Did Th13teen disappoint you?

[Secret Weapon]

What is advertising? It's a way of selling you a feeling. It's job was to hype you up, for that first ride. To want to pull you to Alton Towers and it did it. If your disappointed in the end product. That's not Merlin, Morwenna or Wardleys fault. That's on you personally.

Companies can still get into trouble for false advertising, although you're right that this didn't apply in this case because Alton Towers didn't promise anything specifically.

I still think it's a bad idea to overhype something, though, as it can make people more wary of believing hype for future products.

It's has 1 selling point which the track drop, so, you have to focus on that but in a way that doesn't give any spoilers.

Personally, I thought it was a bad idea to build a rollercoaster around a 'surprise' element, because it means that the ride won't have the same effect the second time around, and thus there is less incentive to revisit the ride.

Granted: other rides such as Saw and The Smiler also feature surprise indoor elements, but these were more of an added bonus instead of the main appeal.

 

[Slugjc]

Companies can still get into trouble for false advertising, although you're right that this didn't apply in this case because Alton Towers didn't promise anything specifically.

I still think it's a bad idea to overhype something, though, as it can make people more wary of believing hype for future products.

Every product ever marketed is over hyped. Otherwise it wouldn't worked.

Cbeebies hotel. Will always have a happy family, laughing and joking in their pristine room. The reality will be, the parents will be knackered, tye kids will be playing up and the adults won't be laughing because of the nightmare they have created for themselves. They won't put that on screen.

Overhype sells.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

I think that SW5 was marketed as the world's first flying rollercoaster, although this is debatable, given that Vekoma had already launched the Flying Dutchman rides by then (I didn't know about them at the time, though), and B&M also opened Superman: Ultimate Flight around the same time (although technically afterwards).

The world's first flying coaster was Skytrak at Granada Studios, which opened in October 1997. From memory of previous discussions, @rob666 tried to ride it a few times but failed. I think it had more days of closed than opening during its operation.

Skytrak - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Away from Hex, I've never seen a TV spot for anything but coasters at AT.

I remember seeing adverts for Barney the Dinosaur at Alton Towers and I think Storybook Land, though the latter could have been a feature on a TV show rather than an ad. Nickelodeon Outta Control was also featured heavily on the Nickelodeon channel, of course. It's unlikely that you were watching Children's TV in the late 90s/early 00s though!

Over hype does sell, but there's a fine balancing act or your punters won't come back. The recent Wonkaland is a recent example, which springs to mind. Then there's Fyre Festival, Dasani, New Coke etc. History is filled with brilliantly marketed products, which tanked after they couldn't deliver the goods.

I was a lapsed Thoosie at the time of TH13TEEN's opening, but I remember the adverts. I remember the news pieces, where people were turned away if they had heart conditions. I remember the PR stunts where you were made to sign a bloody waiver, saying that you wouldn't sue Alton Towers if you'd had a medical incidentally on the ride, induced by fear. This was billed as something groundbreaking, something terrifying, something that would change your life and was borderline illegal. Marketing delivered... The ride did not.

Counter that with The Curse at Alton Manor, a far scarier ride. The marketing was pitch perfect, it didn't overdo it, it didn't undersell it.

The marketing of TH13TEEN created a bit of bad blood for Alton Towers and media coverage. Legacy media outlets felt like they had been conned too, they were used to sell something that didn't deliver on its hype and promises. Now you have people who grew up with that campaign, and who felt let down, who are in prominent positions within prominent media organisations. They will feel skeptical toward further marketing claims coming out of Alton Towers.

TH13TEEN is a bit of a modern retelling of the boy who cried wolf.

 

[rob666]

The world's first flying coaster was Skytrak at Granada Studios, which opened in October 1997. From memory of previous discussions, @rob666 tried to ride it a few times but failed. I think it had more days of closed than opening during its operation.

Skytrak - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Yup indeed, four occasions in person, another three or four "give up on the morning" experiences following a phone call of "Not today sorry, we have operational issues/repairs/wet weather/electricity issues/filming taking place".

Things were that bad, I once got a cash refund at the gate after being promised opening that day on the phone by "the boss".
"The boss" came down to the cash desk to agree my full cash refund in person, god bless him, and he gave me two future free entries for the following week to cover my fuel.
Next week...closed for good.

And to get back on topic quickly before another firm whipping...everything that the bloody goose said above, completely...
Good (too short) minor family coaster, nice trick...absolutely shocking promotion and hype, very very poor indeed.

 

[Slugjc]

I can see arguments against I do. To me, the TV spots and posters were bob on. Ok the the waiver thing and the others may have been overkill but still. For me anyway, that TV spot stands out above all towers adverts for rides. Considering how poor the smilers was not like after.

At least they tried. I just don't know what else they could have done.

