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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

Re: Thorpe Park

All I can say is finally. Considering I'm meant to be in the target market for their current Brand Identity it makes me and most of my friends cringe, especially the low point which was the Storm Surge add. The idea of making Thorpe Park the nations thrill capitalis I think a good one, but they need to cater to other areas of the market as well. I don't know why they couldn't have stuck with the previous Branding, with the same additions which would still have worked, considering Storm Surge is a family ride anyway.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

The fatheads are still on the map, unfortunately. I know that will be the last thing to be changed, but just from looking at it you can see why they have failed to bring anyone in. It's the kind of thing that's aimed at young people, and mistaken them to be unrealisticly simple minded. Just look at all the infantile 'jokes' hidden around the map, which include: a person farting whilst wearing a gas mask, someone with their bum out, a naked couple in a bush and a man standing in the middle of a field pissing himself. I cannot think of anyone I know finding it even mildly amusing.

That's what is so sad about it - young people really aren't that infantile, and yet it's meant to be aimed at us. If we are the target market, and they've failed to identify with us, they really need to go back to the drawing board. That they've done it mid-season shows just how serious this is.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Well it took them long enough to make this change didn't it. I have hated the brand image they have been using for the last few years right from the start. It just put so many people off and limited who they could realistically target massively. And those they were targeting were the group with less disposable income than other groups.

A more premium brand is exactly what I've said to various people that they should be going for. They have a great range of thrill rides, and it's not just teens that like thrill rides. They should try and market themselves as the best at thrill, rather than some stupid park that acts silly and loves sexual innuendos all over their merch (these also need to go ASAP). Then if they can add some more family thrill rides (like Storm Surge) to have an even wider appeal. It would probably be a mistake to start aiming at younger families also though as that would require massive investment in many new rides, and Chessington and Legoland are just down the road.

So yes, good move Thorpe/Merlin. And to be doing it mid-season shows how desperately this is needed.

:)
 
Re: Thorpe Park

They want to attract the family market..... Shame they have ripped out most of their family rides then.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Dave said:
They want to attract the family market..... Shame they have ripped out most of their family rides then.
Click to expand...

Yeah....

A few years ago I would have said it would have been possible to recapture the family audience again if they had wanted to, but since they have ripped out the Octopus Garden, removed the railway and added their sixth major rollercoaster they have made their bed....and that's with the thrill market.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

If they do want to start trying to bring back families then perhaps they should bring a new area or freshen up one of the existing ones for the 2014 season. Then in 2015, instead of getting ANOTHER white knuckle coaster, build a family thrill ride such as a larger Vekoma Mine Train, Intamin Family Drop Coaster, Mack Launch (think along the lines of Sea World San Diego's Manta) or even a GCI Wooden Coaster. Maybe even some kind of water coaster like those found at various Sea World parks?

So long as they make most of their newer rides more thrilling than those at Chessington, that way the two can continue to offer something that the other doesn't. Chessington has the zoo and family attractions whilst Thorpe can keep their white knuckle rides but also gain some rides in between them and those found at Chessington.

Reversing what they've already done is going to be tough, but not impossible.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Families still visit the park regardless of their marketing, so it won't be too hard to recapture the market. They just need to build something more exciting than Rumba Rapids to occupy the younger families.

I'm not seeing this as the dramatic, emergency mid-season change that others are making out - not just on this forum. The website was changed many months ago but still uses mostly inane vocabulary ("THE ONE THAT GOES UPSIDE DOWN 10 TIMES!"). And nothing has actually happened on park yet.

If they put the days of "coaster porn" and farting "fatheads" behind them, then that can only be a good thing. However, they shouldn't pretend to be a family haven, I still think Thorpe Park should specialise in big rollercoasters and little else.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Actually thinking about it, the park's Facebook presence has really changed recently. Seemingly from the beginning of may. Almost every post has a square picture of a ride, with the Thorpe Logo on the bottom right. I'd noticed that there was a more pleasant atmosphere to the posts, and now I can see why.

If this is the result in a changing marketing team, then I'm quite excited to see what they come up with in terms of the overall brand image.

I actually disagree to some extent with the sentiment that this is more to aim for families rather than simply a teen market. I'd say that the target market is still the same, teens-young adults, but the old brand image simply wasn't attractive for anyone really over the age of 15. As an 18 year old, I definitely feel the branding really was disgustingly immature, and almost patronising. I liked it when it was first launched, but that was because I was 15 then. I think the park got away with it better when they were still SAW centric, as the IP is/was more attractive to the older margin of their target audience, but as the SAW hype died down, people just got a bit embarrassed, and the guest age range narrowed pretty quickly.

