Drayton Manor Park

[Themeparksandy1981]

The biggest problem was Drayton manor park as a company don’t exist anymore as it registered as Drayton manor resort now as they may have been given 2 years to chance all the signage over. Think they wanted to maximise the brand name that’s why no rides or mascots have been included in the new logo.

 

[JAperson]

The biggest problem was Drayton manor park as a company don’t exist anymore as it registered as Drayton manor resort now as they may have been given 2 years to chance all the signage over. Think they wanted to maximise the brand name that’s why no rides or mascots have been included in the new logo.

No I don't think thats what that means. Drayton Manor resort limited bought all the assets of Drayton Manor Park limited, they had full rights to the Drayton Manor logo and name otherwise they would've likely had to have changed it immediately, especially as Drayton Manor Park limited went bust.

 

[Jb85]

No I don't think thats what that means. Drayton Manor resort limited bought all the assets of Drayton Manor Park limited, they had full rights to the Drayton Manor logo and name otherwise they would've likely had to have changed it immediately, especially as Drayton Manor Park limited went bust.

If they really wanted to they could change the name of the old business and name the new business Drayton Manor limited. You see it all the time with administrations ..... companies change the name, fold them then start again as a new business

 

[pjanvil]

Was on park today. Still no stand up Apocalypse. Other operations were good and park was pretty busy but fairly spread out. haunting had a massive queue so skipped that though good day overall though

 

[Sauron97]

New logo on the outside of the park

I think we should be as honest and constructive as possible.
The logo in digital format looks more suited to an Aquarium or a Swimming Pool than a theme park. Theme park logos benefit from a grand style, or if not at least something that looks vibrant/unusual and show that the place inside contains a serious product. Drayton contains huge multi million pound rides, many of which are experience driven rides rather than bland amusement rides, so your branding should at least reflect that. And the lack of continuity between logos also shows a lack of respect to the parks history, which could also damage the brand. Alton have now kept to the same style since the 80s (mainly with the use of the big red banner, and usually a circular emblem accompanying it) and it looks great, even on newspapers where the discount offers are placed on advert sections.


But the minimalism and lack of effort and style on the signpost here is abyssmal. It looks like any other homogenised corporate leisure logo. Whcih would look fine on a local leisure centre or aquarium, because the branding would in that instance be more honest, but here looks completely out of place .
And the use of the word "resort" on the logo in conjunction with the poor signing style also makes me think people won't understand that the resort contains a theme park, if they have never been before. I'll be honest, if I had never been to Drayton manor, I would not have a clue that it contained a large theme park if I saw that sign on the A road it is placed by, unless I was extremely vigilant and saw Apocalypse in the distance. Certainly not a park of the size and scale that Drayton is.

Drayton should have used a more modernised version of their 1990s logo, with or without the Shockwave corkscrew depending on the context of its use and whether it fits Drayton's family target market in that use.

 

[RustyShackleford]

There is a touch of Maplin's about it

Hi - de -hi.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

The looping group management may have said we want to spend minimum as possible on signage as we got our website, social media and adverts to promote the theme park and zoo.

 

[rob666]

Its a new sign at an established small family theme park.
The way people are speaking, it's the new headline attraction!
It isn't designed to attract people to the park, it's a sign saying turn off here.
It will do.

 

[Sauron97]

Its a new sign at an established small family theme park.
The way people are speaking, it's the new headline attraction!
It isn't designed to attract people to the park, it's a sign saying turn off here.
It will do.

I completely disagee, and think you are disregarding the importance of signage and logos. I would firstly ask you to explain this reaction when the logo change was first announced on the parks official social media (from thousands of people on social media, who are normal members of the general public, not enthusaists or people following theme park communities like us). I have blocked out their names on this screenshot, which only gives a glimpse in to the reaction.


It got so bad, that the Drayton Manor social team (who include extremely dedicated people who did not deserve the abuse they got) had to step in and remind people to not be abusive. While this was excessive and at points abusive, the brand change itself was not good for the image of the park, especially nowadays where social media is so important for company image. The reaction was largely negative, with a few neutral and positive reactions here and there. But overwhelmingly negative.


