Flying Jumbos ride due to open at resort in spring 2020 and follows bumper anniversary year.
Andersen Press has unveiled ambitious marketing and PR plans for David McKee’s Elmer in 2020, building on the incredible successes of Elmer’s 30th anniversary in 2019.
2019 has seen the biggest ever sales of Elmer in the UK, with combined sales for paperback and board books of over 45,000, an increase of 35% year-on-year through Nielsen Bookscan.
Andersen Press will be continuing to build on the work done to raise Elmer’s profile in 2020, with it believing that it can be an even bigger year for the patchwork elephant.
The headline activity will be a partnership with Chessington World of Adventures Resort, on the creation of Elmer’s Flying Jumbos – the first-ever Elmer themed ride. Due to open in spring 2020 as part of a four-year partnership, more details about how the Surrey Resort will be bringing the patchwork elephant to life are set to be announced in the New Year.
”We’re delighted to be bringing to life another children’s book here at the Resort and introduce the first-ever Elmer themed ride,” said Joanna Teasdale, marketing director at Chessington World of Adventures Resort. “Elmer is a natural fit for us here at ‘Britain’s Wildest Adventure’ and we can’t wait to see families enjoy the patchwork elephant’s story in a brand new way.”
Looking toward 2020 Andersen Press and Elmer’s licensing agent Metrostar have responded to the need of licensees and the market as a whole for a bigger presence on Instagram – with the role of influencers in the market only increasing. License to PR has been brought on to run a range of influencer-led activity around key moments in the Elmer calendar to drive consumer awareness of retail product launches.
Further activity in 2020 will include Elmer Day on May 23; Seven Stories’ Elmer and Friends exhibition to finish at its Newcastle home in April, before starting a three-year UK tour; further Elmer Big Art Parades; and more activity with anti-bullying charity, Kidscape.
Paul Black, brand and PR director at Andersen Press, commented: “2019 has been an incredible year for our patchwork elephant, with blockbuster sales and an incredible reaction to Elmer around the country.
“Looking to 2020 we’re delighted to continue the hard work put in, but to extend our reach with some key new partnerships – I for one cannot wait to ride on Elmer’s Flying Jumbos, and know Chessington World of Adventures is the ideal headline partner for us for 2020. I’ll see you at the resort next spring!”
