Theme Parks: Riding the Social Media Rollercoaster
Introduction Social media marketing is the fastest growing form of marketing in history Dynamics between brands and consumers have changed Todays consumers crave 2 way communication Word of Mouth has become World of Mouth WOM can be spread like wildfire via social media We don t find products and services anymore they find us via social media Challenges Engaging consumers in conversation is a 2 edged sword Difficult to measure ROI Resource intensive
Using Social Media Effectively Start by googling your brand Know where your target market is and focus on those networks Personalise your company have real person representing your brand Have strong branded presence consistent image across networks Have a 2 way conversation get customers to join in Assemble your brand evangelists people who show interest and support for you
Using Social Media Effectively Keep messages short and simple Conversations with guests and fans needs to be sticky You need to keep content relevant and refreshed and timely Storytelling is important people need to get not just what you do but why you do it Content should be platform specific
Themed Attractions Who are we?
Themed Attractions Social Media Strategy To increase engagement of social media activities to reward and stimulate the existing/current online community and fans Elevate the brand s online presence via partner promotions, cross park promotions, collaborations with other major websites and exploring mobile initiatives To roll out with highly engaging social media campaigns during the low peak periods (pre & post school holidays) Execute promotional activities during this period via discounts, p w p, voting systems etc. To sustain momentum and awareness via online media buys (banner ads, partner sites etc.) during the peak periods
Digital Media Tools Facebook Connect and converse Apps to drive marketing campaigns, events and programs Provides a solid platform for immediate feedback Twitter Communicate Utilize this tool of real time communication to drive special time sensitive sales Drive and reward our online followers on twitter Boost awareness of parks Website Collect and archive Email and E newsletter Contact Campaign specific offers
KidZania Kuala Lumpur Facebook strategy A lot of caution was taken to ensure fans were genuine to the brand kids safety as a policy and priority An organic approach was taken with very minimal online spend (ads), to promote the FB page An ideal community was of parents who were ready to engage and constantly associate themselves to the brand Rationale: Real fans would make the effort to search and participate in the community It came to a point where fans would actually answer queries faster than the moderator/community manager! Even with a conservative approach, within 1 year of KZKL s launch, the FB page drew the highest growth as compared to other KidZania FB pages worldwide Currently reaching 9.59m friends of Fans
Zank U Programme Average reach per post: 2,000 Virality average: 1.96% Twitter Followers increased 400%!
Channels and promotions (continued..) Promotions Duration Description Impact Source: KZKL Report Facebook 12 th Mar 13-30 th Apr 13 10% off 81 tickets sold Twitter 12 th Mar 13-30 th Apr 13 20% off 55 tickets sold Facebook + Twitter 12 th Mar 13-30 th Apr 13 30% off 562 tickets sold 1 st Anniversary 12 th Mar 13-30 th Apr 13 RM45 nett for MyKad holders 333 ticket s sold 1 st Anniversary 12 th Mar 13-30 th Apr 13 RM45 nett for non MyKad 75 tickets sold Hoya Long Life Sony Sunday Seamaster 11t h Mar 13 31 st Jul 13 Every Sunday (April 13) 1 st Apr 13-31 st Jul 13 With every purchase of 1 pair of HOYA Single Vision Stocks Lens with Hi-Vision LongLife Coating, consumer is entitled to a voucher of 20% off all KZ KL ticket tiers (maximum SIX tickets per purchase). MySony members are entitled to a 20% discount off all KZ KL ticket tiers when they present the edm at the KZ KL airport. Collect two labels and get 20% off four KZ KL tickets 38 tickets sold 29 tickets sold 256 tickets sold Seamaster promotion has a good uptake considering the promotion has only been running for a month Offering 30% off to online community is an effective approach to attract attendance. Therefore, we need to increase our online presence 10
Digital Marketing Assets Common CMS system SEO strategy Widgets E newsletters Mobile ticketing Youtube dedicated.tv channel Tripadvisor encourage positive customer comment Self guides tours (mobile web and native apps)
Digital Marketing Assets Database Marketing and Cross Promotion Loyalty Program and Customer Relationships Engaged Visitors (Exciting and Fun Interactive Experiences) Interactive Wall labels, Posters and Micropayments Up Late (Live Social Media Wall) Social Media Monitoring, Marketing and Measurement Centralised Content Management
Facebook School Recruitment Campaign Put your school on KZKL s FB page, get the most votes /likes and win you and your school an exclusive day out in KidZania Kuala Lumpur! Get your friends, parents, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunties, grandma, grandpa, neighbours, teachers, gardener and pet cat to vote/like your post and win Get everyone involved to create a viral snowball that will perpetually turn into an avalanche of noise on people s timelines
WOM goes VIRAL!
Mobile Ticketing Supports info search and purchase convenience Tap into growing consumer trend of search and transaction on mobile devices Assists way finding of parks
Mobile Trends
Mobile Trends By 2013 more people will use mobile phones than PCs to get online (Gartner 2011) By 2015, it is predicted that mobile shopping will account for $163 billion in sales worldwide, 12% of global ecommerce turnover (Source: ABI Research, 2010). 47% of consumers confirm they use their smartphone to search for local information such as a local store they want to visit. 46% of consumers look up prices on a store s mobile site, and 42% check inventory prior to shopping in the store (Source: Local and the e tailing group, 2012). 52% of kids under 8 now use mobile devices
Other Trends Youtube videos for community consumption (e.g. Video Game High School) Mobile Apps for mapping (Waze etc) Augmented reality create 4 dimensional objects of the parks in shopping malls create 3d character that can only be found on phone like a treasure hunt with GPS
Augmented Reality Application Augmented Reality Tours Overlaying 3D objects and shapes into our physical reality http://www.sndrv.nl/moma/ 1 9
Augmented Reality in Theme Parks? What can be done? Instant promo hunt Imagine enjoying the theme park whilst going on a random treasure hunt filled with limited exclusive goodies Imagine following invisible tracks which leads to the promo of the day Imagine being able to see through walls and watching your own exclusive AR content Way finding Imagine never getting lost in a theme park ever again Geo tag your car, see the latest food promo, see how far/how many footsteps to the next restroom See a ride with a long queue, set a reminder on your wish list Get real time info on queue/waiting times Countdowns to live performances