Wet 'N' wild has it's own H2O Zone web site

[dreamworld_rulz]

Here's the link Wet 'N' wild H2O Zone

[Gazza]

HeHe, it seems like a similar style site to the Superman one, so obviously going for the teen market again. Its kind of funny though, being in that market myself I can safely say that only a small minority are actually into BMX or the sort of music they are playing...

[dreamworld_rulz]

I had to turn the music off. I couldn't stand it.

[Richard]

I'd actually say they're clearly going for an older market than with Superman Escape. I don't know their exact intentions, but it seems to be targeting 17-18 year-olds, whereas Superman was after probably 13-17. I have a feeling the goal might have been 17-25 with this strategy, but to me it's not going to capture much of the over-18 market, though I think that their targeting of Schoolies week will pay off.

[GoGoBoy]

I think this is disgraceful. Have they not learnt from Superman Escape? Why does this marketing department insist on trying to capture these markets in such an obvious and try-hard way? Dreamworld manages to attract these same demographics but at least they do it in a subtle way where the information almost presents itself (just thinking back to the Claw commercial which made the ride look good without being too obvious). It seems like recently Village always takes it that step too far. I have seen the new WnW H20 Zone commercial and for every shot of a waterslide there is another shot of a girls bikini top. Now I don't normally care too much about this sort of thing but I think in this context it is totally inappropriate and sexist. They are playing up the sex factor way too much and I think it puts a lot of pressure on both the guys and girls, particularly the ones participating in schoolies week. Yes a lot of them will be hooking up but not all of them will want to and a company like this should not be promoting it. I just wouldn't have expected this from a family theme park. I could understand if they wanted to show a group of teenagers of that select age range riding all the rides and having a good time but a little less of the sex and 'pick up' factor would have been better. I don't like the 2 fake teenage 'characters' they have created either... a bit pathetic really. The only positive thing I will say about this campaign is that the visuals, particularly for the commercial, are very good. It makes H20 Zone look really well presented... something which it certainly wasn't when I was up there in April

[Richard]

Marketing is marketing. I don't think you can condemn them (from a business perspective), for chasing this market. I am just pleased to see that this time they're not devaluing the rides as they did with the Superman Escape campaign, where no one could have guessed they were advertising a roller coaster, no less one themed to Superman. I agree that it's a pretty tacky direction to take with the advertising of a water park, but when you're faced with the introduction of a new full-scale competing park down the road, I think any way you can distance yourself from the traditional water park experience is a wise move. I totally agree that visually the new ads are great. In terms of the photography, I think they're close to the best ads we've seen for a theme park.

[lisalila]

The site design is cool but the BMX and music thing could've been made into something a little more less sterotype. What do you think most girls (especially those who will be at schoolies) wear to wnw?? as for the family thing even 7 year olds wear bikini's these days so it's not like parents are going to scream "omg they are making our kids grow up too fast" or anything.. Havent seen the ad myself but isn't there one shot of a guy topless or anything?? they usually include one of each in thier ads..

[GoGoBoy]

lisalila you've missed the point. I have absolutely no problem at all with bikinis. It's the fact that the camera keeps panning up and down the girls bodies with multiple shots zooming in on only their tits. While these shots are being displayed you can hear a voice in the background saying "going out with girls is fun". The boys in the meantime give each other a high five. The whole concept is based around sex and picking up just look at the 'flirt and float' event. There have already been a number of sexual harrassment and other serious incidents at schoolies. I think it would have been a much, much better approach for Wet 'n' Wild to promote socialising and having fun with your friends without all this other crap

[goliath]

This whole 'come party at WnW' thing is really quite lame IMO. People go there to ride waterslides, not to watch BMX demos and watch bands. The 'Wez N Will' website is laughable, I mean, "trade ugly teachers for hot bodies, party all night and chill out during the day at WnW" *cough* lame. WnW, you're a water park, not a nightclub. Stop now.

[Gazza]

I think GoGoBoy makes a good point. I made a little collage of just a few of the things i found on the website. Now im not a prude, but you have to wonder about WnW. For the record, i liked the TV ad, it had great camera work and properly showed the rides in a really good way. Also, is it just me, or does the arrow background pattern they show on the website remind anyone else of a solution curve?

[dreamworld_rulz]

This whole 'come party at WnW' thing is really quite lame IMO. People go there to ride waterslides, not to watch BMX demos and watch bands. The 'Wez N Will' website is laughable, I mean, "trade ugly teachers for hot bodies, party all night and chill out during the day at WnW" *cough* lame. WnW, you're a water park, not a nightclub. Stop now.

