Content Creation Agency

PR & Media Relations Agency

Bringing the World’s First Bluey Coaster to Life

objectives

Our campaign turned a worldwide TV sensation into an ownable theme park experience – launching the world’s FIRST Bluey coaster, and reinforcing Alton Towers Resort’s position as one of the UK’s leading family destinations.

When Alton Towers Resort partnered with Ludo Studios and the BBC to bring Bluey’s world to CBeebies Land, the challenge was to transform a globally loved TV brand into an immersive theme park experience that would delight families, generate nationwide awareness and conversation, before a single guest had stepped on board.

Inspired by the fun, chaotic and charming Grannies episode, guests were set to join Bluey and Bingo for an action-packed ride through the Heeler back yard. Our job was to make sure the anticipation matched the adventure delivered on-resort.

PR activity worked in conjunction with ATL and social media activity streams – all in support of a clear commercial ticket sales goal.

Our PR objectives were to:

Build unmissable visibility and hype around the world-first launch, from teaser to turnstiles
Engage families nationwide across national, regional, broadcast and consumer media
Position Alton Towers Resort as the ultimate destination for our target young family audience

Alton Towers Resort’s Senior Communications Manager, Bex Sugand, commented:

“The Smoking Gun team consistently goes above and beyond, bringing an incredible level of passion, commitment and care to everything they do.

“Not only are they a pleasure to work with, but they continually deliver outstanding results. They care deeply about our success, challenge us in the right ways and never stop looking for opportunities to deliver more.”

strategy

Big Imagination, Little Adventures became our creative platform, because that's exactly what Bluey does best.

It turns everyday, ordinary things into extraordinary escapades. Alton Towers Resort is where that imagination becomes real.

Rather than relying on a single launch-day splash, we built a multi-moment campaign engineered for maximum cut-through. Releasing a series of separate and distinct story beats, each with its own angle, asset and audience, timed to build a rolling wave of anticipation rather than a single spike.

This meant every phase of the journey had its own reason to make headlines:

TEASE: the big reveal that got the nation talking
PRE-LAUNCH STUNT: a headline driving spectacle
LAUNCH MONTH ACTIVITY: big reveals and behind the scenes magic

By treating each moment as its own story, we multiplied our opportunities for coverage, kept the narrative fresh for journalists, and built a drumbeat of excitement that grew louder the closer we got to launch.

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execution

Phase 1: Tease

The world’s first Bluey coaster was announced with a bang, securing widespread coverage across national, regional and consumer media. Ride key visuals were teased to give fans a taste of the experience to come, and the official name of the attraction was revealed – sending fans into a frenzy.

Phase 2: Pre-Launch Stunt, The Bluey Bean Portrait

To reveal the launch date in unforgettable style, we called upon Bluey’s love of baked beans to create an unforgettable portrait, using a staggering 11,494 baked bean tins to recreate Bluey in full granny disguise. Measuring 20m x 15m, the portrait was assembled on the lawns of Alton Towers Resort for guests to marvel at, driving further excitement ahead of the launch.

Captured with aerial and broadcast-ready footage, the reveal was a gift for picture editors and news desks alike, creating an unexpected, joyful, only-at-Alton visual.

Phase 3: Launch Month Activity

As excitement reached fever pitch, we activated a packed fortnight of activity designed to keep all eyes on Bluey in the week pre and post launch, each with its own distinct hook:

First Look: an exclusive first look flythrough of the new attraction, Bluey the Ride: Here come the Grannies!, was filled with hidden details and fan-favourite easter eggs

Building Bluey: Broadcast ready visuals told the story of how the ride was constructed over many months, including expert led commentary from Alton’s Senior Project Manager

Press Launch: VIP press event and exclusive first look gave key media the chance to experience Bluey with their families before the general public, resulting in a wave of standout review coverage throughout launch week and beyond

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results

418+ media headlines

generated across the campaign’s phased story beats, from the initial Bluey announcement, through the record-breaking bean portrait stunt, to launch month’s rolling package of activity.

Jaw-dropping visuals

for the UK’s largest baked bean portrait: a headline-writing, 20m x 15m portrait of Bluey that became one of the campaign’s most shared visual moments.

Broadcast success

with standout coverage across both ITV Central’s lunchtime and evening news bulletins, driven by our anticipation-building ‘launching tomorrow’ broadcast package.

Headline-grabbing family appeal

with standout coverage across the Daily Mail, Mirror, Manchester Evening News and Birmingham World, putting the world’s first Bluey coaster in front of families the length and breadth of the country.

A multi-moment campaign that kept on giving

by treating each phase of the journey as its own story, we maximised total campaign reach and kept Bluey and Alton Towers Resort in the headlines from announcement all the way through to launch and beyond.

A world-first, brought to life

Big Imagination. Little Adventures. wasn’t just our creative platform, it became the story of the campaign itself, turning the launch of the world’s first Bluey coaster into a genuine cultural moment for families across the UK.

Our Awards

Why stop at global stardom and incredible sales? When our clients work with us, they get the silverware to boot. We’re not into tooting our own horns, but the awards we’ve won with our clients are too good to miss…