First, an apology / explanation.
For the past couple of weeks, JimHillMedia.com has been kind of a Jim Hill free zone. Oh, sure, you guys have had plenty of great new stories from Jim Korkis, Chuck Oberleitner, Roger Colton and the rest of the crew. But as for me … well, there’d be an occasional book review or a “Why For.” But that was about it.
“So what’s been going on?” you ask. Well, do you remember the tale of Willie Sutton? The infamous bank robber who — as he was being arrested yet again — was asked “Why do you keep robbing banks?” Willie’s reply? “Because that’s where the money is.”
Well, for the past month or so, I’ve been traveling. Journeying to Anaheim, Burbank, Emeryville, Hollywood, Mineral King, San Francisco as well as Orlando. All because “That’s where the stories are.”
Now I’m back home in New Hampshire. For a while, anyway. So I thought that I’d share some of what I’ve learned during my travels with JHM readers. Which (hopefully) will make up for the last couple of weeks. When JimHillMedia.com didn’t have a hell of a lot of Hill.
Beyond that … just so you know: We’re thinking about making a few changes at JHM. Tweaking things. Readjusting the focus of the site, if you will. But — before we do this — the crew at JimHillMedia.com would like to have YOUR input. So keep an eye out for the survey that we’ll be putting up on the site over the next week or so. Which will allow our loyal readers to help chart a new course for JimHillMedia.com.
Okay. That’s enough feeble excuses / blatant self promotion for a Monday morning. Let’s get to the somewhat real news now, shall we?
Photo by Nancy Stadler
Surely, you’ve seen the photos by now.
Moto X legend Mike Metzger and his bike soaring over the Golden Gateway into DCA’s Sunshine Plaza. Signaling (figuratively as well as literally) the start of the “X Games Xperience” event at California Adventure.
Admittedly, this was a killer photo op. Which explains why that picture of Metzger flying over DCA’s entrance was plastered all over the place come late Tuesday evening / early Wednesday morning. As television stations and newspapers all over Southern California all rushed to share that amazing image with their viewers / readers.
But for those of us Mouse fans who are a bit more in the know, that seemingly iconic imagery of Mike soaring over that miniature version of the Golden Gate Bridge signaled a bit more. That DCA — the Disneyland Resort’s much beleaguered second gate — may have finally turned a corner. That this much maligned theme park may now be on its way to winning over the public.
And how is the Mouse doing this? By deliberately trying to carve out a new identity for DCA. Gone are the attempts to try and lure out-of-staters to come to California Adventure to sample the very best that the Golden State has to offer. In its place is an intensive effort on Disney’s part to get Southern Californians to now embrace DCA. To get locals (particularly those finicky annual passholders) to give Disneyland’s second gate a second chance.
Phase One of this plan is to get those Orange County locals with the most disposable income (I.E. teens and pre-teens) to think of DCA as their new home-away-from-home. Which explains why the “X Games Xperience” is setting up shop at Disney’s California Adventure now through August 10th.
Sure, there are those who will say that the “X Games Xperience” is nothing more than an elaborate come-on for the “X Games IX,” an Xtreme sport extravaganza that will performed live at the LA Coliseum August 14-17, then air on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC (as well as www.expn.com) August 16-21. And even I will have to admit that the “X Games Xperience’ is a truly savvy bit of synergy on Disney’s part. Using the corporation’s super-popular sports cable network to help hype DCA as well as using the theme park as a vehicle to make sure that Southern Californians are aware that the “X Games” are being held in LA this year.
But — if you can look past all of the synergistic hype — you can get a real sense of what Disney’s trying to do here. Using all the thrills to be found in the MX “Big Air” Show in the X Arena as well as the Halfpipe Bay Show at Golden State Park to give the impression that DCA is now edgy. Making it a fun place for Southern Californian teens and pre-teens to hang out.
Come the Spring of 2004, with the official opening of DCA’s “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror,” look for the Mouse to continue to push this difference between Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. That “The Happiest Place on Earth” is still where you want to go if you want fine family fun, while DCA is where you really want to go if you want to scream your head off. Get your fill of edginess and thrills.
Look for Mickey’s marketing staff to try and cement Disney’s California Adventure’s new image with Southern Californians when it announces (as part of the hoopla surrounding the Tower of Terror’s grand opening next year) that another clone of a highly successful Disney-MGM thrill ride — The “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith” — is coming to DCA in 2006.
From that point forward, look for the promotional campaigns for Disney’s California Adventure to focus primarily on that park’s edginess and thrills. TV commercials for the park will show guests screaming their way through the Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Grizzly River Run, the Maliboomer and (of course) California Screamin’.
Now some of you more hardcore Disneyana fans might argue that “By doing something like this — disregarding themes in favor of thrills and edge — isn’t Disney just making DCA into a knock-off of Knotts Berry Farm and/or Magic Mountain?” And my reply to that is: Yes! exactly!
