Alton Towers has the hype machine going at full speed as the opening for their much anticipated new roller coaster draws near. Not much is known about Thirteen other than that it’s supposed to be so scary that there will be a controversial age limit. There was also talk of a limit to the times per day one could ride, but I would have to imagine that both of these restrictions will be lifted. They could just be clever hype builders as are these two new ultra-short TV ads.
The ads are so short that they’re called blips or blipverts. At only five seconds, they’ll be sure to get anyone’s attention. Well, as long as they’re actually watching commercials and not fast-forwarding through them on their TiVo or DVR.
WARNING – These ads are scary. If you’re a kid, please get your parents permission before viewing. Disclaimer – The Coaster Critic’s Blog is not responsible for nightmares.
For people expecting to see some of the actual ride, the ads are likely disappointing. With such little known about the ride, Thirteen is in danger of being the most over-hyped, but under-delivering roller coaster in history. Hopefully, Thirteen can deliver when it opens (if it opens on schedule) on March 20th. I’m in the camp that thinks it will be something really great, but I’ve been wrong before.
More at the official Thirteen at Alton Towers website.
UPDATE – 3/20 Thirteen is now open! You can read some early reviews here. Also, Alton Towers has a two longer commercial that show a bit of the drop. The one on the left is pre-watershed meaning it’s okay to run during the day in the U.K. and the one on the right is only approved to be aired after 9 PM. Again, if you’re easily scared, please do not watch. They’re pretty well done!:
What’s Your Take?
What do you think of the blips? Is it clever marketing or just plain annoying? Leave a comment below.
March 12, 2010 at 16:44
i`d say creepey, but not to scary. actualy, the overall ride layout (despite the size) looks similar to bizzaro.
March 12, 2010 at 17:05
Im definatly in the overhyped camp but ill be happy to be proven wrong, I think sadly Alton Towers hayday has now gone and whilst it still has some great rides I think the planning permission problem will stop it from adding anything too amazing anytime soon. Looks like Thorpe Park will take over as the best theme park in the UK soon enough.
March 12, 2010 at 20:12
Have you read about the insurance ticket add-on yet? Now they are just taking things too far.
March 13, 2010 at 19:54
Agreed. And this is probally WAY overhyped.
March 14, 2010 at 04:09
or they may be expecting people to underhype it, then make it seem better.
March 15, 2010 at 16:29
That's a thought. Seems kind of unlikely, though.
March 17, 2010 at 02:00
but a smart company may use it.
March 14, 2010 at 05:06
1. this ride is way over hyped.
2. the ads are not scary
March 17, 2010 at 02:06
1.alton towers dosen`t want adds that will be banned from multiple channles
2.since little information has been given about the ride itself, how are we to know
3.from the pictures of the ride loyout it looksa prettey fun.
March 16, 2010 at 07:03
umm… is ti true about the age restrictions cos it would be a huge waste of money because half the people who go to the park are under 16 so what is the point. Also, i think its really annoying that none of the information has been clarified yet. If you spend all that money to go on the first day its open then find for some unknown reason you can't ride, how annoying would that be. i honestly hope this ride is good because otherwise what was the point??
March 17, 2010 at 02:10
i hope they just drop the bar at: "under 60 inches, i`ll need to see your parents permission before you can get on the ride."
March 16, 2010 at 16:13
I've seen creepier "blipverts" for socks. Yawn. If the commercials say anything about the themeing, it will be bad themeing. And 13 had better be popular since Alton Towers renamed the whole section of the park to The Dark Forest.
March 17, 2010 at 02:11
yeah, sock can be prettey creepey…
March 17, 2010 at 10:47
I didnt think the adverts were as bad as some of you were making out, ok they werent scary but considering they are being played throughout the day here I think they do a good enough job in raising awareness of the ride. Also are there really many rides that are scary in that sense anywhere? Ghost trains and haunted houses on the whole arnt scary.
The hype seems to be working and the only people who will really believe it will be teenagers who will then flood to the park to ride it. Its going to be a success for Alton Towers no matter how good the ride is.
March 17, 2010 at 11:34
at least 12x the dark knight
March 17, 2010 at 13:04
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhtyh3v9Tec
its a link to the thirteen pov, showing off the new element, but the ride looks like a huge letdown
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!
the new element carries the track inside the building down to another level.
March 17, 2010 at 13:05
( the effects were turned off, but it doesnt look like it could help)
March 17, 2010 at 13:53
I wish this was some sort of joke I really do, I knew it wouldnt live upto the hype but this just looks terrible, it sort of reminds me of Experdition Everest but everybody knows that the themeing and story will be nowhere near as good as Disney's.
The drop was very anticlimatic, I read about the world first element some time ago and definatly expected alot more, it didnt really seem big enough to give that great a thrill so its obviously for the shock value and nothing else.
I cant see where the amazing themeing is going to come in other than in the drop section which didnt look very big, I cant see where the £14million has gone.
This looks like a family coaster (which it is) and they have tried to dress it up as a main attraction.
Alton Towers have really dropped the ball with this one, they have focused more on trying to do a world first rather than creating a good ride and I think it may cost them. I was planning on making a trip to AT this year which would have been somewhat out of my way, to ride this ride in particular but now I have seen it I wont be fussed if I cant make the journey.
With "big" attractions like this I cant see Alton Towers staying the UK's best theme park for much longer (many would argue Thorpe park is the best)
March 20, 2010 at 20:03
I just added two more commercials to this post. They're longer and pretty well done. Check them out!
March 21, 2010 at 14:38
I've seen better. The spoilers are lame. They give too much. Yawn.
March 23, 2010 at 02:11
they`re better than the old ones.
March 23, 2010 at 16:03
True, but still, all of them are just trying to scare you, not really advertising the ride untill the end.
March 24, 2010 at 02:12
the lats two weren`t.
January 2, 2011 at 07:45
The MOST annoying thing about the ride is that the drop in the middle is SO small it feels like you just tripped on the floor. Everything else is smooth and well done