Promo - March 2008 - (Page 12)

THEY’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE Six Flags to entertain and market to captive audiences/Richard Tedesco Amusement parks typically bring to mind images of endlessly long ride lines with kids on the verge of meltdown on the hottest day of the year. At Six Flags parks next summer a 45foot plasma screen featuring clips from feature films and video games will help pass the time. The 21-park chain is talking to movie studios and video game publishers about offering that kind of content with Bluetooth capabilities to enable downloads. And the content rotation on those screens will also carry ads. It’s all part of a new media strategy to keep the patrons entertained and informed as they wait in line, while giving sponsors other avenues to deliver impressions. That’s the overall objective of the newly created Six Flags Media Networks unit. “Streamline it, keep it endemic to the theming in the park, give better information to the guests and create more advertising opportunities for our partners,” says David McKillips, Six Flags vice president of corporate alliances. Geico and Heinz—using the “Worth the Wait” tagline—are new advertisers signed up for the waiting-line exposure. Six Flags started testing the concept in some parks last summer. “It’s a benefit to our guests during their dwell time of waiting on the line,” McKillips says. Marquee advertising in all areas of the parks will plug consumer offers, special events and also offer advertising opportunities. Six Flags’ Chicago location will be the first to feature the Lines like this one are common at Six Flags. New signage will keep patrons informed and entertained as they endure the wait. UGC? DJA! User-Generated Content Promotions are the hottest thing on the internet so go with the UGC experts! NEW YORK: 631.454.1800 � CALIFORNIA: 818.508.3000 www.dja.com � E-mail: information@dja.com CONSIDERING CALL marquees, with expansion of the feature to follow in other parks. The marquees will also offer alerts about text messaging chances to win season passes, free rides, front-of-theline access and other prizes. And the screen displays will enable Six Flags sponsors to parse their messages demographically. “The new media offerings will help advertisers pinpoint their advertising to their particular target,” McKillips says. Six Flags has existing relationships with several sponsors, including CocaCola, Papa John’s Pizza, Schwarzkopf & Henkel’s hair gels and Starburst. It also has a licensing deal with Warner Bros., with Batman, Superman and Justice League characters playing roles in themed rides at the parks. Sponsors of park attractions will also be sponsoring virtual video renderings of the rides on the Six Flags Web site (www.sixflags.com). Starburst is title sponsor of a concert series in seven markets. Customers who buy two bags of Starburst gain access to a VIP section for the concerts, and Starburst runs sweepstakes at the venues to sweeten the experience. L.A. Looks, another Schwarzkopf & Henkel brand, is presenting sponsor of a Six Flags Latino Festival at several parks. Another brand, Smooth & Shine, sponsors the World Street Ball Championships tournament at Six Flags P America in Washington, D.C. l http://lags.com http://www.dja.com http://www.dja.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - March 2008

Promo - March 2008 Editor's Note Girls' Club New Eco Regs? They're Not Going Anywhere Spreads Easily RFID Ramp-Up From Backyard to Broadcast Commentary VROOOM! Stuff We Can't Do Here Yet Q&A: Measuring Up Free Ink The Agency Center Resource Center Promotions 2.0 Index of Advertisers

Promo - March 2008

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