The invasion of side panel advertisements on Blackpool’s new fleet of Flexity2 supertrams shows no sign of slowing down just yet, with two more trams making their service debuts with external adverts over the past weeks. Seven Flexities now carry this form of advertising, six of which are promoting different attractions at the Pleasure Beach theme park. The odd one out is of course 011, which advertises Redrow Homes on just one side.
The latest trams to succumb to advertising contracts are 004 and 013. Like those applied previously, the adverts are carried on the roof sides and on the lower panels of the central section. 004 is advertising the 2012 production of the long-running show Hot Ice and features a striking image of a scantily-clad female ice skater on the sides, which could well make this one of the more popular members of the class! Hot on its heels, 013 appeared for the first time on Friday 13th July carrying adverts for Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, which was previously advertised by Balloon 723 between 1998 and 2004 as one half of a split-sided all-over advert which also promoted the Pasaje Del Terror attraction.
Although the Pleasure Beach adverts all look quite alike as they all feature a gold background on the roof side panels, at least they give some uniqueness to the otherwise identical Flexity2 trams, and of course provide useful extra revenue for the tramway.