Cedar Point Advertising

I've never seen any in Canada or any of the American channels we get (Buffalo comes to mind), but my brother knew about Cedar Point back in 2007 when Maverick opened (possibly earlier). I remember him explaining that Cedar Point essentially was the company that bought Wonderland from Paramount, basically quoting the "roller coaster capital of the world" advertisements, and then blowing my mind by showing me the Maverick announcement video. Even still, we made no immediate plans to travel down there. While none of us really want to (and possibly can't) go into all the details of why Cedar Point can't be a world destination, or even a full-fledged national one, bottom line, Cedar Point can be done in just a few days. (I got on all but three rides while there for two and a half days in the middle of the summer. We would have gotten on all of them multiple times, but there was a family emergency we got a phone call about halfway through day two.) Most people are not willing to travel for two days or more to get somewhere for a weekend of fun. Still, Cedar Point has a reputation that advertises itself as the "best amusement park" with the "best roller coasters" (google either of those and cedarpoint.com comes up as the third result) and I can personally attest to the fact that people want to do it at least once in their lives as soon as they are made aware of it; constant advertisements are not necessary.

Also, the original statement about license plates wasn't sarcasm, it was an hyperbole: an obvious exaggeration of true facts not meant to be taken literally (EXAMPLE: My car breaks down every five minutes). Sarcasm implies contempt through mocking true facts (EXAMPLE: Oh, I absolutely love it when my car breaks down. I mean, why wouldn't I?). Don't worry, coasterblu, what you wrote would be clearly understood by most anyone involved or interested in poetic language. Unfortunately, some forums or posters do prefer you to be more straightforward as poetic language can sometimes cause misunderstandings. Try to avoid it on public forums whenever possible, at the very least so we don't end up getting pages of off topic arguments on grammar.

coasterblu said:

I have countless friends from school who have been to CP. I see people wearing CP gear fairly often. Could CP become a national or international park if it wanted to? I mean, half of the cars in the parking lots are from out of state and country.

Some visitors being from "out of the country" is a little dramatic, considering Windsor is closer to CP than I am (both "as the crow flies" and in travel distance). So I don't think any quantity of "international" visitors is justification that CP will ever be anything other than a regional park.

Disney is a global destination for many reasons, not the least of which is that it's open year-round, and hosts arguably the most valuable IP collection anywhere. The Peanuts IP is, by comparison, well, peanuts. :-)

coasterblu said:

Why are people on this forum so literal?

While I'd agree that in this case the literalness issue was taken a little far in this case, you did start what was presumably a serious discussion, then immediately used hyperbole as the foundation for your argument. That's probably not the best way to illicit constructive, serious conversation.

One thing you'll see down here that you'll never see at Cedar Point: People leading a group of 200 Brazilians with a little flag back to the busses.

And seriously, coasterblu (and a lot of other people lately): You need to stop confusing disagreement with hostility or anger. They're not the same.

And seriously, stop quoting the previous post. I literally pay for database space by the bit.

I'm going to assume advertising would naturally include northern and central Ohio, Detroit, Indy, and Pittsburgh. Those are the folks that the park would hope to entice into at least a day visit. Ads vary, too. I recall seeing some that emphasized the resort aspect of the park, and perhaps they would target far-reaching markets with those.
The year Windseeker debuted everywhere, here in downtown Columbus there was a huge billboard on the side of the building advertising the new ride. To my surprise, both Kings Island's and Cedar Point's logo appeared at the bottom. We were invited to try the ride at either park. Other dual-park billboards and tv ads have appeared here since then.

I'm hard pressed to think of a regional park that has done as much as Cedar Point in terms of positioning themselves as a destination, not only with "The Best Amusement Park in the World" but with multiple resorts, camping, water parks, lake activities and dining, all designed to keep guests on site for the long haul. Which, if we think about it, has always been CP's m.o. Even back in the day customers flocked to a remote part of the lake shore via motor, rail and steam ship to enjoy what they had to offer, and many stayed on the grounds.

