70 is the New 17: Meet the Super Seniors, Liseberg's Record-Breaking Thrill Seekers!

Oct. 15, 2024

As summer comes to an end and family visits slow down, Liseberg, the largest amusement park in the Nordics, is focusing on engaging the target audience of “Seniors.” This group is typically reached through communications centered on afternoon tea dances and flower exhibitions. We wanted to change the perception of how older adults are viewed in advertising and communication.

Joakim Brinkenberg, Client Director at the communication agency Welcom in Gothenburg, Sweden said:

"Many seniors are pleasure seekers with high expectations for entertainment and excitement – and they’re certainly not afraid of a challenge."

 

The idea, “70 is the New 17,” is brought to life in the PR-driven campaign Super Seniors campaign, centered around a world record attempt designed to attract media attention.

With no media budget, we needed a creative concept with strong PR potential that could generate multiple media opportunities, says Marten Westlund, Head of PR and Communications at Liseberg.

Earlier this year, Liseberg called for adventurous seniors to join an attempt to break the world record for the highest average age on a roller coaster. The previous record, set in 2003 at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the UK, was 75.25 years.

Mraten Westlund, Head of PR and Communications at Liseberg added:

"We were overwhelmed by the response – over 200 seniors from across Sweden signed up for the chance to be part of this historic event."

 

On a crisp autumn day, these brave seniors boarded Valkyria, Europe’s longest Dive Coaster, and smashed the record, achieving an average rider age of 80.1 years.

The Super seniors generated e.g. three live segments on national TV, and approximately two hours of live broadcasting from the amusement park on two regional stations of Sweden's national public radio broadcaster. Additionally, the Super seniors broke Liseberg's TikTok record with 1,036,000 views