Bottom line is: Branding can be just as important as the introduction of 'headline attractions'
It's all good saying "ahhh well, its just a sign, it's not a ride" . yeah.... It's a signpost. It's also the first piece of information that you get about a place if you don't know much about it. Visual information and stimuli especially from logos have been shown to be very important in convincing people to trust or engage with a company. This is not an anecdote, it is supported by research: In fact there are numerous academic papers on the psychology behind logos and why logos are critical for company performance.
I have cited an academic journal here for anyone interested which explains this better using evidence and studies involving a number of logo-related variables and how consumers responded to changes in these variables to show the importance of factors like 'elaborate' logo designs and 'natural logo designs'. There's a big statistical variance in responses, which should give you a clue in to how a lot of people see and interpret logos https://doi.org/10.2307/1252158


I would also refer you to @Ian 's excellent post on the importance of logos for theme parks from a couple of months back, where he gives great examples on using European theme park logos, and what has worked for Europa Park, Efteling and Phantasialand over the years. All 3 parks went for a text based logo, but as Ian says, because the text was large, 'assertive' and bold, it does show the significance of the parks, and how they are high quality attractions.

Can’t say I’m a fan.

All that the new Drayton logo has is a cheap and clumsy swirl for the O and two little Shutterstock stars that look like a naff afterthought to try and give it some personality.

It’s generic, amateurish and devoid of any personality or charm. I would really hope this is something they’ve tried to come up with in-house and haven’t paid large sums for a branding agency to come up with it (not that I believe they have…).

My biggest concern is that it looks cheap. As someone else has said previously, it looks like the sort of logo the local nursery or soft play area pays the local graphic designer and £99 website shop to come up with. It doesn’t look like the logo of an established, large scale attraction. It’s what I have expected to find for somewhere like Sundown, Bottons or any seaside fair/amusement park. Not Drayton Manor.

Consumers do make these associations too. It’s the reason branding and marketing are such huge industries (it’s kept me in work for nearly a decade now ). People do judge the book by its cover, and the quality of the brand makes a statement to customers. I’m not suggesting that people will stop visiting Drayton because of a new logo, but it will set a different tone for their marketing and shift perception I think.

It’s a shame really, as the old branding was pretty iconic in my opinion, and seemed to have stood the test of time pretty well given how long it had been in use. It was getting ready for a refresh and yes the inclusion of Shockwave was questionable given the audience they now seem to aim for, but a refresh was all that was needed. Not a complete ground-up restart.

On the signage and its importance... I guess if you're passing Six Flags New England where all the rides are basically thrown in front of your face(Wicked Cyclone almost hugging the side of the road) even from outside the park then perhaps signage isn't as important:
I mean it's pretty obvious what the place is when you look at this roadside view on google earth: less reliance on signage here:

Meanwhile Drayton (much like Towers) is almost completely hidden. The signpost is the only indication you have of the park existing from the POV of a passer by.


Most of the thousands of people passing by Fazeley, Kingsbury or Tamworth every day need a good impression to let you know what's actually inside. The old logo definitely did this better than the current (even though it's needed an upgrade for a while now). Large stencil emblem of a corkscrew, big bold text, and oviously the theme park text too. I would bet that kids and families would see this logo and think "That place looks cool" and the Thomas logo would probably evoke similar reactions because Thomas is a good, well known brand and has a cool anthropomorphic logo for kids. And this is just with respect to the main entrance signpost, setting aside the park website, and social media.

It's quite possibly the difference between visiting, or deciding on somewhere else, if you aren't 'in the know' on theme parks (which most people aren't) ; it's one of those subconscious factors that comes in to play. And of course, for people who are visiting, and are set on visiting, it also plays in to the perception of the place, to an extent, which is why the signs by the internal park entrances and kiosks are also important too. We should not be so dismissive of the importance of branding and signs. The new Drayton logo, both on social media and on signage is a big downgrade on the older one; and this is important to highlight.

 

[rob666]

I can be as dismissive as I like, I often am.
That is what the topic is for...both sides.
It is a small regional family theme park, with a new sign.
I disagree that it is a big downgrade...on social media, everyone is a critic.
99.99% of the population either don't know, or care, that the logo has changed.
It is now more family than thrill based, I think the new logo fits the target group...small people.

