Wicker Man - General Discussion

[RobHand]

Wasn't there very small teases as to what the logo would be very early on, like the smile stencil being sprayed all across the park. Or did they do that nearer to when they released the official ride name to the public? (I hope I'm making sense :lol )

EDIT: Just seen Justin's post, clarifying my point!

[Justin]

I believe they appeared around October 2012. You are correct, they were sprayed around the park. If you ever saw the maintenance landscaping vehicle in the gardens, one was sprayed on the side and can still be seen.

[Theo]

Ah ok. One last question lol, does anyone know why alton have scheduled this project for 2018 rather than 2017? Look at how quick Mystic Timbers has went up for example, surely there must be reasoning behind the delayed year?

[Ladyofthelake]

Projects at Alton Towers tend to be much more complex due to the location. In this case, they have to ensure The Flume is removed in a way that doesn't cause damage to the woodland area or the Deer Wall which is part of the original estate. Processes such as this take time, both to get permission for (which the Resort now have), and to carry out. The Resort will also want to build in time to allow for any unexpected discoveries too.

The project will also have to fit in with Merlin's capex cycle for investments across their Theme Park Resorts. There are numerous factors which contribute to Merlin's decision about where gets investment in which year. 2016 was Thorpe's major capex year, and 2017 will be a major capex year for Legoland with the addition of Ninjago Land. It is unusual for two Resort theme parks to have a major capex in the same year. You also have to consider that Alton are getting investment in their accommodation in 2017 in the form of the CBeebies Hotel.

[Jack]

I believe they appeared around October 2012. You are correct, they were sprayed around the park. If you ever saw the maintenance landscaping vehicle in the gardens, one was sprayed on the side and can still be seen.

I believe there is still one in Towers Street Skyride station as well, on the brick floor between the two sides

[Justin]

Yes, I forgot about that one!

[Ryan.B]

What's annoying me is the fact the SW tagline has been used again. This is a family coaster, it'll be great but unless there is something amazing hidden this shouldn't be a secret weapon. Thirteen taught us it leads to disappointment.

[MakoMania]

Thirteen taught us it leads to disappointment.

For enthusiasts maybe, but not for people in Merlin's boardroom. Th13teen did great things for park attendance. Here lies the problem.

[Theo]

What's annoying me is the fact the SW tagline has been used again. This is a family coaster, it'll be great but unless there is something amazing hidden this shouldn't be a secret weapon. Thirteen taught us it leads to disappointment.

Th13teen wasn't necessarily a disappointment, I actually enjoy it to be fair.

[RobHand]

Thirteen taught us it leads to disappointment.

Disappointing to some, however Th13teen was the first of its kind and no one had seen a functional rollercoaster track free fall with the train operating at the same time. This element was kept secret during the entirety of its construction so it really shocked people when first riding it. A well deserved SW in my opinion.
As for SW8 I'm certain merlin have something up their sleeve making it worthy of the SW title.

[Jack]

Thirteen is a success of a ride in my opinion, especially now as it's running amazingly well as of this year. It was a marketing disappointment as it promised something that it wasn't, but that doesn't take away anything from what the ride actually is.

In fact, if SW8 comes close to Thirteen I will consider it nothing but a success.

[Sawboss]

I knew nothing about Thirteen before I first rode it 3 years ago, it was a fun ride and the drop was a big surprise. To be completely honest I think some of you guys need to move on, there was botch marketing in the run up to opening? Well, ok... why pay attention to marketing anyway?
If you see a film trailer that says a film is breathtaking or whatever you shouldn't take the word of the people trying to sell it to you.

Anyway, I'm expecting a wooden coaster to look reeeeally nice in the surroundings of AT.

[Ryan.B]

I mean, secret weapons were originally designed to be world class/fantastic thrill coasters, which I think 4 are. Thirteen is a family thrill, and the SW tagline brings massive expectations. The hype for secret weapons is immense, and thirteen was billed as the ultimate rollercoaster, which it really isn't despite being in my top 4 on park, it happened here again, wooden coaster/SW.

When announced a lot of people seemed to expect a challenger for best coaster on park, which if what I heard about the original plans were would have been up there, and what everyone else heard about the original plan set us up for disappointment. Not only do the park overhype it, we do too.

