The case for outdoor
Today I will start a series of posts dedicated to industry-specific advertising strategy. I will kick off these posts starting with advertising for amusements and entertainment venues. In San Antonio, 6 Flags Fiesta Texas, Seaworld, and the Zoo all have a presence, and there are many seasonal amusements (such as the Rodeo and Spurs games) which must have to compete for the mind of the consumer. This is why you cannot drive anywhere in San Antonio without seeing an ad for Sea World on the side of a bus.
With many more alternatives to traditional amusements & entertainment, advertising for this industry has had to become increasingly innovative and flexible. Out of home and outdoor advertising can help reach the mobile, active families and singles who are in the market for entertainment.
Outdoor is easy to use and buy for the amusement industry because you can specify shorter campaign periods due to increased technology (in store LCD advertising might be an example). Outdoor has a quick turn around time, meaning you should be able to see results in 3 months, and since Billboard Connection offers one solution to all your outdoor needs, the myriad of different out of home possibilities can all be brought to the table.
Using outdoor allows the amusement industry to catch your prospect where they spend most of their time: out of home. From about 7:00pm to 2:00am is when individuals and families spend most of their time at home. The rest of that time is spent mobile, outside of the house - and this is where and when we want to build the front of mind awareness in your prospect.
Infact, according to Arbitron, heavy drivers are more affluent, more educated, and likely to watch less TV. If your company is launching a large campaign where TV will play an important role, outdoor enhances your efforts.
Amusement Venues
According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, overall attendance at the nation’s amusement parks have been steadily decreasing since 2003. This includes theme parks, theatres, concerts and events, casinos, zoos, museums, and sporting events. To combat this fall in attendance, smusement advertisers have consistently increased their outdoor spending from 1997 through 2005.
| Category | 2005 |
| Amusement, Water & Theme Parks | 10.6% |
| Theaters, Concerts & Events | 5.4% |
| Casinos & Lotteries | 25.8% |
| Zoos & Museums | 14.6% |
| Sporting Events/Teams | 7.2% |
Advertising Strategy - Case Study
Families visit amusement parks, and the summer months are the biggest revenue draw - infact for year-round parks, 50% of their revenue is from the short, summer months. The average American family will travel just over 200 miles to visit their favorite park. Just outside of San Antonio in New Braunfels is a water park named Schlitterbahn. I have not had the opportunity to consult with them, but Sunsplash in Cape Coral, Florida which is also a Family Waterpark successfully used out of home advertising to attract families.
From the OAAA:
With increasing competition, Sunsplash was feeling like a “small fish in a big pond.” The park opened in Cape Coral, Florida, and they desperately needed to do something fast to attract visitors. Initially, they were going to use a small amount of outdoor advertising to attract tourists on the interstate driving toward Sunsplash. Then, they realized that the residents were very active and mobile, and outdoor would be ideal to reach them as well. They increased their outdoor spending, taking into consideration outdoor’s high reach and frequency and low CPM’s. They used product-specific advertising on vinyl-wrapped posters and rotary bulletins. The 175 weekly GRP campaign yielded phenomenal results! They increased their attendance from the prior season by 6,000 more customers. Sunsplash decided to extend their outdoor campaign another two weeks.
Theater, Concerts, and Events
Outdoor can catch patrons on the move, when theya re making purchasing decisions. Outdoor would be a great advertising venue for the San Antonio Symphony because fewer people are buying tickets to theater and other events in advance. Outdoor is able to be speicifically targeted towards certain demographics, and so it would not be difficult at all to target the 63% of Broadway theater goeers who are women, aged in the mid 40’s.
By funnelling spending for a newspaper ad which lasts only one day in the Sunday paper, into billboard or non traditional advertising, which lasts for a continuous month, the same amount of money can buy significantly more targeted advertising - this is especially true for mobile billboard advertising. This form of advertising can go where other advertising cannot!
This primer on the amusement and entertainment industry gives a glimpse of the power that out of home advertising has to persuade your prospects to make the decision to enter your park or attend your concert. It is cost effective, and if you set advertising-related measurable growth objectives (which every company should) it is easy to see that out of home is one of the most effective forms of advertising you can use to target the mobile customer.