New Universal Commercial? Kinda Rude...

[WaltD4Me]

I apologize if this has been posted, but I saw a new (to me) Universal commercial yesterday and I thought it was kinda rude.

Cute little girl in the commercial says...
"If I have to hug one more Princess, I'm gonna hurl."

Cute little boy says...
"Sure I liked fairy tales.......when I was five"

Another cute little boy says....
"I don't go to bed at 8 o'clock." - or something like that

I know Universal has had commercials like this before and I admit I laughed at the little girl who was going to "hurl." But really, why doesn't Universal make commercials showing what they have to offer instead of making fun of their competitor?
It's not a big thing, but I thought it was, I don't know, Mean spirited? Tacky? Sour grapes? Can't quite put my finger on it...but it didn't make me want to go to Universal...I wouldn't not go there because of the commercial, but the commercial didn't show me why I should go there. KWIM?

 

[rgf207]

It's all marketing. Universal has a different audience so they probably have their big wigs and psychoanalysts (sp?) do their research and that is what they came up with.

 

[kimbac3]

I apologize if this has been posted, but I saw a new (to me) Universal commercial yesterday and I thought it was kinda rude.

Cute little girl in the commercial says...
"If I have to hug one more Princess, I'm gonna hurl."

Cute little boy says...
"Sure I liked fairy tales.......when I was five"

Another cute little boy says....
"I don't go to bed at 8 o'clock." - or something like that

I know Universal has had commercials like this before and I admit I laughed at the little girl who was going to "hurl." But really, why doesn't Universal make commercials showing what they have to offer instead of making fun of their competitor?
It's not a big thing, but I thought it was, I don't know, Mean spirited? Tacky? Sour grapes? Can't quite put my finger on it...but it didn't make me want to go to Universal...I wouldn't not go there because of the commercial, but the commercial didn't show me why I should go there. KWIM?

We saw that commercial and thought it was quite rude. Is there business that bad that they have to make direct digs at Disney?!? Pretty lame on their part.
Kimba

 

[Sylvester McBean]

UO isn't 'making fun' of WDW. it's a different kind of theme park. if it didn't make you want to go there, you're missing the point of the commercial. UO well knows WDW die-hards are never going to step in their gates. they're marketing towards the people in the 'grey area' of people planning to go to orlando that realize it's not just about Mickey. UO has never tried to face off against WDW. they just want to attract the share of the market that wants bigger thrills. Orlando is the biggest family tourist destination on earth. everyone wants a share of that pie. we have AP's for WDW, UO, SW, and BG because we know they all offer different experiences. it's not 'sour grapes'. UO is reminging you all families want different things on a florida vacation, and they're a very viable option. and kids will stay, dine, and get into the parks for free during this promotion. it's a hilarious commercial.

 

[peter11435]

We saw that commercial and thought it was quite rude. Is there business that bad that they have to make direct digs at Disney?!? Pretty lame on their part.
Kimba

I agree. Make yourself look good, don't try to bring down the competition.

 

[markey]

Look at all the digs at Disney in Shrek, that worked, the movie was a success.
There are some people who are not Disney crazy and I think they are trying to appeal to those people who might not go to Universal because they are expecting Disney. I personally like both parks, find more magic at Disney but love the rides at Island of Adventure and the attractions at Universal.

 

[peter11435]

UO isn't 'making fun' of WDW.

Actually that is exactly what they are doing.

 

[PCFriar80]

I have not scene the commercial so I can't comment on the content. This is the nature of advertising, to bring out the "negativity" of your competitor. There are classic examples over time; the Coke/Pepsi battles, Bud Light/Miller Lite, Mazda v. Honda/Toyota..... the list goes on.

 

[tinkerrn]

Marketing or not, I thought it was rude. The little girl seemed like a brat. if UO is promoting turning my kids into brats...forget it. I'll stick with the mouse.

 

[ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]

I'd be more annoyed to see a Disney commercial poking fun at UO. That's just not their style. I agree that UO should stick to showing the goods instead of bringing up the competition. I don't think its a big deal though...

 

[labdogs42]

I saw the commercial and I didn't really care for it. I would much rather see a commercial that tells me why I should go to their park instead of why I shouldn't go to Disney. It is sort of like politicians when they have those mud-slinging commercials. I hate those! Tell me whay I should vote for you not why I shouldn't vote for the other guy!! (maybe that's why I disliked the UO commercial so much! )

 

[WaltD4Me]

UO has never tried to face off against WDW. they just want to attract the share of the market that wants bigger thrills.

Yes, I get the point of the commercial, but if they are marketing to thrill seekers, why not show the thrills?

The cute little boy and girl were just standing there, you couldn't see a ride or anything.

