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[The Smiler] Marketing discussion

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Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Scott said:
As a bit of a question to everyone who doesn't like it - what would you call it instead? And answering 'The Innoculator' is a cop out :p Come up with a name from scratch and a reason why you prefer it :)
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Serious answer?

I'd call it The Ministry.

Vague, mysterious, threatening, suggests a sinister authority, links very close to the theme and story, and works with a 'The' at the start.
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

When I first heard the name, I didn't like it. It was unoriginal, bland, shallow and doesn't have a particularly great sound to it.

It still is all those things but, as a ride name, it doesn't sound so bad now it's had a bit of time to settle in.

I think I'd still prefer something without a 'The'. It reminds me of that scene out of The Social Network where Sean Parker goes to Mark Zuckerberg "just drop the 'the', just 'Facebook', it's cleaner".
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Alastair said:
Very nice...

smilerbigben.jpg


From this video by the way:

Get Corrected
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Quite gutted that I haven't seen any of these :(

Tim said:
Maybe they've done a Th13teen:

The designers have come up with a ride themed around Inoculation and so have called it The Innoculator.

The Marketing department have come up with a snazzy logo and so called the ride The Smiler.

But rather than talk to each other they've decided just to do their own thing, leaving Alton Towers with another mess of a ride.

;)
Click to expand...

I don't understand what you mean by them doing a 'Th13teen' :/
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

JB1985 said:
Random question, would AT need permission to project these images onto buildings?
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They would need permission to project onto any building. The projector for the Big Ben one must have been an utter beast though!
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Alastair said:
JB1985 said:
Random question, would AT need permission to project these images onto buildings?
Click to expand...

They would need permission to project onto any building. The projector for the Big Ben one must have been an utter beast though!
Click to expand...

Unless it was photoshopped of course. ;)
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

I have really enjoyed the last few days of advertising, I'm guessing I will get use to name ;)
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Scott said:
As a bit of a question to everyone who doesn't like it - what would you call it instead? And answering 'The Innoculator' is a cop out :p Come up with a name from scratch and a reason why you prefer it :)
Click to expand...

Delirium - An acutely disturbed state of mind that occurs in fever, intoxication, and other disorders. :)

I think that sounds pretty cool. :p
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Adam James said:
Alastair said:
JB1985 said:
Random question, would AT need permission to project these images onto buildings?
Click to expand...

They would need permission to project onto any building. The projector for the Big Ben one must have been an utter beast though!
Click to expand...

Unless it was photoshopped of course. ;)
Click to expand...

It was projected on to there, similarly to how it was projected onto the other buildings! No photoshopping here :p

EDIT: Anyway, such is the dedication we have to you lot, and despite none of our team actually living in the capital, a TS team member is currently thundering on their way to Shepherd's BUSH Market station to take a closer look at this! Don't say we don't put effort in...
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

AshleeKel said:
I don't understand what you mean by them doing a 'Th13teen' :/
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It was a tongue in cheek reference to how the marketing department made Th13teen out to be a thrill ride when it was designed as a family ride.

Scott said:
As a bit of a question to everyone who doesn't like it - what would you call it instead? And answering 'The Innoculator' is a cop out :p Come up with a name from scratch and a reason why you prefer it :)

We don't know anything about the ride's story at the moment anyway - the name might be integral to the story and theme and it could yet prove to be cleverer than people think.
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Delirium was my favourite suggestion.

By definition it doesn't match perfectly but it sounds awesome and is a word that makes me think of getting spun around multiple times.

As for the second part of your quote if it’s called The Smiler the name won’t have been chosen to match a story or theme. They’ve simply tried to make the ride seem edgy by naming it after something friendly (a smile) but twisting it slightly to seem sinister. The only way to make it part of a story is to have a really complex story.
Plus I saw that exact same argument used to justify Th13teen as a name and it never had the grand storyline everyone was prophesising.
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Josh said:
Scott said:
As a bit of a question to everyone who doesn't like it - what would you call it instead? And answering 'The Innoculator' is a cop out :p Come up with a name from scratch and a reason why you prefer it :)
Click to expand...

