The commercials’ message is clear: The little ones are growing up, and they’re ready for a more adventurous theme park. It’s time to go to Universal – either in Orlando or Hollywood.
Universal Parks & Resorts debuted a marketing campaign Tuesday that for the first time links its locations on both coasts. The “I’m Ready” initiative includes national TV and digital advertising.
A Universal spokesman declined to be interviewed.
Tourism experts said Universal is establishing its theme parks as a brand that stands in contrast to Walt Disney World and Disneyland. About a week before, Disney World started an advertising campaign for its new Avatar land opening May 27 at Animal Kingdom.
Universal’s new ads show three children growing from little kids into school-age ones who are now relishing the parks’ thrills. “I’m ready,” they each say.
One of them turns from a little girl in a Disneyesque princess dress into a robe-wearing, wand-wielding tween wizard at Universal’s Hogwarts castle.
“The little girl dressed as a princess is obviously a slam at Disney,” University of South Carolina assistant hospitality professor Scott Smith said.
“She’s a little bitty princess and she turns into a Hogwarts student. The message is really clear: If you want to spend time with your family as your kids are getting a little bit older and they can take the rougher attractions, then Universal’s the place to go. It’s not princesses any more. Your kids are maturing, so it’s time to go to a more mature park.”
It’s unusual for one of the theme park companies to so obviously reference the other, said Dennis Speigel, president of the International Theme Park Services consulting firm.
With towering roller coasters and adult-oriented entertainment such as Halloween Horror Nights, Universal has a reputation for appealing to young adults and older kids.
Last month, advertisements began airing focusing on the more grown-up aspects of Universal Orlando. Betgaranti "Kids grow up," the commercials say. "So do vacations." Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said then the TV spots stress that “as your kids grow up, we are the place they want to go on vacation."
Previously, Universal’s marketing tended to focus more on specific attractions, Theme Park Insider editor Robert Niles said. Until now, he said, “it really hasn’t been an effort to create value around the Universal name by itself the way Disney has that awesome brand value.”
Universal Orlando became a more serious rival to Disney World since opening Harry Potter areas starting in 2010. Last year, a similar Wizarding World of Harry Potter debuted in Hollywood. That’s when it probably made sense for Universal to start promoting Florida and California together, said Debbie Evans, a former Six Flags communications director.
“They’re able to advertise in all markets across the country and give the consumer the opportunity to choose which park they’re more interested in,” she said.
“Living on the east coast, we have always seen Universal Orlando ads…Once my kids know there’s Universal parks in California as well, I certainly would expect the nag factor to begin.”
Disney and SeaWorld have previously publicized all their domestic parks together. Disney has resorts in Orlando and California. SeaWorld parks are in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio.
At SeaWorld, “we did it on and off depending on the priorities in any given year,” said Joe Couceiro, the company’s former chief marketing officer who now runs Lowry Park Zoo “It did provide us with a synergy where we were able to get a lot more bang for our buck.”
In 2015, a series of commercials aired with the tagline “create your family’s story at Disney parks.”
Feb. 12, Disney World started running TV ads for its upcoming land based on the “Avatar” planet of Pandora. The land is touted as “a place where you can fly on a banshee, walk under floating mountains, navigate a mystical river.”
It also refers viewers to VisitPandora.com. The website has little reference to Disney except for a link to disneyworld.disney.go.com and a small logo at the bottom. Instead, it features the fictional ACE (Alpha Centauri Expeditions), providing deep-space treks to Pandora.
VisitPandora.com gives descriptions of what interplanetary tourists will see, complete with bios of fictional human ACE employees. One of them, a “field expert” named Kam DeMarco, appears in a brief online video aired over Visit Pandora’s Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Disney has to plug Pandora heavily because it’s been eight years since “Avatar” was in theaters, Speigel said.
“They’ve got to reeducate and reintroduce the story line to the public,” he said.
Got a news tip? spedicini@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5240; Twitter @SandraPedicini
Universal Orlando has set a grand opening date for Volcano Bay, its under-construction water park.
Universal Orlando has set a grand opening date for Volcano Bay, its under-construction water park.
The House bill that would eliminate Visit Florida and Enterprise Florida would have another result: Getting rid of the urban high crime district program that has been used to avoid millions of dollars in taxes by Universal Orlando.
The House bill that would eliminate Visit Florida and Enterprise Florida would have another result: Getting rid of the urban high crime district program that has been used to avoid millions of dollars in taxes by Universal Orlando.
spedicini@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5240; Twitter @SandraPedicini
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