PDA

View Full Version : What would you do as New VP of Marketing?



potzbie
11-10-2005, 03:35 PM
If you read the MOUSEPLANET announcements thread, you see that JIM ALESSANDRO, formerly of Paris DL, is now Senior Vice President of Marketing for Disneyland Resort.
(See the post 11/03/05.)

I bet Jim Alessandro's head is on the chopping block.
I bet his #1 job is to get people inside the gates of DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE, by hook (Captain?) or by crook (Cruella de Ville?).

I know that I, as an Annual Pass holder, recently got a questionaire that focused on CHARACTERS.
That is, the poll asked me if I go to Disneyland Resort (DL and DCA) for the characters, and if access to characters is important to me.

Is this Jim Alessandro's doing?
If so, then he hit the ground running.
"Ask your customers what they want. Then, give it to them."

*****

Here at MOUSEPLANET, what is the most oft-heard complaint about DCA?
"DCA IS TOO HIGH PRICED ADMISSION FOR WHAT YOU GET."

That is, DCA would be considered a fine place to spend a day, and would see lots of people pass thru its gates, if the cost for adults was commensurate with the scale of Disneyland Park.
Right?

i.e., 1/3 of the rides/features, and 1/3 the land area, for ... 1/3 the cost.
That seems fair, right?

So, the price of DCA ought to be 1/3 of the Disneyland Park fee, to be seen as a "good value for your money."
Right?

What is the price of a ONE DAY PARK HOPPER today?
Adults = $76
Children (under 10) = $66.

What is 1/3 of these prices?
Adults = $25.33
Children = $22.00

Now my friends, as Vice President of Marketing, I put the $64 Question (or here, the $76/$66 Question):

Q. Would you go to DCA more often if I reduce the admission fee of DCA to $25.33 for adults and $22.00 for children?

*****

Ah! But strategy and tactics now come into play.

Now, if I were Vice President of Marketing, I would not lower it for ALL people.--No need to.
I would not lower it permanently.--No need to.
But I would pick one event to justify the lowering.

For example, the lowest item on the admission board is for CHILDREN.
Right?
Therefore, if I lower the admission price for CHILDREN, and I do not touch the admission price of non-children (i.e., ADULTS), then I offer one segment of my market a deep discount for the purpose of getting more customers come at the higher-priced segment.

In other words:
1.) Children do not pay. Adults pay for childen.
2.) To (a.) discount the children's fee; is less "money lost" than to (b.) lower the adult fee.
3.) If I were a parent or guardian, and if my child could go to X for a very low fee than normal, then I would schedule my time to take advantage of the savings, even if my own admission fee were NOT discounted similarly.

Right?

Therefore, for one off-season event (early November? late January?), I, as VP of Mktg, would do the following:
1.) Arrange an event that is of interest to children or adults.
2.) Set the admission fee as rediculously low for children.
3.) Retain the high fee for adults.

Example:
Within DCA, create an event.
(for adults)
• ABC Soap Opera ("daytime serial") week.
(for children)
• The Wiggles Day / Lindsey Lohan Day / Rafi Day
(Who is the biggest draw nowadays, anyway?)

Set the price of:
• full price for adults, i.e., no change.
• deep discount price for children ($5 or $10).
*****
Bottom line.

Q. Would you make a special trip to DCA if you knew that, for one week only, all children under the age of ten years old would cost you five dollars for admission?

... and ...

Q. In a week or a month or a year, will those children (who entered DCA for that event) bug/nag/coerce their parents to go again?

*****

Which is the point. -- Get them in ONCE, and you've got a shot, not a guarantee, that they will return, deliberately.
We know that the problem with DCA is that the target audience has not yet gone even once to DCA.
Therefore, break the ice and get them in at least once, and make your money on the back end.

Remember:
• Parking remains at same price.
• Hotels remain same price.
• Annual Passholders give DCA/DL money via FOOD CONCESSIONS and SOUVENIR PURCHASES, as always, so that is not a factor here.

Q. As the new Vice President of Marketing, what would you do to compel people to stream through the gates of DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE?

Micki0624
11-10-2005, 04:11 PM
If I was a parent I would pay full price to get into DCA if my child could get in for $5-$10. That is exactly what parents do for their children.

I love DCA and go everytime. But I am a out of state visitor who likes to get the whole Disney experience everytime. If I was a local I would go into DL 9 out of 10 times because it is a better overall experience.

I think they should focus on the locals and give them better deals like they do at DL sometimes (they might even do this now). I would contact the grocery stores that sell the really cheap Knott's or Six Flags tickets and have the same type of deal going for DCA. They could even do this with bordering states like Knott's and Six Flags do. Chances are, especially out of staters, if they get a discounted ticket for DCA they will go to DL and pay the full price. I think Knott's and Six Flags are something like $13-$20 sometime durning those specials.

Donald Duck Fan68
11-10-2005, 04:21 PM
I think you may be on to something with that strategy. I've noticed Alaska Airlines does this with booking vacation packages to DLR by advertising "Kids Fly Free" for a limited time. Usually this is during the offseason months.

I guess a lot of this would depend on the target audience for a long-range plan? You want your short term plan to feed into the long term; get a select audience hooked on your product and then bring the price back to the normal range.

People would have a hard time resisting anything that's "FREE", so you could offer some kind of promotional deal that get's kids a "FREE" admission to DCA, by say, adding an additional night to your hotel stay on stays of 1 or 2 nights.

I'd probably try to convice the powers that be to keep DCA open later, as it really is a beautiful park at night, and make it a "DateNight" park, where couples can get "discounted" tickets after 5 or 6 pm.

Niwel
11-10-2005, 04:27 PM
I'd probably try to convice the powers that be to keep DCA open later, as it really is a beautiful park at night, and make it a "DateNight" park, where couples can get "discounted" tickets after 5 or 6 pm.

I like that :) They can call it their "Bella Notte" package: Dinner for two at the winery or the grotto; FP for two at two attractions, special seating for the Hyperion theater and one photo.