New Six Flags Commercial

For one thing, it's definitely attention getting.

A real life example is I was getting Subway yesterday and the cashier was in the process of getting me change...the SF commercial came on and he kept looking up, maybe three times, while getting change. So they have the Subway cashier market at least! And there's nothing you can say about that.

Joe

It's about 5 years too late indeed! I understand the need to make a commercial that appeals to a wide audience, but as a teen, I really only think this commercial is completely stupid. The commercial that everyone at my school raves about are the Quizno's commercials. If you want the teens, go for sheer insanity in your commercials (dancing old people might be good, but an old techno song won't fly).

Maybe advertising for amusement parks is just hard to really innovate in? Anyone have examples of really good amusement park commercials?

Joe - The Subway guy was obviously thinking "What annoying commercial is using this outdated song?" He then continued to look back the other 2 times and wonder "When is it going to end!"

Craig - Those Quizno's commercials have gotten a lot of press lately. Yeah, they're annoying as well, but at least it was an original idea and innovative.

As far as good theme park commercials go, I liked (as I mentioned earlier) the SFMM comercials from the 80s. They featured adults wearing sunglesses riding their newest rides. I mostly remember them when Freefall and Shockwave opened, but there were probably more than that (please don't flame me on the exact number of SFMM commercials featuring actors in sunglasses).
*** Edited 3/18/2004 3:51:22 AM UTC by Matt D***

I LOVE the Quizno's commercials! That and the VH-1 commercials that are like it. They are a crackup.

The new SF commercial is well done, imho. I like the fact that it tells a little story. I think it will appeal to a lot of different people.

Younger kids will like the old man, who seems a little magical, taking them to the fantasyland known as Six Flags. Just think of Ronald McDonnald or one of many cereal cartoon characters; They seem to wisk children away to a magical land to escape the pressures of being a kid.

Teens and some adults will get a kick out of the old mans dancing. That's just something you don't see the elderly do, kind of like when a pet or baby's mouth is animated and they talk. My mom is definately the kind of person that would laugh every time she saw him dancing.

Parents will also relate to the message. Everyone needs a break sometimes, and hopefully hard working parents will want to take that break (and provide that break to their kids) at their local Six Flags.

Nice party feel to the song. It makes me want to dance too. I remember CP's DJ's overplaying it every 30 minutes. It may be a little outdated, but so what. I see new ads with older songs than that all of the time.

I think that the commercial tries to attract families more than thrill seekers. I think it's unique and well thought out. I give it 4 out of 5 stars (lol). *** Edited 3/18/2004 7:00:39 AM UTC by dexter***

It also sends a message to families. Which the amusement industry and especially Six Flags is trying to get back to. The guy cutting the grass, the guy painting his house, the little girl that sits in the front of the bus, the use of the Looney Tunes Characters rather than the extensive use of the DC Comics Characters, the Mine Train ride the old man is riding, the tea cups the wooden roller coaster instead of Goliath. All the things a family would want in a amusement park. They are trying to promote Six Flags as a family park and not a extreme park. Subway/Quizno's commercials area appealing to a different demographic.

commercial's played here in Upstate, NY a few times now. ive seen it 4 times.

Saw it last night during a show on Fox. I think it's just about perfect and what SFI needs to attract families and $$$. Pay off the debt...build new coasters.

Does the old guy remind anyone of Uncle Junior from the Sopranos?

The biggest problem I see with the commercial is that now SF actually has to make good on their asertion that a day at their parks is fun. ;)

mOOSH

Rob A, we were talking about that just the other day at a "sopranos party"....capiche?

P.S. I'm not the only one getting SF e-mails featuring that same old guy, am I? I really think the commercials are going to prove successful IF the parks back up their promises....also, I like the integrated marketing strategy, and the demographics they're aimed at...

"SFI, no longer home to hordes of unsupervised teenagers"...:)

It makes me feel better than I'm not the only one thinking that!

I honestly don't know what to think about the commercial. It has a catchy tune and I think that may have been the selling point. I think the idea is to make people hum that song and keep thinking "Six Flags commercial", even if the actual commerical is quite idiotic.

