Six Flags' Shapiro: Focus on Entertainment, vs. Coasters

"Thomas Henderson" <grayzson@yahoo.deletethis.com> wrote in message
news:vXnNj.8426$DY1.7560@bignews5....
> LAS VEGAS: Theme park operator Six Flags Inc. is aiming to become an
> entertainment company with its own characters to entice
> thrill-seekers to
> its parks much like The Walt Disney Co., its chief executive said
> Tuesday.


That's your cue, Drunky.

--
Keith Hopkins
susskins@sssssssssgmail.ssssssssscom
[clear up the hissing to email]
PETER MARSHALL: "According to Tony Randall,
'Every woman I've been intimate with in my life
has been...' What?"
PAUL LYNDE: "Bitterly disappointed."

"Thomas Henderson" <grayzson@yahoo.deletethis.com> wrote in message
news:vXnNj.8426$DY1.7560@bignews5....
> (Headline)
> Six Flags aims to become content company like Disney
>
>
> ***He said Six Flags' previous strategy was based on its roller-coaster
> hardware, but now it would focus on building anticipation to its rides
> through stories and characters, while upgrading the attractions.***
>
> [snip]
>
> The production company's archived footage will be used to promote the park
> and entertain guests while they wait in lines for rides and food, while
> providing a vehicle for advertisers.
>
> Ad revenues and licensing deals abroad are expected to add $50 million in
> new revenue this season, he said.
>
> "We have 25 million-plus (visitors) spending up to 10 hours a day in our
> parks every summer," Shapiro said. "That's a captive audience like no
> other."
>

Yes, because putting TV screens in the queues showing video clips and
advertising is *exactly* how Disney does it....

-Rob

> Yes, because putting TV screens in the queues showing video clips and
> advertising is *exactly* how Disney does it....

Is anyone else thinking about all of those SF queue lines that already have
TV screens in them, but are (long-ago) broken and no longer work?

Yeah, it was cute back when they worked and you could watch Bugs Bunny
cartoons while you waited your 10 minutes. But it was more annoying when
you realized none of them worked anymore, or that they semi-worked (fuzzy
picture, no sound).

"NoGodForMe" <religionkills@fairytales.com> wrote in message
news:Jo%Nj.41290$rC6.29341@bignews4.. ..
> Keith Hopkins wrote:
>> "Thomas Henderson" <grayzson@yahoo.deletethis.com> wrote in message
>> news:vXnNj.8426$DY1.7560@bignews5....
>>> LAS VEGAS: Theme park operator Six Flags Inc. is aiming to become
>>> an
>>> entertainment company with its own characters to entice
>>> thrill-seekers to
>>> its parks much like The Walt Disney Co., its chief executive said
>>> Tuesday.
>>
>> That's your cue, Drunky.
>
> This proves my point I've been making over and over. SF can have
> all the LooneyToon characters they want, but it's not going to mean
> a hill of beans unless parents put them in baby rooms.


It's nice to have someone dependable on RRC.

--
Keith Hopkins
susskins@sssssssssgmail.ssssssssscom
[clear up the hissing to email]
PETER MARSHALL: "According to Tony Randall,
'Every woman I've been intimate with in my life
has been...' What?"
PAUL LYNDE: "Bitterly disappointed."

Kids today don't even know who the looney tunes are, so if they are using
those characters to build their franchise around then they are missing the
boat entirely. Disney is popular and has its own TV channel which runs
without paying extra in most places, movies that will always bring in crowds
and a whole host of other products. Kids know disney characters and they
know disney in general. Looney tunes has no merchandise, no movies, and its
not even shown on TV anymore, unless you pay to get a special TV channel.
Disney is just a much stronger brand that continues to evolve in a way that
they are still able to target the kids of today while capitalizing on
parents nostalgia of disney as it was when they were a kid.

Six flags is mostly appealing to the parents of the kids if they build a
park around looney tunes, not appealing to the kids themselves since kids
don't know who the looney tunes are. Kids won't beg to come back if they
don't care about the characters which will discourage parents to make repeat
visits.