News Test Track to be reimagined

[Figments Friend]

Man, think of the money they can save once they strip Dinosaur of it's foliage and repurpose it for Test Track.

Bob Iger called.

He says :
“I really like the way you think!”
“You’re hired!”




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[Figments Friend]

Now, just imagine if we had sponsors for all the other pavilions with as much interest as GM.....

I do find it interesting how General Motors has remained dedicated to its Pavilion at Epcot longer than any of the others in the Parks history.
It I am remembering correctly, GM was one of if not the first to officially sign on as a Pavilion sponsor back at the very beginning of EPCOT Center’s development.

One has to wonder what keeps them on board…all these years…through the ups and downs in the Park and the Company’s history.
Perhaps they really do sell a lot of cars in the former TransCenter after all…!

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[Mickeynerd17]

I do find it interesting how General Motors has remained dedicated to its Pavilion at Epcot longer than any of the others in the Parks history.
It I am remembering correctly, GM was one of if not the first to officially sign on as a Pavilion sponsor back at the very beginning of EPCOT Center’s development.

One has to wonder what keeps them on board…all these years…through the ups and downs in the Park and the Company’s history.
Perhaps they really do sell a lot of cars in the former TransCenter after all…!

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Indeed, they were the first corporation to sign on for an EPCOT pavilion. I have a feeling it stems from not only GM's CEO being a member of the WDO board of directors but also GM's history with world's fair pavilions. The Futurama exhibit from the 1930 New York World's Fair was a massive success and I feel GM wanted to outdo Ford's Magic Skyway from 1962.

What I'll never understand is the decision to keep sponsoring test track during the bankruptcy.

 

[Earlie the Pearlie]

Indeed, they were the first corporation to sign on for an EPCOT pavilion. I have a feeling it stems from not only GM's CEO being a member of the WDO board of directors but also GM's history with world's fair pavilions. The Futurama exhibit from the 1930 New York World's Fair was a massive success and I feel GM wanted to outdo Ford's Magic Skyway from 1962.

What I'll never understand is the decision to keep sponsoring test track during the bankruptcy.

I heard that they wanted to keep pushing their brand message, and they figured test track was a worthy use of advertising money. They do reach a lot of consumers that way. GM’s loyalty towards EPCOT has certainly improved my view of them.

 

[No Name]

One has to wonder what keeps them on board

Unlike any other sponsor in Epcot’s history, they really get to soak you in a living breathing commercial for what they’re selling. Nothing else like it exists, and to a company like GM, I’m sure that’s absolutely worth the $10+ million per year they pay.

Mercedes-Benz had their name on two NFL stadiums at one point… the car industry likes physical sponsorships and this is the pinnacle of them.

I do want some numbers on how many cars a day they sell straight from the lobby though!

 

[Poseidon Quest]

GM was one of if not the first to officially sign on as a Pavilion sponsor back at the very beginning of EPCOT Center’s development.

Indeed, they were the first corporation to sign on for an EPCOT pavilion.

I remember reading that Disney was having a lot of difficulty with corporate sponsors, especially because they didn't really understand what the park intended to be. What I thought I remembered was that ExxonMobil signed on first, opening the flood gates and giving other potential corporations confidence in sponsorship too. Am I missing something in the narrative?

 

[WaltsTreasureChest]

Thank god they didn’t retheme it to Cars

 

[Figments Friend]

I remember reading that Disney was having a lot of difficulty with corporate sponsors, especially because they didn't really understand what the park intended to be. What I thought I remembered was that ExxonMobil signed on first, opening the flood gates and giving other potential corporations confidence in sponsorship too. Am I missing something in the narrative?

Pretty sure it was General Motors who signed on first, but yes, once they did other companies jumped on board.
Kodak as another early entry, from what I recall.

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[aladdin2007]

Its really a shame the other pavilions could not retain the same kind of support and love and or new support, the way GM has kept up. Its really the only original sponsor left, unless you include restaurant management such as San Angel Inn.

 

[rle4lunch]

I rode TT 2.0 the day it opened to the public. It was visually cool, but the CMs didn't have a clue how to help the queue build their cars, and it was a super clunky rollout. Fast forward to today, where they give kids 15 seconds to design their cars with zero outcome at the end except a hokey scoreboard, it just feels lazy.

TT 1.0 was aging badly and was kinda dumb, but TT 2.0 is just neon idiocy.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

They should reimagine™ it to a "history of travel" omnimover attraction with music by Buddy Baker and X Atencio.