Agree with you 100%. I've been to 2 DW screamworld's not for the bands but for the rides. If i was able to go to MW event i would. I'm not into todays music or heavy metal. That's why i go to the gold Coast every 3-4 months to ride rides. Unless Big Brother is on then i'll make a special trip. But it still ride the rides.

[lisalila]

Looks like I did gogoboy but perhaps this is a way for kids to flirt and crap in a public enviroment, to try and control the rapes that happen during schoolies because that's is the main reason why teens go to schoolies..not for anything else and I remember reading somewhere there are more rapes during Schoolies than any other time of the year in Queensland. I dont like bmx crap though..if people wanna do bmxing they can go to a park, you go to a theme park to ride rides..not bikes like that..they could have slided in another two (at least) slides in there..

[Richard]

I'm not so against the idea of introducing other components into the water park that make it more appealing to this particular market. It's quite obvious that they're trying to change their image before Dreamworld's water park opens so that their reliance on the traditionally strong family sector doesn't hurt them when Dreamworld comes along and takes a few hundred thousands of their guests. It's starting to look like the FlowRider would be absolutely at home in this setting. I'd wonder if Dreamworld have entered a exclusivity with Wave Loch, because I could see some of the better models being very much at home in this teen-oriented section of the park. I'm also pretty interested to see the stage they've got listed alongside the halfpipe and beach volleyball courts. This comes from someone with no interest whatsoever in most of the 'music' our commercial music industry churns out, but in terms of creating a great vibe and party atmosphere, a summer night at a water park with some live music will absolutely succeed.

[ParkFan-Germany]

It's quite obvious that they're trying to change their image before Dreamworld's water park opens so that their reliance on the traditionally strong family sector doesn't hurt them when Dreamworld comes along and takes a few hundred thousands of their guests. The competition race is on and I personally think that the TV ad is only a LITTLE too sexist but - hey - when you go out with friends and you are teen or twen it is the most fun to go there with mates and girls. I think THAT is what they want to promote. I totally agree that the teenage-oriantation is not good on the long hand as this is no loyal audience. Only one bringing in trouble. But H2O zone is definitively targeted at this audience so I think it is totally okay to do that presently. But there should be a "way back" with the next promotional phase to families.

[aidan]

The website is pathetic, come on wez'n'will? ha ha ha its so stupid. As otherpeople have said im not going to wet'n'wild to watch people skate and have concerts im there to go on the slides. This is really targeting schoolies too hard as GoGoBoy said with the add saying "going out with girls is fun". So are they saying come to wet'n'wild and you get to perv on hot chicks while you listen to bands and watch people skate. They may as well say "Come to wet'n'wild but there is no reason to go on any slides because we have a skate ramp and a stage! how awesome!

Edited September 11, 2006 by aidan

[Gold Coaster]

Oh no, people don't like skateboarding/blading/BMX/live music do they?!? And good on them for trying to do something a bit different. If a few of them are there to find themselves someone of the opposite sex, good for them. They're going to do that anyway. At least WNW will be a safe place for Schoolies and girls won't have to worry about the prospect of drink-spiking, sexual assault and the like...

Edited September 11, 2006 by Tony Teulan

[joz]

Half-pipe demos? Live music? Sounds kinda like Xtreme World at DW, which was a huge success, so much so that it came back 3 or 4 years in a row. I think the market will respond (so long as there is a heap of TV spots and posters in Surfers) and going after schoolies will succeed. As for the website, well its a huge step up from Superman's website and seems pretty well targeted. The Wez 'n' Will thing is a bit weak, but the park doesn't have a real mascot (besides Matilda), so why not just make it a couple of guys? Its pretty original, I can't see it costing a heap of money, and it makes WnW look more like a social place to hang out rather then just a place to go on slides. On something of an unrelated side note; whats wrong with kids these days if the fact that WnW is a good place for a perv needs to be pointed out? I mean I knew the education system was failing but damm.

[GoGoBoy]

If a few of them are there to find themselves someone of the opposite sex, good for them.

Well actually according to Wet 'n Wild's latest campain ALL of them are there for that reason and that reason only. The slides are just for a bit of fun on the side apparantley. If this whole image for H20 Zone and corresponding events/half pipe/music/crap is basically a one off thing for schoolies only then I would be ok with that. However if it became more of a permanent thing I would be very disappointed. I admit I'm a theme park purist and hate to see all these changes in direction, but again I can handle it if it's only temporary