Business of Leisure Marketing and Promotion Presented By The Trade and Corporate Sales Team

TASK The slides below show Alton Towers marketing strategy. Your task is to identify how the quantitative and qualitative information is captured and used. You may do this task as a presentation or report. What different methods are used to collect each type of information? Why do they need to collect the information? What is the information used for? Identify ways they can improve the collection and use of the information.

Market Research This is known as “Intention to Visit” Market Research is a process that helps us to identify who our customers are and what their needs are. This allows us to understand ways to target these audience types and allows us to identify ways in which we can provide new or improved products and services It also allows us to identify patterns in the ‘type’ of guests that visit Alton Towers Resort and whether they are likely to visit again in the future This is known as “Intention to Visit”

Marketing What is Marketing? “The development of goods and services that meet customers’ ever changing needs.” For discussion today: Marketing Research Target Marketing The Marketing Mix

Marketing and Promotion Ensuring a sufficient number of guests visit and ideally stay over Developing and communicating the product in line with our brand vision. Ensuring that guests are aware of our total resort offering; At the right time Using the appropriate medium Key messages

Alton Towers Resort

Market Research Types of Research Database PDA CSQ Touch Screens We target every car in the car park with a feedback questionnaire. This amounts to approximately 1 in 4 guests, or around 500k guests per year – the response rate is around 10%

Market Research Results from our 2010 research revealed: 28% of guests staying away from home overnight stayed at one of the two Alton Towers Resort Hotels 96% of guests were already aware of the Alton Towers Resort Hotels before their arrival at the Park 93% of guests would recommend Alton Towers Resort to friend

Target Marketing Target Marketing is the development and promotion of products & services that appeal to a specific market segment. We target people on both their demographic and their attitudes Age Gender Social group Ethnic origin Lifestyle Propensity to visit a theme park

Marketing Mix The simple Marketing mix is made up of the 4 P’s Product Price Promotion Place

Marketing Mix The marketing mix at Alton Towers Resort: Product: Britain’s number one short break destination Price: Competitively priced for the available product, offering value for money options to suit all audience types Promotion: Communications mix including TV, radio, digital and press to maximise awareness and entice people to visit Place: A unique, accessible environment

Marketing Mix: Product The product covers both goods and services that we offer Goods – something that you can use or consume e.g. food and drink, photography, merchandise Services – something that someone does for you e.g. the ride experience A brand name sets goods/services apart from other products Alton Towers Resort Sharkbait Reef by SEA LIFE Oblivion TH13TEEN

Alton Towers Resort Goods and Services

Marketing Mix: Price Alton Towers Resort ensures that it is competitively priced and offers many value for money options to appeal across its target markets On occasion, we are able to drive guests to visit the resort at quieter times of the year through price incentives and special offers. Ticket types include: Adult Child Under 4’s Senior Citizens Disabled Family 4; Family 5 Groups of 10+ Annual Pass

Marketing: Place Alton Towers Resort works with specialist agencies in order to develop a suitable campaign strategy Promotional techniques are ways that an organisation communicates its product and services to drive awareness and promote trial ADVERTISING METHODS TV, Radio, Press, Cinema, Outdoor Digital – E-shot & on-line Direct marketing – Door drop, Schools, Parent & Toddlers & groups Public relations (PR)

The Marketing Mix: Promotion TH13TEEN promotional campaign Digital media We identified five main social media channels for use in the campaign: Flickr – Alton Towers forums – Twitter – Facebook – YouTube – TV & Radio New TV Campaign with 2 different messages Blip verts Long running TV advert Radio slots on targeted stations for our market

TV Campaign Target 1: Thrill Seekers Target 2: Up for it families Very different lifestyle to families Reach them Mon-Thu while they are planning weekend activities High viewers of satellite TV on channels such as E4 Drip adverts on their favourite channels and shows Target 2: Up for it families Women With children 10-15 Watch a broad variety of shows Reach them in core shows which they watch together, such as Ant and Dec and soaps

The Marketing Mix: Promotion Sponsorship Although Alton Towers does not use sponsorship as a promotional tool, other companies approach us to sponsor our rides. Sponsorship can be used to: Create a corporate identity Improve a corporate image Launch a new product Enhance effectiveness of A&P Create merchandising opportunities

The Marketing Mix: Promotion Sales Promotions Promotion techniques can be defined as: Immediate: where the reward is given to the customer at the time of purchase e.g. discount coupon Delayed: where the reward requires further action on the consumer’s behalf e.g. collect vouchers Alton Towers Resort uses two forms of promotion Solus: builds brand awareness/association Multi-brand: heavyweight overage to drive volume through greater offering

The Marketing Mix: Promotion AIDA helps ensure that promotional material grabs the attention of the customer A Attention (gets the attention of the customer) I Interest (keeps the interest of the customer) D Desire (creates a desire to want to do something) A Action (drives the customer to action)

The Marketing Mix: Place A unique, fantastical resort offering for people of all ages Guests can reach Alton Towers Resort by a range of methods Car Coach Bus Train Ferry

Conclusion Market Research can be conducted in a variety of ways to identify who our guests are and what they want when they are here. Target Markets can be split by demographics and attitudes. This helps us to offer relevant goods and services to the appropriate audience through the correct communications mix. The marketing mix comprises of Product, Price, Promotion and Place. By adapting our marketing mix, guests are more likely to visit and more likely to return in the future. Promotion is the communication of a product or service to a customer. A range of promotional techniques are available and a mixture of these elements will make sales of product greater.