Alton Towers Marketing/PR Stunts Topic

MattH · Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:09 pm

Quite different from what people are THINKING the winners have to wear, dont you think?

#-o

Moley · Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:13 pm

Yeah but in everyone's imagination it's worse than that, therefore it'll definitely be 13 completely naked women, sitting on the front of the ride car which is full of small impressionable children with a giant burning Bible next to them.

Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:16 pm

Oh come on - it's still typical lads' mag, regardless of the fact she's not in just underwear. Makeup, high heels, short shorts, stomach out and boobs pushed up and the focus of the picture. It's exactly what Rowe was hoping to avoid, and is hardly the image of a family theme park.

That said, I don't think the concept itself is too bad as it is sure to generate sales. Maybe if they'd announced it at the same time as other park calenders, such as one for children and one of the rides, it might have gone down a bit better.

Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:20 pm

[quote=""Moley""]To be fair, the mongs who post on there complained at a free day at the park.[/quote]
Really, do we have to use words like "mong" on the forum?

Naked women and rollercoasters together? Perfect for TTF, a few TTF guys can fap over the women and the rest can fap over the coaster.

I support Rowe to be my coaster cutie. I think she's a lot hotter than any of the fake plastic barbie dolls that they seem to be aiming for.

Rowe <333

Moley · Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:22 pm

[quote=""Sam""][quote=""Moley""]To be fair, the mongs who post on there complained at a free day at the park.[/quote]
Really, do we have to use words like "mong" on the forum?

[/quote]
Point taken, I'll refer to them as Fantas from here on.

Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:39 pm

Sam has made an absolutely brilliant move:
[quote=""Sam on Facebook""] Nearly all "babe calendars" give the money to charity, so I assume Alton will be doing the same guys! Good on you Alton Towers, giving to charity <333[/quote]

Can't see this happening though.

Moley · Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:43 pm

Yeah but knowing Merlin they'd give it to a charity that not every agrees with. Then there would be a 22 page topic of people saying cancer is more needing of money than a children's home or something.

MattH · Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:43 pm

[quote=""MattH""]

[/quote]

Can someone PLEASE put that in there, just to put peoples minds to rest, i cant do it, still havent got posting rights for the AT facebook page

Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:46 pm

MattH, as written above, I don't see how that will put people's minds to rest. Just because she's not in just underwear, doesn't make the image family friendly. She's still portrayed as a desirable sex object, which is where people's complaints are coming from.

MattH · Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:48 pm

people are thinking more along the lines of how racy the shoot would be though, at least that pic would put SOME peoples minds to rest, but i completely agree with the 'desirable sex object' area, that shouldn't be the look they should aim for, hell, if Rowe doesn't get through, ill Rage!

Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:52 pm

This is the kind of marketing that I'd expect to see for Thorpe, not Alton.

Come to Alton Towers 'the family resort'. Yeah right!

EDIT: Go Rowe - break the stereotype and do us proud girly

Jem8472 · Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:53 pm

Its still dam funny reading all the comments on the faffbook page :P

Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:03 pm

Seriously though, whenever a company does a girly calendar like this, isn't it nearly always for charity?

Maybe this will be for charity, who knows?

Jem8472 · Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:07 pm

I think you are right Sam, it is normally a charity thing. I think they get away with it like that otherwise they would get people saying how wrong an morally corrupt it is. :para:

fredward · Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:09 pm

If I'm honest I'm not particularly surprised or bothered and I honestly think everyone's blowing this out of proportion...

I would not of expected this from the park that holds the world record for the most naked people on a rollercoaster, sells Assume the position & Don't look down condoms, had drag queens on Rita when she opened, had the bra test, are having a band who sings about "getting retarded in here"... ext. ext.

honestly this is exactly the thing Alton could have done, stop acting so surprised! And I really don't think this is gonna be a porn calender.

at least Rowes got the right idea! :P

Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:13 pm

Personally I see very little to complain about here.

To all those saying that Alton Towers shouldn't be doing this because it's a family resort... don't suppose you've noticed the Oblivion and Air condoms for sale? Or perhaps they've conveniently slipped your mind for the time being.

Ultimately, we as fans of the park have nothing to lose from this. Nobody's forcing us to buy them, and it's giving Alton Towers some damn good publicity already, based on the number of comments appearing on Facebook. Hopefully they will give the profits to Merlin's Magic Wand, and use that as their "PR stunt", rather than the calender itself, however.

Whilst I do agree with the notion that this sort of PR would be better suited to Thorpe, if Alton choose to use it, why not? It's certainly better than some of the "ban" PR stunts that Morwenna pulled.

Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:19 pm

[quote=""Jem8472""]I think you are right Sam, it is normally a charity thing. I think they get away with it like that otherwise they would get people saying how wrong an morally corrupt it is. :para:[/quote]

I shall refrain from entering a huge feminist rant about how personyfing women as sexual objects is morally corrupt. The only reason I'm doing so is because if the applicants are willing to apply knowing that they will be leered at etc then who am I to disagree?

The problem I do have though is when stunts like this set a stereotype for women. I'm a size 8, I wear make up and happen to have the same colour hair as Amy (the girl draped across th13teen). I'm regularly cast in to the stereotype of 'airhead who wants attention from guys' when it couldn't be further from the truth. I always cover up - I can't even remember the last time I had my legs 'on show' and I've spent the last 16 years in education trying to make something of myself. Stunts like this come along and just undo everything like that. The fact that it's Alton Towers who have lowered themselves to this level in the name of marketing angers me further.

It's quite probably destroyed the last 'glimmer of magic' that I feel for the place. Alton Towers, for me, is a place where you can go with friends and family to enjoy yourself and forget about life. It's not about having a calendar reminding women that they aren't 'thin enough' or 'pretty enough'.

Crofty · Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:22 pm

[quote=""Moley""]Yeah but knowing Merlin they'd give it to a charity that not every agrees with. Then there would be a 22 page topic of people saying cancer is more needing of money than a children's home or something.[/quote]

Does every post of yours have to be a sarcastic remark aimed towards anyone that criticizes the park or doesn't wear the same particular brand of blinkers as yourself?

Calender is a good idea but I think just using it on Th13teen is a bad one. How many different images can you get? I'd prefer a park wide one but I guess this gives more marketing to the ride on FB and in the press which is obviously needed.
I'd rather look at someone famous as well, I'm not sure there will be a huge market for a calender full of people you have never seen before brawling all over a ride that you also dont really care that much for in the first place. :P
I doubt it will be a charity calender though.

Moley · Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:22 pm

Pretty much.

Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:26 pm

Does anyone else think that 'Coaster Cuties' sounds more like a cute baby competition. It's almost like they had that idea then figured people would complain about putting cute babies in Thirteen's trains and lazily re-directed the plan.