What...
On October 31, 2003, Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower launched a mega thrill ride called X Scream. X Scream is an open vehicle that holds eight passengers in “escape proof” seats. The vehicle is attached to a pivoting track that propels the passenger vehicle over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower at 30 miles per hour. The vehicle travels approximately 27 feet over the edge and riders experience free-fall maneuvers while racing back and forth repeatedly from the edge. The ride sits atop the Stratosphere’s Observation deck 900 feet above Las Vegas Boulevard, “The Strip.”

Research...
Our first task was to identify leaders and journalists in the thrill ride industry, research 2003 thrill ride launches and the targeted demographic to create a grassroots buzz within the thrill ride community. In conjunction with Interactive Rides, the builder of the X Scream project, we utilized the expertise of Bill Linkenheimer, past president of American Coaster Enthusiasts, as a conduit to the close-knit rollercoaster enthusiast community. We quoted Linkenheimer in the initial release to gain more credibility in which he stated how “insane” the ride will be and “how it will be another reason for thrill seekers to visit the Stratosphere.” Research showed that the rollercoaster enthusiast/thrill seeker is a younger demographic that is computer literate and Internet savvy. To capitalize on this fact, we developed a Web-based PR campaign and call-to-action in addition to our strategic media relations campaign.

Research also showed that the majority of thrill rides in mega amusement parks such as Marine World distributed press releases approximately 30-45 days prior to a ride opening. To maximize exposure for the Stratosphere during lower occupancy summer months, we decided to create a six-month campaign with five distinct tiers designed to create a frenzied anticipation for the ride opening, and gain extra attendance and revenue for the Tower and existing rides as a whole.

Planning...
Our five objectives were as follows: First, we created an enormous pre-opening buzz with the media by distributing a one-of-a-kind PR pitching tool that was mass-mailed to more than 250 national, international and syndicated journalists. Next, we released a photo-cutline to show the ride in progress. Following the cutline, we coordinated a FAM trip to Utah for selected media to experience the finished ride firsthand as an exclusive before shipment to Las Vegas. After that, we held a media event showcasing the helicopter hoist of the major components as they were lifted to the top of the Stratosphere Tower and secured in place. Finally, we launched a grand opening celebration.

The PR planning included hotel operations, hotel public relations and advertising, facilities, legal, catering, sales, an outside PR agency and the amusement ride company. Our target audience was local, national, and international media, amusement ride media, local VIPs, and the general public of “Generation X” thrill ride seekers.

The overall strategy was to continue momentum throughout the six-month campaign by creating new ways to publicize the ride and gain media attention. Using the Stratosphere’s in-house graphics department, the initial “look” of this campaign was that of “Top-secret intelligence” to play upon the working title of the ride at that time, Project X Sky, as well as to coincide with the campaign strategy of “leaking” information and milestones to the press on a gradual basis. Our budget for PR, collateral and advertising was $100,000. We used only $83,000.

Implementation...
We first made the announcement of the ride by mailing Survival Kits to national media on June 18, 2003. The survival kit consisted of a first-aid style box covered in secret-agent style propaganda. Inside, there was a motion sickness (barf) bag, a clean pair of underwear/boxer shorts to change into after experiencing the ride, a bottle of stress pills, a last will and testament kit, press materials and a CD-ROM. We also launched a multi-media release promoting the ride Web page for all amusement ride groupies. (Periodic updates and photos of the ride were on display to drive repeat visits.) PPR stuffed more than 300 boxes in a 48-hour period. This alternative presentation was designed to cut through the clutter of standard press releases and simple invitations sent to media daily. On June 17, we slipped the box and animated ride footage to our local NBC affiliate who aired a story “live” in front of the Stratosphere showcasing the animated video (enclosed). Leaking the information to NBC first paid off when executives at KVBC sent the story and coverage through its national circuit of NBC affiliates – including the top Las Vegas “feeder market” Los Angeles which aired the piece immediately on KNBC. In all, 105 NBC stations broadcasted the story (enclosed list) which reached all major markets domestically and many, international markets: British Columbia, Montreal, Toronto, UK, CA, TX, TN, KS, AR, HA, WA, NE, MN, CO, AZ, IL, NY, PA, FL, IN, etc.