You see, Knotts Berry Farm and Magic Mountain are successful Southern Californian theme parks. To date, DCA is not. Which is why Disney is going to do everything it has to turn this situation around. Even if it means changing the Disneyland Resort’s second gate from a theme park to a scream park.
Mind you, this doesn’t mean that absolutely every new ride that’s going to be added to Disney’s California Adventure theme park over the next four or five years is going to be some sort of steel coaster. Far from it. In fact, as of this moment, DCA’s slated to be the home of the Southern Californian version of the “Finding Nemo” show that WDI’s designing for Epcot’s “Living Seas” pavilion. (Intriguingly enough, the current plans call for the “Nemo” show building to be built on the same spot that the MX “Big Air” Show arena currently occupies. Which means that — should the “X Games Xperience” actually become an annual event at DCA — Disney’s going to have to find another spot for Metzger and his buds to ride in the Summer of 2004.)
But new kid-friendly fare like that “Finding Nemo” show will be the exception, not the rule, at Disney’s California Adventure. As the Walt Disney Company moves quickly to distance itself from its original dream for Disney’s California Adventure — where out-of-state tourists would pay top dollar for the privilege of dining at Wolfgang Puck’s Avalon Cove and Robert Mondavi’s Golden Vine Winery — in favor of winning over local teens and pre-teens. Those Orange County kids who (hopefully) will have time to kill and money to spend this summer. Which is why Mickey is trying so aggressively to lure them into Disney’s California Adventure now through August 10th.
Will this gambit ultimately pay off? We’ll know more come the middle of August, when Disneyland Resort officials can get a final tally on DCA’s attendance levels and see for themselves whether the “X Games Xperience” actually had a positive impact on the theme park’s Summer 2003 attendance levels.
This much is already certain: DCA’s operations staff has been pleasantly surprised by the hardcore work ethic and upbeat attitude that the X Games athletes who are performing in the park have shown. Senior Disneyland Resort staffers initially looked at all of these skateboarders and Moto X riders with their piercings and tattoos and thought “This bunch is going to be trouble.” But in fact, the exact opposite has proved to be true.
To date, the X Games athletes have been (at least according to the Disneyland officials that I’ve spoken with) a joy to work with. “A great bunch of kids,” said Randy Baumberger, senior vice president of resort operations. They’ve enthusiastically taken part in every autograph session, happily posing for pictures with their fans. Giving their all during the MX “Big Air” Show and the Halfpipe Bay Show. Doing everything they can to make DCA’s “X Games Xperience” a success. (Which hopefully will make some of these Southern Californians eager to attend “X Gamex IX” at the Los Angeles Coliseum next month.)
Of course, what really helps here is that some of these X Games athletes are real Disneyland fans. Mike Mezger — in particular — recalled with much enthusiasm the many trips that he made to the park as a kid. How his grandmother (who reportedly lived in Fullerton) would take Mike to Disneyland almost every week during his annual summer vacation.
Which may explain why Metzger looked absolutely thrilled when — as part of the opening ceremony for DCA’s “X Games Xperience” — he was made an honorary Disneyland cast member. After receiving his name tag as well as a Mickey Mouse shaped gold medal, Mike was heard to say “I’m told that I’m the first guy to work at Disneyland (who has) tattoos.” Metzger then looked skyward and said “Sorry, Walt.”
(Side note: Immediately after this ceremony wrapped, my ex — the Fabulous Disney Babe AKA Michelle Smith — walked up to Mike and said “Since you’re now an official Disneyland cast member, I’d like to be the first to ask: Where’s the nearest restroom?” Upon hearing Michelle’s question, Meztger busted out laughing, then jokingly pointed back toward DCA’s entrance area. Fab then quickly corrected Mike, gently reminding him that Disneyland employees always point with two fingers. So as not to offend the park’s international visitors … *Sigh* It’s not easy being a Disneyland cast member. Anyway …)
So will DCA’s “X Games Xperience” event/promotion actually become a hit with Southern California locals? Particularly among those hard-to-please annual passholders? Well, from personal observation, I know that the “X Games Xperience” Ultimate Scratch and Win Game (I.E. every guest — as they initially enter DCA for the day — is handed a game piece which makes them eligible for one of the more than 10,000 prizes that will be given away during the 41-day long event. Among the items that Disney is giving away as part of this “X Games Xperience” promotion are cars, motorcycles and ATVs) is making many APers drop by Disney’s California Adventure daily. If only so they can score a new “Ultimate Scratch and Win” game piece each day.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
So as I said earlier … come August 10th, we’ll know for certain whether DCA’s “X Games Xperience” event/promotion proved to be a success. But — as of right now — it looks like (from here on in) the Mouse will be relying on thrills and edginess to give Disney’s California Adventure an edge on the competition.
Your thoughts?