When the topic of IP in the attractions industry is mentioned, many of us will immediately think of billion-dollar, blockbuster theme park lands.
Universal’s Wizarding World, IMG World’s Marvel Land, or Paulton Park’s Peppa Pig World are all popular examples and great case studies of well-developed and executed IP partnerships that guests love.
But it’s a myth that big theme parks are the only places IP partnerships can work – it’s also a huge opportunity for many other attraction businesses.
When delivered well, collaborating with well-known brands and their IP can, amongst other things, help differentiate and drive preference; open new audiences; create fresh reasons to engage and visit; build and develop trust; and ultimately add more value for guests (who will often pay more – directly and through secondary spend).
Hasbro's blockbuster brands
Alongside being a global top 5 toy brand, Hasbro is also the world’s fifth-largest licensor with blockbuster brands such as Transformers, My Little Pony, Monopoly, Play-Doh, Nerf, and Peppa Pig.
These IPs are much more than toys and games. With complete ecosystems developed across movies, merchandise, publishing, promotions and experiences, they are a big part of people’s lives.
Having the chance to ‘experience’ these brands is important to customers and extremely valuable to Hasbro. Guests love to step inside ‘real world’ versions of their favourite IPs. And, once they’ve done so, they often spend even more time engaging with (and buying into!) the brand ecosystem.
Renae Brown, Hasbro’s location-based entertainment associate manager, explains:
“Hasbro’s Global Experiences strategy is designed to achieve multiple objectives. Experiences not only drive a return on investment in our brands but also bring them to life for consumers in new, interactive ways”.
You’ll likely have heard or experienced some of Hasbro’s big theme park collaborations, including the various Peppa Pig Theme Parks, or the Transformers attractions at Universal parks in the US and China.
However, in this article, we will examine how Hasbro’s IP is being leveraged to bring to life and create value in other experiences around the globe.
Battersea Lift 109 – Peppa Pig Experiences: driving off-peak attendance at this iconic urban landmark
Last year, Hasbro successfully opened its world’s first standalone Peppa Pig and Transformers retailtainment stores in the heart of London’s Battersea Power Station. They feature branded environments, vast ranges, exclusive products, collaborations, and hands-on experiences for fans to enjoy.
Following hot on the heels this summer, nearby Lift 109 (the glass lift viewing experience that takes visitors up one of Battersea’s famous chimneys) recruited Peppa to help drive sales on off-peak timeslots.
Guests loved it - not only did young Peppa fans get the stunning views across the Thames, but they were also treated to a Peppa character experience and ‘Peppa goes to London’ story time.
And for Lift 109, the ‘Peppa effect’ was instant: off-peak timeslots completely sold out.
Marriott Pudong Hotel – My Little Pony and Transformers Rooms: extending the fun into a stayover
What could be more exciting for kids (and fun-loving adults!) than having the ultimate sleepover, surrounded by their favourite brands?
In Shanghai, families can extend their fandom beyond daytime play by booking a Transformers or My Little Pony stay in unique themed hotel rooms that offer immersive, high-impact entertainment from morning to night.
Asked about the future of hospitality for Hasbro experiences, Brown comments:
“While this is a single-location execution, Hasbro continues to explore growth in the hospitality space, and we’re working on some truly exciting new concepts that we can’t wait to see come to life.”
Haven Holiday Resorts – Nerf Training Camps: flexing and scaling to different resort needs (and budgets)
It’s not just themed accommodation – IP can also play a role in driving and enhancing short break experiences.
Featuring inflatable arenas and obstacles, Nerf Training Camps are one-of-a-kind competitive team games exclusively found at more than 30 Haven holiday parks across the UK. Armed with Nerf blasters in Nerf-themed spaces, guests must work in teams to win.
For the past three summers, the camps have proven popular with families, driving strong performance for Haven and enriching the guest experience.
IP doesn’t have to be costly, permanent, or inflexible: with the right execution and a true-to-brand experience, concepts can be developed to adapt to different objectives, budgets, and scales.
Nerf Training Camps are delivered for Haven by one of Hasbro’s licensees. Working with best-in-class partners or IP experts helps ensure that experiences remain authentic to the brand.
Operating in this way also helps to deliver exciting experiences for guests, without having to have all the knowledge or expertise yourself.
