new universal commerical

[wdarling]

I'm soooo annoyed! The commerical has 4 kids. 1 says "if i had to hug one more princess I thought I would vomit" kid 2 "Sure I liked fairy tales when i was 5" Kid 3 "In case you didn't notice I'm not 8, I'm 8 and a 1/2 now" Kid 4 "Who goes to bed at 7?"

If this is suppose to be humorous or cute, it's not! I'm not one to complain or bring anything/one down but this seems uncalled for. The only way you can advertize is thru insult? (real nice)
1. I'm 24 and frankly I feel you can never hug enough princesses.
2. Fairy tales are what make this world a happy place. We all need something to believe in and what's better than a happily ever after?
3. What is this 7pm bedtime all about. EMH I'm running thru the MK with 7yrs olds while playing on Buzz Lightyear. Not to much those late nite swims which we all all victims of.

Sorry I had to vent. and PS take note from the experts and bring magic into the commericals. Have families connect thru happiness and watch your parks fill up. THANK YOU!

 

[mickeymousemom]

I am SO with you on those commercials!
Now they are showing a commercial that looks like an older one...either they've added on to the end or I never noticed it before...anyway, it's the one where the woman with the big bazoombas is on Jurassic Park and as they're going down the hill, she grabs each of her kids and holds them against those bazoombas. At the end of the commercial, a voice says something like, "Your family has moved on, isn't it time your vacation moves on too"....I am clueless as to how Universal thinks that these commercials will sell tickets. US will never be Disney, and there's plenty of room for the both of them in Orlando. Oh well. I have no idea why this bothers me so much, but it does

 

[hogwartsdropout]

I haven't seen the commercial, they dont show it over here in the UK thank goodness. But I completely agree with you. It sounds awful. I remember there were a lot of complaints on here about it before.

 

[Robo]

One of thje most basic rules of advertising is to always say "why you are different than the competion."

US does that very well in these spots.
And its why I no longer go to US.

We all have "friends" (for lack of a better term) who frequently spout this stuff about Disney themselves.

Its also a common that teenagers have an attitude like this as well.

US is attempting to capture that market (and I hope they succeed).
There are too many folks in line with me a WDW already!!

 

[pooch]

We so need to get over ourselves here!! I think the US commercials are very funny!! I don't think they make a dent in Disney's business nor do I think they are intended to. They make the case that there is more to life than pixie dust and princesses and there is!! This doesn't mean I don't love pixie dust and princesses, just that there's other stuff too!!! And yes, my DS would say "I'm not 8 anymore!" Thankfully, his Mom still is!!

Pooch

 

[Sleeping Jedi Beauty]

My mom has told me about those commercials. She vows to never visit Universal again in part because of those. Are they obnoxious and arrogant? Yes. Are they wrong? Yes. But, let's remember the truth. Little girls don't grow up and want to be hideously ugly ogres. Little boys don't want to kiss hideously ugly ogres. And last, but not least, let's take a look at money. There are two famous theme park resorts in Orlando. One watched it's attendance drop last year. The other watched it's attendance rise. Universal is jealous and bitter. And this kind of campaign is only going to appeal to those who don't like Disney, and that's not very many people.

 

[mickeymousemom]

We so need to get over ourselves here!! I think the US commercials are very funny!! I don't think they make a dent in Disney's business nor do I think they are intended to. They make the case that there is more to life than pixie dust and princesses and there is!! This doesn't mean I don't love pixie dust and princesses, just that there's other stuff too!!! And yes, my DS would say "I'm not 8 anymore!" Thankfully, his Mom still is!!

Pooch

Nah...I don't need to "get over" myself. Sure, alot of people may think there's more to a theme park than WDW. Not me. And this commercial doesn't leave me depressed and ready to overdose. I just think they are tacky...esp the one the OP mentioned. Their OLD commercials(like the one with the BIG woman in the parade) were funny and interesting....the new ones are just tacky....you can set yourself apart from the competition by doing what they've done in the past. SHOW what makes US a fun park. My 16yo DD would rather spend a day at US than at WDW, but she does notice the magic that's missing from there, and she also hates these commercials.


I certainly think US can't touch WDW in ticket sales. Its not that that bothers me, nor do I worry about it. Simply stated, they are TACKY.

 

[eliza61]

Have you taken a look at Universal's website. They have a link that compares a Universal vacation vs. WDW vacation. It list all the reasons why you should not choose WDW. I look at it this way, when your #1 you don't have to resort to cheap shots to sell your product. (sort of like pepsi always trying to catch coke) I did think the were funny though, probably because I knew that no matter how many insults they hurl at WDW, they will still be number 2. It's soo lonely at the top!

 

[hogwartsdropout]

I think they should focus on advertising what they have at their park. Why people would want to go to THEIR park. Not make digs at Disney. It's childish and a pathetic way of advertising. I'm just glad that sort of advertising is banned over here.

 

[frankenpooh]

Its also a common that teenagers have an attitude like this as well.

Probably true, but my 13 year old knows better than to express sentiments like that around me!

My kids can go to US when they're grown. Meantime, we're Disney purists.