The following day, we released a national multi-media news release which had animation footage of the ride, a sound bite from Bobby Ray Harris, VP of Operations at the Stratosphere, a press release and link to the Project X Sky Web site to develop continuous communication between The Stratosphere and thrill-seekers around-the-world and to capture valuable Web addresses and database information.

In August, after the momentum from the mailing and multi-media release had run its course, we hired a Utah photographer to take still photos of the ride being built in Logan, Utah. The ride looked like a misplaced Alien UFO set behind a trailer on a farm, so we capitalized on the image, and sent out a national press cutline called “We are not alone.” This was distributed on August 12, 2003 across the PR newswire gaining additional national hits and placements to keep the momentum going. (cutline and photo attached),

The next phase was to conduct a FAM trip, inviting key Las Vegas media up to Utah to see the ride for the first time, and more importantly, to ride it. The FAM tour took place on September 15, 2003, where photojournalists also toured the manufacturing facility of Interactive Rides. This was key to reinvigorating the interest that had been created from the initial mailing and release in June. This propelled numerous television stories and articles. We selected NBC’s Ben Correa due to our initial success with leaking the information in June and CBS reporter and national UFO expert George Knapp to enhance the Top-secret theme and previous “mysterious” alien cutline.

On October 14, 2003, we invited media to the heli-lift of the ride to the top of the Tower, creating a must-attend photo opportunity of the two-hour long process of a Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane helicopter shuttling eight loads–some weighing as much as 14,000 pounds to the top of the Tower where workers unhooked the pieces from the tethers and fastened them to the Tower. We had multiple crews filming 20 feet away from the drop zone on the Tower as well as the same stations filming from below so as to catch every angle. Still photographers from the major dailies were also present. We took tremendous preparation to ensure that the proper procedures and precautions were taken to ensure the safety of the load-in crew and the media. This included more than 10 intense walk-through procedures with fire safety programs, FAA regulations, and facilities. A crisis communications plan was ready to be implemented in case of injury or any components dropping from the helicopter. The PR result was more than 245 television hits in the following two days, including CNN Headline News, and totaling more than four (4) hours of newscast footage.

Finally, we hosted a grand opening celebration with media on opening night, November 14, 2003, with more than 300 invited guests. We closed the main tower for this private event that included a vibrant invitation – a four-color full-size movie-premiere style poster. Two major hurdles happened along the way. Project X Sky, the original working title for the ride, changed to the formal name X Scream mid-campaign–at the time of the heli-lift. Also, the original date of the grand opening was postponed due to high winds of 80 mph on the observation deck. The grand opening was rescheduled to November 14, 2003, and follow-up calls were made to entire RSVP list, in-house signs were posted on the cancellation, and a news alert was issued.

Evaluation...
The results of this campaign were stunning. Landing a quote in our initial release from Linkenheimer gained the trust of the thrill ride enthusiast. More than 500 television clips covered one or more facets of this campaign including CNN Headline News, which ran our footage continuously on their hourly loop. In addition, Spike TV, Travel Channel, Speed TV, Fox News, Fuji-Japan, BBC, Fox Best Damn Sports Show, and affiliates from Hawaii to New York aired our ride. More than 160 print placements from business sections in the Review-Journal to feature sections in London Sun Times. Specialized trades such as Loaded Magazine, Popular Mechanics covered the ride mechanisms, and major market newspapers such as the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Arizona Republic also covered our story. Each specific campaign generated numerous media hits, all leading up to a more than 20% increase of tower attendance.

With the addition of X Scream, the Stratosphere increased ridership for their three thrill rides by 35% in the first six months of 2004. The X Scream thrill ride positively impacted the Stratosphere Tower in attendance and total revenue. Since our newest thrill ride opened to the public on November 1, 2003 and through the six months ending April 30, 2004, total ride admissions were 521,880 with 226,279 specifically riding the X Scream. The ride attendance increased by 23% from the same time period the previous year, November 2002 to April 2003.

The total revenue for the Stratosphere Tower–both Tower and ride admissions included–also increased in comparison, generating a total of $7,936,457 in the time period the first six months the ride was in operation, November 2003 through April 2004, a 19% increase from the same time the previous year.

The multi-million dollar investment was under $5 million–the exact amount is proprietary to The Stratosphere and the ride designer, Interactive Rides, and the projected recapture of the initial investment was projected at eight months to recoup.

The X Scream thrill ride was able to recoup its initial cash outlay in less than six months.

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