Alton Towers in TV sponsorship firsts

Alton Towers is to sponsor Sky factual entertainment show Brainiac. It is the first time the programme has been sponsored, and the first time a theme park has sponsored a television show.

Brainiac, which conducts scientific experiments in an offbeat way, runs from tomorrow (Thursday) until September. Alton Towers, which is owned by Tussauds Group, hopes the sponsorship will help reposition it as a destination for all the family.

The sponsorship has been negotiated by Manning Gottlieb OMD, which has also worked with other Tussauds Group destinations including Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures. Thorpe Park sponsored the Richard Bacon Show on Capital Radio, while the activity for Chessington ran on Nick Snaith’s afternoon show on Heart 106.2.

The Brainiac sponsorship will feature creative idents by TBWA/London. The activity encompasses both the park and the hotel, which have until now been treated separately in the brand’s marketing.

Head of sales and marketing at Alton Towers Mark Fells says: “Brainiac is one of the most-watched shows among our target consumers. It has that irreverent, quirky approach that matches the way we like to do things.”

Manning Gottlieb OMD has been working with Tussauds Group for a number of years, and recently added Warwick Castle to its portfolio of Tussauds businesses.