Our partnership with Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts began with launching the organisation’s newest park – Gulliver’s Valley in 2020 – just after Covid-19 left the country reeling from the first lockdown. It has since expanded to help position their four UK theme parks as an integral part of each location’s culture and community and raise the national profile of Gulliver’s as a successful family business.
The brief
To raise the profile of Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts and showcase each resort – Gulliver’s Valley in Rotherham, Gulliver’s Land and Dinosaur & Farm Park in Milton Keynes, Gulliver’s World in Warrington and Gulliver’s Kingdom in Matlock Bath - within their local communities and to a national and regional audience.
Delivery
Community was at the heart of the approach for the work with each resort, both with residents in the immediate area but also with key partners such as the relevant Council and local businesses.
We needed to clearly demonstrate the positive impact the parks have on the areas they are part of, for local people and the economy with the continued creation of job and supply chain opportunities.
As a brand-new park, events for key stakeholder groups were held at Gulliver’s Valley who could come and meet the managing director of Gulliver’s to find out more. We also held sessions with local councillors, MPs and other high-profile people in the region so they could see for themselves the benefits the resort provided.
Crucial to the ongoing work has been showcasing the parks as they have grown and expanded, telling the stories of the amazing team who work at the parks and all their achievements along the way, as well as promoting the stream of charity work, events, activities, accommodation options and milestones across the resorts. We have also created stand-out creative PR campaigns that catch an audience’s imagination and underpin the strategic aims of Gulliver’s.
Another important element has been to raise the profile of the company’s management team as experts in their field and reinforcing their passion for creating magical experiences for families up and down the country, both within the leisure and hospitality industry and to a wider national audience.
Continuing to understand the Gulliver’s customer and what they want from a family day out or short break, as well as the role the Gulliver’s resorts play in the communities they are part of, remains key to the PR strategy.
The results
Our work with Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts has seen the development of a focused and strategic approach to communication, ensuring the company is at the forefront of leisure, tourism and hospitality in the UK and is a trusted voice in the industry.
The launch of Gulliver’s Valley was an incredible success, particularly considering the park opened in the middle of a global pandemic.
Overall, we have achieved national coverage in publications such as The Sun, Evening Standard, The Telegraph, the i Newspaper and Daily Mirror and secured interviews on BBC Radio 4 and 5Live as well as in trade publications such as Bloo Loop and Global Amusements and Play. We’ve hosted live broadcasts from outlets such as ITV and BBC News, and gained extensive local and regional media coverage.
Our work continues to underpin the strategic direction of Gulliver’s and plays a key part in attracting the thousands of visitors that enjoy a day out or short break at the resorts.