 

[Shaggy_Dog_]

I can be as dismissive as I like, I often am.
That is what the topic is for...both sides.
It is a small regional family theme park, with a new sign.
I disagree that it is a big downgrade...on social media, everyone is a critic.
99.99% of the population either don't know, or care, that the logo has changed.
It is now more family than thrill based, I think the new logo fits the target group...small people.

I agree with this, it’s not really such a big deal. Its just a new logo, that’s all, It’s not as if they’ve gone and renamed the park.

It’s still Drayton Manor Resort, it’s still a theme park in Tamworth, the new logo hasn’t changed anything in that regard. By the owners are obviously looking to the future and wanted to freshen up the logo, remove the Shockwave silhouette from it, and that’s fine, it’s no big deal. Plenty of parks have changed their logos over the years and some of them were more drastic changes than the DM one.

Maybe for some people the logo change represents something else, the logo of their childhood is gone, maybe they feel personally offended by what they feel is a childish new logo, but to the vast majority of guests it will just be a sign they see telling them to turn in here after passing several generic brown amusement attraction signs on the highway. Within a few years a large amount of the public will have forgotten about the old sign anyway and as long as the new owners are taking the park forwards then it’s not really much of a big deal at all.

 

[Sauron97]

I can be as dismissive as I like, I often am.
That is what the topic is for...both sides.

Yeah, of course. I respect your opinion and am simply offering my own. That was the point of what I was saying, and I explained why I take the view that I have.

99.99% of the population either don't know, or care, that the logo has changed.

I've given you studies showing that nearly every major company reinvests significant portions of their revenue in to branding, signage and logo design, and that changes in variables such as how elaborate a logo is/ style used /patterns /symmetry etc have made big differences to their perceived value (and financial performance). The studies weren't done on theme parks, and they were a while back, but they involve mass consumer behavior. And theme parks which are catering to consumers need to go for specific types of logos, if they want to do well (already explained previously on what specific features the text based logos have).
And how is social media not important? Drayton Manor have almost 400,000 followers just on Facebook. That's a huge catchment of people that you don't want to deter from visiting.

I'm gonna bring up Hitchens Razor "What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence" Unless you can prove what I have shown is wrong with evidence, I can't take that "most people don't care about a sign change" opinion seriously. People might not consciously look and say "Drayton have got a terrible new sign, I won't visit now because of a signpost" yeah obviously not, but it does influence opinion on the place; subconsciously, a point which I have already made and backed up. It can lower the company value, and it makes its competitors more attractive in relative terms. Be that Paulton's, Alton Towers, Gullivers, Legoland, etc

It is now more family than thrill based, I think the new logo fits the target group...small people.

Not thrill based, no, but not small people based either. Young kids are not Drayton Manor or Looping's sole target market.
Loko at their company statement on the brand change and what Looping are looking for in Drayton:

"All ages" and "Family-thrill" , which is definitely reflected in the addition of the new Viking area and the fact that a 1.2m ride has been added. That's hardly for toddlers or under 6s. The logo should be in line with their target market, which is all ages in the literal meaning of the word. 1990s logo did that perfectly, and in my opinion better than the logo that has just been replaced: for reference

and also without the corkscrew (which was used on adverts with family additions):


Why not update and modernise these? I don't get how these logos are so 'outdated' and awful that a complete clean slate is needed. They show a good image of the park, built up over years of both family and thrill expansion, and to be honest they aren't particularly geared towards any specific audience (unlike the new brand) so no harm done in using them.

Maybe for some people the logo change represents something else, the logo of their childhood is gone, maybe they feel personally offended by what they feel is a childish new logo, but to the vast majority of guests it will just be a sign they see telling them to turn in here after passing several generic brown amusement attraction signs on the highway. Within a few years a large amount of the public will have forgotten about the old sign anyway and as long as the new owners are taking the park forwards then it’s not really much of a big deal at all.

My personal view of what I want Drayton to look like or be is irrelevant, I'm arguing my point about what I think is best for the park and its image, from a business perspective, and as someone who wants the best for the park. It's not based on nostalgia, which is always the assumption to everyone criticizing newly made decisions, including on the Merlin parks. Drayton is a family park that caters to multiple age brackets, Looping, their parent company have reinforced that view. So the logo and branding should reflect that, right?

