When it comes to going on vacation, families have limited time and money to spend on a trip. This means that the advertising for possible vacation destinations have to be able to be able to hook a person’s attention in 30 seconds and convince them to spend a sizable amount of cash at their location. This competition is most prevalent when it comes to the theme parks in Orlando, Florida. With a number of sizable theme parks only miles away from each other, these parks need to be able to convince customers that their park is the one to visit.
Two of the top players in the battle of the theme parks are Disney World and Universal Studios. Both parks have something unique to offer customers and try to present their competitive advantage over the other in some of their most recent commercials.
Disney World hones nostalgia in their new spots, using the lyrics from some of their most popular musicals to describe the park. In this particular spot the lyrics to “A Whole New World” convey a seance of wonder and adventure that can be had at their parks. The spot also focuses on that fact that not only children are going to have a “magical” time at their park, but families are going to have a good time making memories together.
Universal Studios presents a different message in their spot. Universal is using persuasion to try and get people into their park. The main message of the ad is that customers should come back to the parks because so much has changed over the past years and they should, 'Come See What You've Been Missing'. The spot also features a family but focuses more on the children in the group.
I really enjoyed your post about the two theme parks. For someone who has been to both, I agree that their messages are very interesting because when I watch their ads, I really do want to go back a feel like a kid again or see what is new to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the routes that these ads used to appeal to the same crowd. It almost seems extremely straight-forward how Universal decided to admit that crowds haven't been as large as they used to be perhaps, or that families that once used to go have not returned to the park. But getting straight to a message of "This is what you've been missing" could actually be a perfect way to tell people why they should come back. My only confusion is whether it makes sense to appeal to parents with an ad like this, or if they really should be focusing on the children in the family. I understand parents ultimately make the purchase decision, but having a kid nag their parents about going to Universal almost seems like an easier way to sway that decision.
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