Tag: BACOM

In today’s blog, I thought we could jump in discussing one of Britain’s leading theme parks along with its physical and digital marketing strategies! This, in fact, is Alton Towers Resort! Marketing for new rides is key when it comes to choosing what target audience an amusement park wants to attract. So how exactly has Alton towers marketing succeeded for them in the past? Let’s dive in and find out!

 

Alton Towers Resort is an amusement park aimed for satisfying families as well as thrill-seekers, with an expectation of 2.5 million visitors per year. The company which owns the resort is Merlin Entertainments, which delivers the vision for Alton Towers and creates it’s memorable and unique experience. Their marketing strategy has always been to communicate its brand with its target audience. Which they have furthermore done through advertising media i.e TV adverts and promotions via the internet. Since 1980, Alton towers has been producing TV advertisements, however, the target market has noticeably changed, from initially starting out as being a magical adventure to transforming into thrill-seeking spectacular. Check it out for yourself in the video link below!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJdTn764nCs

 

The demographics below demonstrate the percentage of each age range which attend Alton towers resort annually, demonstrating how diverse their target market really is!

 

Due to Alton Towers’ scarce age range, the marketing in the past has alternated for their family-friendly age range and older, thrill-seeker age range. However, an issue was faced when marketing the TV advertisement for their new coaster Oblivion in 1998. The Oblivion was the first-ever vertical drop ride to be made, with high anticipation to bring in lots of new guests. However, the marketers were initially worried if they made there promotional advertising look too frightening, It would put off families with young children. But, if they didn’t make it look scary enough they won’t bring back the teenagers and young adults. To fix this problem they used physical forms of marketing, promoting through different age-rated magazines to appeal to their specific target audiences. The marketing team also relied heavily on PR, and keeping the new rides details secret to stimulate audiences. Obviously, this is an outdated method of marketing with nowadays digital media and technology. However, still comprises of similar promotional concepts, only without the form of social media posting. The TV advertisement for oblivion was finally released prior to the ride open. Urging audiences in the advert to ‘not look down’ as the ride’s motto. The theme of the ride followed as being gothic and dark, intensifying the fear factor of the ride and pleased lots of thrill-seekers with its terrifying outcome when the ride was finally opened. Its jaw-dropping capacity has kept the oblivion busy and still standing at the resort today.

 

Sometimes, however a marketing strategy which seems good can ironically fail to meet which target audience the ride has actually been built for. And, this indeed was the case for Alton towers ‘physcoaster’ TH13TEEN. The world’s first vertical free fall drop roller coaster had high anticipation, with initial claims it would not just be a normal coaster but one which features elements of psychological fear, to add to the suspension of already being on an extreme ride. Opened in 2010, a number of TV segments were made to promote the new coaster, featuring a spooky possessed girl walking through a forest warning viewers to not come to the ride ‘alone’. The way the coaster had been marketed, suggested It has been made for an older audience. With Statements even made the park was considering upping the age limit of the ride due to its apparent psychological effect. Overall, a whopping 15 million pounds was spent on building the coaster, with an expectation of attracting an additional 100,000 guests to the park. Ultimately, this ‘horror’ aspect of the ride turned out to be a bust. When guests were finally able to board the ride it was clearly identified to be more of a family-friendly spook than an extreme coaster that it had been marketed for. Leading many guests to be disappointed with the actual ride experience, and confused families that this was, in fact, an age-appropriate ride. Although the ride did increase the guest attendance that year it also received a lot of mixed reviews from guests due to its initial outlook. This, however, has blown over now, and as it stands TH13TEEN is one of Alton Towers most popular coasters to date!

I hope this blog gave you roller coaster fanatics some wisdom into the wonderful world of marketing! Now, which target audience range do you think you are in? Comment below and let me know!

Until the next roller-coaster blog, keep on riding.

Amusement parks love to use the phrase ‘face your fears’, giving the participant the thrill of ‘will they make, will they not!?’. However, sometimes the fear of not making it can become a reality. As much as riding roller coasters can be exhilarating fun, there is also an element of risk. Furthermore, In today’s blog I will be discussing some of the real-life disasters taken place at various amusement parks and recommend safety precautions to always consider.

