StevenVig Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 The park have posted a new advert for this. Giving us a glimpse into other parts of the ride Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whatever Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 why does everything at Thorpe have to actually look so grim? Both deliberately and non-deliberately mank through a lack of care? All I see in the above ad is every fright nights promotion ever. Coaster, Ringo and Marhelorpe 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshuaA Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 6 hours ago, BaronC. said: I don't see how including live actors in promo material is any different to when Towers did it with Th13teen... Th13teen was slammed for its marketing though throughout the community.. Actually from memory a lot of people were completely left disappointed due to its poor marketing.. They hyped it up as some sort of terrifying and scary attraction despite it being a fairly tame family coaster with a fun drop track section.. I think Merlin are kind of falling into the same bad marketing route that made Th13teen such a over-hyped mess (and I like Th13teen) 6 hours ago, BaronC. said: Find it funny how people moan about Merlin adding and relying and live action experiences, then when they add one which doesn't, people still moan. I think with those kind of experiences its really a ticking time bomb until they close.. Or they have the actors ripped out because of budget cuts (Sub Terra..) In the Ghost Train's case I think its actually kind of hilarious that the ride has such a budget but most of its most exciting moments come from actors poking your knees.. I think its a much more smart move to invest like BPB for example and to add a Skyforce or Icon every decade instead of throwing money on countless investments that are tasteless and will be scrap metal in a few years.. Ringo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringo Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 I don’t complain when Merlin add actors to attractions but it’s very misleading to include actors in PR especially when claiming this is the scariest ride in the world* (*Jordan’s claim not mine and she’s the parks official ride tester) and then have the resort inform us the attraction features no actors. 15 out of 10 on the scare scale... that claim says everything about this rebrand. * https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/thorpe-park-walking-dead-ride-14373522 Quote Thorpe Park's The Walking Dead ride has been named the scariest in the world by a rollercoaster enthusiast who has ridden 840 coasters globally. Jordan Middleton, 27, from Kingston , was one of the first to test out the new rollercoaster, the world’s first to be themed around the global TV phenomenon. Coaster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark9 Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 14 hours ago, StevenVig said: The park have posted a new advert for this. Giving us a glimpse into other parts of the ride I mean, where to begin. It's so brilliantly amateur. The worst part is knowing this is going to boost attendance massively and is going to be the most successful ride since Storm Surge. Ah well, it's the ride the British public deserve. TraX 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPC Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 I have a strong feeling this won't help attendance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted March 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 9 minutes ago, TPC said: I have a strong feeling this won't help attendance. The retheme by itself? Probably not. The whole 'Year of The Walking Dead', huge push on Annual Passes, multiple events throughout the year, and lack of anything of note in the south part of the country? That will, almost definitely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuntman707 Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 Yeah that’s the problem. Merlin don’t really have any competition with Thorpe so they can be complacent with mediocre investment and maintenance. Sure there are a few other parks nearby but nothing on Thorpes scale. At least at Towers, they have BPB to worry about especially since I think many thrill seekers are going to return there this year instead of Towers for Icon. Hence all the new entrance work and heavy theming on WM. Competition is good and something that’s missing in the south. pluk and Marhelorpe 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 New clip needs more Jordan thingy. Totally not going to get bored of seeing her "acting" in press photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetEchoes Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 27 minutes ago, MattyMoo said: New clip needs more Jordan thingy. Totally not going to get bored of seeing her "acting" in press photos. I have a general problem with parks using theme park bloggers/vloggers to advertise rides. They are never going to say anything negative, as they feel important being invited to ride the ride/get exclusive shots and info. Will never give a honest opinion even when just generally uploading content incase they dont get invited back next time around so you loose that honest opinion part of their content Marhelorpe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringo Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 1 hour ago, GetEchoes said: I have a general problem with parks using theme park bloggers/vloggers to advertise rides. They are never going to say anything negative, as they feel important being invited to ride the ride/get exclusive shots and info. Will never give a honest opinion even when just generally uploading content incase they dont get invited back next time around so you loose that honest opinion part of their content That’s true and not forgetting Jordan is also a Thorpe Park employee, who