B&M Dive Machine at Cedar Point?

Here's what I don't get: you say the design element shouldn't have been used because it isn't a Cedar Fair coaster, that the designer should have found a coaster element found "most often" at Cedar Fair parks.

Which would mean there would be parks in the chain with a banner promoting a ride that's not at their park. It doesn't seem much different, to me, from using a coaster not found at any CF park.

Customers can just as easily imagine the coaster that was used on the banner is a ride from their home park and relate to it. It's only a sub-group of coaster enthusiasts that even recognize what coaster it is.

And again, the purpose of that banner was not to promote roller coasters. If it was, I'd say yes, a coaster not at any CF park on a banner promoting CF coasters would be wrong. But the purpose of the banner was to promote Halloween events. What coaster was actually used is meaningless; the purpose was to create an appropriate backdrop.

RCMAC said:

But, for sure, if I was in charge at Cedar Fair, the second I saw a competitor's ride (clip art or not) on my ad for one of my events somebody would be fired. And I wouldn't care if anybody but me ever noticed or thought twice about the error.

And the fact that this has never happened despite the countless times we've been able to have this discussion proves, I think, how little it matters.

There's a balance between presentation, design asthetics, efficiency, availability, importance, message to be conveyed, and God knows what else to consider.

This apparently met all the criteria in the best (or at least a totally acceptable) fashion.

That is to say, at some point, some consideration (look, time, cost, whatever) was valued more than accurately depicting the rides at the park.

And I get doing your best and worrying about the details - but that argument only applies if the goal was to create a graphic using only coasters from Cedar Point. My guess is that the goal was to create a graphic that looked as good as possible while conveying a Halloweekend-y vibe.

Would it be better to use a Cedar Point coaster even if it hurt the overall 'look' of the graphic? Or is it more important to make a graphic with the right look?

I say the latter. Every time and unquestionably.

So what color is this coaster going to be? Any hints at a name yet? ;)

^^^ Yes, thats exactly what I say. You don't get that using a coaster element that actually shows up at your park(s) puts you closer to truth in advertising than using one that doesn't exist at all, except at a competitor's park?

I'm trying very hard right now to think of a CF park that doesn't have a cobra roll on a roller coaster somewhere and I can't offhand. Even if there's one I'm overlooking, that general image would play better to the nation's Cedar Fair customers and fool them into thinking it was "their" ride than a dive coaster would any day. And that would be better. Not necessary, but better. And so what if the only actual goal is not that, but merely to convey that amusement rides, no matter what they look like, will be included in the scary fun? I'm allowed to be bemused, along with the few others here, by the lack of attention paid to this small detail. If it makes me a doofy enthusiast I'm ok with that.

And again, I know the purpose of the banner. I also know it means very little to just about everyone out there. But I also know that if it crossed my desk for approval it wouldn't leave the room- it'd be back to the drawing board with ya.

CF parks without cobra rolls:

California's Great America
Valleyfair!
Michigan's Adventure

I'm really kind of sad I could rattle that off that quickly.

Say, that IS good, you doofy enthusiast!

:-)

Edit to add. Michigan's Adventure has no haunt. And the scary thing about Valleyfair's is what happens to you in the parking lot...

What truth in advertising? It wasn't an ad for a coaster. And having a coaster on a banner that doesn't appear at some parks in a chain is not "truth in advertising" for those parks.

Why is it okay to fool customers with a Cedar Fair coaster, but not with a non-Cedar Fair coaster? It seems an odd point of distinction to me.

I'm allowed to be bemused by the idea that a background element in a banner designed by a Cedar Fair employee could carry such profound power to entice.

Ermahgerd.

I know it wasn't an ad for a coaster. But it's an ad for a park that's part of a chain of parks. And, in my opinion, for what it's worth, that chain of parks would be better served by using images that included portions of rides that actually belonged to them. It would put them closer to truth in advertising. Not actually there, no, as in show business truth rarely exists anyway.

Gonch, you were right. This argument is stupid and I only got in it for argument's sake. Remind me to go somewhere else next year for Thanksgiving. I'm out of piss.

Every argument around here is stupid by default. We're talking roller coasters and the business of amusement parks.

It's all in good fun.

Well, my head hurts from all this fun! Not unlike last Friday. At Friday's.

I'm still not coming over for Thanksgiving.

Not even for the stuffing?

(wink wink)

Hey, now!

Um.... Ok!

The instant the first gay joke appears you know the thread is entering a death spiral. Thank god because I can't read any more of this crap. Four pages about a tiny graphic on a website!

You know you appear as kind of silly when you complain about a thread that you contributed to in terms of ridiculousnesss, right?

And sometimes the gay joke is the highlight of a crappy thread.

Sometimes? Always!

Yeah, I kind of feel like the gay joke was when the thread finally became worth looking at.

What's the rule on that, anyway? Do you have to be gay, or is it OK to say, "I have gay friends?" Or do you just have to be a member of CoasterBuzz?

Jeff said:

You know you appear as kind of silly when you complain about a thread that you contributed to in terms of ridiculousnesss, right?

Yeah but like RCMAC said I was just waiting for the gay joke.