Theme parks come clean on partnerships

Theme parks have been signing partnerships ever since Walt Disney raised money to build Disneyland by selling sponsorships for its restaurants and attractions.

Florida parks are keeping up the creative pace. Universal Orlando will stage its own, belated version of Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade for the holidays, while Sea World and Busch Gardens just declared Dial Complete their "official" hand-wash product.

Research found that 30 percent of people who tried Dial Complete subsequently bought a bottle, so Dial wanted a spot for prospects to try the new antibacterial hand soap that foams up like shaving cream. Marketers were intrigued that 20-million people washed their hands 60-million times a year at Anheuser-Busch theme parks.

Officials declined to reveal the finances of the deal. But Dial Complete is now the only soap in park lavatories, and Dial is running a promotion in grocery stores with $5 Sea World coupons.

Universal Orlando's deal with Macy's comes as the department store chain opens its first store in Central Florida one Interstate 4 exit away from the park. The parade will end at a fake Macy's storefront in Universal's New York neighborhood.

It's the first time the 76-year-old Macy's parade will be staged outside Manhattan. Marketers hope to lure off-season customers with another reason to visit Universal Studios during the holidays. The Macy's parade will be staged nightly from Dec. 13 through Jan. 5.

Universal cannot start until after Thanksgiving because the park will use many of the oversized character balloons, floats and the Santa costume from the real parade.

"We'll be offering guests the chance to be balloon marshals," Universal spokesman Michael McLane said. "We're also looking for high school bands that want to be in the parade."

Those marketing partnerships, however, include no money for the bands.

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