7DMT TV Commercial-Misleading?

[JimmyV]

More likely, it was sped up to squeeze more footage into a 30-second spot, or for artistic effect within the commercial itself (i.e., brisk, up-tempo shots juxtaposed with the slow-mo stuff on foot).

Doubtful. The increased speed might account for, at best, a savings of half a second of air time. If they found themselves with 31 seconds of footage and needed to cut out a second, the obvious solution would have been to drop a second elsewhere. No one in the film room would have said: "Hey! I have a solution. Let's save a second by having Special Effects speed up the coaster in two or three segments!" It is not surprising that much of this crowd wears its Disney Goggles and cannot look at this objectively. But the family in the ad has pre-teens and teenagers. (Again, not an accident). And the ad shows a rip-roarin' coaster. To think that this ad is not targeted to that demographic is naive. The ad is designed to make pre-teens and teens believe that this ride is a step up from Thunder Mountain. I do a lot of test marketing. When this ad was tested, they likley got a bunch of people in a screening room who had been to WDW before, and among the questions that they would have asked the test panel would be:

"Based on your experiences at WDW, would you say that this ad portrays the ride as more or less intense than Big Thunder Mountain Railroad."

"Based on your experiences at WDW, and based only on this ad, would you describe this ride as (check all that apply):
a. Thrilling
b. Fast
c. Moderate
d. Tame"

"Based on your experiences at WDW, and based only on this ad, would you describe this ride as:
a. A thrill ride suitable for some guests
b. A moderate ride suitable for the whole family
c. A tame ride best suited for people who do not enjoy thrill rides."

Taking yourself out of the equation if you have actually ridden the ride, or if you have read countless articles about it both during and after construction, and looking only at this ad, how would you answer those questions? Remember that the questions do no ask you to determine if the ride is more or less intense than BTMRR. It asks you if the ride is portrayed in the ad as being more or less intense than BTMRR. "I know better", or "I know that this is an exaggeration" are not options. You are only asked to rate how the ad portrays the ride. You are kidding yourself if you think that the test panel would not answer the question by saying that this ad portrays the ride as more intense. To wit......

I must be as naïve as a child, then, because I would think it was a faster coaster based on that commercial. It looks somewhat more intense than BTMRR with the sped-up film (and, frankly, not having immersed myself in all things 7DMT I didn't know it was so slow/tame until I read it in this thread).

The objective is not to fool all of the people all of the time, but to fool some of the people some of the time. Maggie is living proof that they succeeded and that this is not some conspiracy theory.

 

[cruisingmom1977]

Well, my FOUR and SEVEN year old CHILDREN must be total morons because they lack the perspective of adults.

I don't think anyone said that someone who thought it was scary/intense was a "total moron" and for what its worth...my four and a half year old girl thinks it looks like a boat load of fun.

 

[jeffbear]

I'm missing something. I've seen that ad about a 100 times now and haven't noticed that Disney was pushing the thrill ride/fast coaster button with their presentation of 7DMT. Bottom line ... Dwarves in sunglasses and families having fun. Looks like virtually every other Disney Parks ad.

 

[JimmyV]

My Dad saw a commercial for SDMT and their local news (from Tampa) did a story about it. I don't know exactly what commercial he saw, but when he mentioned it to me he said it looked like it would be fun for the kids.

There are a variety of ads, and this is the only one that I can recall that added the sped up special effect. This ad is clearly aimed at pre-teens and teens with "rap" music and teens riding the ride. There are also ads that show a different side of the ride that make it clear that it is a "fun for the whole family" ride. Perhaps your dad saw one of those.

 

[TDC Nala]

I have seen the commercial. It didn't look like an extreme scary thrill ride to me at all.

Besides, Disney is known for ads that show things like people standing up on Tower of Terror.