Peppa Pig Play Cafes – various locations across China: creating solutions for changing market needs
Peppa Pig Play Cafes combine themed dining with engaging preschool play environments. In collaboration with licensee China Leisure Development Co. Ltd., there are currently two cafés that are ticketed for children, with parents able to relax and enjoy bespoke F&B offerings.
For this model to be successful, driving repeatability is crucial, ensuring that children want to return and that parents are happy to take them.
Peppa Pig Cafes were developed in response to both growth and shifts in the Chinese market.
Following recent changes in the education sector, families are increasingly redirecting spending toward children’s entertainment, while malls seek new anchors to replace former education tenants.
Dungeons & Dragons: The Immersive Quest: it’s not all about kids-focused IP, fandom is a huge opportunity
It’s no secret that competitive socialising is a mega trend within the leisure space. So it follows that there is a significant opportunity to combine that with the familiarity of popular IPs.
With some of the world’s most-loved broad appeal and multigenerational board games within their portfolio, Hasbro know there is an opportunity to bring them to life in different, new and unique ways.
With an estimated 85 million people having played Dungeons & Dragons since its creation, it has become a global phenomenon with a dedicated fan base, expanding into merchandise ranges and a movie franchise.
Dungeons & Dragons: The Immersive Quest is a live, interactive attraction that allows fans to choose their character class, which then shapes their experience. With multiple themed rooms, sets, challenges, and atmospheric design, it’s an adventure that benefits from the depth of storytelling and affinity that comes with an IP like D&D.
Brown adds:
“Immersive Quest is a live-action roleplay experience that taps into the global surge of fantasy fandom, bringing players physically into the storytelling worlds of D&D. Following its success, the Immersive Quest is expanding with a second location and a touring model across North America!
“It's not just D&D, our partners have had huge successes with some of our other game IP, including our Monopoly Lifesized experiences and Cluedo escape rooms.”
It doesn’t end there…opportunities for zoos, water parks and museums
The value that IP partnerships can bring across the broader attractions sector is now being realised, and many IP owners are collaborating much more to develop the right type of propositions for different settings and audiences.
“Hasbro continues to explore new verticals," says Brown.
"In water parks, for example, we’ve developed innovative gamified concepts with partners such as Martin Aquatic. These concepts move beyond the “rinse-and-repeat” rhythm of traditional attractions by introducing competitive and interactive elements—for example, tracking and scoring who races down a slide the fastest.
"The goal is to transform water park experiences much in the way some brands reshaped the theme park space, ensuring investment in theming translates to a genuinely better guest experience.”
“In addition, Hasbro has worked with zoos and museums on numerous pop-ups and events, with ongoing relationships including the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.
"These collaborations introduce Hasbro brands in educational and cultural settings, providing new ways for families to engage with IPs in environments that complement their missions.”
Finding the right collaborative partner for your project is critical
A visit to one of the big licensing shows demonstrates the thousands of IPs that are available to license, and there are almost limitless ways those IPs can be brought to life and leveraged across different types of attractions and settings.
As an attraction owner, if you are considering an IP partnership, the most critical step is to be crystal clear on what you are trying to achieve. This will help lead you to find the right partner, IP, and ultimately to develop a proposition that delivers.
Finding an IP owner that will work with you and offer flexibility to meet your needs (whilst protecting their brands) should be highly valued.
Be prepared to fine-tune when innovating
Like many projects, IP partnerships don’t always work immediately. It’s not just about finding the right brand to partner with; a lot of the success comes from how a concept is executed and delivered.
Location, experience design, commercialisation strategy, marketing plans and many other factors can determine success levels. Pioneering new concepts or bringing IP into new areas can deliver massive differentiation and value – but it also often comes with the need to evolve and fine-tune.
Brown adds: “Some concepts don’t always work immediately – as we often encourage pushing the boundaries and doing things differently.
"We take pride in building true partnerships and working with partners to evolve propositions – as we all want our experiences to be successful to deliver commercially and make sure we don’t let down fans of our brands”
IP partnerships can often be more flexible than you think. Could they be an opportunity for you?
Museums looking to engage new audiences; farm attractions considering overlaying ‘freshness’; competitive socialising venues seeking to differentiate and drive preference; hospitality businesses hoping to drive spend…
IP partnerships don’t always have to mean multi-million investments in permanent theme park attractions. There are ever-increasing examples of IP being leveraged in the market to unlock lots of different objectives across the broader attractions sector.
Hopefully, this article demonstrates that with the right partner and clear aims, IP isn’t ‘one size fits all’ and could be a game-changer for your business.