 

The first example took place in the Alton Towers Resort on 2nd June, 2015. Disaster struck after an operating carriage crashed into an empty ‘test’ carriage on the Smiler ride. The ride’s crash tragically resulted in two young girls having their legs amputated along with two young men who also suffered severe injuries. The tragic crash was identified as being a mistake – down to human error. A statement from a spokeswoman of Alton Towers stated: “A ride shutdown message was misunderstood by staff at the ride”, ultimately resulting in staff mistakenly overriding the control system. However, this was not the first time this coaster had malfunctioned. Since its opening in May 2013 there have been a chain of continuous events including technical issues, and ride shutdowns which perhaps in hindsight should have been taken more seriously. The Smiler’s crash cost the attraction’s owner, Merlin Entertainments millions in repayment to the victims, prosecution fines, as well as a loss of income revenue, and a reduction in staff. This kind of mistake can leave a permanent scar on a theme park’s reputation, which Alton Towers has steadily tried to rebuild itself from, and make the memories fade.

 

Ironically, the company that manufactured the Smiler also built the roller coaster carriages for Six Flag’s Park, Texas, USA – in 2013, where a woman fell to her death on the New Texas Giant due to weak restraints. The event was truly horrific as witnesses heard the mother’s son beg for the ride to stop and to help their mother. Witnesses also spoke out, saying they heard the mother express to the workers she felt unsafe on the ride as she was strapped in.  She felt her restraints had not been tightened enough, which later tragically turned out to be true. As seen twice now, it seems the fault has been in human error rather than technical failure, questioning whether theme park employees are sufficiently trained to high enough industry standards. Anyhow, the tragic death lead to the family of the mother filing a law suit against Six Flags. In which Six Flags turned around and placed the blame on manufacturer ‘Gerstlauer’ which also denied liability in the case. Conclusively, Six Flags, Gerstlauer and the family of the woman came to an agreement, settling for a one million pound compensation.  Just like that, another theme park impacted by poor reputation due to neglecting safety regulations.

 

Arguably, theme park accidents are extremely rare. A lot of the time, statements made about the unsafety of theme parks do not match the facts. Wherein the mass media have easy access to digital media, have made a habit of publicising and exaggerating the fear factor of doing something which is seemingly safe, to immediately life threatening. This can make the reader feel more vulnerable but compelled to read the article, which is why the media so heavily broadcast theme park tragedy’s, down to it’s extreme rarity. However, if you consider how many theme parks and coasters operate daily,  in comparison with how many accidents there actually are, statistically it is more unsafe driving to the theme park than actually being there!

 

When enjoying the theme park experience – people need to be mindful of their own personal health. So If you are a theme park fanatic, and are pregnant, possess any heart conditions or other health issues, for your own safety should avoid riding any coasters in the meanwhile! It is always important before entering a ride to read over the safety regulations, although regular thrill-seekers may have heard this a million times. It is good to stay attentive and keep an eye out, even for others around you. Better to leave the theme park at the end of the day on a happy note rather than with an easily avoided injury!

 

Thanks for tuning In today fellow riders and until the next roller-coaster blog, keep on riding!

 

 

In this vlog, I’ll be jumping In discussing Disney’s Hollywood Studios brand new land, Galaxy’s Edge in Orlando, Florida. I was fortunate enough to visit the land the day after the grand opening on August 30th, 2019, and thought I could share my experience with you fellow roller coaster fanatics! As a fellow traveller on the Black Spire Outpost of the planet Batuu, I was able to explore a number of exciting themed shopping experiences and dining opportunities, and most exciting of them all… A trip into space on the millennium falcon on the brand new ride Smugglers Run!

In today’s blog, I thought we could kick off with the world’s top 3 Amusement park corporations accompanied by their greatest theme park! In relation to statistics, popularity and a teeny bit of personal opinion! Now, if we’re all strapped in? Let’s get riding.

 

1. Unsurprisingly I doubt to any, Disney World/ Parks is at the top of the rank. The parks have an enchanting feel like none other. Making adults and children feel at home as soon as they enter and carry the magic away with them when they leave. Disney’s rides and attractions are appropriated mostly to suit young children and families. However, does not disconnect the opportunity for more mature guests to visit either. Each Disney park offers a unique experience for its guests, featuring its own adventure either being through Hollywood, the jungle or a magical kingdom!

