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Halloween Horror Nights 26 Discussion


Mark M.
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29 minutes ago, Oysterhead00 said:

 

What is the event (I know, it's in the URL at the bottom)?  Is it even an event or is it a year round thing?  Where is it?  When is it?  Can I go today?  I heard a radio ad about Bloody Mary, is this a Mary Mary Mary the same thing?  Is it just like one maze or something?  Is it a movie?  I'm doing 75mph on the Beeline, that's a long URL to remember to find out what the hell this is all about.  She looks cool though, I'll try to remember to go see the "Mary Mary Mary" movie when it comes out.

 

Very bad billboard from my point of view.  If they put the logo with "Universal Orlando" in it, timeframe of the event, and "x all new haunted houses and x terrifying new scare zones" or something else it would be awesome.  The logo would have some brand recognition.  The title of the event and the location are key.  And showing more than just one character for an event, IE showing it has more to offer, will pique more interest.  Even if it's just text.  I know you want simplicity in a billboard, but this has ZERO information and the only thing included is a 20-something character long URL I have to try to remember when I get to my destination.  It's oversimplified to the point of being useless.

 

Yes, someone in the know would love it.  When I fly in from NY, after researching the event for months, and see that billboard leaving the airport it's AWESOME!  But guess what?  I was already sold.  My liking the billboard gives no benefits whatsoever to Universal.

It's a billboard that is being used to advertise more towards the locals as a reminder that the event is coming. If you put that billboard in Bangor, ME then I could see your point. Furthermore, you point out how long the URL is... whoa... it's so complex. As long as you can read English, it wouldn't be that difficult to remember. Halloween Horror Nights... yes, much too complicated to remember. 

 

Obviously you can't compare Disney marketing materials, which have existed for many decades, to a random billboard. However, having a billboard that is at least memorable each year would be cool instead of just plain unimaginative material.

 

And for the record, I'll be lucky to see any advertisements at all for Horror Nights where I am. I think there may have been a commercial or 2 last year which was a 1st. Considering how large the event has become and how popular Halloween has become in general, you'd think they'd market at least a little in the Boston area on tv, but I've yet to really see that happen.

Edited by ThNdIzNiR
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39 minutes ago, ThNdIzNiR said:

Furthermore, you point out how long the URL is... whoa... it's so complex. As long as you can read English, it wouldn't be that difficult to remember. Halloween Horror Nights... yes, much too complicated to remember.

 

What was the license plate of the car you drove behind today?  That was only 7 digits.  It's only a simple thing for YOU because you've typed it 100 times.

 

thisisjustassimple.com

 

howeasyisthistoremember.net

 

meatballdinnernight.com

 

When it's something alien to you, that's a hell of a lot of characters to remember.  Look at what I just put above, all common words...hell, MORE common than Halloween and Horror.  They don't look so simple now do they?  Depending on where your eye focuses first, it determines which words you recognize.  It's what makes wordfind puzzles so difficult.  All easy words that should stick out like a sore thumb, except they don't.  When your brain doesn't see what it expects to see, it takes you a minute to figure it out.  A minute that you don't have doing 75mph down the highway.  What looks like halloween horror nights to you looks like a bunch of gibberish to others.  Don't forget, if you're reading this billboard you're reading others.  Was it .com or .net?  night or nights?  Etc

 

It can be short too and still be a problem.  A big sign of football games on TV and a big beer.  Two of my favorite things.  Then it has bw3.com.  That's it.  What the hell does that mean?

 

Same billboard, with the Buffalo Wild Wings logo and then the text:

 

NFL Sunday Ticket

40+ beers on Tap

 

Guess what?  I love beer and football, and I see the sign and it's familiar.  If I want to go watch football when I'm in town, I know where to go.  A beer, TV screens, and some URL that makes no sense to me gives me zero interest in investigating it.  And after 20 min of driving, bw3 is going to be long forgotten.  Hell, I just typed bmw.com earlier by accident as bw3 makes no sense.