I suppose the assertion is that teens will see this ad and think it's a thrill ride and want to go ride it. And that Disney somehow thinks they need the teen audience to get people there instead of Diagon Alley so they are willing to engage in subterfuge in their ad to do it. Maybe they are, don't know, but the ad doesn't make me think it's a screaming fast coaster.

 

[JimmyV]

I'm missing something.

Go back and look at the ad, concentrating on the speed of the coaster, especially the shot of it going down the drop. As a PP pointed out, it is sped up in such an exaggerated way that it looks like a clip from Benny Hill. Does that shot of the coaster make it look like the coaster is going 26 mph, or 62 mph? If you answer the latter, then the ad is adding a "thrill factor" to the ride that just isn't there. It could be just "fun and games" in the production room designed for laughs. Or it could be an attempt to market to thrill seekers. Given that marketing is a very specific social science these days, which would you choose?

 

[L&Lfan]

Is it dwarfs or dwarves?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I'm reading the Game of Thrones books and I noticed it said "dwarfs"... if George R. R. Martin is an acceptable reference.

 

[jeffbear]

Go back and look at the ad, concentrating on the speed of the coaster, especially the shot of it going down the drop. As a PP pointed out, it is sped up in such an exaggerated way that it looks like a clip from Benny Hill. Does that shot of the coaster make it look like the coaster is going 26 mph, or 62 mph? If you answer the latter, then the ad is adding a "thrill factor" to the ride that just isn't there. It could be just "fun and games" in the production room designed for laughs. Or it could be an attempt to market to thrill seekers. Given that marketing is a very specific social science these days, which would you choose?

Seriously .... they've been running that ad during Stanley Cup and World Cup coverage and if I didn't notice a "thrill ride" aspect to it the first 50 times I saw it, I'd only notice it now because you suggested it.

I truly do think you're making a mountain of a molehill on this subject.

 

[JimmyV]

I suppose the assertion is that teens will see this ad and think it's a thrill ride and want to go ride it. And that Disney somehow thinks they need the teen audience to get people there instead of Diagon Alley so they are willing to engage in subterfuge in their ad to do it.

BAM! There it is. Simple as that. I don't think anyone is suggesting that the ad is intended to make people think the ride is "scary". That would be counter-productive. Its purpose is to entice teens with the hopes that the ride isn't "lame".

Is it dwarfs or dwarves?

dwarf
[dwawrf]
noun, plural dwarfs, dwarves.

So, both.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

BTW the ride is not "lame." It's not a thrill ride but it isn't lame.

And even if WDW is doing this in their ad, why should I care.

 

[JimmyV]

Seriously .... they've been running that ad during Stanley Cup and World Cup coverage and if I didn't notice a "thrill ride" aspect to it the first 50 times I saw it, I'd only notice it now because you suggested it.

All I can say is that some people don't notice it at all, and to others, it stands out as the most prominent (and odd) feature of the ad. I guess you could say that the ad is very well made then. But again, taking mountains and molehills out of the picture for a moment, (well, molehills anyway), having seen the ad 100 times, how would you answer the question about whether the ride in the ad is being portrayed as more or less intense than BTMRR? Not arguing or debating here, and there is no wrong answer, obviously. I'd just like to get your impression on that point. Be honest and objective.

BTW the ride is not "lame." It's not a thrill ride but it isn't lame.

I wasn't clear. I'm not suggesting that the ride is lame. But if you asked a typical 13 year old if they were excited about the mine coaster based on other ads or reviews, they might dismiss it as such even before giving it a try. Teens tend to do that!

 

[tinkerbella16]

Nothing was more misleading than the commercial/ads for Tower of Terror! And that scared the heck out of me because I really thought the thing went to the very top and that you stand up the whole time lol. It took me years to brave it.

 

[Robo]

If you wanted it to be fast then why didn't you make it fast? What are you trying to do here? Did you have a change of mind about your target audience?

Attractions, meet Marketing.

LEFT hand... meet RIGHT hand.

