Marketing Analysis of Disney World Magic Kingdom - Case Study Example

Marketing Analysis Name Institution Marketing Analysis Disney World Magic Kingdom Introduction In the last few decades, tourism and hospitality industry has emerged one of the leading industries in the global economy (Sheriff, Luk and Layton, 2004). Tourism industry is considered an important foreign exchange earner which contributes to the growth of the economy, creation of employment and attraction of investments. Attraction sites have gained fame in attracting tourism across the world. In such attractions, high quality as well as individualized guest service is required for success (Sheriff, Luk and Layton, 2004). This paper is based on the marketing analysis of Disney World Magic Kingdom. It will offer the background of the attraction site and analyse the current marketing information of the site. It will then offer some recommendations that will improve the marketing of Disney World Magic Kingdom. Overview of Special Interest Tourism Context In line with a report conducted back in 2011, amusement park as well as the arcade industry within the United States comprises of about 3000 establishments which averaged yearly revenue of about $13 billion (Amusement Parks and Arcades, 2011). 85 per cent of the total revenue generated within this industry is contributed by the top 50 companies within this industry which are inclusive of SeaWorld, Walt Disney as well as Universal Parks and Resorts. The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) stated that there exist more than 400 amusement parks as well as tourist attractions within the United States exclusive of arcades and the biggest ones are mostly located in California and Florida (Min and Min, 2005). Estimates conducted by the Orlando Visitors Bureau indicate that within the city of Orlando, a single individual would require a 41 eight-hour days so as to be able to completely visit every tourist attraction available within the city (Amusement Parks and Arcades, 2011). Furthermore, articles have been written regarding the topic and have shown that every 3 Florida-based parks which have been incorporated in this analysis belong to the top ten tourist attractions within the United States (Amusement Parks and Arcades, 2011). In addition, various corporations are progressively heightening their awareness in line with both the costs as well as the benefits of their quality consumers in the tourism industry (Min and Min, 2005). Therefore, the amusement park tourism industry has a vision of catering to the single needs of every customer. They usually create give opportunities to their guests to customize their experience on the basis of their individual needs as well as their budgets. Therefore, by giving their customers the chance to tailor their own experiences, the entire satisfaction of their customers increases which plays a major role in promoting guest loyalty (Sheriff, Luk and Layton, 2004). For instance, Disney World tourist attraction allows their customer to self-select their own deluxe hotels depending on their requirements as well as their own budgets. Therefore, every customer ends up getting a similar experience at their own convenience. Background Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom has been considered to be one of the most iconic establishments within the themed entertainment industry (Disneyworld, 2011). It was established back in 1971 and borrows its hub-and-spoke set up from Disneyland, the company’s flagship property. Furthermore, Magic Kingdom was able to be a successful attraction since it was able found on the basis of additional exercise in progression (Magic Kingdom, 2011). Also, the advancement in its park attraction made it to be conspicuous as one of Disney “doing it better”. Furthermore, the market segmentation of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is both children and their families and it intrigues individuals of all age groups for instance, it appeals to children due to the presence of toys as well as animation films. Furthermore, it also appeals to older kids such as teens since it has live action films as well as Radio Disney (Magic Kingdom, 2011). This clearly indicates that Magic Kingdom appeals to more than one market segment. Analysis of Current Marketing Information Disney World Magic Kingdom is a successful attraction site that has captured the attention of many tourists across the world. The success of the attraction site is contributed to good marketing strategies (Magic Kingdom, 2011). Disney has used many online marketing tools to reach its target audience. The Disney World is among the most powerful brands online. Disney utilizes social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube etc. to communicate to its audiences. Disney has kept message uniformity in the social media considering having nine theme parks across the globe (Disney Parks, 2015). Its online platform continues to communicate the same brand message. In all its social media pages, Disney has pictures, videos as well as music that correspond to the feelings of amazement, enjoyable and fantasy. In its social media sites especially Facebook and twitter, Disney continuously post important information such as event schedule and vital dates and most at times asks its visitors to post their memorable time at their attraction site (Magic Kingdom, 2011)s. Disney is very active and lively in social media and all the sites use the same images and colours. It releases more timely messages and communicates and answers the questions of its followers (Disney Parks, 2015). Its social media presence is under the same name which has attracted about 300,000 like on Facebook, 8.9 million You Tube viewers and 29,000 followers on twitter. Through its active involvement and customized social media pages, Disney