Test Track Losing GM Sponsorship?

[TheRustyScupper]

I never thought of this before and honestly don't know but what do the Sponsors for the attractions do? Do they pay for the attraction and to keep it going?

1) Yes.
2) Disney actually has sponsors pay for operation and upkeep.
3) Thus, Disney makes profits with little cost.
4) And, they keep admission prices high.
5) Sweet deal, no?

Some Non-Exhibit Sponsors:
. . . Coke gives all the soda and bottled water for free
. . . Kodak gives all the park maps for free
. . . Nescafe gives the coffee for free
. . . etc

[Tekneek]

So... Disney is probably going to try to find a new sponsor... Tesla Motors, perhaps? This will require some significant changes to the concept.

If that fails, are they going to raise prices, since their preferred margin for Test Track will no longer be there? Or come up with a "rehab" / "overhaul" of TT that will make it less expensive to run (and less fun for us). Wonders of Life died a slow death, due mainly to lack of investment from Disney itself, once its sponsor was lost.

[MOJoe]

1) Yes.
2) Disney actually has sponsors pay for operation and upkeep.
3) Thus, Disney makes profits with little cost.
4) And, they keep admission prices high.
5) Sweet deal, no?

DANG! I wish i owned a Theme Park!

[GothMickey]

**cough cough** cars overlay **cough cough**

In all seriousness, GM will be out as a sponsor. And honestly, I can understand why. I cannot understand how a company crying poverty, begging for government bailouts, saying they won't have enough cash to last another 3 months, and laying off workers can justify 10 million bucks to sponsor a theme park ride. Maybe Toyota can come in and take over sponsorship.

[lockedoutlogic]

So... Disney is probably going to try to find a new sponsor... Tesla Motors, perhaps? This will require some significant changes to the concept.

If that fails, are they going to raise prices, since their preferred margin for Test Track will no longer be there? Or come up with a "rehab" / "overhaul" of TT that will make it less expensive to run (and less fun for us). Wonders of Life died a slow death, due mainly to lack of investment from Disney itself, once its sponsor was lost.

i think that test track will go after GM...barring some willing (aka "gullible", "stupid") sponsor stepping in....

Rocket Rods had a somewhat similar track record at Disneyland....GM sponsored it....GM pulled out.....ride was a ridiculous maintenance drain....disney pulled the plug.

Remember: specific rides make no money whatsoever.....the gate prices are there to really only support operation
The money is made on merchandise and food....
So losing the operating subsidy would be a backbreaker for test track....in my opinion.

Mission: Space will probably face a similar issue when Hewlett Packards deal expires.....

[lockedoutlogic]

**cough cough** cars overlay **cough cough**

In all seriousness, GM will be out as a sponsor. And honestly, I can understand why. I cannot understand how a company crying poverty, begging for government bailouts, saying they won't have enough cash to last another 3 months, and laying off workers can justify 10 million bucks to sponsor a theme park ride. Maybe Toyota can come in and take over sponsorship.

i like your angle....but a cars overlay is almost impossible....

test track is a horribly design thrillride that has restrictions and isn't suitable for all ages....

what do you do with it? It's not appropriate for young kids and it really doesn't provide any thrills to appeal to anyone else....

What a disaster it has been....complete and outright....
The "thrill" overlay in EPCOT has been one of the longest, wasteful, half-hearted construction projects in Disney history....

So far....they've spent 15 years on Test Track, Mission Space, and a copy from DCA....

Soarin is rehashed....the other two are marginal audience operating revenue drains....

And I'm not even gonna scratch the surface of Imagination....

Horizons and World of Motion....I say

[Ian]

In all seriousness, GM will be out as a sponsor. And honestly, I can understand why. I cannot understand how a company crying poverty, begging for government bailouts, saying they won't have enough cash to last another 3 months, and laying off workers can justify 10 million bucks to sponsor a theme park ride. Maybe Toyota can come in and take over sponsorship.

$10 million a year, while it sounds like a lot, is really very little to a major corporation. I'm actually shocked that's all it costs them. Citibank was going to pay $400 million for 20 year naming rights on the new Mets stadium. That's $20 million a year for far less exposure.

I have no trouble believing that the exposure from this attraction generates them $10 million or more a year in revenue. It might be a smart business decision to keep going with it, especially with some of the new "green" exhibits they have and such. I think it really raises people's awareness of the brand, the vehicles, and where GM is going.

Everyone needs to remember not to go overboard with this whole "every nickel corporate America spends that doesn't go into a worker's pocket is a waste" mentality. There are legitimate reasons to enter in to sponsorship arrangements.