 

But that's all industry talk, my whole point to Critical was that marketing isn't here to pay lip service and thank the fans already coming.  We get that through twitter and stuff.  That's just for us as Joe Six Pack isn't on twitter following #hhn26 to learn stuff.  All those nuggets online are to reward us fans.  The billboards and commericals and stuff are designed for people who have no idea about the event.  And they work.  Why?  Because every year we all complain a little bit louder about the lines.  Their marketing does such a good job of maintaining (us regulars), adoption (new people), and retention (people who go for the first time this year and then become one of "us"). 

 

 

Edited by Oysterhead00
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6 minutes ago, Oysterhead00 said:

 

What was the license plate of the car you drove behind today?  That was only 7 digits.  It's only a simple thing for YOU because you've typed it 100 times.

 

thisisjustassimple.com

 

howeasyisthistoremember.net

 

meatballdinnernight.com

 

When it's something alien to you, that's a hell of a lot of characters to remember.  Look at what I just put above, all common words...hell, MORE common than Halloween and Horror.  They don't look so simple now do they?  Depending on where your eye focuses first, it determines which words you recognize.  It's what makes wordfind puzzles so difficult.  All easy words that should stick out like a sore thumb, except they don't.  When you're brain doesn't see what it expects to see, it takes you a minute to figure it out.  A minute that you don't have doing 75mph down the highway.  What looks like halloween horror nights to you looks like a bunch of gibberish to others.  Don't forget, if you're reading this billboard you're reading others.  Was it .com or .net?  night or nights?  Etc

 

The billboards and commericals and stuff are designed for people who have no idea about the event.  And they work.  Why?  Because every year we all complain a little bit louder about the lines.  Their marketing does such a good job of maintaining (us regulars), adoption (new people), and retention (people who go for the first time this year and then become one of "us"). 

 

 

Not sure why I'd be interested at all in license plates, but if I was, I probably would remember the ones that were interesting like NVME or 415NE1. 

Yes, those URL's you posted above would be just as simple if they were posted next to something that caught my eye. 

On top of that, all I would really need to see is halloween and horror with Mary and then I could Google whatever further info I needed later (assuming I'm interested) when I'm not driving.

 

If I lived in Florida near Universal and saw a billboard that says Halloween Horror Nights on it, I think I'd understand what is being advertised. It's not like the event just opened. You think that the billboard in this case is used mostly to advertise to people from out of town or those who have never heard of the event? If so, I disagree. They're advertising to locals. Furthermore, I wouldn't give all the credit to the people in charge of marketing for how popular the event has become. The event is popular because of the quality of the product and the word of mouth marketing from those who have attended. If it wasn't for that I would have never even heard about the event. 

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1 hour ago, JDW said:

I'll be there Friday with bells on... well actually no not with bells (security would wrestle me to the ground for that). I will be there none the less so if you see a guy with a glowing purple tie (if that is allowed, they may consider it a garotte) say hi.

I fly to Orlando on the 13th and will be at HHN the 14th and 15th!

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1 hour ago, Oysterhead00 said:

The visuals are great, but it's just a pretty picture with no info.  I'm sure the surveys and stuff they've submitted and everything are what led them to not do ones like this anymore.   It's always on the survey, "Did you see any billboards?  Did they influence your desire to attend?"  I'd wager that this billboard would generate about 75% of respondents saying they didn't see any billboards for the event and an even higher percentage saying it didn't influence their desire to attend at all.

 

 

Out of the post that you wrote, which I disagree with most, this is actually a very legitimate point. Generally, we're seeing them advertise the IPs and I assume that would make them more inclined to visit the event than when it is some sort of creative billboard.

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14 hours ago, FRlSKY PLATYPUS said:

Here's another shirt you can expect to for the event URL]URL]image_zpsbc3iorja.jpeg Also, I think the majority of you will be happy with the house shirt. It has the logo on the left chest with the house artwork on the back. No slogan, or sticky lettering.

