Adrian Jones, Legoland Florida (opening October 2011) (pictured): In our vast experience, we’ve found that Legoland’s key demographic – families with children ages 2-12 – still receives the majority of its information through traditional channels.
Television, newspapers, magazines and radio outlets give us our greatest return on investment.Of course, with the emergence of the digital age, we see the value in reaching our guests online as well. Additionally, we are also in the unique position as a Lego entity.This gives us the opportunity to communicate with the extensive Lego fanbase through the Lego Club – a hugely successful network of devoted fans.
Mark Bainbridge, Lightwater Valley, UK: Television advertising remains the most high impact tool at our disposal and works most effectively in concentrated campaigns, while radio sponsorships are a great way to supplement these “bursts” with longer-term awareness. As regional and local newspaper circulations continue to decline, the smart money is moving online with handheld and location-based social media such as Foursquare and Facebook Places offering real-time customer rewards. All other media campaigns (TV, radio, press) drive traffic to not only to our website, but also our social media channels. Indeed, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube provide excellent platforms from which to personalise our brand and, in conjunction with regular blogs, e-shots and viral campaigns, to encourage interaction and user-generated content. So, with television advertising providing the visibility and social media providing compelling content, an integrated campaign across both media platforms is the most effective way to appeal to young guests.
Dale Kaetzel, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, USA: It takes the proper mix of social media and the traditional methods of TV and radio. There’s no single outlet. Most important is word of mouth and then showing friends and family a good time while they are in the park.
