Universal Ads from DISNEY???

[Shelby5514]

I just received the following in a E-mail from Disney.

Dear Disney Guest,

When you registered at Disney Online, you asked to receive information from our sponsors.
We are pleased to send you this special offer from Universal Orlando(R) Resort!
YOU COULD WIN A TRIP FOR FOUR (4) TO UNIVERSAL ORLANDO® RESORT!
Experience Orlando's two most amazing theme parks, Universal Studios Florida® and Universal's Islands of Adventure®, and enjoy two brand new attractions: Shrek 4-D? and Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast?!

Click below for your chance to win the following:

Four (4) roundtrip coach airfares to Orlando, Florida
Four (4) nights accommodations at one of Universal Orlando Resort's AAA Four Diamond Award-winning on-site hotels
VIP Tour of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure theme parks.

OK, What's going on??? Disney promoting Universal??? Is tourism that low in Orlando that the theme parks are advertising for each other???
Anyone else receive one of these?
Shelby5514

 

[TreeOfLife]

HUM... "If you can't beat them, join them?"

 

[dmc613]

Here's another interesting thing.... soon there will be TV commercials (at least in FL) that advertise 'Orlando' and feature Disney WOrld and SeaWorld together! I think it is kind of cool that they are helping each other out.

 

[Kitten516]

In Tampa I have seen the ORLANDO commercials (visit orlando and stay at Disney) that have been advertising Disney, which is different cause normally disney commercials are JUST Disney. Disney has done their play 4 days commercials down here as well. I will be suprised when I see a Sea World and Disney commercial.

 

[Keeva]

Yes I got one today also.I heard Universal's owners were in trouble,maybe Disney bought them LOL

 

[cart-mom]

Very confusing!! I must have checked who it was sent from 3-4 times. Thought I was seeing things.

It's nice to see the parks working together instead of fighting for a change.

 

[TreeOfLife]

I heard Universal's owners were in trouble,maybe Disney bought them

Was that after budgeting, closing Dis stores, laying CMs off and cutting hours at the parks, or before?

 

[TLinden16]

I got that e-mail as well (posted about it on the community board). I thought it was very strange. I actually e-mailed Disney about it.

The Orlando commercials with Disney on them have been on TV here in Massachusetts. They've also showed Sea World Orlando commercials, but I haven't seen any of them with both Sea World and Disney. I wonder how much control Disney would have over the ads produced by the Orlando tourism board.

Karen

 

[starwood]

Originally posted by Shelby5514
I just received the following in a E-mail from Disney.

Dear Disney Guest,

When you registered at Disney Online, you asked to receive information from our sponsors.
We are pleased to send you this special offer from Universal Orlando(R) Resort!
YOU COULD WIN A TRIP FOR FOUR (4) TO UNIVERSAL ORLANDO® RESORT!
Experience Orlando's two most amazing theme parks, Universal Studios Florida® and Universal's Islands of Adventure®, and enjoy two brand new attractions: Shrek 4-D? and Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast?!

Click below for your chance to win the following:

Four (4) roundtrip coach airfares to Orlando, Florida
Four (4) nights accommodations at one of Universal Orlando Resort's AAA Four Diamond Award-winning on-site hotels
VIP Tour of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure theme parks.

OK, What's going on??? Disney promoting Universal??? Is tourism that low in Orlando that the theme parks are advertising for each other???
Anyone else receive one of these?
Shelby5514

So - How do we win the trip?

 

[Safari Steve]

I don't quite buy this...
1) what address was this "offer" sent from?
2) "if you can't beat them, join them" is soooo far from applying to Disney/that other place that it doesn't even make sense.
3) Orlando, Kissimmee/St. Cloud, Orange County Visitors/Convention, and FL dept of tourism all have their own ad campaigns which include many different area attractions.
4) Disney has not bought that other place.
5) Vivendi, who owns that other place, is in serious financial trouble (not nearly as much as AOL/Time-Warner, but close) and has been discussing selling off every division of said place as a seperate entity... which would not be good at all for a synergy-based endeavour (there's enough red tape involved when the movie studio and theme parks are owned by the same company just to get music and titles cross-promoted).
6) If it was an e-mail soliciting you for a vacation giveaway, 9 times out of 10 it'll be a total hoax.

 

[TreeOfLife]

I wanted to hear from some die-hards regarding this topic, eh Safari Steve? Without insulting USF/IOA fans if possible, of course!

Disney's CMs should have no need for that...

If it was an e-mail soliciting you for a vacation giveaway, 9 times out of 10 it'll be a total hoax

So, 90% of promos offering packages to visit both family entertainment sites are hoaxes?

 

[Safari Steve]

After re-reading the Original post, it seems that UO may be a sponsor of the Disney Website... which does lend itself to "if you can't beat them, join them"... but in the opposite direction of the Tree's post (if I read it correctly).
I certainly was not trying to insult anyone, just laying out some words of caution regarding reckless statements, and it seems that I may have made one of my own. I beg your pardon.

In any event, had I read the OP more carefully (and oh, how I wish I had), I would have pointed out in my previous post that this seems to be payed-for advertising on the lines of the Downtown Disney area hotels that advertise here on the DIS. No corporate alliance, no takeover/merger bid. I apologize for not reading more carefully.

 

[TreeOfLife]

Yup Steve, you should read *all* posts more carefully and mind your replies, even towards those of us in growing numbers who like BOTH Disney and Universal and see no reason to take put downs from anyone because of that.

The truth of the matter is, Disney not being the sole family vacation destination anymore, "joining" forces is most effective because obviously trying to "beat them" is leading to store closings, cuts in hours, layoffs and skinny budgets. It is hurting more than helping and as the new decade moves on, more and more families will be most attracted to enjoying a variety of sites and experiences in one sole trip. And if it comes at a fair price, all the more reason to see them all

 

[BethC1952]

Cooperative advertising is very big this year in marketing in general, since advertising is so expensive. This way, people know that there are many things to do in an area, rather than just one thing (although once I check in at WDW I don't leave to go anywhere else, I know it's all out there!)

Beth

 

[nicknamy1996]

I'm sure Disney got a pretty good chunk of change for sending out that email.

If you were US/IOA and WDW came to you and said I have a list here of half a million people who are interrested in WDW you could sell it for a lot of money. Most of the address belong to families who are at the very least interrested in traveling to WDW/Orlando.

So what do you gain? 1) Money for the list. 2) The Possibility of more visitors to the Orlando Area. Which equals money. It's a long way for most of the country to get to Orlando, maybe not worth the trip, but If your going to WDW SW US now its worth the drive/airfare and viola, Disney makes more money.

What do you lose? 1) Guest to US/IOA? Maybe, but I doubt it. If you were a Disney fan and see an ad for US and it gets you interrested are you going to forget about WDW. Probably not. You may skip a day at dis or add a day to your trip to go check it out.

But I say that list is worth money to the right people/company.