 

[rob666]

It is just a new plastic sign.
Only overenthusiastic geeks, freaks and happy clappers have any "real" concerns, Hitchens Razor and all.
The rest of us don't give a damn.
I never said social media wasn't important, I said everyone is a critic, because they are, especially the geeks.
You will just have to take my opinion, I'm not going to respond with another dissertation.

 

[Jb85]

It is just a new plastic sign.
Only overenthusiastic geeks, freaks and happy clappers have any "real" concerns, Hitchens Razor and all.
The rest of us don't give a damn.
I never said social media wasn't important, I said everyone is a critic, because they are, especially the geeks.
You will just have to take my opinion, I'm not going to respond with another dissertation.

Very well said @rob666. Literally being abused just like those in social media did to the DM staff.

Seems sometimes you can't have an opinion..... on an open forum.

What's the world coming to.

 

[Sauron97]

If you proved me wrong, I would at least have the humility to admit it. Shame that you can't do that and accept that there I have provided proven evidence against your opinion.

Yeah let's live in a world without any nuance. Forget understanding consumer behavior and the economy, and let's just made rash uninformed decisions without thinking about how it might affect businesses and livelihoods. It's 'just a plastic sign' and a logo, after all... It's not like branding is a huge part of business performance is it?

 

[Jb85]

If you proved me wrong, I would at least have the humility to admit it. Shame that you can't do that and accept that there I have provided proven evidence against your opinion.

Yeah let's live in a world without any nuance. Forget understanding consumer behavior and the economy, and let's just made rash uninformed decisions without thinking about how it might affect businesses and livelihoods. It's 'just a plastic sign' and a logo, after all... It's not like branding is a huge part of business performance is it?

I have to step in here.

I think your over estimating the effect of this change.

People on social media are just like sheep. One person says they don't like it and before you know it there is a cult out to slaughter the creator.

Hardly any of the people who commented will actually give two hoots about the logo.

At the end of the day like it or not its here to stay. I for one couldn't care less as long as investment continues in the park. That's what will bring people in and keep people in a job, as per your concern, not a logo.

I cannot think of ANY business EVER that has failed because of a logo change.

 

[Skyscraper]

Going to Drayton in September on a weekday, so it should be nice and quiet. Will be my first visit in a couple of years, so will be nice to get back and ride Apocalypse a few times in case it does close later on. Will also be nice to finally get on the Rapids (the last time I rode it was before it closed) and Shockwave, and of course the Vikings rides too.

 

[rob666]

If you proved me wrong, I would at least have the humility to admit it. Shame that you can't do that and accept that there I have provided proven evidence against your opinion.

Yeah let's live in a world without any nuance. Forget understanding consumer behavior and the economy, and let's just made rash uninformed decisions without thinking about how it might affect businesses and livelihoods. It's 'just a plastic sign' and a logo, after all... It's not like branding is a huge part of business performance is it?

I'm not out to prove anyone wrong, I'm simply disagreeing with you, which you seem to have difficulty accepting.
Let's live in a world with more than one opinion on a minor detailing matter relating to our obsessive little hobby.
End of fruitless discussion going round in circles.

 

[Matt N]

I won’t deny that branding can play a surprising role in a place’s perception to first time visitors and people who’ve never heard of it before, but I agree with @rob666. This branding change is unlikely to have any major impact on the prospects of the business at large, and most people who are likely to visit won’t be affected by the branding change; to the vast majority of theme park visiting guests, Drayton Manor is ultimately still an established theme park as it always was.

 

[Sauron97]

I'm not out to prove anyone wrong, I'm simply disagreeing with you, which you seem to have difficulty accepting.
Let's live in a world with more than one opinion on a minor detailing matter relating to our obsessive little hobby.
End of fruitless discussion going round in circles.

Just re-read my posts and don't get where that's come across. I'm just engaging in a two sided debate and defending my case as best as I can because I believe it to be true, and backing it up with evidence which I hoped would be acknowledged and challenged so I could be proven wrong.

I don't agree that no company has ever failed due to inappropriate logos or branding, but I won't go in to why, cause this debate is gonna go on for a looooong time otherwise. We'd have to go in to stock markets/IPOs/short selling stocks and boardroom stuff to debate that one. And it would deviate from the Drayton discussion.

Edit: Laugh react yet no argument. Yet again no civil debate proving why I am wrong, and then accusing me of being uncivil. Talk about gaslighting eh