One 'Project Purple' helps another at Six Flags
Roller coaster fans have been following the development of "Project Purple," the new record-setting coaster promised for Six Flags Great Adventure next year.
Tipped to be a Mack Rides Launch Coaster, Project Purple is now under construction at the New Jersey theme park. But what fans might not know is that someone else has been using the Project Purple name for some time.
Construction of the Project Purple roller coaster. Photos courtesy Six Flags
That other Project Purple is a national nonprofit that promoting awareness and funding for pancreatic cancer research and patient programs. But rather than fighting over the name, Six Flags and the nonprofit now are working together.
Six Flags will be promoting Project Purple - the cancer nonprofit - along with Project Purple - the roller coaster - in the park this season. On Project Purple signs in the park, fans will see QR codes that will direct them to online information about the nonprofit and its mission.
Six Flags and Project Purple officials kick off their partnership with a $5,000 donation to the non-profit.
"We're excited to partner with Project Purple and use the visibility of this incredible new attraction to help shine a light on an important cause," Parl President Mike Fehnel said. "This partnership is especially meaningful to me personally, having lost my father to pancreatic cancer. It’s a disease that impacts far too many families, including mine. As Project Purple rises on our skyline, we have an opportunity to raise awareness, inspire support and create a meaningful connection between unforgettable experiences and real impact."
"We are honored to partner with Six Flags Great Adventure and be part of such an exciting and visible project," Project Purple CEO Dino Verrelli said. "This collaboration helps us bring our mission to new audiences and reminds people that awareness can happen in powerful and unexpected places."
Replies (5)
The NJ sitch feels to me like the park grabbed the fandom's nickname, then got hit with a cease and desist. But then SF turned that into a partnership with a check and a publicity campaign. But I have no insider knowledge on that - just speculation.
A record setting coaster is only a thing until someone breaks the record.
I disagree with Russell - yeah, this is corporate marketing, what else is new, but it's kind of sweet that SF saw a fan name for their coaster and decided to donate to the real thing, and encourage others to do the same. I see no issue with this at all. (Glad the name the fan base stuck with was "project purple". . .a lot more charities named after that than "spinda ka". . .)
I think this is a FANtastic idea (see what I did there)! At the end of the day, there is no downside here. Unfortunately for some, no matter what the SF chain does, it will be wrong out of the gate.
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I'd be curious to know which came first here - did SF deliberately plant the "Project Purple" name in the coaster community or did they run with the moniker after it picked up steam among coaster fans. Frankly, I don't know which answer is worse - if they deliberately planted the name (and subsequent connection to the charity) it shows a manipulation of the fanbase that feels very disingenuous, but if they think they're just being clever by piggybacking on a fan forum's codename and subsequently connecting it to the charity, it seems lazy and haphazard (and honestly on brand for SF). The suddenness of this announcement (I got the media advisory for today's 10 AM announcement at 3 PM yesterday afternoon), leads me to believe it's the latter and furthered by the fact that they didn't reveal anything beyond the charity tie in for a coaster track that appears to be somewhere between 30-50% complete.
Certainly, it's a worthy cause, and a charity that deserves all the support that can be mustered, but this just feels like a forced partnership and exemplifies the randomness of SF planning and management right now. Over at Cedar Point, the park announced that the annual "CoasterMania" event was being replaced by a new early entry program (Morning Rush) that was priced higher than a typical admission to the park. Fortunately, after fielding numerous complaints about the Morning Rush concept, park management quickly reversed course and is soliciting feedback about "Coastermania" that has officially been put back on the calendar. Kudos for SF listening and trying to cater to fan interests on both of these issues, but it just seems like this company is flying blind with no clear strategy or plan and being completely disconnected with what will actually put the company on a path to success.