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Branded Attractions
www.parkworld-online.com
Nickelodeon
Universe
As well as dedicated Nickelodeon
attractions and themed areas at
parks in the United States, Germany
and Australia, the children’s television
channel now has a full undercover
amusement park dedicated to its
characters including SpongeBob
SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and
Jimmy Neutron. Nickelodeon
Wiggles World – as seen at Six Flags and Dreamworld
Universe opened last March at the
Mall of America in Bloomington,
Minnesota, where it replaced Camp
Snoopy.
What all this illustrates, of course, is the global some of our brands have a lot of heritage across
“Mall of America opened in 1992
nature of the licences involved. several generations.”
and was built with a seven-acre
Mat Way is in no doubt why branded areas work Of course there is an extra, often very significant
amusement park in the centre,”
explains marketing manager Jennifer
well within amusement parks: “Brands now play a investment required when introducing any IP, and
Lauerman. “The mall has a history of
large part in our everyday life and we are seeing park owners may run scared when they compare the
investing in order to remain top-of-
more parents and grandparents taking children out individual components like for like with other
mind, fresh and exciting for more
to live shows and theme parks to enjoy them. It’s no attractions.
than 40 million annual visitors. When
the contract to use the Snoopy
longer enough to sit kids down in front of the “The investment a theme park operator makes in licence ended, rather than jumping
television to watch their favourite characters. That licensing a brand is really an overlay and therefore
into a new relationship with another
plays into our hands at Entertainment Rights, where incremental on its existing capital investment,”
brand, management decided to
highlights Ruffley. “The key benefit for an operator is
temporarily brand the facility as ‘The
Park at MOA.’ After an extensive
the associated marketing power of the brand. In search we were able to come up with
addition to this, the operator can access the existing
the ideal partner for Mall of America.
consumer channels for marketing and cross
Partnering with Nickelodeon has
promotion. Therefore, the strength of the brand
helped make the amusement park
more thrilling and inviting for guests
presence and access to these channels can provide of all ages.”
for a significant impact on attracting visitors. In
Nickelodeon Universe is the first
many cases, it can also draw in a new audience, a
entirely Nick-themed amusement
new demographic to a park.”
park in the world. More than $25
million was invested in new rides,
Of course how choose a particular brand is a attractions and theming when it
matter of careful consideration. Generally it is
opened last year, and painstaking
agreed that they should already have some
care was taken to re-theme and
presence in the market you operate. Before it
upgrade many of the existing rides.
Has all that effort and investment
opened Hong Kong Disneyland, the Walt Disney paid off? “It is clear from talking to
Company ensured it had a local TV outlet for its
many of our guests, and from
characters, as they were relatively unknown
customer research, that Nickelodeon
Universe has been very well
compared to other parts of the world. But it can
received,” says Lauerman. “Total
wok the other way round too. In 2006, Studio 100 ridership increased by 21% over the
past year. The long weekend
Disney has had great
from Belgium bought the park TéléCoo and
following the grand opening was our
success in recent years
transformed into Plopsa Coo to help launch its
busiest four-day stretch in history. The
by integrating Pixar IP
Plopsa characters into French speaking territory.
excitement continues, in fact just one
into into its attractions.
week ago we had our third busiest
Pictured here is Toy
Brand Rehearsal
ridership day in the history of the
Story Mania “If the brand doesn't have a strong local presence
amusement park. We are happy with
the reception that Nickelodeon
then certainly the theme park can help build
Universe has received – and
awareness of the brand,” says Keith James. “But, if the numbers bear that out.”
the brand doesn't have a strong local presence that www.nickelodeonuniverse.com
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