included with your ticket price" activities like dining, drinks, and spas, but they also manage to avoid the current marketing clichés like character meet & greets or barely-themed flat rides. Instead, they focus on the relaxing elements, occasional educational opportunities, and themed environments...what a crazy concept!
Granted, you don't get any of that information until after you've already booked your room, so I'm not sure how effective it really is at convincing people to visit in the first place, but someone somewhere in Disney's marketing department is aware that people visit WDW without children. Is WDW still the most-visited honeymoon destination in the US?
My husband and I go once a year (we have no kids) and we receive the same 'adult-centered' brochures/materials enticing us to come back for some more fun. It's great that they do some marketing to childless visitors, though it seem to be only direct marketing. I would really like to see a broad television and print ad campaign designed to draw in the adult 'big kids'. I believe they had a television ad a few years ago that tried to convey that message, though it was in terms of 'Mom & Dad' being the 'big kids' alongside their children.
Wow.. so Rat in 2020? Is it because they wait to start construction or just because it goes slow? I remember that Rat in Paris took about 2 years to complete... and they had to build a whole 'land' and restaurant etc... which they could simplify in France Epcot, no? They could just add some sort of themed entrance and have the showbuilding somewhere else. Or do they have bigger plans?