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COVID-19 & Theme Park Closures


Slick
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11 hours ago, joz said:

So the plan is to make people so bored watching the ad that they're going to go the theme parks?

Also if you don't know who Clark is, what's the point of him being front and center of the ad? Was the audio recorded in his bedroom via zoom? Are people really going to the parks to pat a Guinea Pig? Really? Who enjoys the slow drawn out speech with slow motion footage? Can we stop pushing Village Roadshow Theme Parks as a brand when the individual park brands are a million times more compelling than the name of the company? Why are they showing ads for something which is meant to be fun and exciting in an ad that's bland and boring?

 

Wow I think I really hate that ad.

Look, I think the rake promotion is a poor choice, and the parks are definitely a better brand to market. This came across to me as a shareholder presentation for the new buyers than something to encourage people to come back to the parks - BUT - Putting Clark at the front of the campaign is probably the best part of that ad. Sure, Average Joe doesn't know who he is, but if they persist with this marketing strategy (remember, he's fronted the media recently for soundbytes instead of Bikash) he starts to become the human face of the company, which is a far better image than a faceless rake. (I also don't think it's Clark who does the voiceover).

The Kirby name founded Movie World and the Village company, and while definitely not of the same calibre, has hints of the days where Roy Disney fronted the cameras on behalf of the Disney company. By all accounts Clark will continue to lead in some capacity with any new owner, and marketing him now (albeit probably a bit later than it should have been) is a great step at showing that it's "business as usual" when the new owners come on board. No doubt the company will take a direction that is different to what we have come to expect from Village (one can hope!) but having Clark at the helm, AND as the face is the kind of thing Eisner did when he rose to the top at Disney.

While my personal opinion of Clark isn't that high (an impression taken mostly from his posted antics on social media), it isn't horrible. I'm sure others would hold a negative opinion of him for different (and probably better positioned) reasons than mine - but as you say - quite a lot of people don't know who he is - but perhaps this is the start of Clark's "face of the company" debut, with more to come. If i'm wrong about that, then I wholeheartedly agree, its a poor choice for him to face the campaign, but if i'm right, its a great foundation for them to build him a public image that would well suit a family suite of theme parks.

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So my take, to me growing up in the 90's, a lot of the VHS I watched, started with the Village Roadshow V's flying in, so to me they are iconic and nostalgic. With time and a good marketing strategy Village Roadshow Themeparks as a common brand could work, but its a bit of a mouthful. The 6 syllables don't really roll off the tongue.

Having Clark as the face of the company is a great idea though. Lets not forget generally speaking, Australia (and the world) is racist and hes white. Clark is also objectively speaking, not bad looking, and could speak clearly while still holding onto a strong Aussie accent, which helps international markets.

I assume thats his family at the end? Makes sense for an ad like this and could work for other styles / targeted ads but not something I want Village to run into the ground.

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Just ask Disney how well the generic cross branding “Disney Parks” went for them...

 

Whist I agree it’s a misstep to not highlight who Clark is to average joe, the image of the parks being owned (I know not technically, but I’m talking the mindset of customers here) but a young Gold Coast family with keeps will surely resonate much better with prospective customers than some rich old businessman from interstate. That’s a good move IMO. 

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21 minutes ago, joz said:

Also when I was a kid I went to SW and WnW and MW. Guess what's waaaaay more nostalgic and iconic than a logo on a video.

That nostalgia only works if you were lucky enough to have a family who could afford to go take you to the parks as a kid.

Additionally, hows that nostalgia trip working out for you? Pretty much everyone complains that "The parks were better back in the day" so that would be a negative advertising perspective.

Better off using a nationally recognisable brand (albeit less in the spotlight for the last 10 years) that doesn't trade on 'the better days'. 

 

I'm not saying they have done a great job or there isn't more they can do, this ad to is a start. There is a long way to go to build an iconic ad. 

I'm also really really really happy they didn't say "we're in this together" or something about the "unprecedented times"
Final point. Yes they don't say who he is, but he is a well dressed dude on top of the rollercoaster, and then talking directly to the camera talking with ownership over the parks, hes clearly "Someone important" and thats all the general public really cares about.

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59 minutes ago, joz said:

Guess what's waaaaay more nostalgic and iconic than a logo on a video.

