In the world of theme parks, height is your golden ticket. You may start with the kiddie rides when you’re young, but by the time you’re clearing 42 inches as a first grader, your ride game with your parents is pretty stellar. Measure 48 inches? Well, the fun gets ridiculously fast as wooden roller coasters take family fun to a whole new level. And it doesn’t stop there. At 52 inches you’re ready to fly.

In the years since they first invited families to their park for a day of fun back in 1946, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari has grown to become one of the most beloved family theme parks in the country and brings nearly one million visitors per year to tiny Santa Claus, Indiana. Holiday World’s special blend of family fun delivers value with world-class rides and small town hospitality. 

In 2013, as the next generation was stepping into leadership roles at the family-owned park, Williams Randall was invited in to see how we might work together in the years ahead. Not only did we convince them we measured up to the task, we showed them we’d be pretty darn good at helping them measure their success. And what an exhilarating ride working together has turned out to be.

In the decade we’ve partnered together, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari has built the world’s first launched wing coaster: Thunderbird, which was also their first steel coaster. Then they introduced the world’s first launched water coaster: Cheetah Chase. In 2021, just as the world emerged from their COVID cocoons, Holiday World celebrated their 75th anniversary. And, for the past two seasons, they added a nightly drone and fireworks spectacular to end the day with as much fun and anticipation as it begins. Seeing shows of 400 lighted drones flying synchronized across the evening sky has us all wishing we’d paid a little more attention in science and algebra classes!

For our part, Williams Randall has had the pleasure of developing creative and media campaigns for each new milestone as well as the great moments in between. We target multiple midwest markets to drive online ticket sales and families to the park. We work together with the Holiday World team on multimedia campaigns that include TV, OTT, outdoor, streaming audio and terrestrial radio, display and banner ads, paid social, collateral, and direct mail. 

Honestly, it feels like these past 10 years we’ve partnered together have flown by faster than Thunderbird at launch. And while we can measure the successes we’ve helped Holiday World achieve, how do we quantify the gratitude we have for their continued trust in us? Maybe that’s one thing we really can’t measure. 

If you live in one of the markets they advertise in you’ve likely heard the kids in their commercials shouting: “Free soft drinks! Free parking! Free sunscreen!” It’s a mnemonic that has become synonymous with the Holiday World brand. During our decade working together we’ve had the pleasure of working with great people synonymous with their brand, too. And we’ll end by shouting about them: THANK YOU HOLIDAY WORLD, YOU MAKE THIS CRAZY BUSINESS OF ADVERTISING FUN!

We can’t wait for the decade ahead.