[GothMickey]

$10 million a year, while it sounds like a lot, is really very little to a major corporation. I'm actually shocked that's all it costs them. Citibank was going to pay $400 million for 20 year naming rights on the new Mets stadium. That's $20 million a year for far less exposure.

I have no trouble believing that the exposure from this attraction generates them $10 million or more a year in revenue. It might be a smart business decision to keep going with it, especially with some of the new "green" exhibits they have and such. I think it really raises people's awareness of the brand, the vehicles, and where GM is going.

Everyone needs to remember not to go overboard with this whole "every nickel corporate America spends that doesn't go into a worker's pocket is a waste" mentality. There are legitimate reasons to enter in to sponsorship arrangements.

While what you are saying is probably true, it is a PR nightmare. Citi has been and continues to answer to their naming rights to Citi Field for the Mets. Citi is getting billions in bailouts, laying off thousands of workers, selling off parts of their business, and taking plenty of flack for their $400 million spent on naming rights to a stadium. Don't you think GM would get the same treatment from people? I am sure they would, and rightfully so. If your company is crying poverty, sponsoring a theme park attraction is not the way to spend money. Not until you return to profitablilty.

Locked: I was only kidding and being sarcastic about a Cars overlay. I sure as heck hope not.

[Aggie97]

I have no trouble believing that the exposure from this attraction generates them $10 million or more a year in revenue. It might be a smart business decision to keep going with it, especially with some of the new "green" exhibits they have and such. I think it really raises people's awareness of the brand, the vehicles, and where GM is going.

Everyone needs to remember not to go overboard with this whole "every nickel corporate America spends that doesn't go into a worker's pocket is a waste" mentality. There are legitimate reasons to enter in to sponsorship arrangements.

I agree that smart corporate sponsorship arrangements can have immense value.

But it's extremely difficult to directly correlate the ROI of sponsorships, versus other more directly trackable types of marketing and advertising campaigns.

Unfortunately during times of budget slashing, I know first-hand how challenging it can be to justify sponsorships to corporate executives who are looking at things from a short-term bottom-line perspective.

[lockedoutlogic]

$10 million a year, while it sounds like a lot, is really very little to a major corporation. I'm actually shocked that's all it costs them. Citibank was going to pay $400 million for 20 year naming rights on the new Mets stadium. That's $20 million a year for far less exposure.

I have no trouble believing that the exposure from this attraction generates them $10 million or more a year in revenue. It might be a smart business decision to keep going with it, especially with some of the new "green" exhibits they have and such. I think it really raises people's awareness of the brand, the vehicles, and where GM is going.

Everyone needs to remember not to go overboard with this whole "every nickel corporate America spends that doesn't go into a worker's pocket is a waste" mentality. There are legitimate reasons to enter in to sponsorship arrangements.

What world are you living in there, Trump?

Citibank.....is very shortly either going to have to be SOCIALIZED....or sold off into pieces for 10 years and busted down to Corngrower's Federal Credit Union to eliminate it's debt....

GM....can now only survive if the goverment props them up....and that will be politically impossible very soon. Even if they are given a trillion dollars.....nobody wants their cars anymore (the places that matter: the population centers)...it's about perception...and their perception is that their products are 1/2 to 1/3rd of their equivalent of the foreign counterparts. Extensive research about this came to light in the last six months.....an average american comsumer feels they will get somewhere between one third and one half the use and satisfaction out of an american car than they will a mercedes, toyota, honda, or even....yes.... a HYUNDAI!!!

At this point a Yugo would be a more attractive sell....

It's not that 10 million a year is alot for sponsorship or marketing....it isn't....IF....big if....the entire corporate system hasn't been operating on false perceptions and artificially bloated balance sheets for years....

which they clearly have.....the money was never there.....now....the executives are attempting to dig every penny out of the cushions and get outta Dodge....in the case of Chrysler....literally

It sure seems the game has changed to me....and that involves a complete rebuilding of how the "system" works....

Perhaps we should have the money in our accounts to cover our purchases......as should the corporations.....a little revolution every now and then is a healthy thing.

It's not that every penny should go to the worker.....it's that the smartguys were so clever....and they ran the ship into the iceberg....and now the fallout goes to everyone else....not just Central Park East

[Ian]

Again ... you're all overcomplicating things. You've been watching the news too much.

$10 million sponsorship arrangement that leads to $20 million in sales is a good thing, no matter how you slice it.

Of course, I have no clue if that's the case. I'm just saying, the knee-jerk anti-corporation mentality that's gripping America is overblown.