 

[Secret Weapon]

I can see arguments against I do. To me, the TV spots and posters were bob on. Ok the the waiver thing and the others may have been overkill but still. For me anyway, that TV spot stands out above all towers adverts for rides. Considering how poor the smilers was not like after.

At least they tried. I just don't know what else they could have done.

I agree with you that the marketing agency did a good job of designing an intriguing campaign, but - as you say - they were probably fighting an uphill battle from the start because the product itself was fundamentally flawed (relative to some people's expectations), which wasn't their fault, and so they could have either (A) produced a lacklustre campaign which undersold the ride (which would have annoyed Merlin), or (B) produced an extravagant campaign which oversold the ride (which would disappoint some of the visitors).

They chose option B, probably because at least it proved to Merlin that they could be trusted to deliver good advertising if given something good to work with in future, and that any poor visitor attendance wouldn't have been due to them.

It reminds me of the marketing agencies who designed the adverts for the Sega Saturn during the 1990s; some of the adverts were really good (possibly even better than the PlayStation adverts at the time), but the product itself was unable to match consumer expectations.

That's just my opinion, anyway!

 

[TBoy535]

The ride 13 didn’t disappoint me, however I do feel the End section would work so much better enclosed within a dark section to the station and would be quite easily done. Add a projection of bats or something as you go through that random launch into the station would seem more of a purpose and add more atmosphere to the station and end of the ride finale?


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[Secret Weapon]

The ride 13 didn’t disappoint me, however I do feel the End section would work so much better enclosed within a dark section to the station and would be quite easily done. Add a projection of bats or something as you go through that random launch into the station would seem more of a purpose and add more atmosphere to the station and end of the ride finale?


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That's true. Now that you mention it, I remember thinking that the interior of the drop section felt like an empty shipping container - although I've only been on it once thus far (and without my glasses on), and so I can't totally remember what it looked like.

 

[Jb85]

Yup indeed, four occasions in person, another three or four "give up on the morning" experiences following a phone call of "Not today sorry, we have operational issues/repairs/wet weather/electricity issues/filming taking place".

Things were that bad, I once got a cash refund at the gate after being promised opening that day on the phone by "the boss".
"The boss" came down to the cash desk to agree my full cash refund in person, god bless him, and he gave me two future free entries for the following week to cover my fuel.
Next week...closed for good.

And to get back on topic quickly before another firm whipping...everything that the bloody goose said above, completely...
Good (too short) minor family coaster, nice trick...absolutely shocking promotion and hype, very very poor indeed.

So …. Is it the ride that’s poor, or the promotion?

Themed and marketed correctly, it would no doubt be seen in a different light.

I recall the mood boards at the time before it was built. Even then in the early stages it was portrayed as this scary sinister ride, which it really isn’t.

It’s a solid fun ride, nothing more or less. And that’s how it should have been portrayed.

Always thought one of these at Legoland would work…. A Lego themed Thirteen…. Hmmmm

 

[Matt N]

Always thought one of these at Legoland would work…. A Lego themed Thirteen…. Hmmmm

Funnily enough, this actually (sort of) exists at Legoland Billund in Denmark:

It is a Zierer whereas Thirteen is an Intamin, admittedly, but that's just semantics; they are very similar rides, and both have drop track elements! So I think the existence of Polar X-plorer backs up your argument perfectly!

 

[Jb85]

Funnily enough, this actually (sort of) exists at Legoland Billund in Denmark:

It is a Zierer whereas Thirteen is an Intamin, admittedly, but that's just semantics; they are very similar rides, and both have drop track elements! So I think the existence of Polar X-plorer backs up your argument perfectly!

Ah I know of Polar X - but for me it’s not the same. The drop track works differently, and I’d guess doesn’t give us much of a punch?

 

[Matt N]

Ah I know of Polar X - but for me it’s not the same. The drop track works differently, and I’d guess doesn’t give us much of a punch?

I haven't ridden it, admittedly, but I don't think the drop track looks any less punchy than Thirteen's in that POV, personally.

 

[Secret Weapon]

So …. Is it the ride that’s poor, or the promotion?

Themed and marketed correctly, it would no doubt be seen in a different light.

I recall the mood boards at the time before it was built. Even then in the early stages it was portrayed as this scary sinister ride, which it really isn’t.

It’s a solid fun ride, nothing more or less. And that’s how it should have been portrayed.

Always thought one of these at Legoland would work…. A Lego themed Thirteen…. Hmmmm

I agree with this.

I honestly think that the biggest mistake (aside from the overhyped marketing) was labelling it as a "Secret Weapon" ride - especially as (A) the previous two rollercoasters at AT (Spinball Whizzer and Rita) weren't Secret Weapons, and so people understandably expected something more intense this time*, and (B) it had the pressure of replacing Corkscrew, which was a beloved ride and - at one point - was possibly the best rollercoaster in the entire country.

