“But they were mostly annoyed that they couldn’t play Mario Kart or watch Pokemon,” Coomer told ADWEEK. “Who knows why they’d rather visit Pikachu given the chance, versus savoring the history lessons in art and architecture of the Italian Renaissance.”

The trip helped spawn the fight-fire-with-fire concept. Great Big Kentucky Adventure’ will be promoted throughout the spring and summer travel season. Taking note from the popularity of online gamers on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, mobile-first video and influencer partnerships are still to come.