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ICON In The News – Final Piece Of Track Installed

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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.

Rule 5 Enjoys Global Recognition in The Drum Network Awards

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The agency is thrilled to have been nominated in The Drum Network Awards.

The shortlist, announced today (Wednesday October 25), sees Rule 5 recognised in the Best Leisure and Tourism Campaign category for its work with Blackpool Pleasure Beach. 

The nominated campaign, An Icon is Born, saw the name of the amusement park’s much anticipated new £16.25m rollercoaster, ICON, unveiled to the press, and commanded headlines nationwide.

Speaking on the nomination, Rule 5 Founding Director Jules Wilson said: “Our smiles say it all, we’re absolutely over the moon to feature.  The campaign was a fantastic team effort and it’s brilliant to see the hard work of everyone involved acknowledged, not just here in the UK but on a global platform too.”

The Drum Network Awards recognise excellent marketing and strategic work created by agencies around the world, rewarding agencies who push the boundaries and demonstrate impressive growth despite uncertain times.

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square on November 28.

It is the fourth awards nomination for the campaign this year, with Rule 5 and Blackpool Pleasure Beach also nominated in the Northern Marketing Awards and the CIPR PRide Awards (x2).

 

 

 

 

 

A New ICON For Blackpool Pleasure Beach

It’s not every day you get to work with an ICON but we were pleased to do just that when we unveiled the name of Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s new £16.25 million rollercoaster  – Icon – to the press.

Revealed in a dramatic sizzle – a movie-style promotional trailer, adrenaline enthusiasts were treated to a taste of what will be the world’s most exciting rollercoaster, featuring 15 interactions with other rides at the famous amusement park.

Unveiling more than just the name of the rollercoaster, the sizzle provided a first look at the design, with a state-of-the-art computer generated image revealing anthracite columns combined with a high-shine steel track.  A CGI film took viewers on the ICON journey as it powers through, over and around other rides including The Big One.

An incredible show of coverage was enjoyed and saw:

  • Ten national features including: the world’s most visited news website, the MailOnline, the SunOnline, The Sun, Mirror.co.uk, i news, Metro, Metro.co.uk, the EveningStandard, the Daily Record and the Daily Star
  • The news carried on every single ITV North West news bulletin with a combined reach of over 3,960,000 people
  • Over 190 regional articles
  • Exposure in all core trade press

At the time of writing print coverage alone saw a reach of over 18.3m people.  The sizzle, posted on Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s Facebook page had been seen by over  408,000 people, driven 3,600 shares and 4,300 engagements.

Speaking on the name unveil, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Managing Director Amanda Thompson OBE, added: “ICON is going to be one of the most talked about, iconic rollercoasters of the future.  The name speaks for itself as it will be one of the most iconic rides on the planet

“This is Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s biggest investment to date and will have a real impact on the town and region as a whole.”

ICON will launch in 2018.