Interesting video presentation on Merlin branding

[nickhutson]

This is an interesting 30 minute video presentation on Merlin and branding/IPs - given by the Chief Development Officer of Merlin.

It's worth a watch; it doesn't reveal anything but it's interesting to hear their philosophies on such things as branding, market position and the company as a whole.

EDIT: Forgive my typo in the title - I can't edit it!

 

[Harv]

Listen to him at about 6 minutes in, talking about when Merlin first took over Towers, and how Varney felt that the bumper boats upselling at the bottom of Towers Street was a bad experience that put guests off - what is the difference between the boats and the swarms of photographers that Varney now has descending upon visitors the second that they step inside the park? Oh, yeah, I remember; the boats were cheaper and more fun...

 

[delta79]

Well if they did the bring an item that says alton towers to you, i think empty wallets would be back

 

[Enter Valhalla]

Thanks for sharing this video, was a very interesting view.

I do think that Merlin have it right in the way they promote their attractions as brands rather than being a brand themselves. I was never a fan of 'Tussauds Alton Towers' branding, although I'm not keen on the way that they now stick the word Resort at the end of everything either.

It does also seem like Merlin are somewhat latecomers to IPs. Thomas Land and Peppa Pig World were huge success stories long before Towers even considered CBeebies. I now feel that they're playing it safe with which IP they choose. At the time that Paultons chose Peppa Pig it was still a fairly new brand but they took a bit of a gamble with it and it paid off. Angry Birds is hardly a big gamble and can also be seen as becoming outdated very quickly.