At the same time, I don't think it would do them any harm to add a few more attractions for families, to broaden the age range of guests which can enjoy the park.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

CoasterCrazyChris said:
Dave said:
They want to attract the family market..... Shame they have ripped out most of their family rides then.
Click to expand...

Yeah....

A few years ago I would have said it would have been possible to recapture the family audience again if they had wanted to, but since they have ripped out the Octopus Garden, removed the railway and added their sixth major rollercoaster they have made their bed....and that's with the thrill market.
Click to expand...
The railways returning, and luckily they didn't go all out to kill the fish or depth charge and the like. X with it's low height restriction adds to the amount of family rides they'll have available.

They've still got a few really (Railway & Rocky, Ranger County, X, Water rides, Beach, fish), with just a small investment in the next couple of years family wise and coaster in 2016, they should've been able to sort out their positioning properly then.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

I don't think they necessarily need to get ride of the thrill aspect, just market it in a different way.

To be honest, and this may sound judgemental, most people at Thorpe Park (in comparison to say Alton) looked very - shall we say - 'council estate'. There's only so much sniggering and abuse you can take in a queue (when for example you look vaguely like Harry Potter ;)).

I think they need to be more subtle with their advertising - for a while it was very 'scream in your face'.

To be honest I'd LOVE the park to forget about rides for the next few years and invest heavily in making the general park look more pleasant. It's very much a concrete jungle and most of the buildings look very dilapidated/tired. Perhaps move in a direction away from 'tacky theming' and offer something more modern/stylish/conservative. They could perhaps also concentrate on separating the areas better?
 
Re: Thorpe Park

I understand that Thorpe Park needs to make more money, and that the family market is the park's best chance of doing so. In a way it's kind of a shame that the thrill market hasn't panned out as well as they'd hoped. I quite liked the brash marketing, it gave them a USP

I'd prefer them to keep on with the thrill market, but I believe that's probably just a selfish wish to see more thrilling rides in the UK. It is quite risky to shift your market half way through the year, but I'd imagine they'd want to capture the family market in time for the summer holidays.

Now, when does Mr Monkey come back?
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Hmmm I don't want them to become too sanitised, however I welcome the more relaxed feeling they are going for! They went WAAAAAAAAAY OTT.

If they are going premium however, they had better make sure they run their park that way!
 
Re: Thorpe Park

The trouble Thorpe have is generally the young teen market don't spend much money, so they could have large numbers on park but not be taking in the cash. Thorpe has gone from being one of the most profitable parks in 2006-2008 to the worst last year.

Families generally spend more as parents struggle to say no to their kids.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Dave said:
Thorpe has gone from being one of the most profitable parks in 2006-2008 to the worst last year
Click to expand...

Good.

This is the kick up the bum they need in order to improve the quality of their offering.

...or it could just mean we get loads more upselling.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

I've just revisited this topic and am overjoyed at the removal of the fatheads! I actually wrote to Thorpe (and when I say 'wrote' I mean paper letters) on two occasions about them. Although every park has it's share of simple-minded youths, I do think Thorpe was really catering to the lowest common denominator and almost giving an 'excuse' for poor behaviour - as discussed when I upset someone after first joining, it only takes one or two 'yobs' to spoil a day - the other young adults/guests in general at the park were perfectly well behaved!

If the park treats its guest respectfully then I would like to think the guests will also show respect to the park...

Well, it's a step in the right direction, in my opinion anyway.

However, if they are trying to be more 'family friendly', I hope they don't go the same way as Legoland and remove the sweet shops!
 
Thorpe Park

Laura said:
However, if they are trying to be more 'family friendly', I hope they don't go the same way as Legoland and remove the sweet shops!
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Both sweet shops at Legoland are very much still open and trading, and haven't closed at any point since installation, so not sure what gave you that idea...
 
Re: Thorpe Park

Why on earth did you think a children's park would get rid of their sweet shops?

They make money, money, money. And we all know that's all Merlin is after.
 
Re: Thorpe Park

So, we're now pushing for a family approach for Thorpe, eh? Well, kids, kiss goodbye to your beloved Chessie, it seems that Merlin's priorities are about to change yet again.

I'm kind of happy about it, but honestly, why didn't they do this 10 years ago? I would not pay the extortionate entry fee for a child to enjoy that artificial beach, Depth Charge, a carousel and a swinging banana.

If Thorpe are seriously intending to cater for families now, they need to expand rapidly and open an IP based kids' area A.S.A.P, in my opinion. SAW: The Ride and that whole period finished the family appeal and to resurrect it now will be difficult, I think.
 
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