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BRANDING ATTRACTIONS


The winged coaster was launched at Thorpe Park in 2009. It was named The Swarm, as its seven


The Swarm, as its seven rows of four seats look like a swarm. “We came up with the story that an alien swarm had attacked attacked the Earth and had created a scene of post-apocalyptic devastation in its wake, which was enhanced by a crashed helicopter and flaming fire truck among other props,” says Wills. “We also worked closely with Merlin’s creative team, Merlin Magic Making, to bring the story to life at the ride itself.”


Italy’s Gardaland, also owned by Merlin, took a similar approach when it launched the same coaster two years later. It had been


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10 years since Gardaland’s last big coaster launch and this was a bid to re-engage with young people and teenagers. The theme was built around an ugly fl ying beast called The Raptor which had emerged from the soil and was destroying everything, while trapping people into terrifying fl ights.


The new ride helped the theme park to hit its target of 170,000 visits that year. “Raptor was the driver of volumes of the park that year. We know from many sources that many visitors’ decisions to come were based on the launch,” says the marketing director of Gardaland, Luca Marigo.


The winged coaster has just launched at Cedar Point, US, marking the park’s biggest investment in a decade. Although Cedar Point isn’t going to the same lengths as Merlin with its branding, the ride has also inspired a


96 Attractions Handbook 2013–2014


The appeal of The Raptor fl ying beast at Gardaland park in Italy signifi cantly boosted visitor numbers to 170,000 at the 2011 launch


menacing theme. Called the Gatekeeper, the ride is a griffon which fl ies around the park. The two towers redefi ne the park entrance, and riders roll above incoming guests. However, at Ocean Kingdom, a new park opening in China this year, it has an alto- gether more relaxed theme. Named Flying Over the Rainforest, it gives riders a scenic trip over verdant vegetation.


THE PR STRATEGY The PR opportunities a good brand presents create another reason to build one. Marigo says a good ride needs a good story to inspire


a long-term, multi-strand PR strategy, where all the ele- ments work in synergy. Thrill seekers also tend to be a social media-savvy market, which means marketing teams can have lots of fun with the build up.


“Raptor was unique, with unique selling points which appealed to the target market. You need the right product for the market and the story behind the coaster is as important as the ride itself,” says Marigo.


“A new, unique story gives you the opportunity to cre- ate a long-term PR plan.” Raptor inspired a story with many chapters: it involved people searching for eggs in the park, a laboratory was created to investigate the eggs and


scientists even went around the park check- ing radiation levels. For nine months, every two weeks Gardaland unveiled a new chapter on Facebook and on the ride’s own website, which received one million hits. Thorpe Park’s swarm story also created great potential for marketing. Firstly through teaser activity in the park prior to the launch – which included a madman running around the park claiming that the world was about to end – and also by viral videos showing swarm shadows ‘taking’ people. “By themeing a ride we are able to im- merse guests into the experience even before they get to the park,” says Wills. “By being able to communicate the story through all of our marketing channels, we are engaging our guests before they have even experienced the technology of the roller coaster itself.”


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