 

A little background on Walt Disney World, The first park Disneyland became so popular from where it originated in California (opened in 1955) the owner Walt Disney himself decided to create a Walt Disney World! In Lake Buena Vista, Florida (opened in 1971). Since then the Disney parks have moved to France, Japan, China, as well as, many other countries. Thanks to Disney’s high social media presence, has helped the Walt Disney World’s corporation stay connected with guests from all across the globe. There social channels theme being friends, family, travel and fun! With a twitter page of over 3.1 million followers, followers can expect to receive information daily on resort offers, magical park pictures and even join twitter trends.

 

However, based on popularity and statistics I will be ranking Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Florida as Disney’s most overall successful amusement park. With an astonishing 20.8 million visitors in 2018, it is fair to say Disney fans will not be putting down their mickey ears any time soon. The Magic Kingdom offers the opportunity for guests to discover six mythical lands, creating the illusion as though guests are in a storybook and each different land they visit comprises of a different adventure. To add to this, The Magic Kingdom features some of Disney’s most classic attractions, such as A Small World, The Haunted Mansion and the most traditional of them all The Mad Tea Party! Keeping these attractions alive is a prized possession for older guests and keeps them connected with the park, as many of the rides are a reminder of their own childhood. And of course, Mickey Mouse and his friends! From watching our favourite characters feature in daily performances and celebrations, to capturing pictures in the most iconic meet and greet locations, Mickey Mouse is the symbol that keeps Disney and its magic alive, since after all the mouse was the reason Disney came to life!

 

 

2. Universal Parks and Resorts follows as second in the ranks. With its phenomenal rides and expertise put into the lands built, It has been on the uprise in regards to its success for several years now. From being originated at Hollywood’s Universal Studios (1915) as an attraction for guests to explore the backlot and watch the filming take place. The attraction was added to Orlando, Florida and opened officially as Universal Studios Florida in 1990. 

“It’s a combination of a park and an amusement park and a working motion picture studio” (Gumbel, 1990)

Following after that in 1999, a neighbouring island ‘Islands Of Adventure’ was opened. In addition, by 2017 saw the first Universal water park to open up ‘Volcano Bay’, as well as the accomplishment of spreading worldwide to locations such as in Singapore, Japan, Beijing. The Park’s give the opportunity for guests to step into the action, and be the star in their very own favourite movies! From escaping the terrifying T-REX in Jurassic Park to Shooting off the aliens from Men In Black, to even flying into some trouble at the Wizarding World of Hogwarts. The park’s never come up short of fun, and is a spectacular day out for all ages.

It is evident that it is difficult to beat the classic! Which is why I’m ranking Universal Studios Florida, as Universal’s overall most accomplished theme park. Although I will mention that l believe Disney has done a better job remaining it’s eldest rides, the E.T ride has been the longest-running attraction at Universal, whilst classics such as Jaws and Back to the Future have been removed to allow space for new innovative ideas to come in. However, for the younger generation, Universal Studios offers some amazing adventures and thrilling rides. For thrill seekers, this is definitely the park to visit!

 

 

3. Finally, in the final place let’s show some appreciation for our favourite British amusement park corporation, Merlin Entertainments! Founded in 1998, the group owns one of the world’s most iconic attractions Legoland, as well as worldwide midway attractions such as Madame Tussaud’s and The Sea Life Aquarium. Merlin is also well known for its critically acclaimed theme parks, Such as Thorpe Park and Alton Towers Resort. Merlin offers at all its attraction’s a fun-filled day out for the whole family, with a number of thrilling rides for guests to face their fears on!

Now for there best amusement park… I felt hesitant to chose between Alton Towers, Alton, and Legoland Windsor. They are both arguably suitable for completely different target audiences which makes this decision slightly bias, with Legoland being a family-friendly day out whilst Alton Towers is more aimed toward thrill-seekers. Statistically, worldwide Legoland is known for being more notorious, whilst already being tied in with a well-known brand (Lego) popularity-wise, the attraction has more annual attendance. Legoland arguably is a breath of fresh air in regards to its unique decor and exciting Lego-built rides, it truly offers an experience like none other! However, in regards to Alton Towers Resort, it offers an action-packed day out, full of excitement with a dozen coasters to ride and attractions to check out. Alton Towers is known for being a traditional theme park, however in recent years has continuously added new exciting coasters for guests to check out! with numerous lands suitable for adults and children, and if personally challenged between which I would choose!? I would go to Alton Towers all the way! 