I thought this was a team member only shirt..

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1 hour ago, Jediwhit82 said:

Is the Team Member shirt for all universal, or just HHN people? Also, I've always wondered, do scare actors get any opportunity to experience the houses and shows and such?

The team member shirt is for anyone who works at Universal. Last year, the cast received  special shirts which were not available to anyone other than the cast and crew.

 

The main cast of HHN typically only get one night off I believe. I'm not sure how the back ups work with regard to scheduling, but they do work fewer nights.

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On 9/7/2016 at 2:04 PM, criticalanalysis said:

Why?

 

1) Failed website

2) Failed social media presence in my opinion

3) Lack of a notable media event in advance

4) Awful billboard

5) Generic commercials

6) No exterior park decorations

7) Exterior of the parade building is embarrassingly bad

8) Re-use of TWD again

9) Chance as a b-level icon shoe in that's not used well

10) Bringing in an external group for a show

11) Arguably the most incoherent theme I've ever seen

12) Gimmicky upcharge

13) added thanks to ThNdIzNiR - ridiculous price increases

 

And I'm not wrong on any of these. Will the event be enjoyable? Sure. Did they drop the ball again, yes.

 

the biggest irony is that Marketing took over what goes on into the event and they are pushing creative aside and it's all about what brings the more people in, they bring all these IPs in and push away the more original ideas

but then They DONT even do that good of a job in Marketing... what they are supposed to be Good at, what their job actually is... I know the billboard is not that big of a deal and the website is just a place to find info... sure ok. 
but Aren't they supposed to make the event seem exciting? isn't the job of marketing to make sure it looks enticing? this makes no sense. I know a lot of people see your points in this post and think you are just nitpicking or overreacting, (And some of your points might be overreacting maybe) But as an Overall Marketing job... they did not do that great of a job. So Marketing start to decide what does on into HHN but then they cant even nail the Marketing for this year? lol wat?

Edited by clash
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2 hours ago, Jediwhit82 said:

Also, I've always wondered, do scare actors get any opportunity to experience the houses and shows and such?

It all depends on availability. If you give full availability, you most likely wont get a night off

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On 9/10/2016 at 7:05 PM, Dead Inside said:

I swear to God, some of you guys transform into Jack Torrance when the event is about to start.

 

I am jack's ragining indiffernece.

 

I feel like Mike played Leather face in the commercial. I can't back that up just feels like him if that makes sense? IDK he probably didn't.

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12 minutes ago, criticalanalysis said:

 

It looks exactly the same as last year with the exception of the posters and the HHN 26 logo. I'm not gonna lie, even I'm a tad bit disappointed, but not surprised. Still, I kinda wanted them to do a little something related to the theme of Chance and the theatre setting she has. Oh well, I hope they make up for it with how well the houses and scare zones look. I feel that they'll make up for it.

 

5 minutes ago, ForeverEvil1 said:

 

Meh, that's what I expected. I could care less about a gateway. Invest that money into houses and scare zones. A gateway isn't going to change anything.

 

I agree, but I always liked it whenever they spruced up the front with some decorations. It was like a really cool hook to get you excited for what's inside. The last few times they actually had something up in the front were in HHN's 22 & 23. I've gotten used to what they do with the front by now, but I really wish they could do something nice for the front entrance in the future. Maybe not go all out so they could save budget, but you know, just a little bit.

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Anyone else been following the exceedingly bad weather forecast for the rest of the week and weekend?  Preview night could be a washout.  I know Central Florida weather can change day to day, but dammit!!  Not that I haven't been thoroughly soaked in previous opening nights.  It's just that the streets shut down and that makes the house lines that much longer.  C'est la vie.

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Is anybody here going to EPN tomorrow night? I might be a bit of a minority here, but I enjoy getting spoiled here and there, especially when it concerns the quality of the houses and scarezones. I try to avoid the duds since I only go one night, and the sooner that these opinions come out, the better!

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