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2018: Wicker Man - General Discussion - SPOILERS! - Part One

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Brett said:
The word 'Fire' is not being used AT ALL anymore... they say "thought the flaming wickerman" once very briefly on the website. all the fusion between wood and fire and worlds first materiel has gone.

"Wicker Man is the UK’s first new wooden rollercoaster experience in 21 years"

"We hope visitors will be blown away by Wicker Man’s breath-taking scale whilst the primal essence of the wooden coaster and astonishing effects will leave them delighted, exhilarated and eager to ride again."

they are being forced to sell a rollercoaster for a change! ;)
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Yay for the ASA?

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So, I submitted the ASA complaint, as I thought the initial marketing announcement a couple of weeks ago was false. Wicker Man is NOT the first rollercoaster to fuse wood with fire. The ASA agreed, and have instructed Alton Towers to take appropriate action and remove these false claims.

Now, Alton will have to sell a rollercoaster as a rollercoaster, without false Worlds First claims that simply are not true. They're better than that!
 
Rob said:
They are now marketing it as the world's most immersive rollercoaster experience to date, which is of course far more subjective.

I would beg to differ mind!

:)
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I guess though, that claim can't be proven either way.

I do wonder how the marketing team think when they use these buzzwords and claims....
 
Romeo said:
So, I submitted the ASA complaint, as I thought the initial marketing announcement a couple of weeks ago was false. Wicker Man is NOT the first rollercoaster to fuse wood with fire. The ASA agreed, and have instructed Alton Towers to take appropriate action and remove these false claims.

Now, Alton will have to sell a rollercoaster as a rollercoaster, without false Worlds First claims that simply are not true. They're better than that!
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I agree that it is not completely true, but as a towers fan which you are as your currently posting on a towers fan forum, i wouldnt have gone out of my way to hinder the park more so than they already are.
 
Brett said:
I agree that it is not completely true, but as a towers fan which you are as your currently posting on a towers fan forum, i wouldnt have gone out of my way to hinder the park more so than they already are.
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Alton Towers is a business that sell a product. They falsely advertised a new addition to their product, with claims that were simply untrue. It does not come down to if I am a fan or not.

Should we all sit back and let Merlin / Alton do as they please, cutting hours, removing attractions and chopping entertainment, just because we are fans? That isn't how it works.
 
i agree that this was false advertising however go ahead an put another complaint to say that nemesis is not the most intense rollercoaster in the world. they advertise that. put a complaint about the VR and galactica its not the worlds first dedicated VR coaster theres plenty around. there loads of complaints you can put in if your feeling consistent.
 
Brett said:
i agree that this was false advertising however go ahead an put another complaint to say that nemesis is not the most intense rollercoaster in the world. they advertise that. put a complaint about the VR and galactica its not the worlds first dedicated VR coaster theres plenty around. there loads of complaints you can put in if your feeling consistent.
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Intensity is subjective. I did what I did, and the ASA agreed. Deal with it.

I think I can hear your marketing telephone going off in the background. You in the office?
 
Brett said:
i agree that this was false advertising however go ahead an put another complaint to say that nemesis is not the most intense rollercoaster in the world. they advertise that. put a complaint about the VR and galactica its not the worlds first dedicated VR coaster theres plenty around. there loads of complaints you can put in if your feeling consistent.
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The claim is more subjective as it was "fully dedicated" which Galactica technically was. Although it does still sound like a very lame world's first.

Back to the main topic - too right!

If action wasn't taken where would it end? What next?

The world's first wing coaster? The world's first roller coaster? The world's first rollercoatser with an inversion?

It was a down right lie and they know it.
 
i do agree with you, i just feel like six flags shouold have made this complaint europa should have made this complaint not your opinion on what you cherry pick you dont like :p
 
WickerManiac said:
The claim is more subjective as it was "fully dedicated" which Galactica technically was. Although it does still sound like a very lame world's first.

Back to the main topic - too right!

If action wasn't taken where would it end? What next?

The world's first wing coaster? The world's first roller coaster? The world's first rollercoatser with an inversion?

It was a down right lie and they know it.
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EXACTLY. It wasn't even CLOSE to being factual, it was an outright lie.

I would get absolutely slaughtered if I started a business selling "WORLDS FIRST SAUSAGES MADE IN THE UK" when there are LOADS of other companies doing selling them, right now. It's no different!

Brett said:
i do agree with you, i just feel like six flags shouold have made this complaint europa should have made this complaint not your opinion on what you cherry pick you dont like :p
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Well YOU are welcome to make complaints about those particular entities, however Six Flags& Europa wouldn't fall under the ASA rules so, you'd struggle with that one. Also, I was unaware of these, as I don't follow those particular parks. They don't show up on my radar.

At the end of the day, I reported something that I saw, that was deeply false. It was a marketing claim, used to entice people that wouldn't know otherwise, to spend their money riding an attraction. If people believed it, and visited the attraction based on the marketing, Alton Towers would be falsely gaining on a Worlds First claim which was untrue.

You think that is right?
 
Romeo said:
So, I submitted the ASA complaint, as I thought the initial marketing announcement a couple of weeks ago was false. Wicker Man is NOT the first rollercoaster to fuse wood with fire. The ASA agreed, and have instructed Alton Towers to take appropriate action and remove these false claims.

Now, Alton will have to sell a rollercoaster as a rollercoaster, without false Worlds First claims that simply are not true. They're better than that!
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Where were you when they marketed Air as the world's first flying coaster when it wasn't? They got away with that one! What a scandal! :p

Tbh I think this was a step too far, it's just marketing after all, most of the gp would have never heard of Wodan or Apocalypse so it doesn't really matter that much.

Didn't Busch Gardens market Verbolten as the world's first vertical freefall coaster when it opened in 2012? These untrue marketing campaigns have been happening for years...
 
Brett said:
i do agree with you, i just feel like six flags shouold have made this complaint europa should have made this complaint not your opinion on what you cherry pick you dont like :p
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Anyone can complain to the ASA if they are unhappy about an advert. And in terms of an advertising complaint, a consumer complaining carries more weight than another business. If you aren't happy about any advert then complain to the ASA and let them decide. The ASA are the ones who will cherry pick what gets upheld and what is not a real complaint.
 
jon81uk said:
Anyone can complain to the ASA if they are unhappy about an advert. And in terms of an advertising complaint, a consumer complaining carries more weight than another business. If you aren't happy about any advert then complain to the ASA and let them decide. The ASA are the ones who will cherry pick what gets upheld and what is not a real complaint.
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This. The ASA made the decision, not me.
 
delta79 said:
Personally i think this ASA reporting reminds merlin that they have enthusiasts watching. And sometime they will get called out on thing.
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True, and I think they know that. They've already used it to their strategic advantage this week.

But, in terms of daft ride claims, it's just something Alton have done for years now. I don't personally find it offensive. My perspective is that Alton isn't a health or medical product. The hype, and their struggle to live up to it, is just part of the fun. It's an area in which enthusiasts lose touch with the general public, who in this case, almost always don't care.
 
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