Sponsorship of attractions

[Sharonofwindham]

They have the option to recover but for now they have stopped production on consumer goods and are focusing on making equipment for corporate goods and selling nuke materials to Iran.

Just as long as the attractions at WDW aren't effected....it's all good

[BenB]

The beauty of attraction sponsorship is that it helps develop brand awareness. The more they can get their name out, and especially connect it with a really good experience like being on vacation at Disney World, the better for the company.

Do you remember the Kodak presentation before Honey, I Shrunk the Audience? It planted the idea to make sure you take a lot of pictures of things which might be important. Hey, this vacation you're on is pretty important, isn't it? Take lots of pictures. Back when Kodak did much of its business in film, this was lucrative, I'm sure.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see sponsorships end, in general. Or, I'd expect sponsorships to shift from well-known companies (Kodak, GM) to companies who want to become a household name (Siemens). I didn't know Siemens before I learned about them at Disney.

My two cents, just the ramblings of a clueless spectator.

[Wizzard419]

Siemens doesn't really go towards the household name thing, they make a few things for consumers but most of it is corporate, but I think they might actually use their suite for negotiation. Some of the sponsors are akin to electric company ads, such as Ratheon and Waste Management, where they make products/services but you really have no say in if you buy them or not.

Speaking of, not sure if I mentioned it here, at DCA the only attraction in Cars land that has confirmed sponsorship so far is Luigi's Flying Tires (alamo). I'm actually surprised they would sponor the worst attraction out of the group (the ride doesn't work as designed and isn't fun according to those who have been on so far).

[BenB]

Siemens doesn't really go towards the household name thing, they make a few things for consumers but most of it is corporate, but I think they might actually use their suite for negotiation. Some of the sponsors are akin to electric company ads, such as Ratheon and Waste Management, where they make products/services but you really have no say in if you buy them or not.

Perhaps. I've been seeing a lot of TV ads for Siemens also, and it looks like the purpose of those ads is to get people familiar with their business. After all, what is a corporation other than a group of people?

The corporate suite in the attraction is a nice bonus! Having a private suite inside the Disney park... how much is a sponsorship again? (counting my pennies)

[Wizzard419]

A coroporation is considered a person with equal rights/protections but fewer responsibilities. (Yes, really)

Power company ads are really weird, in most states they have a local monopoly since they own the lines that serve the homes. In California, thanks to the horrible idea of de-regulation, you can pick your supplier but anyone you pick will always cost more than what you already have since they literally charge the same (or higher) rate than consumers get to the resellers who then have to mark up their prices to get a profit. It also made it possible to be a power company and own no lines or power plant.

[Mark86]

Kodak is definitely not doing well financially. They have not adapted well to digital photography. Think back 10 years ago how many 1 hour photo stands/camera stores were around the parks. Now, Kodak digital camera are miles behind Canon and Nikon to say the least. Scary to think about!

[lonepalm]

Kodak is definitely not doing well financially. They have not adapted well to digital photography. Think back 10 years ago how many 1 hour photo stands/camera stores were around the parks. Now, Kodak digital camera are miles behind Canon and Nikon to say the least. Scary to think about!

Being about 1 hr away from Rochester, NY where Kodak is headquartered, it is sad to think that an American institution like Kodak has gone bankrupt. It will deliver a huge blow to the Rochester area should they close down for good.

[lonepalm]

Siemens doesn't really go towards the household name thing, they make a few things for consumers but most of it is corporate, but I think they might actually use their suite for negotiation. Some of the sponsors are akin to electric company ads, such as Ratheon and Waste Management, where they make products/services but you really have no say in if you buy them or not.

Perhaps. I've been seeing a lot of TV ads for Siemens also, and it looks like the purpose of those ads is to get people familiar with their business. After all, what is a corporation other than a group of people?

The corporate suite in the attraction is a nice bonus! Having a private suite inside the Disney park... how much is a sponsorship again? (counting my pennies)

I think we should all chip in and get a SR lounge at WDW!

[Amy]

Siemens doesn't really go towards the household name thing, they make a few things for consumers but most of it is corporate, but I think they might actually use their suite for negotiation. Some of the sponsors are akin to electric company ads, such as Ratheon and Waste Management, where they make products/services but you really have no say in if you buy them or not.

Perhaps. I've been seeing a lot of TV ads for Siemens also, and it looks like the purpose of those ads is to get people familiar with their business. After all, what is a corporation other than a group of people?

The corporate suite in the attraction is a nice bonus! Having a private suite inside the Disney park... how much is a sponsorship again? (counting my pennies)

I think we should all chip in and get a SR lounge at WDW!

That would be awesome! Maybe it could be in the DACs room and we could listen in to anything we wanted

[Wizzard419]

DAC's?

[Amy]

DAC's?

Digital Animation Control System ~ the nerve center of the park...controls the AAs and all the audio for parades, shows, attractions We got to see it as part of one of the behind the scenes tours we took many years back. It was just a huge computer room full of tape drives but it was very cool to see in person

[BenB]

DAC's?

Digital Animation Control System ~ the nerve center of the park...controls the AAs and all the audio for parades, shows, attractions We got to see it as part of one of the behind the scenes tours we took many years back. It was just a huge computer room full of tape drives but it was very cool to see in person

OOH! Switch the tapes! Then we go and ride all the attractions and see what happens. Pirates soundtrack on "its a small world"... Frontierland area music in Tomorrowland... this oughta be interesting.

[dstrawn9889]

LOLs they are all digital cards now... no magnetic reel to reel for quite some time

edit: i meant they went to solid-state cards in their servers for delivering of sounds, not that all sounds were changed over to digital sound effects. although now that i mention it, the last pass in HM for me certainly had a better sound quality then before... maybe it has all gone digital as well...

[Amy]

LOLs they are all digital cards now... no magnetic reel to reel for quite some time

edit: i meant they went to solid-state cards in their servers for delivering of sounds, not that all sounds were changed over to digital sound effects. although now that i mention it, the last pass in HM for me certainly had a better sound quality then before... maybe it has all gone digital as well...

I suppose they are all digital now. It might have been mostly that way when we were there in the late 90's/early 2000 as well. I just like to picture the reel tapes

[Mr.ToadWildRider]

I'd believe that the sponsorship generally costs less than $40 mil/year if that's what FB is charging. FB reaches millions of people daily, while an attraction will only reach thousands. I've also gotten the sense that some sponsorships are done in almost a barter format. For example, Nestle and Coca Cola have their names on certain attractions, but they're also providing certain food/beverage items for I assume re-sale to guests. It seems possible, if not likely, that Disney might say to Coke "Not only will we sell Coke products exclusively, but we'll put your name on signage and give you "Club Cool" space in Epcot in exchange for a further X% markdown on our wholesale costs." That's a win-win for both companies because now Coke is getting all that advertising that will in theory impact people far beyond when they leave the park in terms of brand recognition (not that Coke really needs any further brand recognition any more...) and Disney gets a larger profit margin on all soft drink sales.

If you go to Siemens' website they have a page about their "alliance" with Disney ( http://www.usa.siemens.com/en/siemens_i ... liance.htm ) which at times seems to imply that as part of their partnership Siemens helps Disney not simply by paying for ad space, but also providing technical support. Of particular note: "Additionally, the companies are working together to develop and further apply new technologies across a range of platforms, as well as explore ways to integrate some of Siemens technologies into Disney’s current and future attractions and resorts including domestic and international Disney Destinations".

Of course these barters still equal $$$ but it works differently than just exchanging cash for advertising, which is what I believe something like FB does.