GCE Leisure Studies Marketing G182 In this topic you should be able to explain the following: 4P’s, SWOT, PEST & Market research

The Marketing Mix The marketing mix is the balance of the 4 p’s used by Thorpe Park. Product – what goods and services an organisation offers Price – how much the goods and service cost Place – where the goods and services are offered Promotion – how organisations get people to buy their goods and services

Product Products can be either goods or services. Thorpe Park have to provide products to satisfy their customers wants and needs. What should I include? 1. Define the term products and services 2. Describe the features of six of the rides at Thorpe Park 3. List all products and services available at Thorpe Park linklink 4. Describe the brand name of Thorpe Park 5. Describe the after sales service offered by Thorpe Park 6. Describe Thorpe Parks history using the Product Life Cycle

Many organisations give their products brand names. It is a unique name that makes a product stand out from that of its competitors. Thorpe Park is owned by Merlin EntertainmentsMerlin Entertainments Brand names such as Thorpe Park are used for several reasons To help recognition – if customers recognise a brand they may trust and buy it To make the product different – Thorpe Park as a brand looks to attract “thrill seekers” To create brand loyalty – if people go to Thorpe Park once and enjoy their experience they are more likely to return To develop a brand image – people go to Thorpe Park for the thrilling rides, this is the brand they have created. Click here for more information about Thorpe Park Brand Brand Name “Thorpe Park”

After Sales Service Thorpe Park provides an After Sales Service, this is very important to some customers providing them with security when buying a product. Ensuring satisfaction – Thorpe Park use exit questionnaires and other research methods to measure customer satisfaction. Services - many guests regrettably lose personal items out of their pockets. Guest services then have the difficult responsibility of matching the reported lost items with the recovered property from in the ride areas. Last season Thorpe Park recovered nearly 2000 items, and returned nearly 25%. Deal with complaints – Thorpe Park respond in writing to any complaints that need following up, or in reply to letters, phone calls or s within 7 days of receiving the initial complaint. linklink

Product Life Cycle The product life cycle shows stages of popularity of a product over time. It has four stages: Introduction – the business begin to build product awareness and develop a market for the product. Growth stage – the business begin to build brand presence and increase market share. Maturity stage – strong growth slows and competition may appear. Marketing efforts switch to defending market share and maximising profit. Decline stage – the sales of the product decline. Find out about the history of Thorpe Park and plot it on the Product Life Cycle. Download Thorpe Park Student Guide

Price Thorpe Park set prices for the products and service they offer. What should I include? 1.Define the term price 2.Describe the range of prices at Thorpe Park linklink 2. Describe how Thorpe Park use different pricing strategies 4. Describe how Thorpe Park decides on its actual selling price 5. Describe how Thorpe Park ensure profitability

Pricing Strategies Competition based pricing Thorpe Park is influenced by rivals when setting prices (e.g. Alton Towers and Chessington). The price is set to be fairly similar to avoid a price war between these organisations. Market orientated pricing Thorpe Park looks at what is going on in the market when they set their prices. It looks at what customers are willing to pay at certain times in certain situations e.g. OAP, family and group pricing. Peak and off Peak pricing For school trips only Thorpe Park offer peak and off peak pricing. Peak – higher prices when the park is busy. Off Peak – lower prices to encourage more visitors. Discounts Thorpe Park offers discounts on their normal prices e.g. large groups, students, OAP’s, Schools. This makes Thorpe Park appeal to a wider range of customer. Special offers Products are offered at a special low price, this encourages the sales of products.

Actual Selling Price The actual selling price is the amount of money paid customers for goods and services. Price is one of the most flexible parts of the marketing mix as it can easily be changed. Thorpe Park offer a range of seasonal discounts in order to attract new visitors. Thorpe Park often using price discounts when promoting the park. Profitability Price allows Thorpe Park to make a profit. This means that Thorpe Park must charge a price that more than covers the costs of running the Park e.g. staff wages, maintenance etc.

Place Thorpe Park has to make their products available to customers in the right place at the right time. What should I include? 1.Define the term place 2.Describe the location of Thorpe Park 3. Describe the different methods of transport you can use to get to Thorpe Park linklink 4. Describe the distribution channels used by Thorpe Park

Thorpe Park is located on the outskirts south west London close to junction 12 of the M25. The location has many benefits to Thorpe Park. Large workforce available Large customer base Good transport links (roads, air and train) Area to expand is needed Location

The path taken to get products from organisations to customers is called a distribution channel. Thorpe Park delivers is product via tourist information centres, tour operators, over the internet from the Thorpe Park website and at the Park itself. Distribution Channels Tourist Information Centre Tour Operator Thorpe Park Website Thorpe Park Customer Sold directly over internet

Promotion Thorpe Park has to tell its customers about their products and ultimately convince them to visit. Thorpe Park do this in many different ways using different promotional techniques and materials. What should I include? 1.Define the term promotion 2.Describe the different types of promotional techniques and promotional materials used by Thorpe Park

Promotion Advertising This involves the publishing, displaying or broadcasting of information about products and services. It is one of the most common promotional techniques Examples: tv, radio, posters, newspapers, internet, magazines, public transport Direct Marketing Involves sending information direct to customer homes. 1. Direct mail – sending letters to people through the post 2. Telemarketing – direct selling over the phone Public relations Thorpe Park wants a good image with the public. They give the media information (press release) that is then portrayed to the public. This can be TV, newspaper both local and national. Personal selling Thorpe Park use personal selling at special events, it is selling face to face. Example: Fright Night – selling scary masks and glow sticks Sales Promotions Used to encourage people to buy products, aim to give a short term boost in sales. Money off vouchers Discounts Competitions PR Promotions Combination offers (Thorpe Park and Anchor Butter)

SWOT You should be able to create a SWOT analysis of a leisure organisation by looking at a case study. Consider the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats of Thorpe Park Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

PEST You should be able to create a PEST analysis of a leisure organisation by looking at a case study. Consider the Political, economical, social & technological factors that may affect Thorpe Park Political Economic Social Technological

The task Create a written document which explains the following: 1.Describe the Thorpe Park products and services 2.Describe the pricing strategy that Thorpe Park include 3.Describe the place e.g. Where Thorpe Park is located and why. Consider transport infrastructure and proximity to London 4.Promotion – How do Thorpe Park advertise and promote their business? 5.SWOT – Create a SWOT analysis of the business 6.PEST – Create a PEST analysis of Thorpe Park This task should probably be around 2000 words and should be factual. Points should be based on primary research that was done at the park and secondary research from looking at their website!