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[Anthony]

I was just searching through Disney videos on YouTube when I came across two commercials from the opening of DCA, and it seems Disney weren't very original when it came to advertising their 2001/2002 slew of new parks...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdxJvZw-mD4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXwgPypdOiM

And the WDS version: http://www.photosmagiques.com/wdsfans/v ... rcial1.wmv

I think the WDS one is more successful, but they're both still pretty bad at advertising the good points of their parks.  I used to just think the WDS adverts were plain bad, but these DCA ones have made me realise the exact problem.

I hate to beat a dead horse, but here goes... Having the Disney characters, at their home in Disneyland, peer over the hedge at the "new neighbours" immediately alienates the Disney characters from the new park.  People go to Disneyland to see the characters, they go for "Disney".  Having "Disney" peer over the hedge at the new park separates the two far too much and people then just don't think of the new park as a proper Disney park, more of an imposter.

Sure, they send the classic characters over to the new park to experience it, but they're seeing the park from a guest point of view, as an outsider - again, totally separating the new park from Disney.

I could go into how showing Art of Disney over Moteurs was a bad idea, or how they shouldn't have used Donald as the key character, but the fact is - the concept is flawed, and now I finally understand why.  "Let's meet the new neighbours" is nice, but totally wrong for introducing a new park which is already so unlike the original Disneyland (applies to WDS and DCA).

With WDS, they should have showed Mickey imagineering a new park, looking at the plans, watching construction.  Then, when he's finished, he invites all the other Disney characters over to discover his new creation and meet the new Hollywood folks he's brought over, saying things like "Hey Genie, you're going to be my new director!"  "Donald, you're in charge of the animation vault" (cue characters running wild) and "Drive carefully in the stunt show, goofy!" (cue shot of car jumping over fire).

That's my idea anyway, the DCA commercials just made me suddenly realise why the original ads were so wrong.  Shame we can't go back in time to 2002...

Do you agree with any of this?  Might make a good WDSfans article actually...

[Maarten]

I agree with everything you said. These commercials do suck to be honest, and like you said, Disney doesn't seem to present both DCA and WDS as real Disney parks.

Besides that, a lot of people here in the Netherlands still don't even know there is a second park in Paris. EuroDisney SCA should really take a look at it's marketing department. Do they really expect people to come when they don't even had commercials for Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast or the Studios. I am afraid the 15th Anniversary and the Tower will be a flop if they don't create a huge campain around it like with Space Mountain back in 1995. By the way, when is disneylandparis.com finally receiving it's huge update like EuroDisney promised?  :?

[Kristof]

I am afraid the 15th Anniversary and the Tower will be a flop if they don't create a huge campain around it like with Space Mountain back in 1995.

There will...

By the way, when is disneylandparis.com finally receiving it's huge update like EuroDisney promised?

Soon  :wink:

[Lightning McQueen]

Advertising doesn't seem to be the strongest side of EuroDisney SCA but some prime time commercials on TV can be a push in the right direction.The only advertisements that I've seen here in Ireland was in newspapers,this will need improvement of course when they want to attract more visitors.
Regarding the videos,they should have been different , I can only agree that people could get the idea that WDS isn't a proper park.