Commentary: The below article mentions VMK's first version as a 18-month global initiative (the first time I have seen an actual time limit attached to VMK), so why then didn't the website state that upon signing up? It should have read somewhere that the "event" (i.e. VMK) would end in 18 months...they didn't say that because they knew people wouldn't become so involved with something that would go away in 18 months. What would happen to WebKinz if it was only a short-term virtual world? I wonder. Maybe VMK should have been billed as a Temporary Virtual World.
Excerpt from Food Magazine Article, Children Encouraged to Advertise to Themselves: "Companies are becoming increasingly interested in reaching children at home – and one highly effective way of doing this is to use websites. Not only do they have a global reach, they are also likely to be used by children without direct parental supervision, because adults are usually not around to help children recognise or interpret the marketing messages. Indeed, many adults might have difficulty distinguishing the marketing messages from the entertainment, since they are often one and the same thing. Examples that the Food Commission has spotted in recent months are shown on these pages.
This summer Disney, the giant media company, will launch a new website called Virtual Magic Kingdom, where children will be able to: ‘chat, play and trade with friends’, ‘decorate your own (virtual) room and mix music’, and ‘compete with other players in our Pirates and Fireworks games’. What the early version of the website does not mention is that Disney plans the site to be an opportunity for ‘advergaming’ – interactive internet games carrying commercial messages. The first version is due to be launched in May as part of an 18-month global initiative, targeting children aged 8 to 12 years old. Disney has not yet announced what sort of advertising the new site will carry, but the focus is likely to be on promoting Disney theme parks. Kids will also earn online points within the Virtual Magic Kingdom that can be redeemed for products at a ‘real’ Disney Magic Kingdom. As the president of Walt Disney Parks Jay Rasulo explains, ‘We hope it becomes a real hangout for preteens and teens."
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Source: Food Magazine - The Food Commission, UK
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