It gets pretty annoying, i think. It seemed almost clever the first time I saw it, but now that it is played frequently, it gets a bit irritating. The old guy is just too odd.
I hate the Quiznos commercials to the highest degree. Ugh!

I love the new commercial. It made me laugh. They Kept it simple and catchy and I think it will appeal to a varied audience.

It cracks me up that coaster dorks can analyze a TV spot the way they analyze a coaster.

Well, the first time I saw it I thought it was absolutely ridiculous, stupid, and would not be a good choice for advertising. And yet, later in the evening, I was humming "We Like to Party" and picturing the dancing guy and it is at this point that I realized that the ad is perfect. It may not be very stylish or even all that funny (or whatever other subjective standards you base "goodness" on) -- but it gets in your mind. And if it's in your head and you remember it, you'll be more inclined to want to patronize it. To that end, the ad definitely gets the job done.

As someone who works in advertising let me see if I can shed some light onto this campaign.

Advertising generally falls into three categories:

1] ads that outright try to get you to buy something. These ads usually have a sense of urgency ["Six Flags seasson passes are on sale now!"]. These are known as the "hard sell." Infomercials fall into this category.

2] ads that announce a new product or service ["Get ready to Scream in 2003...only at Six Flags Magic Mountain"] to build hype and interest. In the case of a new product some ads won't show it at all, adding a sense of mystery. These are known as the "soft sell."

3] ads that attempt to change the perception of a company's products, services, or reputation. A perfect example of this is the Phillip-Morris commercials that show they have info about the dangers of smoknig on their website ["See...we're not evil!"].

The new Six Flags campaign falls into that last category. Sure, some Six Flags parks have new attractions to hype and season passes to sell but BEFORE they do that they have to convince people -- especially people who have visited prior and had HORRIBLE experiences -- that "we're all about fun."

Is the campaign successful? On one level yes, because we're talking about it. Whether it's ultimately successful in increasing attendance depends on the parks getting their acts together and making sure all rides are running, the park is clean, and the ops are friendly and efficient.

mOOSH

edit - one more thing: this ad is also a "repositioning." Notice most of the people getting on the bus are NOT thrill-seeking teens. They're courting families and wisely so...they spend much more money than teens.

*** Edited 3/25/2004 5:23:49 PM UTC by Mamoosh***

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Craig the Coaster Freak said:
but as a teen, I really only think this commercial is completely stupid.

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As a teen, I think it's your job to think everything is completely stupid.

The Quiznos commercial isn't remotely original. The "We Like the Moon" thing is one of those ridiculous "Macromedia Flash made animation accessible to everyone" things.

and extremely funny at that, maddie!

I like both Quizno's and SFI's commercials. My dad, who's never been to a SF Park, saw it, loved it, and now wants to go park hopping this summer. That, and the fact he lost 60 lbs and can ride, make this summer fun looking...

The *trick* to this campaign, as Moosh points out, is to CHANGE the prior perceptions of SF...

Whether it is ultimately successful depends on those first few months of the season, because the word-of-mouth from people who have GONE to the parks will spread QUICKLY...

The recent SFMM reports of single-training are PRECISELY what SF does NOT need when the regional parks open up in a week or two....the #1 killer of a good time at a park is standing in a non-moving line...if people come in and spend their 4-6 hours, get *lots* of good rides in a clean and friendly atmosphere, then EVERYONE wins!

edit: Regarding Moosh's mention of *repositioning*, I'm gonna quote myself...hehe...

"SFI, no longer home to hordes of unsupervised teenagers"...:)
*** Edited 3/25/2004 5:27:17 PM UTC by rollergator***

I'd add a fourth category, 'Moosh...

4) Ones that get people to talk about the commercial/advertised item (usually are humorous).

My wife - who is not an enthusiast - saw the commercial yesterday and loved it and she said she told her co-workers about it today.

I put the new SF ad along the same lines as the Budweiser beer commercials - funny and gets ya talking about them...