 

Thanks for tuning in today fellow riders, think any of the rankings are inaccurate? Let me know on my Twitter, where we can debate about it there! 

Until the next roller-coaster blog, keep on riding.

 

 

Without a doubt, marketing is essential in order to capture an attraction’s target audience. In particular, the use of digital technology is a heavy marketing tool used to provide a voice on various media platforms. Digital marketing can be as simple as creating a video advertisement to producing a pop-up advertisement on a multi-device website to capture a reaction and response. It is now easier than ever to promote theme park attractions through digital tools! Ultimately, causing competition amongst the players to make the most attractive content along with producing the most engaging campaign. The outstanding amusement park corporation Walt Disney attractions, had an overall worldwide attendance of 157.31 million guests in 2018, proving it is the world’s current leading theme park chain. Following in second was Merlin Entertainments with 67 million attendees. Since these are both the world’s most attended theme parks, I have chosen to discuss there attributions to social media and how there digital marketing affects there annual attendance.  Without further ado let’s get riding thrillseekers!

There is a lot you can take away from understanding digital marketing and its tool kit used to maintain a popular theme park, considering Disney’s brand image and theme it is transparent why the amusement park brands itself as “The happiest place on earth”. Moreover, when the word ‘Disney’ comes to mind, it often gives people a sense of childhood nostalgia and comfort. Specifically, Disney’s primary segment is children who can relate to their animated cartoons. Since Disney is already known for being far more than just being a theme park, but also for its feature films, TV channel, merchandising and promotional activity. Furthermore, This has helped establish a connection between the brand and its audiences even before the marketing aspect comes into play.

Each visitor of the Disney Parks are also a valuable asset in regards to the promotional aspect since they are not just guests, but also micro-influencers whose presence is online. With easy access to the internet and social media via mobile phones and a variety of digital platforms, parents can easily post vacation images to Facebook, whilst the kids share their experience via Snapchat and Instagram. Guests can simply use a hashtag or tag their location to be a micro-influencer. To add to this, many theme parks have created designated photoshoot areas, in order for guests to capture pictures of their experience and share it, as well as, being an additional money asset opportunity for the corporation. Additionally, fan-made accounts such as YouTube channels also help to promote and invite a wider audience.

Regarding the corporation’s social media presence, Disney, similar to other theme parks, has its own official Instagram account, Twitter page, and many other social media platforms to keep fans updated with the latest news and offers. Theme park corporations also use social media as one of their many key platforms to promote customer discounts and promotional codes. For example, a Disney competitor Merlin Entertainments which is the owner of Thorpe Park is currently promoting on its Twitter page there season passes for 2020 with a temporary 40% discount. This encourages guests to purchase now before all the early passes sell out. There is also a link they’ve attached on their Twitter page to its blog, inviting audiences to read their top 20 reasons why Thorpe Park should be visited in 2020, to encourage audience members to purchase the 2020 season pass.

Different seasons also encourage amusement parks to use different promotional material to fit the time of year. In particular, Summer, Halloween, and Christmas have all big promotional value. Thus, how a theme park promotes what will be offered throughout the season can heavily impact the customer turnout as well as encourage/ discourage customers to visit more/ or less than once a year. For example, Disney In 2019 hosted a ‘Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party’ to celebrate the spooky season. Guests were invited during August, September, and October to attend an after dark ticketed event, where they were invited to attend the park dressed in costume and head out treat or treating with Mickey and all his friends.

Other digital marketing methods amusement corporations use are offers such as 2 for 1 or teaming up for joint deals with other companies. Teaming up with other brands can build an attraction’s audience since it means reaching out to a broader base, and capturing a response from similar targeted audiences. For example, popular cereal brand Kellogg’s UK has recently teamed up with Disney competitor, Merlin Entertainments to promote the offer “Grown ups go free”. Encouraging consumers to purchase Kellogg’s cereal packets in order to find a code that will enable them to purchase a free adult ticket for any Merlin attraction as long as an additional child/ adult ticket is also paid for. This campaign aims to result in more people purchasing Kellogg’s and more people visiting the theme parks. The marketing campaign can be found on Kellogg’s website along with their social media platforms where the campaign has been promoted, so check it out!

I hope this gave you roller coaster fanatics some insight into the world of digital marketing and how it has made our favourite amusement parks so successful!

Until the next roller-coaster blog, keep on riding.