[Jacko11111]

My bets are on the wooden drop tunnel enclosing an inversion. I mean, it's not exactly steep enough for poor old Merlin to showcase as a 'feature' yet, is it?

[Theo]

My bets are on the wooden drop tunnel enclosing an inversion. I mean, it's not exactly steep enough for poor old Merlin to showcase as a 'feature' yet, is it?

a GCI with an inversion?

[CoasterCrazyChris]

Wasn't there very small teases as to what the logo would be very early on, like the smile stencil being sprayed all across the park. Or did they do that nearer to when they released the official ride name to the public? (I hope I'm making sense :lol )

EDIT: Just seen Justin's post, clarifying my point!

They were all around the park during the construction period I remember there was one sprayed on the military vehicle theming outside of Sub-Terra. You may remember several campaigns that got into the tabloids notably sheep in a field somewhere(?) with The Smiler logo sprayed on them.

Essentially The Smiler marketing campaign was an effort by the marketing team to replicate that of Oblivion's during 1997/8 to achieve the same success. Creating a strong, suggestive and instantly recognisable logo and establish the colour waves. Hell, with Oblivion they even made it sexually suggestive by sending out condoms with the promotional packs! Oblivion became the model at the dawn of the internet age for the marketing of pretty much all of the subsequent large coaster investments at Alton Towers with the "Secret Weapon" code name being used for marketing rather than just as an internal reference like it was during the planning and construction of Nemesis. I doubt however it means much or anything to the majority of the visiting public (for those of you on here who haven't already seen 'The Magic Factory' or 'Marketing of a Theme Park' documentaries on YouTube they are a must watch).

The Smiler marketing campaign was commendable and highly successful in attracting the target market but really lacks the cool that Oblivion had 18 years ago. Back then the marketing company they employed (Cheetham Bell) really tapped into the edgy minimalist drug fuelled culture of the late 1990's with the rides stark paranoid advert, drum and bass soundtrack and exclusive merchandise Zippo lighters and deodorant ranges (which I think were even sold on the high street). The queue videos may look dated now but Renny Krupinski became a mini-star at the park for his portrayal of the 'lord of darkness' and they even used him for the parks summer spectacular stunt show in 1998 (you can forget ever seeing an events like that again with Merlin). In comparison The Smiler's cheap jokey shop merchandise, naff staff uniforms, broken queue effects and irritating "hahahaha" soundtrack is a very poor imitation but seems to be popular with today's visitors.

I personally feel the Secret Weapon 'codename' is stale and no longer signifies an investment as innovative as the unholy trio of Nemesis, Oblivion and Air and leads to hype amongst enthusiasts which will not be rewarded - especially after Thirteen. The ridiculous marketing of that ride pulled in the visitors for its opening season (3 million+) but failed to bring them back in subsequent years. Yet now the hype has died it has deservedly taken its place as a solid ride in the park's lineup. To expect anything more from SW8 than a solid family thrill ride with a marketing gimmick attached is setting yourself up for major disappointment in 2018. You all know Merlin's lazy marketing tricks by now. The ride plans show something the park really needs - a heavily themed and lighthearted family fun coaster to replace The Flume. Basically expect another Thirteen but made of wood - let's hope they can do something right for once and deliver this properly.

[tcw1993]

Thirteen taught us it leads to disappointment.

For enthusiasts maybe, but not for people in Merlin's boardroom. Th13teen did great things for park attendance. Here lies the problem.

I think th13teen is a fantastic addition to the park and did deserve a SW codename


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[theparklifekid]

According to reports SW8 is now under construction!!!



https://twitter.com/ThemeParkWW/status/ ... 12/photo/1

[S.J_O'Grady]

And this is where it begins folks, unrecognisable heaps of stuff on a car park. Wooooo!!

[NemesisRider]

And this is where it begins folks, unrecognisable heaps of stuff on a car park. Wooooo!!

Not surprised that it has begun like this to be honest :lol Firstly, they'll have to remove the Flume and whatever junk that involves moving. Then, it comes to digging holes and putting down foundations, the necessary albeit somewhat boring stuff. After that, only then do we get the excitement of vertical construction :P