(*The only minor mitigation is that most people - aside from rollercoaster enthusiasts - have possibly never even heard of the 'Secret Weapon' titles)

You're probably right that it would have been a perfect fit for Legoland Windsor or Chessington, although I have never been to either park; however - Matt N's video of the similar Polar X-plorer ride at Legoland Denmark seems to support your theory!

 

[Jb85]

I haven't ridden it, admittedly, but I don't think the drop track looks any less punchy than Thirteen's in that POV, personally.

Me neither and probably never will. It just doesn’t look as well engineered.

Have to say - that whole ride looks a bit crap and makes me grateful we have Thirteen.

Seems there are a fair few from track rides I didn’t know existed (other than the obvious ones - Hagrids, Verbolten, Objectif Mars)

I’m also shocked that Merlin choose another manufacturer to build essentially the same ride type at the same time ….. or very close after.
Very odd

 

[owenstreet7]

Funnily enough, this actually (sort of) exists at Legoland Billund in Denmark:

It is a Zierer whereas Thirteen is an Intamin, admittedly, but that's just semantics; they are very similar rides, and both have drop track elements! So I think the existence of Polar X-plorer backs up your argument perfectly!

Speaking of Polar X-Plorer, I think this would fit Windsor perfectly like a glove

 

[Joel3]

Ah I know of Polar X - but for me it’s not the same. The drop track works differently, and I’d guess doesn’t give us much of a punch?

It’s not as punchy as TH13TEEN but still pretty fantastic, the first part of the layout is surprisingly punchy. It was definitely my favourite ride at Legoland Billund.

 

[DistortAMG]

What I do not like about Polar X, something where Thirteen shines hugely, is the speed in which it all works. You completely loose the pacing on Polar X and you can see it in the video, the train slowly comes to a stop and parks, the drop track drops, but then slowly lowers even more into it's lower parking place, then the train slowly moves forward out of the element. Completely loosing all pacing that the ride had established before hand.

Thirteen manages to park the train quickly, drop the track and fire the train out backwards in about the same time that Polar X manages to park the train before the drop. Timing is crucial in these sorts of rides else you loose all the atmosphere and pacing that was created. This is nailed with the Intamins and Thirteen, not so much with Zierer's model, which look rather cumbersome as the mechanicals slowly do their thing.

I believe JW did have a part to play in making these Intamin rides run fast as he mentioned it in a video and Thirteen was the prototype, he hammered Intamin to make everything work quicker, so they can cycle trains through the ride faster to keep the throughput high. This is why you see the drop, switch tracks and friction tires all running fast on Thirteen across the whole ride. It does appear Intamin have kept this speed on newer models too. For all their faults, Thirteen is a great example of Intamins engineering excellence for the reasons of how fast they made everything run, all day every day.

You can even see the DNA of what was created with Thirteen and it's rapid mechanicals, in the engineering of rides such as Chipatas and it's rapid movement sideways switches and turntables. For me, the ride wasn't a disappointment, a solid attraction, which I do enjoy riding, especially in the dark.

 

[Matt.GC]

It's a hard question to answer. I'm a marketer's worst nightmare. I admire the art of marketing, as the subject matter has interested me since I was kid, but that means I see it in a different light and I'm not easily swayed by it.

Besides I was an extremely busy person in 2009 and 2010, having 2 babies, changing jobs, moving twice, opening a new store, having a few financial difficulties etc. Towers was just an annual visit at Scarefest and I knew almost nothing of Thirteen untill I rode it. So I had no marketing fed expectations going in, I just knew that Towers had got rid of Corkscrew and built a new coaster. That's pretty much it. I certainly didn't have time for daytime telly.

I loved Ug Land, and Festival Park before it. So the first disappointment came as soon I entered the area. Awful area layout, now all grim and incoherent. Grey paint over prehistoric theming, all other theming removed completely. Rita now looked even more silly. Sited next to real gothic buildings, they decided to build a faux one for the station? A Dark Forest, in a park with a Gloomy Wood, a Haunted Hollow, and a ride next door themed around heritage and a haunted tree. With a restaurant called Woodcutters in-between, was this all now part of the same area? What a mess. How many more haunted woodland themes does one park need? I didn't understand why Teddy Bears Picnic was being played, but I warmed to it quickly.

It all seemed to have a graveyard style feel and the entrance portal looked fine, but what does a shipping container have to do with anything? Looking at these wraith style figures, I was expecting to see more of them in the queue. There's not much forest taking over anywhere, as the area clearly wasn't designed that way, and the queue line is boring. It's just a van and some trees. They clearly wanted to use the woodland setting of the ride itself as a feature, nothing wrong with that as it's a pretty area, but tucked away like that the incoherence not only poorly bleeds into an area not designed that way, but seems to limp on poorly outside of it.

