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Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Makes A Splash In Its First Chicago Summer

Challenge

With 25 waterslides, the world’s largest water playground and a half-million-gallon wave pool, Six Flags Great America’s new water park, Hurricane Harbor, was counting on the largest expansion in the theme park’s 29-year history to jump start attendance and increase season pass sales, which for years had been flat.  Faced with strong competition from established water parks in Wisconsin and sprawling new community pools opening across Chicagoland, the challenge was to create an integrated marketing communications plan to establish Six Flags Hurricane Harbor as the must-do family vacation destination for the summer.

At the heart of the plan, an aggressive five-month public relations campaign was designed to generate buzz around the Midwest leading up to a Memorial Day weekend grand opening.  Stories about the new water park needed to convey its value and superiority to other water parks, as well as summer entertainment options, such as Navy Pier, Chicago’s world-class museums and baseball teams, among others. Motivating media to travel 40 miles north of downtown Chicago (where most news organizations are headquartered) to cover the park presented an obstacle, but one overcome by a series of solid stories that reporters didn't want to miss.

Action

PCI developed a six-month plan that hit its peak with the park's grand opening over Memorial Day weekend, and continued into the early summer months. The communications team defined messages and concentrated on working with media in the Chicago/Milwaukee metropolitan areas, in downstate Illinois/upstate Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio.

PCI generated interest in the water park early on with important Chicago publications, and began contacting long lead and travel publications four months before the opening to generate advance ticket sales. In the 60-days before opening, PCI coordinated a 13-city, Midwestern media tour for Six Flags spokespeople, who blanketed target markets with advance ticket purchase information and invited media to attend the opening in person or by satellite.

Using its proprietary software, PCI developed an online media kit (OMK) to provide reporters easy access to releases on Hurricane Harbor developments, background information, pictures and video.

Advance stories were generated through hard-hat tours for media to preview construction on the 13-acre park and fact sheets that quantified the size, weight and other characteristics of the park and its attractions – especially Skull Island, which would be the world's largest interactive water playground.

The PCI media team set up plaza visits in downtown Chicago in front of TV station studios so morning shows could feature the delivery of the giant skull that would top Skull Island. After stopping to do retail promotions and visit a local elementary school, the skull and the Six Flags team, including WB character Bugs Bunny, made their way to their final destination, Hurricane Harbor. PCI capped off the day by distributing photos to media of the final skull installation atop its island.

Coverage peaked just days before the Grand Opening when more than 100 local and regional media came to the park to attend a preview day. Six Flags accommodated scores of non-attending TV stations by providing two satellite hook-ups that enabled them to conduct live interviews from the water park. More than 300 kids were brought in to play for the cameras and be available for interviews. Six Flags and PCI staff coordinated reporters’ requests, which included everything from tasting Caribbean treats featured at the park, to sliding down one of the many water slides or taking a leisurely ride on Castaway Creek.

Opening Day festivities gave media another opportunity to experience and publicize Hurricane Harbor, and a remarkable number of reporters returned for the event. A “First Family” took the first rides and served as special spokespersons for the day. B-roll was hand-delivered to local stations and fed to others, and park spokespersons manned the phones as radio and print interview requests streamed in.

Results

PCI assisted in generating more than 500 media placements from February through June, reaching an estimated audience of more than 169 million. Coverage of Media Day alone reached more than 37 million people through 232 media placements. There was blanket coverage in Chicago and Milwaukee – from both print and broadcast outlets.

National coverage was also secured with placements on CNN, national Fox News, and the Associated Press. There was significant exposure in targeted Midwest markets, including in Madison, the Quad Cites, and South Bend, among others. Six Flags credited public relations for record breaking advance ticket sales.

When the gates opened Memorial Day weekend, people packed the water park and then set a 29-year attendance record for June. The crowds continued through the summer, breaking season-long attendance figures as well.

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