Content Creation Agency

PR & Reputation Management Company

Social Media Marketing Agency

Nemesis – Alton Towers Resort

objectives

WINNER OF 16 INDUSTRY AWARDS 2023

When the world famous Alton Towers Resort partnered with Smoking Gun to help deliver PR and social media, within integrated marketing communications, for its upcoming campaigns, Smoking Gun couldn’t wait to deliver on its ‘thrilliant’ brief.

The task focused on specific attractions – including the legendary Nemesis – which was set to temporarily close to undergo an exciting redevelopment. But with the Resort’s hardcore following and Nemesis’ unprecedented cult fandom, how we told the story and left the audience feeling was everything.

Seeking to drive talkability and excitement through thrill-inducing content, media headlines and on park experiences, we wanted to engage a range of stakeholder groups, from enthusiasts to families, thrillseekers to staycationers. Whether they were at the Resort or not.

The campaign achieved outstanding results, driving hundreds of headlines and unprecedented levels of UGC – leaving fans proclaiming “the marketing for Nemesis is better than anything from Disney!”

Alton Towers’ Head of Marketing commented:

“What started off as a one-off strategic planning project has quickly blossomed into a much wider partnership. We were very clear on what we needed from our agency partner to help support us through arguably the busiest couple of years in the Resort’s history. The Smoking Gun team has ticked all the boxes, marrying expertise with commercial nous and a genuine knowledge and passion for the Resort.

The agency has shown fantastic integration with other partners and has delivered outstanding results..”
The judges at PRMoment commented:

“Expertly managed comms. Simple. What could have easily been a backlash/disaster for Alton Towers looks like it was dealt with creativity, humour and deserved send-off. Clearly delivered, clearly a thrilled client.”

strategy

As such a famous and popular attraction, we needed to do justice to the iconic Nemesis and give its last ride as much drama, intrigue and anticipation as its first - putting rollercoaster super fans right at the centre.

Working closely with other agency partners, TBWA MCR and Wavemaker, and the Alton Towers Resort PR and marketing team, Smoking Gun stepped on board right from the strategic planning.

We told the story of the secretive Phalanx organisation, who were closing Nemesis for investigation due to ‘the beast’s abnormal behaviour’. Fans were urged to claim their last heart-pumping ride and a revamp was teased for 2024.

Offering an exclusive experience and newsworthy content, we were able to bring the media along for the ride as part of the strategy, as well as inviting UGC through social media channels.

execution

We teased out our announcement in various stages, taking every opportunity to build the drama and opportunities for fans to engage.

Nemesis’ mysterious closure was announced in posters around the Resort and through video content across digital channels, all building suspense and excitement. Teaser messages and news angles were shared with the media and exclusive filming opportunities were offered to broadcast.

As part of our fan-first strategy, we launched a competition giving super fans the exclusive ‘last chance to ride’ alongside Nemesis creator, John Wardley – no celebrities, no suits. This gained further press attention and mass social media engagement.

UGC exploded as fans speculated as to what was happening. The hero video was supported by other behind-the-scenes reels and countdowns to build the narrative layer by layer and leave fans wanting more.

results

SOLD OUT final weekend

with all KPIs exceeded.

500,000 video views

More than 500,000 video views and 50,000 social engagements. Thousands of social comments within minutes of posts going live.

Unprecedented levels of UGC

and comments to the tune of – ‘This is why I love Alton Towers’ and ‘Hats off to whoever planned the Nemesis closure stuff, very clever’.

350 media hits

with features in The Sunday Times, Metro, The Sun, MailOnline, Heat and LADbible. News packages secured on BBC Breakfast and ITV News, plus a series of radio interviews capturing key messaging across nationals such as Radio2, 4 & 5Live – plus dozens of commercial stations.

Hundreds of backlinks

from high domain authority online media sites (present in 90% of coverage).

15,000

email addresses captured for remarketing.

Award winner

Winner of 16 peer-judged industry accolades for creativity and business impact.