[GothMickey]

Again ... you're all overcomplicating things. You've been watching the news too much.

$10 million sponsorship arrangement that leads to $20 million in sales is a good thing, no matter how you slice it.

Of course, I have no clue if that's the case. I'm just saying, the knee-jerk anti-corporation mentality that's gripping America is overblown.

And the problem there is they aren't making $20 million off a $10 million investment. When you ask the government for $15 billion in bail out funds, there is no way they can put $10 million on something as friviouls as a theme park attraction. The sponsorship is done.

[Aggie97]

And the problem there is they aren't making $20 million off a $10 million investment.

Do we really know that to be the case, though?

In my opinion, perception is the true issue. How many WDW guests will walk out of Test Track making the "Gee, how much bailout/taxpayer money did GM waste at Disney World?" joke? I have to imagine that is a primary concern for GM, even if maintaining a sponsorship like Test Track is in their best long-term financial interest.

[Tekneek]

It won't matter whether WE know that or not. If GM thinks it, can they prove it? If enough people get upset about it, will it matter what GM can even prove? When you line up at the government trough, the game changes and you are subject to more than just economic forces.

This comes from both ends of the political spectrum on nearly every major political issue.

[princessgirls]

$10 million a year, while it sounds like a lot, is really very little to a major corporation. I'm actually shocked that's all it costs them. Citibank was going to pay $400 million for 20 year naming rights on the new Mets stadium. That's $20 million a year for far less exposure.

I have no trouble believing that the exposure from this attraction generates them $10 million or more a year in revenue. It might be a smart business decision to keep going with it, especially with some of the new "green" exhibits they have and such. I think it really raises people's awareness of the brand, the vehicles, and where GM is going.

Everyone needs to remember not to go overboard with this whole "every nickel corporate America spends that doesn't go into a worker's pocket is a waste" mentality. There are legitimate reasons to enter in to sponsorship arrangements.

Citigroup is still giving $20 million for the naming rights of Shea...even with the government bailout!!
I'm a GM girl. Every vehicle I have owned has been a General Motors car.
GM is staying in Nascar, and hopefully they will be able to continue their sponsorship of Test Track.
Julie

[GrumpyFan]

Interesting discussion this has turned into.

GM can easily justify this expense on the books. It's called marketing and advertising, which is necessary for a major corporation of this size. The return is rather hard to quantify though, and some might even argue irrelevant. In the end, it's about brand awareness and getting their name into the consumer's mind.

Regardless of whether GM continues as a sponsor or not, I don't see this attraction going anywhere. It's one of 3 attractions at Epcot that actually help draw a consistent crowd.

[Scar]

Citibank was going to pay $400 million for 20 year naming rights on the new Mets stadium. That's $20 million a year for far less exposure.

Hey... is that supposed to be a shot?

[WDWNut02]

That's horrible! Where in the world will I go to buy a Saturn SUV now?

[Zone Stop]

... And one that has never been received that well and can't stay operation for more than an hour ...

Okay, so I see that you're the wrong demographic, and apparently speaking to us through a time portal to 1999.

Test Track will remain open, because it's immensely popular and closing it would be a poor operation decision.

However, I agree with those of you who think it'll go sponsorless.

[lockedoutlogic]

Okay, so I see that you're the wrong demographic, and apparently speaking to us through a time portal to 1999.

Test Track will remain open, because it's immensely popular and closing it would be a poor operation decision.

However, I agree with those of you who think it'll go sponsorless.

You missed the guts of that....

it is mechanically a bad ride system....all moving parts are replaced regularly.....the computer systems scram all the time....and Goodyear was brought in to design special tires....

and they still replace them every week.

it's a completely unsustainable ride...and i don't think disney would hesitate to pull the plug if there was no sponsorship dollars....

they've shown no qualms about leaving ride locations closed and dormant for extended periods of time......the list is growing long


And i contest the notion that Test Track is that popular....
WDW ride systems used to be designed almost exclusively with volume in mind.....it is the reason for the omnimovers....the reason there are 2 space mountains mirrored....the reason almost all of epcots attractions were people mover type rides....the disportionate number of boat systems and tram rides...etc

Their parks are much larger than an average park....so volume can create distortion..

In this case....the fastpass system along with the 3 rider rows creates and artificial balloon in the quene line. Fastpass has had similar effect on peter pan's flight....notably...but other shows as well. Soarin' doesn't have enough screens to handle the normal volume of EPCOT....so we wait 90 minutes.

I think test track....while not unpopular....is really only an average at best draw at WDW