Brief:
- Six Flags Entertainment partnered with video game maker Atari to showcase the theme park operator's properties in a mobile game. RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch will let players design virtual theme parks that have roller coasters, attractions, restaurants, retail stores and landmarks from real Six Flags parks, according to a company announcement.
- The duo will provide periodic content updates and promotions from Six Flags' in-park Media Networks and from their social channels throughout North America.
- RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch is available for Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and for Android devices.
Insight:
By providing content for Atari's RollerCoaster Tycoon mobile game, Six Flags aims to reach an audience of tech-savvy young people who are key target markets for its theme parks as summer kicks off. The Six Flags content could help to familiarize a new generation with its attractions and 26 parks across North America. Mobile games and social media have become essential marketing channels to reach younger audiences that are less likely than older generations to spend time with traditional media channels like TV and print.
The Six Flags content is another form of native advertising, in which brands create content that engages audiences and helps to cut through the clutter of standard ads. Marketers increasingly are turning to mobile games to reach captive younger audiences through gaming. U.S. spending on in-game ads will grow 16% to $3.25 billion this year from $2.8 billion in 2018, eMarketer forecast. About 2.4 billion people worldwide will play mobile games this year, a massive audience that rivals the reach of social media apps including messaging, researcher Newzoo estimated.
Six Flags has been active on mobile platforms in the past year to reach younger consumers. The company was among the amusement park operators that created geofenced Snapchat Lenses in 2018 to let visitors see augmented reality experiences on a smartphone. The immersive feature was another way to entertain visitors and to preserve their vacation memories with a branded, memorable imprint.