I visited the GC parks for the first time when I was 12. I didn't visit again until I was an adult. My association with the park brands comes primarily from the home video market advertising the Wild Wild West Adventure Ride.

But you know what nostalgic imagery and sounds conjures up  vivid memories of a childhood spent at home on a quiet, cold winter's night watching the latest family movie? - This:

 

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@Naazon I don't understand the argument you're making. Are you saying that Village internally are saying 'We've ruined the parks, let's not advertise them direct and ruin their good name'? I do agree that I'm sick of 'Unprecedented times' and 'In this together' though.

 

@AlexB Why when advertising a fun filled day out would you make people nostalgic for a quiet rainy night in? Also I remember when videos used to have ads on them, I'm not mad at that, think it's a good idea, but remember how that ad made the place look exciting and mentioned the name of the ride and the park it was in rather than an ad for the company that owned the park?

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@joz Not saying they think they have ruined the parks but its super rare for anyone to out win a rose tinted view of what the parks were.

I think its smart staying away from trading on that and instead using their recognisable logo and company name.

 

Remember this is also an ad for Village Roadshow Theme Parks, not for Movieworld, Sea World, Wet N Wild or the other one.

Yes, you're right, they totally need to find a better way to incorporate the 4 parks names/logos into the end screen. I'm no ad man and creativity isn't my strong point so I won't suggest what to do.

 

 

I also do really appreciate these level headed discussions. Working from home is doing my head in.

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38 minutes ago, joz said:

 

@AlexB Why when advertising a fun filled day out would you make people nostalgic for a quiet rainy night in?

yeah ok, plus the summer nights at the drive in, or at the workers club, watching 'new' movies like crocodile dundee - that 'whooshing' sound. the village rake. I have far more associations with that logo as a kid than I do the parks.

Sure, your associations are with the park directly, but the broader community outside of SEQ would have more association with Village Roadshow from movies, cinemas, and other ventures across the country, than just the parks. I'm not saying your perspective is wrong - just that it's different to mine (and it would seem, some others who have similar associations)

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I'm from Sydney and only visited the parks for a holiday. I have a nostalgic/childhood/real memory of the Parks, not of a video logo. In fact I'd say most people (and so many still think this) Village Roadshow is an American company because that logo was on the front of every American feature they remember watching.

 

So whilst a couple of argumentative experiences in this select forum might have more memory of a VHS tape than a theme park from being a child I WHOLE disagree that's the experience of most people from growing up.

Id go so far to say as many kids thought of the Gold Coast as theme parks rather than beaches.

2 hours ago, Jdude95 said:

I wonder what image the park will use when it's sold off in a few months time. Will Clark even still be around?

I'd say it will be the one of Village Roadshow Theme Parks, and it's CEO Clark Kirby. 

Given that every statement about the offer states the company is keeping it's name and CEO I have no idea where that sort of snarky comment comes from. 

Edited by djrappa
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22 minutes ago, djrappa said:

I'd say it will be the one of Village Roadshow Theme Parks, and it's CEO Clark Kirby. 

Given that every statement about the offer states the company is keeping it's name and CEO I have no idea where that sort of snarky comment comes from. 

The snarky comment comes from them trying to bully the government to allow them to open even if it's not safe, so they can meet the higher value sale conditions that's currently on the table.

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I just find it really interesting that peoples opinions on the various parks seem to switch depending on whichever management pay them some mind.

I remember a short time ago everyone was soooo PRO EVERYTHING Movie World did when Greg was there and gave enthusiasts a whole bunch of love, and Dreamworld was the shit park. Now magically one person has some negative FB comment with Bikash and all of a sudden everything Dreamworld do is golden and Village are apparently evil.

 

They are a company that has legal obligation to its shareholders. The management has a responsibility to try and work with the government to get open and making money. Dreamworld are doing the same thing.

And if anyone can tell me why the White Rhino Bar in Surfers can have 100 patrons from tomorrow but theme parks would be limited to 20?
Why can Qantas now put 180 people next to each other on a plane for 3 hours, but a theatre can seat patrons for a show?

Let's be honest, so many social distancing restrictions are being tossed aside right now all over the shop, why shouldn't the parks be working yo when they can reopen?
Also last time I checked, having meetings and developing comprehensive COVID Safe plans with the government is hardly bullying.

