IPs and theme parks live long and prosper


Intellectual Properties are the perennial darlings of the amusements industry, reports Dan McEwen, as parks and attractions continue to invest in the drawing power of brand name stars


FOR as long as there have been theme parks, their themes have been inspired by other people’s ideas. Survey the amusements industry today and you’ll find countless individual rides and attractions, live shows, specialty zones, even entire parks that owe their particular character to a series of best-selling novels and/or blockbuster movies, a comic book hero or the cast of a TV cartoon – all of which are now called Intellectual Properties [IPs]. “There are certainly many success stories in our industry


relating to Intellectual Properties,” says John Wood, Chairman and CEO of Sally Corp., the Jacksonville, Florida , ride and attraction development company, “and the biggest success story of all is Disney, followed by Universal.” And so they are but then again, they’re just doing what


comes naturally; both started out as film makers, the parks came later. Which makes the much-anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction, unveiled in June by Universal Studios at its Orlando, Florida, destination, only the latest and probably the most expensive offspring of the long and happy marriage between IPs and theme parks. But Disney and Universal only set the example. Others were quick to follow, hitching their fortunes to some of the biggest media stars. “Intellectual Properties helped powerhouse regional


parks like Six Flags and Kings Productions (now Cedar Fair) establish themselves as real, worldwide players,” continues John Wood. “Six Flags’ rollout of the Looney Tunes characters in the 70s and 80s was very beneficial to the parks. Later, when the appeal of those characters waned, they brought in the Super Heroes and more recently, Thomas the Tank and the Wiggles. They have definitely seen the benefit of relationship marketing by having these identifiable personalities within their park.” “Our experience with them has been very positive,”


confirms Lee Alexakos, vice-president of marketing and advertising at Cedar Fair. “Brand-name IPs are powerful tools that add more marketing power to the parks and we’ve expanded our use of them.”


42 FYI - the term Intellectual Property, which refers to


“creations of the mind,” has been in the legal lexicon since the 19th century. However, it’s only with the globalisation of manufacturing and communications in the late 20th century that it came into everyday usage. According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a specialised agency of the UN, there are two kinds of IP; Industrial Property, including inventions patents, trademarks and industrial designs and Copyright, which encompasses literary and artistic works such as novels, poems and plays, films, musical works, drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures and architectural designs. IP-related issues in both categories continue to generate legal dogfights in the courts and legislatures of the world, with those seeking to broaden the definition of what constitutes an IP pitted against critics claiming the term has already been so bastardised as to effectively stifle competition and creativity. It’s important who ultimately wins this struggle because whether the recipe for Coca-Cola, a cartoon superhero or the patent for turning lead into gold, IPs now constitute as much as 90 per cent of the value of the world’s top 2000 enterprises according to accounting giant PriceWaterhouseCoopers. It’s always been love at first sight between theme parks


and media-based IPs. To understand why, ask yourself this; how many years, how many millions would it cost the folks at Disney today to create another character with the same global awareness, popularity and sheer brute force brand power as Mickey Mouse? Put simply, IPs offer park designers and operators instant appeal with a pre-sold audience. At Germany’s Movie Park, Nidal Sadeq, director of


marketing and sales, pursues an IP strategy, “to use the popularity of well-known IPs, to have them ‘real’ in the park, ready to embrace our visitors.....thus generating attention, desire and a sense of urgency. A right IP approach....pays off in terms of increasing attendance, guest satisfaction and word of mouth. Furthermore, doors can be opened to implement synergies with the licensors, third party licensees and other potential partners. The marketing approach and impact can be leveraged significantly.”


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