Delirium - An acutely disturbed state of mind that occurs in fever, intoxication, and other disorders. :)

I think that sounds pretty cool. :p
Click to expand...

Compliance - The act of complying with a wish, request, or demand; acquiescence. :)

I like it. It fits more with the request to GetCorrected#
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

I hope they are not really considering 'The Smiler' as a name. It just feels a bit like... 'Oh, look, the logo is of a smiling face. Let's call it The Smiler!' Feels unimaginative and uninspired. Also rarely a fan of using 'The' as a prefix in ride names, unless it's really clever and needs 'The' to work.

I yearn for the days of genuinely awesome ride names - names like 'Nemesis' and 'Oblivion' - names which didn't rely on 'growing' on you, didn't rely on you having to grow familiar with the ride to give it some context (or, as is the case with 'Th13teen', waiting for the ride to give it some context and emerging even more baffled than before). They are both concise, aesthetically-pleasing, true-to-theme and genuinely perfect names that clearly had a lot of thought go into them.
Looking at this ride's intended theme, tainted social influence, hints at sinister political and social dystopia, I feel using this as a name would represent a sorely missed opportunity to play a little more with the English language and come up with something genuinely clever and fitting. Ian suggested on Facebook that it is easy to remember for the 'general public' - we are all part of the general public and the majority of us aren't stupid. I think if that is the case, they underestimate our abilities to retain not-so-simple names, like... Nemesis... or... Oblivion. These became iconic brands and have an instant impact, they rely not on 'familiarity' or 'context' - they GIVE the ride context!

I think it's all very well asking people what they would rather it be called, just because they have expressed disdain at this potential name. No one could - or should! - come up with it on the spot, and also, we're not in that job! Not having the exact answer on the spot doesn't null or void any critique on suggestions. Imagine naming a baby... you don't know what you want to call it, but when someone suggests one you don't like, you know why you don't like it!
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Alastair said:
JB1985 said:
Random question, would AT need permission to project these images onto buildings?
Click to expand...

They would need permission to project onto any building. The projector for the Big Ben one must have been an utter beast though!
Click to expand...

Well FHM certainly didn't get permission for this classic..

gail-porter-big-ben2.jpg
(Spoilered for very mild nudity)

so I'm not so sure. Is there a log being kept on the site anywhere of confirmed sightings? There should be.

As for 'The Smiler', I think it is the most likely the name but that is far from confirmed by those posters (Surrender!). I think it sucks as a name in pretty much every way possible. If I was discussing these things with my non geek friends (which I often am) I'd be quite embarrassed by saying it. Regardless of context or having meaning within a theme or backstory I think it is childish and weak sounding.
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Call it 'Deoxyribonucleic Acid' tbh


(Think that is the correct spelling, I am doing it from memory :p)
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Let's compare images, shall we?
BArN8OWCQAA6o_K.jpg

smiler_zpsa3a8bbfe.jpg

The second images are most definitely not just shops of older images. That doesn't mean they aren't just shops of an original image, however.
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

It looks as though they did get permission to shine The Smiler on Big Ben and I'm guessing all the other buildings as well.
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Maybe there's a few 'characters' they've made posters for. The Smiler being the face, the Innoculator being the Spider, The Sanctuary, The Ministry etc. I'm really hoping these posters are a hoax, as this viral campaign has legs, and to only last less than a week would be a real shame.

I like "The Smiler" as a name, but it could be better. I made a logo for "Delirium" a while back. Delirium is by far my favourite name, it fits so well with Oblivion.

602400_3944337890847_886514105_n.jpg
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Surely whether or not permission was sought is ultimately irrelevant, the logo was projected onto Big Ben! :D
 
Re: [SW7] Marketing discussion

Terrible

Extremely and shockingly or distressingly bad or serious: "a terrible crime".
Causing or likely to cause terror; sinister: "a terrible smile".
Alton Tower's standard of rumoured names for SW7.
 
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