Plastic Person
TS Member
To be fair @kydog1299 , the sponsorship by Cadbury in those early seasons was the least blatant deal that the park has ever done. I don't recall any attempt to tie the ride / sponsor together at all, was there? I remember the model on Towers Street had a sign(!).
In terms of sponsors, if they tie in, or don't tie in - I'm probably in the minority, but a sponsor on a ride like that doesn't bother me. The Fanta thing on Oblivion? Whatever. Valhalla, brought to you by the Daily Star? That's fine. It doesn't detract from the experience or excitement of the attraction, at all. But, I know you die hards think that it ruins the immersion etc.
The Cadbury deal for Air involved the logo spraypainted in a few places, some promotional videos in the queue and a spot of signage. It was actually quite stylish and well delivered, in my opinion, as is the Gazprom stuff on Blue Fire. Whereas, the Fanta sponsorship on Oblivion completely undercut the atmosphere of the ride in a serious way. If you build a good enough ride, you're more likely to be able to call the shots when the sponsor need you, and not otherwise.