 

[Rich Brownn]

Indeed, they were the first corporation to sign on for an EPCOT pavilion. I have a feeling it stems from not only GM's CEO being a member of the WDO board of directors but also GM's history with world's fair pavilions. The Futurama exhibit from the 1930 New York World's Fair was a massive success and I feel GM wanted to outdo Ford's Magic Skyway from 1962.

What I'll never understand is the decision to keep sponsoring test track during the bankruptcy.

Futurama II was even more impress, although it didn't age well (you have to cringe at the "highway constructer on wheels" running rampant through a rain forest)

 

[Captain Neo]

Thank god they didn’t retheme it to Cars

if GM pulled sponsorship they would have

 

[scottieRoss]

They should reimagine™ it to a "history of travel" omnimover attraction with music by Buddy Baker and X Atencio.

Heavens no. The public did not want it then, they most certainly will not want it now.

 

[MrPromey]

They'd better record that soon. He's 92.

AI.

It's the solution to everything these days:

 

[MrPromey]

I heard that they wanted to keep pushing their brand message, and they figured test track was a worthy use of advertising money. They do reach a lot of consumers that way. GM’s loyalty towards EPCOT has certainly improved my view of them.

Auto makers go in way more for brand-awareness marketing than most other kinds of products.

People go years between buying cars, sometimes a decade or more.

While the dealerships run ads pushing you to show up on their lots for memorial day weekend, the manufactures play the long game trying to associate their brand with positive stuff in peoples minds over decades.*

Two things about this:

1) It's difficult to really judge the effectiveness in any single campaign like this. That makes it easy, in a lot of cases, to justify the spend or the cut of spend on one campaign or another when you've got a wide spread - a lot comes down to how people in positions in power feel personally about the connection.

2) Being that they've been with this pavilion so long, there could be the feeling that pulling out when they don't absolutely have to could create a negative perception in consumer's minds. "They used to sponsor this and then they couldn't afford to anymore" isn't what you want your customers thinking when you're trying to sell them one of the most expensive purchases most consumers make after a home... which isn't even a thing for a lot of people anymore, making a car THE biggest purchase for many.

They'll be here for years to come to support you and your car, just like they've been here for decades in Epcot.

... and an add-on 3) ≈$10 million a year for a sponsorship is kind of a drop in the marketing budget of a major car maker. They'll spend far more than that for a single super bowl ad, for instance.

The VIP room in the park they can send their executives to, dealers to, and top clients and partners to is also the kind of unique perk big companies like this enjoy having.

Another words, I'm sure someone in GM want's to keep it and I'm sure someone in GM is afraid to drop it** and therefore, we continue to have it.


* while not a major one-time purchase Coke is in a similar position as a long-term sponsor. They need you to keep drinking their stuff constantly in a market where it is easy to swtich so they spend a ton this way, too to give you all the positive feels and the last thing they want is Pepsi becoming the offical soft drink of anything if they can avoid it. I'm sure Budwiser would have been a long-term sponosor if the brands had aligned and in fact, one of their brands is a great example of how fragile that "relationship" they try to foster with their customers can be.

**last thing they want is Hyundai sponsoring Test Track 3.0

 

[CheechChongy122]

I went on the original world of motion. I really appreciate going back to a ride that feels more full and lively like the concept art. I like the second update, but it’s nice to see sowmthing new that looks practical.

 

[Bocabear]

Heavens no. The public did not want it then, they most certainly will not want it now.

The original always seemed mobbed when I was there... I never noticed a dip in favor other than the sponsor wanted something more thrilling...

 

[DisneyCane]

I heard that they wanted to keep pushing their brand message, and they figured test track was a worthy use of advertising money. They do reach a lot of consumers that way. GM’s loyalty towards EPCOT has certainly improved my view of them.

I'm only one example but I purchased a Chevy Avalanche in 2005 100% because my wife and I saw it on display in the Test Track post show. I was in the market for a truck and had an F150 lease ending. If we hadn't seen the Avalanche that day I most likely would have bought an F150.

 

[Phineas]

Honestly really excited for this. Test Track always felt soulless to me, lacking in that Epcot magic. I still have nightmares of getting stuck in the queue of version 1.0 with that incessant clanging, banging, metallic loop for 45 minutes. And holy heck is designing a car pointless in its execution. Anything that brings more creativity to this attraction, while maintaining the theme of transportation through the ages, is a win in my book.


Edit: Does WDI still realize that Mission: SPACE is in fact, still open and allowing guests inside? Maybe a gigantic reimagining is about 20 years past due? Heck, I’d volunteer to help with the demolition. I wouldn’t charge them a cent.