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Not Afraid
10-31-2005, 01:06 AM
Interesting..........





Be ye warned! There's a pirate ship headed for the high seas. When the Volvo Ocean Race starts Nov. 12 from Vigo, Spain, the sloop with the skull and crossed cutlasses on the sails will stand out from the rest of the fleet. The Black Pearl.

Although this Black Pearl won't slip mysteriously out of fog banks, and Johnny Depp won't be at the wheel as Capt. Jack Sparrow, The Walt Disney Co. has found a high-tech, floating billboard to promote "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," the first of two sequels to its surprise 2003 blockbuster, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."

Disney is backing the only U.S. entry in the 31,250-mile, nine-leg, around-the-world race that attracts only the hardiest of scabrous dogs, who must dodge icebergs in the Southern Ocean and navigate the Doldrums and even the Bermuda Triangle.

In "The Curse of the Black Pearl," Depp's rascally buccaneer carries a compass that doesn't point north.

In this eight-month race, "Our compass is going to point in the direction of the finish line," said Donald Evans, vice president of marketing and promotions for Buena Vista International, Disney's international film distribution arm.

"With the first 'Pirates,' we believe we elevated pirates to pirate chic," Evans said. "It's not about the pirates you knew about 10 years ago. It just seemed these things were meant to be together, these movies and this race."

The combination of Disney's marketing muscle and as much pirate imagery as possible in a competitive race — plus port stops in Baltimore and New York — could draw plenty of attention to a sport that doesn't always know how to market itself.



Complete article here. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051030/ap_en_mo/out_the_black_pearl;_ylt=AvTYN5xSYY8iLpvKxpPVMC2mG 78C;_ylu=X3oDMTA4dDg2MG9mBHNlYwMxNjk3)

Betty
10-31-2005, 06:13 AM
Oooh. Neat!

Kevy Baby
10-31-2005, 01:19 PM
Oooh. Lame!

Cadaverous Pallor
10-31-2005, 09:01 PM
I'm with Betty - Oooh, neat!

Monorail Man
11-01-2005, 12:23 AM
Oooh. Neat!
Oooh. Lame!

Oooh. Unopinionated!

Capt Jack
11-01-2005, 09:28 AM
Black Pearl Racing (http://www.blackpearlracing.com/splash.asp)

mmm...gotta go with 'oooh, neat' on this one. but, I think we could have guessed this, yes? :argghh:

Moonliner
11-01-2005, 11:01 AM
I would have been in the "Oh Neat!" catagory, but after I read the article I have to go with the "Oh Lame" side.

The "black perl" will be your typical hi-tech carbon fiber racing boat. It won't even have black sails cuz the pansies racing the ship have to be all serious about being professional racers... :rolleyes:

Not Afraid
11-01-2005, 12:16 PM
Well, it's all about marketing, isn't it? Why needs to be authentic when you can just put a spin on things?

CoasterMatt
11-01-2005, 12:31 PM
Why needs to be authentic when you can just put a spin on things?

I think you just coined the marketing phrase for the Iraq conflict... ;)

Kevy Baby
11-01-2005, 10:25 PM
I'm still working on a "black pearl diving" joke.

Cadaverous Pallor
11-02-2005, 12:40 PM
The "black perl" will be your typical hi-tech carbon fiber racing boat. Would it be cooler if they lost the race?

Prudence
11-02-2005, 01:41 PM
Would it be cooler if they lost the race?

But to be really cool, they should have to win against all odds! Bailing water the whole way, down to their last drop of fresh water, hopefully losing a limb or two along the way, all to end in a thrilling slow-motion race to the finish line, where they just beat the highly-financed snotty-accented team, after which the assembled crowds cheer and the starving, limbless boaters hug and weep for joy while the snotty team scowls and kicks up dust. Thus we would all learn a timeless lesson on the value of friendship, teamwork, and a little heart.

Cadaverous Pallor
11-02-2005, 02:28 PM
Hmm, with Disney backing them, maybe they're the highly-financed snotty-accented team...

Prudence
11-02-2005, 02:45 PM
Hmm, with Disney backing them, maybe they're the highly-financed snotty-accented team...


Ssssh! Don't want to upset the family video market!

Matterhorn Fan
11-02-2005, 03:23 PM
But to be really cool, they should have to win against all odds! Bailing water the whole way, down to their last drop of fresh water, hopefully losing a limb or two along the way, all to end in a thrilling slow-motion race to the finish line, where they just beat the highly-financed snotty-accented team, after which the assembled crowds cheer and the starving, limbless boaters hug and weep for joy while the snotty team scowls and kicks up dust. Thus we would all learn a timeless lesson on the value of friendship, teamwork, and a little heart.Then they make a movie about that, promote it with a boat, make another movie about that boat, etc. . . . it's a neverending synergistic beast. :rolleyes:

€uroMeinke
11-02-2005, 07:55 PM
But to be really cool, they should have to win against all odds! Bailing water the whole way, down to their last drop of fresh water, hopefully losing a limb or two along the way, all to end in a thrilling slow-motion race to the finish line, where they just beat the highly-financed snotty-accented team, after which the assembled crowds cheer and the starving, limbless boaters hug and weep for joy while the snotty team scowls and kicks up dust. Thus we would all learn a timeless lesson on the value of friendship, teamwork, and a little heart.

Nah, it'd be better if they won by wanton skullduggery - scuttling the competitors boats, stealing their women and other provisions, while chasing the judges with a fusillade of cannon fire - that's the way a pirate ship should win.

blueerica
11-03-2005, 07:09 PM
Oh!?! Is this the thread where we discuss what it means to be cool??