The 2nd cute little boy who said he doesn't go to bed at 8 o'clock was jumping into a pool...he wasn't on a thrill ride, kinda made me think they were trying to imply that all of Disney, even their pools close at 8pm.

I understand Universal is appealing to a different market, but if I had older kids who loved rides and was in the grey area and was trying to decide between Universal and Disney, that commercial wouldn't help me at all.

 

[Sylvester McBean]

Marketing or not, I thought it was rude. The little girl seemed like a brat. if UO is promoting turning my kids into brats...forget it. I'll stick with the mouse.

yes, that is exactly the idea behind the whole advertising campaign. turning your kids into brats. and it's not to make fun of WDW, it's to 'nudge' you that your kids are growing up and maybe they want something outside of the mouse. UO's old tagline was 'a vacation away from the ordinary'. sure, it's obviously directed at Disney guests. but it's not 'making fun of Disney'.

 

[Mermaid02]

I just hope it works- go to Universal people.... leave Disney for those of us who LOVE it!

 

[Luv2Travel]

I'd be more annoyed to see a Disney commercial poking fun at UO. That's just not their style. I agree that UO should stick to showing the goods instead of bringing up the competition. I don't think its a big deal though...

I agree, I don't think it's a big deal either, but I thought that the latest WDW commercial WAS poking fun at UO. The commercial where the parents can be superheroes just by taking their kids to WDW. I think that's a slant at UO since they're a lot about the superheroes. Maybe I read too much into WDW's commercial, but that's the first thing that came to my mind when I saw it. I enjoy both parks so it's no big deal to me, but I also enjoy the commercials better when they are about what is special to their park and not so much about their competition.

 

[ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]

Ahh, I remember seeing that superhero commercial. I thought it was pretty lame to be honest, it really had nothing to do with WDW. I can see the whole superhero thing be attributed to Buzz Lightyear, Army Men, The Incredibles, etc. more than UO.

Anyway, one of my favorite commercials is the 3D one that came out late 2004 with Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto...I think Jiminy Cricket makes an apperance too

 

[Mickeefan]

I saw that commercial last night and thought it was rude, also. Although, I agree with the above poster that said, "Let them all go to Universal, then Disney won't be so crowded."

 

[jctwizzer]

Last year's annual report from Disney stated that the princess "franchise" was
a two Billion dollar a year business. Universal only wishes they could find something half that lucrative. They can wish; they can dream; but they can't even come close to imagining

 

[jim and meesie]

I haven't seen the commercial but I will be looking forward to it since sometimes I think those things (but would never say them). Personally if I see one more character autograph book it will be one too many!!!! Just one more of those things "I just don't get!". My family enjoys the active entertainment, thrill rides activity at Universal these days since my kids are older now. As far as offending Disney loving people "you can only be offended if you allow yourself to take offense." A little sarcasm or cynicism is what really will appeal to this older child, teenage, young adult target market that they are looking for. I really doubt that the slight bratiness will make people not go to Universal. In the big scheme of things there are so many truly offensive advertisements out there that a little bit of faux bratiness seems like nothing to get worked up about.

So now the big question, why do so many people feel so defensive about anything and everything Disney.? The fact is that it is a highly profitable commercial entity. I would feel worse about how little they (as well as all theme parks) pay their employees. Could someone support a family while playing Mickey Mouse or any character for that matter? I think of the billions of dollars that are spent on all that warm fuzzy Disney advertising while the CMs aren't paid enough to support families. That is what I find really annoying and offensive about all of those Ads, Universal as well as Disney!


As far as the superhero commercial, I find it funny! I have suggested to my kids that the next time we go to Disney (mid March) we will all wear those same "Incredibles" type spandex unitards (sarcasm). I think they are making their own reservations right now!!!! Ewwww Mom in spandex!!!

 

[pezpam]

Ahh, I remember seeing that superhero commercial. I thought it was pretty lame to be honest, it really had nothing to do with WDW. I can see the whole superhero thing be attributed to Buzz Lightyear, Army Men, The Incredibles, etc. more than UO.

Anyway, one of my favorite commercials is the 3D one that came out late 2004 with Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto...I think Jiminy Cricket makes an apperance too

Oh, it had nothing to do with the Disney superheroes, lol. It came out after the Universal ads that had images like people getting to ride floats with the Heroes and such, really playing up the Hero thing. This was also after the first round of Universal ads aimed at WDW.

My favorite WDW ad is still the "We're too excited to sleep!" ad. I mean, my heart goes all wobbly at how cute that kid is every time I see it. It also reminds me that we feel just exactly like that when we're getting ready to go. That makes me want to go back much more than the thought of my Pleasantly Plump form in a spandex heroine outfit.