If you’re like most people, Six Flags probably isn’t the first theme park to spring to mind when you think about advertising. However, for a brief period in the 1990s, Six Flags came up with an idea that actually worked — and it still holds up nearly two decades later.
In early 1990, Six Flags had just completed its purchase of Paramount Parks (the owner of Magic Mountain and several other amusement parks). In conjunction with this acquisition, Six Flags was now operating 22 theme parks across the United States under one brand. With a combined 1,094 acres of space, six themeparks were more than enough for one company. And so with this Six Flags/Paramount merger came a new marketing campaign — one that even today is as fresh as it is genius.
The campaign was called Raging Bull: The Movie Experience. It was based on the popular commercial series by Arnold Schwarznegger called Blow-Up Your Budget: How To Spend $100 On A Camera That Will Sell For $1 Million (Or More). It loaded SixflagsThemeParks.com
Watch the video
:
https://youtu.be/j2L-dM0bD6U
How to Recreate the Six Flags Commercial
If you’re like most people, Six Flags probably isn’t the first theme park to spring to mind when you think about advertising. However, for a brief period in the 1990s, Six Flags came up with an idea that actually worked — and it still holds up nearly two decades later.
In early 1990, Six Flags had just completed its purchase of Paramount Parks (the owner of Magic Mountain and several other amusement parks). In conjunction with this acquisition, Six Flags was now operating 22 theme parks across the United States under one brand. With a combined 1,094 acres of space, six themeparks were more than enough for one company. And so with this Six Flags/Paramount merger came a new marketing campaign — one that even today is as fresh as it is genius.
The campaign was called Raging Bull: The Movie Experience. It was based on the popular commercial series by Arnold Schwarznegger called Blow-Up Your Budget: How To Spend $100 On A Camera That Will Sell For $1 Million (Or More). It loaded SixflagsThemeParks.com
Learn the script
The memorable commercial was a tongue-in-cheek approach that poked fun at the rich and famous. The Six Flags employees take you on a journey through some of their parks, including the world’s largest roller coaster, Kingda Ka. And then they show you what it would be like if these extreme rides were available in your backyard.
They offer some of the most famous attractions from their parks as virtual reality rides to show how they could be enjoyed with just a few tweaks:
“How about this for your backyard? A replica of the Matterhorn with an added grade. Perhaps a canyon.”
“A replica of Splash Mountain without any water needed.”
“How about this one? How about we have a roller coaster with tiger cages on both ends and you get to ride it upside down?”
If you want to recreate this campaign, all you need are some big budgets and imagination.
Create a list of characters and prop ideas
for the commercial
The commercial begins with an all-too-familiar voiceover: “I love photography. But… I hate spending money.” This is followed by a montage of shots from some of the most iconic moments in film history, including Breakfast At Tiffany’s, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Jaws.
After this basic premise is laid down, the spot shows images of various iconic and sometimes more questionable moments in cinema as “postcard” style photographs. The commercial then segues into a brief scene with one of the Six Flags employees who explains that a company photo shoot is taking place at the park today. This bit only lasts for a few seconds before we’re back to listening to that famous voiceover — this time with images of clear skies and bright sun shining on the park grounds.
This sets up an idea that one can recreate these postcards. As you watch it again or if you’ve seen it before, pay attention to what’s going on around you — whether it be people enjoying themselves or just your environment — and see if you can capture any of those images in your camera as well.
Write the copy for your TV commercial
Raging Bull: The Movie Experience
This is the new Six Flags Theme Park.
Featuring more than 100 rides and attractions, there’s something for everyone — including our retail outlets.
It’s the ultimate vacation getaway! Bring your family to the fun that never stops.
We’ve got everything from the best of Hollywood-style entertainment to exciting water parks and attractions for thrill seekers!
Come visit us this summer. We’re waiting with open arms.
Final step: Produce the ad and publish it to YouTube
The final step of the campaign was to produce and release an ad. Six Flags created a commercial that showed how easy it is to blow away your budget on the latest, greatest theme park within the Six Flags network. It showed a family in their kitchen talking about their plans for a visit to one of the parks. They then spend hours trying to find out what they’ll be able to afford, with no success until they discover Raging Bull: The Movie Experience. The commercial ends happily with a montage of scenes from Six Flags parks and laughter as they leave their living room after finding out that their dream vacation could be possible.
BONUS TIP
: Make Your Own Six Flags Commercial
If you want to recreate the Six Flags commercial, you can follow the steps below.
Step 1: Show a picture of someone laughing and having a good time with their friends at Six Flags.
Step 2: Add text that says, “Six Flags is calling all of your friends to come have an awesome day of fun with us.”
Step 3: Add some more text that says, “This weekend only — get up to 40% off admission when using this coupon code!”
Step 4: Add some text that says, “Coupon expires on Saturday!”
That’s it! If you want to create your own commercial for Six Flags, do it! The internet is full of hilarious videos that are just waiting for you to take them.