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1 hour ago, Jay Jay The Jet Plane said:

Fright Nights and White Christmas are being planned still as we speak 

Park will provide more information closer to the events commencement B7A6F166-8AFD-4EA1-B225-B3EBF6B04631.thumb.jpeg.da7e9cd3511a345a62b2349b6623e08f.jpeg

Won’t happen (Fright Nights, too early to make a call on White Christmas) 

You can fountain me all you like @Jay Jay The Jet Plane but I’d like to see you explain how by next month (when they would have to seriously ramp up prep and construction of mazes to be ready for October) they would have certainty that NO social distancing regulations will exist anymore come October. 

it won’t happen

7000 people holding shoulders and in queue lines like cattle with a dozen people per 4sqm instead of 1 ?

Zero chance.

Edited by Brad2912
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Oh, I see, you assume my allegiance lies with *my best friend ( @Slick we still doing that?) and that I hate Bikash solely because he threatened to sue friends of mine for calling him out. I just find it amusing that DW are happy to work with the government and not jump up and down about it on social media or any time there's a camera in their face. Whereas Village, specifically, their management, didn't give a fuck when this whole thing started, even going as far as attacking people in public forums for suggesting they should be taking it seriously. Only taking it seriously after the Government has already stepped in and closed the park.
So no, it's not because of some "negative facebook comment" it's because of their whole approach to this entire pandemic and that they are so eager to re-open the parks because of that magic clause that allows them to sell those shares for a higher figure, again, not actually taking the publics health and safety seriously. When there was talks of restrictions being lifted, management weren't seen to be trying to work with the government to come up with a plan, instead just publicly attacking them for not allowing them to instantly resume as normal.

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1 hour ago, Brad2912 said:

Won’t happen (Fright Nights, too early to make a call on White Christmas) 

You can fountain me all you like @Jay Jay The Jet Plane but I’d like to see you explain how by next month (when they would have to seriously ramp up prep and construction of mazes to be ready for October) they would have certainty that NO social distancing regulations will exist anymore come October. 

it won’t happen

7000 people holding shoulders and in queue lines like cattle with a dozen people per 4sqm instead of 1 ?

Zero chance.

The fountain reaction was set in place while I was going to reply back to this, this took me quite a while, what I wanted to say down below and wanted to make sure I got everything across rather than reply back in 5 minutes after the original post was made, which I have learnt for next time, probably not to do that: 

  • As in terms of the maze construction, with budget possibly not being there this year for the events, they could very well just go the easy route and say, right just bring the same mazes from last years event on the exception of Leatherface back, I say no LF as I'm doubtful they will want to pay for licensing again and the other four mazes wouldn't be affected such as they have been either paid to be at this years event (IT and ZL) or they custom IP material from the park (HOK and Doll Haus)
  • Queues and attendance is probably where I can agree with you on this matter as they could be some problems with that with social distancing. They could at least fix the queuing situation with by forcing everyone to have VRTP app to get everyone to use virtual queuing for the mazes and rides and let them through only once their allocated time-slot is ready to go which would mean more people spread around the park rather than been like cattle. Hands on shoulders will be scrapped and they will probably just allow members of your party to go through the maze,  (yes capacity/throughput would be down the roof, but its better to be safe than sorry of having 16 other strangers in your group) and then attendance would be set with whatever the government will allow the park have during daytime trade which is still yet being decided.  

We are under three months away from the event being held and with the whole situation on easing restrictions coming quicker than expected, think you can agree with me on that one, no one was expecting gyms, restaurants and all the other likings eased in Stage 1 and Stage 2 to be happening right now (especially in Winter)  instead of the promised September time frame ScoMo said in late March. And I agree with you Brad, they really don't have much time to make a decision if it goes ahead or is indeed cancelled for the year. The positive being if it is indeed cancelled this year, we could have more resources and budget to probably work with for next years event. 
 

