Agency News

ICON In The News – Final Piece Of Track Installed

Last week saw a significant milestone reached in the development of ICON, Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s new £16.25 million rollercoaster as the final piece of track was installed.

Under the watchful eye of the media, coordianted by Rule 5 and Blackpool Pleasure Beach, the last piece of gleaming grey steel was hoisted into place, completing the 1.14 kilometre track.

The process was conducted by a 50-strong team over a five month period and sees Blackpool Pleasure Beach another step closer to launching what will be the world’s most interactive rollercoaster.

Amanda Thompson OBE, Managing Director at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, commented; “Since construction work began in December 2016 we have seen numerous pieces of material hoisted into position in anticipation of this moment.

“The track comprises of hundreds of tonnes of world-class steel transported from Germany and manufactured using state-of-the-art engineering processes for a smoother, faster and more exhilarating ride than ever experienced before.”

Nick Thompson, Deputy Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, adds; “Today is the culmination of an intense design and engineering process to bring a ride that is the first of its kind to the UK.

“The completion of ICON’s track has been no easy feat, as it loops through and around the Pleasure Beach’s other rides 15 times. To see the track in its entirety is hugely rewarding and brings us a significant step closer to sharing this unique rollercoaster experience with the public in spring 2018.”

Activity saw yet another strong burst of media coverage for ICON, leading the lunchtime and evening news on BBC North West Tonight along with national UK print titles The Sun and MirrorOnline. A wealth of regional, leisure and tourism titles underpinned coverage. ICON will launch in spring 2018.

The PR campaign delivered by Rule 5 and Blackpool Plesure Beach to promote the new rollercoaster, has been nominated for Media Relations Campaign of the Year in the 2018 PRmoment Awards. The same campaign won Best Use of Media Relations at the CIPR NorthWest Awards in 2017.

A Swell of Coverage for Sea Life Manchester

Sea Life Centre Manchester - Loo the terrapin - education on illegal release of unwanted pets

The agency has delivered a swell of national coverage for client Sea Life Manchester and its national terrapin appeal.

The conservation story, Don’t Flush, urged Brits to think twice before buying terrapins as pets, as Sea Life centres are swamped with requests to re-home un-wanted Christmas gifts. Owners are believed to take shocking and unthinkable measures to dispose of the creatures, with terrapins flushed down toilets.

Adding further weight to the campaign, which saw coverage on the world’s most visited news website the MailOnline, alongside the SunOnline, IndependentOnline, AOL, BTonline and a wealth of regional titles, was news that Sea Life Manchester had renamed one of its terrapins Loo. Visitors can see Loo at the Manchester attraction located at Barton Square, Trafford Park.

Speaking on the subject, Alan Kwan, Lead Curator at Sea Life Manchester, said: “People wrongly assume that terrapins are going to be easy to care for. What they don’t realise is that they grow from 3cm in length (hand-sized) to 30cm in length (large dinner plate) and live between 30-50 years.

“Global warming and the resulting rise in temperatures across British waterways is leading to abandoned terrapins breeding and growing in population. Native to Florida, this alien predatory reptile is having a damaging effect on British pondlife and waterfowl with fish, frog, frogspawn and ducklings falling prey.”

Rule 5 co-founder Jules Wilson said: “We were confident of our ability to drive strong coverage with this story, combining hard-hitting conservation messages with creative tactics to maximise reach. The team delivered a brilliant job in what is our first month of work with Sea Life Manchester.”

Rule 5 Scores with Salford Red Devils

The agency Rule 5 has been appointed to work with Super League club Salford Red Devils. The club was recently acquired by a consortium of supporters through a new holding company Salford RD Holdings.

Rule 5 will work with the club to build its regional and national profile and strengthen its links with Salford and the region.

Salford Red Devils Director Andrew Rosler said: “It’s really important for us to work with the local business community so it was exciting to discover an agency based in Salford, recognised for award-winning work nationally and internationally in the sports sector. We’re looking forward to working with Rule 5 to raise the profile of rugby league and cement Salford Red Devils’ position as a real hub of the community. The agency is experienced in the promotion of grass-roots initiatives through to global events and it is this expertise that makes Rule 5 the perfect fit for us.”

Rule 5 Founding Partner Rob Brown added: “Rugby League is exhilarating and uniquely northern. Salford Red Devils is a big club playing at the highest level in the sport. We’re looking forward to enhancing the club’s profile supporting growth and opportunity.”

The announcement is the second major client win for the agency this year after being appointed as the retained communications agency for Sea Life Manchester and Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester.

Gemma Joins Rule 5

The agency has recruited Gemma Cowburn as Account Director to lead its growing consumer PR offer and strengthen the team. Gemma joins from Amaze, a full service digital agency, where she spent eight years working on campaigns for a range of clients including The Saucy Fish Co., Imperial Leather, Manchester City Football Club and Eurocamp.

Gemma’s will lead on consumer PR across a portfolio of food, leisure, tourism and sports related accounts. These will include Park Leisure, Brother UK and Merlin Entertainments, which appointed Rule 5 to work on the Manchester Sea Life and Legoland Discovery Centres, at the start of the year.

Founding Director, Julie Wilson, said: “Gemma joins us at an important time for Rule 5 and we are thrilled to have her on the team.

“We have ambitious plans to build the agency in 2018 and bringing in a senior hire at the start of 2018 is a key part of that strategy. Gemma has extensive experience in the industry, with McCann, TBWA as well as Amaze and will help us to strengthen and grow our offer.”

Gemma said: “I am thrilled to be part of the Media City-based team here at Rule-5, having watched the agency win prestigious awards each year since launching in 2012. Now feels an exciting time in the agency’s milestones to come on board and I look forward to contributing to their award success.”

Rule 5 Appointed By Merlin Entertainments

LEGO Ninjago Banner The agency has won a significant contract with Merlin Entertainments.

The announcement follows a four-way competitive pitch and sees Rule 5 appointed as the retained communications agency for Sea Life Manchester and Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester.

Work is already underway with the team busy developing plans to promote two new features at the popular family attractions, due to launch this spring. The features are the result of a £400k investment and promise to deliver an incredible experience for both first-time and returning guests.

The agency will also be responsible for delivering a sustained national media relations campaign for both attractions and supporting Sea Life Manchester’s acclaimed conservation programme.

Speaking on the announcement Jenn McDonough, General Manager Manchester Cluster, Merlin Entertainments, said: “Sea Life Manchester and Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester are two of our leading attractions and have been inspiring, exciting and educating families for over seven years.

“With the forthcoming launch of two new features the time was right for us to review our marketing approach and appoint a new agency to support us in driving the business forward. It was a competitive process that saw some great pitches but the communications plan presented by Rule 5 was head and shoulders above the rest, combining strong creative ideas with a solid and strategic approach. We really bought into the team.”

Agency Co-Founder Julie Wilson added: “This is a brief we were passionate about winning. The scope of opportunity presented by the attractions, the forthcoming new features and incredible conservation work undertaken by Sea Life Manchester is great and appealed to us both personally and professionally. It’s a privilege to be involved.”

RULE 5