 

[PlutoMars]

I think that the Budget Travel website is involved in this terrible conspiracy as well as they have it in a slideshow that says:

You won't BELIEVE these new thrill rides

http://budgettravel.com/slideshow/b...deas-best-new-theme-park-rides-of-2014,38772/


But the editors of that website must have lost their Disney colored glasses when they make a snarky remark about the price of admission at MK.

All the poor souls that read the Budget Travel website will be deceived. The horrors of it all...

 

[Haley]

I think they are just trying to make it seem "cool" because if the average person hears "new 7 dwarves ride" they are probably assuming it's a kiddie ride.

 

[heartse]

Rode this ride on Monday, and we all found it very lacking. Thankfully we had a FP+ for it, or DH would have been p!ssed we waited in line for it (he doesn't like thrill rides, but thought it was missing the rest of the story only two sorry scenes). Even DD7 thought it was just ehh... and she's not a thrill junky.

As for this ad... I thought it was pure STUPIDITY! Didn't notice that they sped up the coaster, but I was way turned off by the whole ad in general.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Rode this ride on Monday, and we all found it very lacking. Thankfully we had a FP+ for it, or DH would have been p!ssed we waited in line for it (he doesn't like thrill rides, but thought it was missing the rest of the story only two sorry scenes). Even DD7 thought it was just ehh... and she's not a thrill junky.

As for this ad... I thought it was pure STUPIDITY! Didn't notice that they sped up the coaster, but I was way turned off by the whole ad in general.

This sounds better than a Dwarf coaster (even with the deception portrayed in the Rapping ad)

Yesterday night’s visit followed the conclusion of the VIP red carpet event, giving us from approximately 9:30 pm to 12:00 midnight to experience as much as possible. Simply put, that is nowhere near enough time, even when the queues are clear for a media event. Diagon Alley is so full of activity, sights, tastes and experiences that the price of admission to Universal Studios Florida would be worth it alone for this one realm especially once the crowds expected to flow in once the land opens to all guests on July 8th, 2014.

With more time in Diagon Alley set for later today, I’ll withhold my full review until I’ve experienced everything, but I will share my insight below based on my experiences this evening and then I’ll update the post with the rest of my reviews after I have had a better chance to get to know the land this coming morning.

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts – This ride can’t be praised enough for all that it is and all that it accomplishes. Without spoiling the ride’s unique story, I can confirm that the ride has many elements that no one will see coming. This is a game changer for Universal and for the amusement industry as a whole. The ride combines coaster elements along with simulator technology to create an experience that is unlike anything else. There is simply nothing in the industry to compare it to—this ride sits comfortably alone in its own category. I’ll share my whole review later today after the next part of our getting to know Diagon Alley.

The Hogwarts Express is a brilliant conveyance system with a fantastic story (unique depending on which direction you are headed). The trains are absolutely gorgeous and the interiors match perfectly with what has been previously seen in the films.

Knockturn Alley happened to be the standout of the night for me. It is an indoor experience within Diagon Alley themed to feel like it is experienced outdoors and at night—a beautifully simulated illusion. This set of dark corridors is mesmerizing, seedy and eerily exciting in a way that starkly contrasts the bright colors and lively facades of the rest of Diagon Alley. While it doesn’t host any one attraction, just walking around Knockturn Alley is an experience in and of itself.



Looking back I can't find any reviews remotely close to this one in regards to New Fantasyland. Go figure.

 

[CinderElsa]

Is it dwarfs or dwarves?

Either is fine. "Dwarfs" would have been the correct choice in 1937. "Dwarves" turned up in Lord of the Rings and crept its way into standard usage.

 

[Robo]

Either is fine. "Dwarfs" would have been the correct choice in 1937. "Dwarves" turned up in Lord of the Rings and crept its way into standard usage.

I must assume that by "Lord of the Rings" you mean the book(s) and
not the movie(s.)