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18 minutes ago, Jdude95 said:

Oh, I see, you assume my allegiance lies with *my best friend ( @Slick we still doing that?) and that I hate Bikash solely because he threatened to sue friends of mine for calling him out. I just find it amusing that DW are happy to work with the government and not jump up and down about it on social media or any time there's a camera in their face. Whereas Village, specifically, their management, didn't give a fuck when this whole thing started, even going as far as attacking people in public forums for suggesting they should be taking it seriously. Only taking it seriously after the Government has already stepped in and closed the park.
So no, it's not because of some "negative facebook comment" it's because of their whole approach to this entire pandemic and that they are so eager to re-open the parks because of that magic clause that allows them to sell those shares for a higher figure, again, not actually taking the publics health and safety seriously. When there was talks of restrictions being lifted, management weren't seen to be trying to work with the government to come up with a plan, instead just publicly attacking them for not allowing them to instantly resume as normal.

I think the trouble here is basing you opinion on what park management are doing on what you read from a 'news' paper who can't even use the same figure for a rides budget twice in the same article or proof read their words are spelt right.

 

If anyone for one second thinks that Dreamworld Management and Village Management aren't taking the exact same steps to get their properties open the exact second they can with as many people in them as possible they are kidding themselves. 
Hell if you read the trash the GCB puts out you'd say Dreamworld are not only demanding to reopen, they are demanding the government pay to assemble a coaster they can't afford. 
The premier was at the parks last week, meeting face to face with management. If that isn't 'willing to work with the government' then I don't know what is.

Countless businesses across the country, including entertainment based ones didn't shut until the government forced them. Mostly for the simple fact is insurance doesn't pay out unless you are forced to close.

 

And as for any assumptions I make, I make them because if I go back a couple years the same people were on here blindly praising any move Village made and trashing Dreamworld, regardless of what the issue being discussed was. Now they are blindly doing the reverse. So you'd have to forgive me for thinking there is some significant personal bias going on.

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The whole basis of the ad is to show that they are ready to welcome you back, the tone of his voice, the delivery appeals to the family market who are ready to travel and holiday again. The way its delivered is not in your face, or loud, its a strong but calming voice that is subconsciously telling the market that its all going to be Ok when you come back to the GC and the parks. The shot of him on the roller-coaster with the iconic Surfers Paradise Skyline in the background is clever and used perfectly to let people know that you can come to the GC, do the parks and holiday with plenty of things to do. The beach and water can be seen and that is the Gold Coast major appeal.  Take a look at the Destination Gold Coast Video, Gold Coast Airports upcoming campaign, they are all being done the same way and working. If your a brand that wont use an opportunity like this to start pushing a "face" of a theme park, one with history that can be leveraged and a family man, then you need to sack your brand manager. Right now people need gentle reassurance, and this did this in spades.

 

Analyse the video for who its marketed to, family with kids. Not theme park fanatics like us. Its a great video and will capture the market its directed at.

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11 minutes ago, djrappa said:

I think the trouble here is basing you opinion on what park management are doing on what you read from a 'news' paper who can't even use the same figure for a rides budget twice in the same article or proof read their words are spelt right.

 

If anyone for one second thinks that Dreamworld Management and Village Management aren't taking the exact same steps to get their properties open the exact second they can with as many people in them as possible they are kidding themselves. 
Hell if you read the trash the GCB puts out you'd say Dreamworld are not only demanding to reopen, they are demanding the government pay to assemble a coaster they can't afford. 
The premier was at the parks last week, meeting face to face with management. If that isn't 'willing to work with the government' then I don't know what is.

Countless businesses across the country, including entertainment based ones didn't shut until the government forced them. Mostly for the simple fact is insurance doesn't pay out unless you are forced to close.

 

And as for any assumptions I make, I make them because if I go back a couple years the same people were on here blindly praising any move Village made and trashing Dreamworld, regardless of what the issue being discussed was. Now they are blindly doing the reverse. So you'd have to forgive me for thinking there is some significant personal bias going on.

Okay, and that’s great that news papers can’t get figures correct, I’m talking about their whole public image at the moment, one which never looks good when their GM is attacking people publicly. 
 

Yes, they are now working with the government. Presumably after the backlash they got for how they were handling the situation before. 
 

Oh! I understand, so you think I can’t have an unbiased opinion because some users on this forum can’t form an unbiased opinion, despite me shitting on both parks regularly. Duly noted. 
 

Also, I think you’ll find that people aren't picking sides because over Greg, people are picking sides over which company is building a world class rollercoaster. 

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