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What do you lose when you advertise on a roller coaster?

Hyde

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Advertising space on roller coasters has always been a hot button issue of ethics. But when you are riding the ride, you rarely come in contact with the advertising material (as it is often plastered on the side of the coaster train), so what is truly lost with advertising space?
 
The look of the trains? Personally, I find the advertising to look cheap and tacky, and takes away from the ability for a ride to be photographed, especially when those trains are on the track, but in terms of the park, they are just getting money off of it, and if it ruins a picture or two, so what, they are making more money, which is a plus for them.

So really nothing once you step foot onto the ride.
 
The serious answer; Nothing, at all. I totally understand why they do it too, the money involved is of a seriously good value.

My opinion; Everything in terms of aesthetics. If you're trying to perceive a theme of a certain ride, wether or not that may be a big factor of the ride, or even just an under-lying theme, it doesn't matter. I don't understand how you can portray a certain theme and narrative when you're plastering Hair Products on the side of the cars. It's like, "Wow, that's a cool mine train, oh, I forgot, I need to go to the shop to buy some Shampoo". It just doesn't fit at all.

A lot of Theme Parks are trying to make their guests escape their normal lives, just for a few hours and enjoy the thrills and spills of their rides. Advertising outside products will suspend that disbelief, even just for a few minutes, but it's defeating the objective of the parks aims.
 
Are there even that many themed coasters that have the adverts splashed up the sides though? The only ones I can think of are just generic-looking coasters anyway. Oh, and don't try and tell me El Toro is themed because of the bull horns on the trains because it's not.

Sure, it still looks **** ing awful, but plastering an ad on the side on an old Arrow looper, for example, with no theme isn't really taking anything away from it.
 
^Yes, but ride sponsorship is not the same as slapping a massive, hideously-coloured billboard all over the train.
 
Hyde's right. When you ride the coaster, you rarely come into contact with advertisements. However, when you approach the ride, queue for it and wait next in line at the airgates, you'll see the advertisements. If you see a coaster in action, what are you looking at? The trains or the track?

Some coaster trains can look quite good if subtly themed to the sponsor. I liked the Irn Bru theme colours on Revolution at Blackpool.

I don't think anything is ultimately lost because the ride will speak for itself, not a dash of eye shadow and lipstick.
 
The moment a park charged you £2 for a small Coke or £3 for half-cooked chips, integrity was lost. So why not go the whole hog and get money from advertising too?

Though to be fair, it does look dreadful if done badly, but the parks who have done it badly aren't parks that you associate with great theming anyway (other than that ill-conceived Fanta thing on Oblivion).

So yeah, what do you expect and how much does it really affect the ride?
 
KingdaKa, has Schwarzkopf hairspray advertisements plastered on a train or two. These didn't bother me for the fact there was no theme to the ride (bamboo and rocks is not theming enough to warrant an immersive experience).
It was relevant advertising, so it didn't bother me further. As someone who uses lots of hairspray, if I didn't already use that product, I'd consider buying it, as it was showcasing the hairspray as able to hold hair through rides as fast as Ka (and anyone that's ridden a coaster with me knows how much I question the status of the quiff after a ride).


So yes, the advertising worked for me, kudos to the park. But in reality, to those that don't give a **** about hairspray? They were too distracted by the 456ft tower riders were being flung up.


My opinion? If it doesn't effect the rides image or immersive experience of the ride? Why not. obviously it'd be better to use some sort of billboard near the ride or station, but hey.
 
Ok so if there's no theme already then it doesn't detract. I didn't really care about the advert on Ka. Painting Blivy orange however...
 
I just think they're ugly, and it annoys me, the same as the way the new Intamin track is ugly. I think the fact that it is an advertisement is irrelevant, if something is going to uglify the ride then it's going to be conspicuous and annoying, particularly to picky enthusiasts ;]
 
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