New ads for ABC

[Another Voice]

Disney is about to unveil a new summer ad campaign for the ABC network. The new spokespeople for the network will be Gumby and Pokey – the stop motion animated characters from the 1950’s. The target of the ad campaign is to get viewers to watch the repeats of shows they may have missed before (i.e., it’s a new episode if you’ve never watched it in the first place).

Ain’t synergy a grand concept?

 

[Galahad]

By synergy, do you mean that Disney owns Gumby and Pokey? If so, I didn't realize that.

 

[Safari Steve]

This is the same thing that TV networks have always done in the summer to counter the normal ratings drops associated with the regular season hiatus. Ever see an "It's new to you" ad on NBC? They even do that during the regular season between sweeps. Lay off, fella...

By the way, what's this big kick against synergy? Disneyland was synergistic. Walt opened a park with attractions based on movies he had made, and simultaneously produced a TV show by the same name that was meant to drum up excitement about both the new park and the films. This is not a new idea, it's not bad, and it's not "anti-walt". "Dinosaur" and "A Bug's Life" are no different from Sleeping Beauty Castle and "Peter Pan's Flight" (although I think Dinosaur could have been much better... but it's still fun.)

 

[Another Voice]

I’m not saying that the ad campaign is a bad thing (although it would be nice if the networks sprung for original programming than yet another three-hour block of ‘Who’s Line Is It Anyway” repeats). It’s just that I don’t get the point of using Gumby for ABC. Face it, Gumby and friends haven’t been cultural relevant this side of the Bicentennial. And I don’t see any connection with the ABC network or the shows they’re trying to hype.

Now an MTV-style parody of ABC shows using those characters could be funny, but I just don’t know if they’d let Gumby do the bare rear scenes from ‘NYPD Blue’.

 

[TorynK]

Originally posted by Another Voice
I’m not saying that the ad campaign is a bad thing (although it would be nice if the networks sprung for original programming than yet another three-hour block of ‘Who’s Line Is It Anyway” repeats).

Hey! Some of us happen to appreciate the Whose Line repeats! That is my favorite show, and I end up missing a lot of the episodes the first time around (because I also watch Friends, which is on at the same time). I love Ryan Stiles and love watching WL any chance I get.

Toryn

 

[Galahad]

TorynK,

We watch very little TV, but Whose Line, reruns or not, is something we always watch (whether on ABC or Comedy Central). They are great fun!

 

[YoHo]

Another Voice, I don't know How old you are, but Gen Xers (like unfortunatly me) tend to love our Kitsche and Gumby reruns were part of our youth, a BIG part. The only possible way they could do it better is with GI Joe and the Transformers (and maybe rainbow bright for the ladies) It Also Ironically is nostalgic for the Aging BAby boomers, so its pretty Win win from a demographics point of view.

 

[Safari Steve]

I was just thinking the same thing. It's actually pretty clever from a demographics standpoint. I would have gone with something a little stronger, like filling the Sunday 7pm timeslot with classic episodes of Walt Disney Presents... That'd pull in the ratings, Vault Disney in prime time... (I should be getting paid for this...)

 

[YoHo]

You know, I would kill to see Walt presenting Disneyland again. That's the kind of thing that would get people flooding to the parks. It would be a brilliant tie in for his 100th as well.
I would even like to see Micheal Eisner introducing MAry Poppins, or Swiss Family Robinson again. Those were the day's when it was easy to like Mikey.

That's it SS. You need a promotion.