 

[jann1033]

not that Disney is perfect and maybe gets a little syrupy at times but it is disgusting US uses such surly attitudes to promote their park. really that's why we don't like it, it just seems like it's geared toward the "dark side" with really spooky gruesome stuff and not much happiness. if i want to see the dark side of life I'll go to a bad part of town , not on vacation. well that plus the lines are too long and the rides to short

 

[mickeymousemom]

Just finished going over there. Holy cow....what a WEAK attempt to get people away from the #1 theme park in the world. I could go through each little "point" they are trying to make and blow them away, one by one. As could many from these boards. The main one I am thinking of is the front of the line access to the rides all day if you're an onsite guest. If Disney tried to do this with all the resorts they have...vs US two or three...well...it would be one major cluster you know what.

I remember the last time we did Epcot and US/IoA.....We went to Epcot in the middle of our vacation. My oldest DD(who loves US and thrill rides) replied on entering Epcot, "Wow, it really does feel different here. You can't feel the magic at Universal." I think that pretty much sums it all up.

 

[DiznEeyore]

Probably true, but my 13 year old knows better than to express sentiments like that around me!

LOL!!! This isn't the case at our house. Our 13yo ds thinks those Universal ads are obnoxious! He's a Disney fan, through and through, and those ads just make Universal a turn-off to him.

 

[mickeymousemom]

LOL!!! This isn't the case at our house. Our 13yo ds thinks those Universal ads are obnoxious! He's a Disney fan, through and through, and those ads just make Universal a turn-off to him.

Yes, my 12yo is, as another poster stated, a Disney "purist". My 16yo DD even commented on how the commercials turn her off and this comes from someone who thinks Cedar Point is one of the coolest places on earth

 

[java]

There are reasons that I like US(like that awesome front of the line thing they do for onsite guest-and their large hotel rooms) But there are things that I dislike- like the security- I was actually approached by 2 guys in the kid swap waiting area and I do think they were going to pickpocket me- either that or they were just trying to sneak on the ride- but they were acting way wierd(I would even say on drugs) we hightailed it out of there and vowed never to wait in the kid swap area on Spiderman again. When I tried to get someone's attention to let them know about the guys- I couldn't find a sole to tell- the ride person was busy with unloading and as I was trying to get someone's attention they just walked away-it is really loud. But this was 3 years ago and it still creeps me out. And while I would feel comfortable letting my 12 year old go to MK at night there is no way he would be allowed to go to US or IOA at night (not that I am letting him even do MK alone but he could....
I think the commercial is over the top- and my 8 year old is getting over her princess thing- but she still really wants to go to Disney! But the comment on the hours I think was referring to non-peak times(the parks close at 7!-while universal stays open until 9 I think during non- peak times)
So I think it was a way to get people's attention and try to draw some with younger children to US. But if that is the case they should build up some more rides with them in mind.(they do have a few great little children areas...but not enough to spend a whole day at.)

 

[Colorado DISers]

Hello All,
Flame me if you must, but it's marketing at it's best. They got a rise out of the die hard Disney folks and that in turn gives the US fans a pat on the back. My family lives and breaths Disney. Our two DD's were born and raised with Disney in their bedrooms and throughout the house. I grew up with the Wonderful World of Disney (the original) on T.V. every Sunday night. But, on our up coming vacation we are also going to visit US for a few days after our Disney fix. We have never been there and would like to see why other people enjoy it. If we like it we'll go back. If not, we won't. Every trip to Florida will always be a Disney trip. Sometimes we need to throw in a little twist or two such as Seaworld or Busch Gardens. This time it's US. BTW, we have not been back to Seaworld or Busch Gardens.

 

[hogwartsdropout]

Hello All,
Flame me if you must, but it's marketing at it's best. They got a rise out of the die hard Disney folks and that in turn gives the US fans a pat on the back.

Sure it gives all us Disney fans something to talk about. But.... it doesn't MAKE me want to go to Universal. Surely that is what their commercial should make me want to do?

 

[dmk1021]

OMG, I am so glad I'm not the only one who noticed these awful commercials!

The first time I saw it (watching "Lifetime" - yup, I admit it), I felt so offended. Whether or not it's good marketing, I can't help it, I literally had the gasp, hand to chest, mortally offended moment.

Overreacting? Probably. I'm just a flag-waving Disney girl

 

[mickeymousemom]

What I find so funny about this is that most of us who have been to US went to WDW first. We KNOW the difference. US doesn't need to make a commercial to bring in the teens and the preteens. They already want to go. WDW is much more of a family park than US could ever dream of being and DtD beats the hell out of CityWalk. And...I don't have to pay to park at DtD. I think most people who are Disney fans, at some point, have made or will be making a trip to US. Its there, its different. It will happen. But as far as getting people to believe that we all outgrow WDW and its time for a change....welll.....I don't think so, Tim.

 

[snowglobe girl]

I'm soooo annoyed! The commerical has 4 kids. 1 says "if i had to hug one more princess I thought I would vomit" kid 2 "Sure I liked fairy tales when i was 5" Kid 3 "In case you didn't notice I'm not 8, I'm 8 and a 1/2 now" Kid 4 "Who goes to bed at 7?"

HA!! I have been meaning to post about this very thing for about 2 weeks now!! I cringe every time I see this commercial. It just gets on my last nerve!! I see plenty of 8+ year old girls with the Princesses and see tons of children much later than 7pm nightly. Just shows what US will do in order to try to swipe business from WDW. Now I'm off to look at the US website to see what they did, out of curiousity...