also wouldn’t be negative about anything. Marhelorpe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 Can say that about any product, even more annoying now that many YouTube vids now have adverts built into them because sensible people block them... Ringo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega-Lite Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 Still don't give a crap about this thing and that teaser is so low budget it's almost funny. A fairly interesting point has been raised with Jordan though. Is it considered selling out when a well travelled theme park "blogger" is now in a job which publicly requires her to up sell Thorpe Park and presumably go against her own opinions in order to keep a job that feeds her ego by giving her inside information? There's no way I'd be able to be like that. When I worked for Merlin before I was very outspoken with my opinions and if that rubbed anyone the wrong way, so be it. Although I did just amuse myself thinking of me sitting in the X car surrounded by zombies, head in hands with disappointment... pluk, Coaster and JoshuaA 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted March 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 Jordan has worked for Merlin, more specifically, Thorpe, since 2015 (she has said so in comments on her blog). That actually predates when her blog really kicked off. As I'm sure many have realised, Merlin, though again more specifically Thorpe, love to do these stories where they give someone a very specific, crazy-sounding job. They did it in 2009, where they gave some bloke a 'sick cleaner for Saw' role, coaster testers in around 2012 for Swarm, etc. Chessington do it with their zoo too. Towers did it when they launched Th13teen too, with another "roller coaster expert turned tester". The stunt with Jordan is no different - they've got someone to pretend they've got this awesome job, so they'll get people talking. Instead of focusing on the ride, they focused on Jordan's expertise, so when people read the article, they think "wow, she's done a lot, and she thinks this new thing is great - let's go". It's as simple as that. It just so happens they had someone who would fit the role of a 'roller coaster expert' working at the park, so it's easier to get her to talk about real things than make something up. It also happens she has a blog on theme parks too. If anyone reads Jordan's blog, you'll realise she rarely posts anything negative about any parks. As is common with many small-scale blogs, they post positive stuff only, and add a personal touch by saying whether they like it or not. They may have plenty of negative thoughts too, but it gets them nowhere posting them, as there's far too many criticism blogs (constructive or otherwise) out there. We at TPM actually had an interview with Jordan back in November if anyone is interested in giving it another read - https://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/articles/27-11-2017/Jordan+Middleton+Q+and+A Tl;dr - People can keep their professional and personal opinions seperate if they choose to. Try not to be so pessimistic guys! Also a gentle mod-type comment: we at TPM love to keep conversation flowing and don't like to discourage people sharing their opinions, but try to keep things not-rude, especially as we're talking about a person within the community who can't really defend themselves. Cheers. Matt A and Ringo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marhelorpe Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 12 hours ago, BaronC. said: If anyone reads Jordan's blog, you'll realise she rarely posts anything negative about any parks. As is common with many small-scale blogs, they post positive stuff only, and add a personal touch by saying whether they like it or not. They may have plenty of negative thoughts too, but it gets them nowhere posting them, as there's far too many criticism blogs (constructive or otherwise) out there. Maybe I’m seeing this all wrong, but what exactly do you mean posting negative, or as I like to call it, “honest” thoughts about something doesn’t get you anywhere? Whilst I understand to a certain degree if someone is in the park’s/company’s good graces they are limited in what they really want to say without making the product look bad, it’s these kind of reviews and thoughts I do not trust one single bit. I’m not picking on anyone here individually, but as a whole, if the reviewer cannot be honest with themselves or the people they share these thoughts with, how can I trust a word I hear from them in the future when their integrity is being put on the line? To me, if you are honest with your readers/viewers and spell out all the good and bad things about an attraction with no filter or restrictions in place, that to me is a proper review that deserves to be respected, especially if you are in a position of influence like Jordan and other bloggers/YouTubers are. A very recent example of where I have an issue with reading/seeing reviews from all these bloggers and YouTubers is from Wicker Man’s media event last Friday. After seeing multiple videos from the lucky few who were there that day, I was getting annoyed by so many making claims I frankly find hard to believe, one being “this is the best ride in the country”. Hey, maybe that is their true opinion, but this goes back to the point I’m making - how am I supposed to know what they are saying is true or not if they are towing the company’s line, hence the invite they got to the event? The same is very likely going to happen here again with WD: The Ride on it’s media night, which is why I’m not buying into any of this marketing guff until I try it myself and will therefore be ignoring all the reviews from everyone that day. To me, I am far more interested in reading and watching opinions from those who: 1) Didn’t get an invite to a fancy press event.2) Spent their own money and time on the product. 