VMK a Promotion?

[MomsGoneGoofy]

The mods can lock or delete this tread if they feel I should not have posted these pictures.

I was looking at some of our old issues of "Disney Adventures" from 2005 & 2006. I know when we created our avatars in VMK we received 50th shirts but I do not see any reference to the 50th anniversary in the advertisements. So how would a child know this game was a promotion and would end?

This is from the June/July 2005 issue

These are from the August 2005 issue

These are from the Fall 2005 issue

Back cover from the Fall 2005 issue

April 2006 issue

 

[qruthie]

I was thinking about this sort of thing last night. I've been told VMK was advertised on the neopets site when VMK first opened. That would mean Disney paid neopets money to advertise their "promotion".

Yeti must have messed up.

 

[mikeyandscoobyx2]

hey. for once the game pictures look real!

 

[OctoPie]

those birng back good memories of how I joined VMK

 

[llama62]

The codes still work if you want some free credits.

 

[aengus]

I so remember that Battle Build Rock and Rule

 

[llama62]

I used to get Disney Adventures. They stopped publishing it a few months ago...

 

[Padrepride]

I used to get Disney Adventures. They stopped publishing it a few months ago...

I too used to get disney adventures and they used to be really good reads. I cannot believe they stopped publishing them with topics like Hannah Montana and the jones brothers to write about.

 

[AmberDaze]

I too used to get disney adventures and they used to be really good reads. I cannot believe they stopped publishing them with topics like Hannah Montana and the jones brothers to write about.

There's another thing Disney suddenly stopped...and to think all kids would be interested with Sports Illustrated for Kids as the replacement...

 

[disvaclub92]

Nice find there. I actually surfed to find some articles about the game when it started. I think I only found one which stated promotions (not necessarily the game, just ways to promote it. Interesting reading.


Theme Park Insider

Found some interesting pieces in that article.

Don’t be surprised if Cast Members at WDW or Disneyland have no idea what VMK is. For all the promotion Disney put into the game, not all the Cast Members have been properly informed by management about the game, and therefore are not particularly helpful with the live quests.

After a good month of game play, VMK will likely become boring to even the most seasoned gamer. Although new games and quests are in the works, the process is a long one. Add to the fact there isn’t a single authentic Disney character walking the virtual streets and you can see that improvements are necessary.

That said, VMK certainly has a lot of potential, and future growth will determine whether the game will become a successful facet of the Disney company or just another flash in the pan.

Virtual Worlds Review

Computer Vet Weblog

 

[aPiratesLife4Me]

I'm not defending Disney's decision to shut down vmk, but I do have a few links to articles referring to vmk as a promotion, where they discuss it being advergaming:

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=4821

http://yahoo.usatoday.com/money/media/2005-01-17-disney-advergaming_x.htm

http://www.disboards.com/archive/index.php/t-786743.html

http://www.aef.com/industry/news/data/2005/3078

 

[fantasymooma]

I don't understand why Disney would advertise VMK without stating it was a promotion. Kids would read what is above and bring it to their parents to read and get permission to play. The parents wouldn't know that the game was only a promotion by reading that.

I just don't think that Disney really thought this all through. I think Disney needs to reconsider their desicion.

 

[anya.sparrow]

I'm not defending Disney's decision to shut down vmk, but I do have a few links to articles referring to vmk as a promotion, where they discuss it being advergaming:

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=4821

http://yahoo.usatoday.com/money/media/2005-01-17-disney-advergaming_x.htm

http://www.disboards.com/archive/index.php/t-786743.html

http://www.aef.com/industry/news/data/2005/3078

Huh, advergaming. Too bad Disney does not have multiple theme parks around the world that could use some promotion via a virtual representative of those parks with huge advertising and tie-in potential.

Sorry, I am a sarcastic witch at heart

 

[disvaclub92]

I'm not defending Disney's decision to shut down vmk, but I do have a few links to articles referring to vmk as a promotion, where they discuss it being advergaming:

Thanks for finding these. Here is just my spin on the articles. The promotion they are citing is the Disneyland 50th Anniversary Celebration (which was an 18 month promotion), not the creation of VMK. It appears VMK's intention was to serve as the "advergamer" for the sole purpose of being a way to sell products (Disney Movies and Kellogs Cereal), promote Disney park celebrations(50th and Year of a Million Dreams), other park promotions (Pins), and currently for online games (Penguin and Toontown). The term "advergamer" to me seems to be a continuous marketing tool to promote anything related to a name brand, therefore longterm as long as you can clearly identify the revenue brought in from that source.

So while they are using the term "promotion" to end the game, I think the reality is that there were many facets that this "advergamer" could have done but was maybe not managed well to identify the revenue.

Just my opinion.

 

[MomsGoneGoofy]

I'm not defending Disney's decision to shut down vmk, but I do have a few links to articles referring to vmk as a promotion, where they discuss it being advergaming:

Thank you for posting these links, we always need to see both sides.

I am sure Disney had the 50th promotion in mind, but my question is, did they really represent the 50th promotion to the player of VMK? They advertized in their own magazine for kids and there is no mention of the 50th promotion.

 

[MomsGoneGoofy]

hey. for once the game pictures look real!

Not sure what this means?

 

[Jasonbobdude]

How about VMK changes the appearance of the castle in the game to make it look normal instead of like it did during the 50th celebration? Then suddenly it is not promoting the 50th anymore.

 

[Pirate-Emery]

Again, this goes to prove my point that all this about "closing because of the promotion" is complete [untruthful, just made up, etc].


Aengus, if the cuss-o-matic doesn't take out my little eccentricity, I'll edit within the minute.

 

[poohluv2u]

How about VMK changes the appearance of the castle in the game to make it look normal instead of like it did during the 50th celebration? Then suddenly it is not promoting the 50th anymore.

Huh? Was the castle originally decorated for the 50th in VMK?

 

[cteddiesgirl]

Thanks for finding these. Here is just my spin on the articles. The promotion they are citing is the Disneyland 50th Anniversary Celebration (which was an 18 month promotion), not the creation of VMK. It appears VMK's intention was to serve as the "advergamer" for the sole purpose of being a way to sell products (Disney Movies and Kellogs Cereal), promote Disney park celebrations(50th and Year of a Million Dreams), other park promotions (Pins), and currently for online games (Penguin and Toontown). The term "advergamer" to me seems to be a continuous marketing tool to promote anything related to a name brand, therefore longterm as long as you can clearly identify the revenue brought in from that source.

So while they are using the term "promotion" to end the game, I think the reality is that there were many facets that this "advergamer" could have done but was maybe not managed well to identify the revenue.

Just my opinion.

ITA!

Huh? Was the castle originally decorated for the 50th in VMK?

No. It's always been the same to me. Very little in the game has been about promoting the 50th anniversary.

They have used it as a tool to promote a lot of different things. As disvaclub said, I don't think the money received from those promotions were properly managed and attributed to VMK. This is why they think they are not making enough on it and have subsequently decided to shut it down.