Theme Park Playland Wants You to Prepare for a Screaming-Good Summer

Playland has launched its new summer campaign, which shows what might happen when you spend too much time sitting in front of your screen. Instead of rides and cotton candy, more people are turning to their devices for entertainment. And while TV and scrolling can be thrilling, Playland wants you to venture outdoors for some real-life fun.

According to recent statistics, Canadians are spending over six hours per day in front of screens - that’s a whole lot of sitting. But at Playland, there’s an antidote: get more scream time. And this year, Playland is offering midway games like Whac-A-Mole, tons of food and beverage choices, including the classic mini donut, and 30 different rides and attractions - so spread your wings and take flight on Skybender, swing on the Beast or get splashed on the Log Flume. 

“PNE is launching the Playland 2023 season with a campaign aimed at both young adults and family-activity-seeking parents who are navigating a world where virtual experiences are increasingly becoming the norm for fun,” says Kim Vande Kuyt, marketing director, PNE. “We wanted to remind them that Playland hosts the kind of real fun that can’t be replicated on screens.”

In partnership with Cossette, Playland has leveraged a combination of OOH, digital banners, paid and organic social, radio, and a television spot directed by John Larigakis and Bill Hawley of BOLDLY.  

“We’ve all been glued to our screens these past few years, and while we don’t necessarily want to knock that, we do want to emphasise how very sedentary life has become at both work and play, and nudge people towards a real-life source of fun to break out of that cycle,” says John Osborne, group creative director at Cossette in Vancouver. “Playland is a Vancouver icon, so we’re thrilled to tell this story of swapping screen time for scream time - and our partners at BOLDLY were essential in bringing it to life so wonderfully and vividly.”