3) Give their opinions in an unfiltered perspective. TLDR - I value honesty and integrity in my reviews above dishonesty and popularity, regardless of how controversial or unpopular it might be at times. That to me is the true mark of a proper and fair review. Mer, pluk, Mega-Lite and 4 others 5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 If the video is sponsored or they've been invited to an event/test/etc. it's bound to be overwhelmingly positive... Unfortunately if you want the deals (freebies) and monies you gotta go really over the top about these things, which is a shame because it means a reduction in 'true' opinions... Ringo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted March 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 Sorry, I didn't word it particularly well, so just to clarify what I was trying to say. There are plenty of places where people can discuss their honest views. Forums, social media, blogs, vlogs, etc all exist, and all have people sharing their honest opinions on various topics. So if you want to find out people's opinions, you visit those places, maybe follow particular people who you're interested in hearing from, and go from there. But if you're trying to set up a small scale blog, how many people are going to be interested in signing up / following for you to just give the same old opinion they can get in bucketloads elsewhere? Unless you've got a very good, persuasive opinion, not many. So if you create a blog which focuses just on the positives, it helps give the blog a bit more purpose (and a break from negative stuff), seperates you from the crowd a bit and helps build relationships with parks. You don't have to lie either. Say you hated a certain ride, you just don't talk about. Say you find a ride boring to ride, but beautiful to look at, focus on the aesthetics and write a blog about rides that look good. It all helps in creating a unique brand for a blog. The minute you start looking at negatives too, you're just another person sharing an opinion on stuff. It gives you less views, less of a following, less park connections, etc. That's why it gets them nowhere. For the record, I totally agree with you about not trusting some blogs' views. Some blogs' are effectively free marketing tools for parks - they say the best things about parks, and all those parks have to do is let them go on a ride a day early and give out some free food. Other blogs and sites are a lot more selective with how they present their opinions (or are like us and just provide news! ), which is fine. It's simply a case of trying to figure out which sites you like best because you feel you can relate to their style! We try our best to just provide facts and unbiased opinions, as well as short reviews on the site. No doubt as people are aware, we go along to some preview events - we never like to base our opinions of attractions on these preview events, as there's always a bit of a buzz around them. Equally, we always give honest feedback to the parks about them, as well as what we'd like to see. I'm sure there's other sites like us too (though obviously not as good as us ) Ringo, Marhelorpe and pluk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuntman707 Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 Generally I don’t like press events as they usually mis-represent the ride by adding extra effects, entertainers and actors. It’s not how the ride is operated on a standard day. Sure it would be great to ride the Wickerman in the dark with lasers and fire jugglers but if you really want to review a new ride honestly, you have to go on a standard day and queue along with the general public. That to me is the honest experience for the average guest. Coaster and Marhelorpe 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenVig Posted March 23, 2018 Report Share Posted March 23, 2018 Taken just moments ago and sent to me, this is the current state of the ride. Looks like the barbed wire is yet to go up, and the outside queue line has been massively extended. Spoiler tag added to stop people crying Spoiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudToServe Posted March 23, 2018 Report Share Posted March 23, 2018 22 minutes ago, StevenVig said: Taken just moments ago and sent to me, this is the current state of the ride. Looks like the barbed wire is yet to go up, and the outside queue line has been massively extended. Spoiler tag added to stop people crying Hide contents Yet some fan pages claim to have been through the whole attraction, been on the ride, in the latest marketing stint. Do I smell something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted March 23, 2018 Report Share Posted March 23, 2018 8 minutes ago, ProudToServe said: Yet some fan pages claim to have been through the whole attraction, been on the ride, in the latest marketing stint. Do I smell something? Probably the smell buckets, they'll fade away soon enough when they've emptied and not been refilled... StevenVig 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringo Posted March 23, 2018 Report Share Posted March 23, 2018 There is currently a film crew on site... photo courtsey of Theme Park Guide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted March 23, 2018 Report Share Posted March 23, 2018 Looks so terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshuaA Posted March 23, 2018 Report Share Posted March 23, 2018 Isn't this supposed to open in like a week or so? The exterior barely looks like they have started work on it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasher2001 Posted March 23, 2018 Report Share Posted March 23, 2018 I hope the Walking Dead ride is open next Friday (30th march) it should ge in theory because press night is on 29th and a ride should open after press night ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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