Lake Erie Vacationland has been a draw for decades, and the service industry in Sandusky and surrounding towns has grown to be what it is due, not in small part, to Cedar Point and the millions of visitors each summer. Resorts such as Kalahari and Great Wolf have come along to capitalize on the vacation population and they carry an advantage of being year-round destinations. So Cedar Point continuously has to step it up and can't afford to rest on their laurels- there's stiff competition for your dollar right there in their own town.

I'd guess (by that I mean I know if it was me) that Cedar Fair is content to let their flagship park remain the big fish in the small bowl and being a large, national draw isn't what they're ultimately shooting for. The corporation has top notch parks sprinkled here and there throughout the country and there would be little sense in competing with themselves.

There are billboards, and commercials-t.v. and radio, all over metro Detroit.

Lake Erie VacationLand includes Put-In-Bay, Kelley's Island, Marblehead, Port Clinton, Sandusky and other towns along with all the wineries, fishing, boating, camping, tourist attractions and entertainment that goes with it. Cedar Point is a big part of it but the area itself is a big tourist draw even without CP.

CP itself is a destination resort, maybe not on a global or even national scale, but I consider it to be a super regional destination with a wider audience than a typical regional amusement park.

Those were exactly my points.
I was born in the 1950's in Sandusky so I know how things were then and how the area has grown (and why) over the last 60 years. Lake Erie and its various destinations have always been a draw. I know VacationLand won't shrivel up and die if Cedar Point were to close, and I know many people who visit the lake every summer for extended vacations who have never set foot in Cedar Point.

But I'm going to reiterate that the glut of hotels, motels, resorts, restaurants, and mini-golfs in the Sandusky area isn't on account of Put-in-Bay or Kelly's Island. Visitors to those places may take advantage of what Sandusky has to offer now, but they didn't cause it.

If you guys want a better idea of what the Lake Erie VacationLand area is all about, here is a LINK to a promotional music video about the area.

coasterblu said:

Why are people on this forum so literal?

While I'd agree that in this case the literalness issue was taken a little far in this case, you did start what was presumably a serious discussion, then immediately used hyperbole as the foundation for your argument. That's probably not the best way to illicit constructive, serious conversation.

Hyperbole is used in regular conversation. Can we just drop this now?

Hyperbole may be used to emphasize a point, but as you completely ignored in the post you actually quoted, if you use it for the basis of your argument, that argument is now worthless.

Jeff said:

I literally pay for database space by the bit.

He's not kidding. Here's a rare peek at the process:

It's very tedious. :)

And Walt wins the Internet today.

Scottyf said:
Hyperbole may be used to emphasize a point, but as you completely ignored in the post you actually quoted, if you use it for the basis of your argument, that argument is now worthless.

Hyperboles are used in regular conversation.

Pete said:

Cedar Point is a big part of it but the area itself is a big tourist draw even without CP.

Yep. From Lake Erie Shores & Islands:

"More than 9 million trips are made to Lake Erie Shores & Islands each year"

Here's the fact sheet from LESI (PDF). Some pretty impressive numbers.

Jeff said:

One thing you'll see down here that you'll never see at Cedar Point: People leading a group of 200 Brazilians with a little flag back to the busses.

It's pretty epic when any singing/chanting starts up within a group. They usually can drown out all other sound in the park.

coasterblu said:

Scottyf said:
Hyperbole may be used to emphasize a point, but as you completely ignored in the post you actually quoted, if you use it for the basis of your argument, that argument is now worthless.

Hyperboles are used in regular conversation.

I never wrote otherwise, but you're clearly trolling now, so I guess that means you win...congrats?.

That is acceptable language I used, and if you have a problem with it then keep it to yourself.

Please stop telling people what to do, OK?

I am asking everyone to stop arguing over the proper use of a hyperbole. What else am I supposed to do?

Just stop and move on, perhaps?