I didn't mind the look of the building, but always assumed the scaffolding was due to it not being finished. It's not until you get closer you realise it's supposed to be there. Some sort of Hex discovery and restoration vibe going on? Inside I liked it, and still do. The Tesla coil caught me by suprise. Like many Wardley classics, it's just there for the hell of it. There's no need for silly app descriptions about a 'lord of darkness', military goons running around panicking, or shipping containers spoonfeeding back story. There's the presence of some creepy girl, some branches engulfing stuff, some wriaths and a Tesla coil, and there's no reason for any of it, which is great! No nonsense story or anything like that.

I wasn't disappointed at all that it's a family coaster. Looking at those trains it was quite obvious this wasn't some thrill machine. Without any marketing fed to me beforehand, it's fine to theme a family coaster this way, if the park didn't have a plethora of similar themes already that is.

I was sat near the back for the first ride and being dragged over the crest of the lift hill down into that steeper than you expect first drop was great. But what followed was pretty boring in regard to the outdoor layout. Nothing else happens. But loved the show building, the surprise drop, and the shooting out backwards afterwards. It's a great element, very well engineered, and overall very well done. It's easy to look at it differently now the element of surprise has gone, but it really was an excellent experience when you didn't know what was coming. The air cannons, the lights, the theming, the floor boards creaking, the pre-drop, the falling backwards not knowing where you're going. Fantastic stuff. Taking people in it for the first time is still enjoyable to see their reactions.

I suppose my lasting impression of it is that it's a ride that has brilliant features, and I can see what they were going for. It's a welcome addition and families love it. But you can tell where the focus and money went, it feels unfinished and, like Rita before it, is a perfect example of how a single standalone attraction can ruin the area around it. If Rita killed off Ugland, Thirteen killed off Dark Forest before it even began because they never properly considered what to do with the area it sits in. A bit like how Forbidden Valley seems to have been infected with the theme of Sub-Terra, how Wickerman towers above the Rapids now, placing the Smiler queue entrance half way down an already thin and congested main pathway, or whatever the hell is going on with that Walliams Cuckoo Dungeon mess.

The legacy of the focus on the element itself rather than the overall attraction as a whole is now more obvious that ever. The USP is still great, does what it's intended to do, and seems reliable. But the lack of attention given to the bread and butter stuff seems to be quite staggering. It turns out that the outdoor layout, which just seems to serve the purpose of getting you from the station to the drop track, isn't just boring, but is poorly designed. Should that not have been the easy bit? It's so poorly designed that it spent a good while not being able to operate in the rain (in the UK no less!), needs a second lift hill to get it into the show building, and necessitated to retrofitting of an anti-rollback and trims. What were why thinking?

 

[rob666]

So …. Is it the ride that’s poor, or the promotion?

Both.
The ride is too short, and the promotion didn't fit the ride...it is a family coaster with dark elements, that does not make it "The worlds scariest ride".
So both, the ride isn't what was promoted, and the ride isn't long enough.

 

[Squiggs]

My take at the time, and still to this day, is that Thirteen was a reasonable replacement for the Corkscrew, and therefore wasn't a disappointment once you'd adjusted your expectations. It basically served the same family demographic that Corkie served by the time it closed, and offered roughly the same level of thrill/entertainment. I also share the sentiment that the first half of the ride could have been better, but the ride dramatically improves from the Crypt onwards.

The issue was that, at the time, most people had to adjust their expectations because the marketing campaign had set them incorrectly.

If you were a thrill-seeker, the promotional campaign had told you to expect the 'Ultimate Ride' and to quote Alton Tower's own marketing material "the ultimate theme park ride - every roller coaster you’ve ever dreamed of in one. Never has so much theme park technology been combined in one fantastically thrilling ride.", which obviously is patently nonsense. Most discussion regarding the ride was highly suss of these sorts of claims before it opened, but still that is how the park were marketing it to those who were interested.

Meanwhile, the actual target audience of families was being told to expect a psychologically terrifying attraction - i.e. not a family ride and therefore one that you might have questions about if it was suitable to take your children on, simply because of what the park had told you about the ride. The advert, for example, is excellent at recreating the atmosphere of the threat of a living woodland - but it sets out a scary story of a young girl being consumed by the forest, which is a notably adult theme, which doesn't really scream 'family-thrill'. The advert did encapsulate the basic theme of the ride - but aimed it at an incorrect, much older audience. Ideally, whilst maintaining the overall aesthetic for the marketing campaign, they would have been better to directly aim it at a family market, where the 'scary' undertone was replaced by a 'creepy' or 'spooky' undertone.

This would have meant that on day one the right crowd of people would have been swarming around the ride with the right expectations and therefore much less likely to have been disappointed by what they experienced, or in some cases didn't, because the marketing had told them the ride wasn't for them.