has created a community not just a service. The type of content shared it its social media pages are not product-driven but are casual and centred on interacting with the followers (Magic Kingdom, 2011). Using social media, Disney positions itself as the “happiest place on Earth”. Its online marketing strategy is based on making people feel that every penny they spend in their parks is worth it. One of the challenges facing Disney is its out-dated website. Disney website has limited information about its offering. It is considered to having short and low quality content that do not extensively explain the services available in its parks (Amusement Parks and Arcades, 2011). Disney Park has the habit of implanting video and written contents from other sources on its page. The company do not update its website information as frequently as possible. It has focussed its attention more on social media compared to website marketing. However, it is evident from the websites how Disney Magic Kingdom Park has distinguished itself from the competitors by offering information of what customers should expect in their destination (Disney Parks, 2015). Recommendation Strategies As mentioned earlier, the major target audience of Disney World Magic Kingdom is children and their families. Its main segmentation strategy is demographic like gender and age. It has directed its online and offline marketing efforts to this target group (Disney Parks, 2015). The entertainment park has accommodated the needs of both the children and parents. All its websites and social media pages are designed in such a way that benefits this target audience. However, Disney World Magic Kingdom is an international entertainment park that is visited by different people across the globe. Therefore, it needs to take into consideration the needs of the international market (Wilder, Collier and Barnes, 2014). In addition to targeting children and their families, the park should base their marketing efforts on geographical segmentation. Geographic classification involves dividing people in relation to nations, countries or regions (Wilder, Collier and Barnes, 2014). This criterion brings together both geographic and demographic data to form a definite profile. Disney Magic Kingdom Park should create quality content for the international target market in order to increase its relevance. Tourists from different countries have different needs and preferences. The park is faced with the challenge of determining the targeting content for different audiences. It is difficult to come up with ways to market its services to the international audience due to different tastes and preferences (Wilder, Collier and Barnes, 2014). One way Disney can deal with targeting challenge is to identify the target market and organize and enhance the business website and social media for different countries. In addition, Disney World Magic Kingdom should increase its social media presence. Some of its competitors such as Universal Studios and Sea World Florida have expanded their presence in the social media by using Snap Chat and Instagram. According to the current and future market prediction, sites like Snap Chat and Instagram are the world’s fastest-growing social networks (Wilder, Collier and Barnes, 2014). They are growing to be among the most important global marketing strategies. Magic Kingdom can use snapchat and Instagram in various ways. For instance, the attraction park can offer access to live events and can post video clip of new services. Moreover, in order to remain competitive, Disney should use online sites to enhance brand awareness and recognition (Magic Kingdom, 2011). This can be done by offering giveaways and promotions. It should think of a way to keep the followers engaged. For instance, the company can provide discounts to specific group of followers. Conclusion Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom was established in 1971 and has succeeded partly due to its effective online marketing strategies. Disney utilizes social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube etc. to communicate to its audiences. Its online sites endeavour to create feelings of amazement, enjoyable and fantasy. It has used social media to create a community not just a service. In order to improve its marketing strategy, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom should expand its social media presence by using networks like Snap Chat and Instagram. It should also utilize online presence by offering giveaways and promotions to its customers. It should also customize its social media pages and website in order to communicate to international market. References Amusement Parks & Arcades - Quarterly Update 1/10/2011 (2011). United States, Austin: Hoover's Inc. http://search.proquest.com/docview/832771609?accountid=11311. Disney Parks. (2015). Parks and destinations. Retrieved 29th Oct. 2016 from https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/ Disneyworld. (2011). Magic Kingdom Park Overview. Retrieved 29th Oct. 2016 from http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/ Magic Kingdom. (2011).“Magic Kingdom Park Overview”, Walt Disney World. Retrieved 29th Oct. 2016 from http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/ Min, H., & Min, H. (2005). The comparative evaluation of hotel service quality from a managerial perspective. Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing, 13(3/4): 33-48. Sheriff, T. K. Luk & Layton, R. (2004). Service skills and service quality: An empirical analysis. Journal of Human Resources and Hospitality & Tourism, 3(2): 33-60. Wilder, K. M., Collier, J. E., & Barnes, D. C. (2014). Tailoring to customers’ needs: Understanding how to promote an adaptive service experience with frontline employees. Journal of Service Research, 17: 446-459. Read More