Marketing the Brand Template

Marketing the Brand Template

Consumer Research Methods in Developing the Marketing Plan

One of the methods that will be used for consumer research in developing the park’s marketing plan is a survey. According to Hyman & Sierra (2010), a survey includes structured questions to gain insight into a particular topic. Surveys will be an ideal marketing method because they will enable the researcher to select the information to be acquired from customers. For instance, the survey questions may focus on the customers’ opinion on the quality of services being offered in the park after reopening, their safety concerns and their level of satisfaction with the measures put in place to ensure the safety of park users. The second research method will be observation. This method includes observing customers as they use various amenities in the park. Observation will be an ideal method in marketing research because it will help determine whether customers are satisfied with the amenities offered in the park and the park’s reception by customers based on the number of customers visiting the park per day. Observation will also help to determine the park amenities that are least utilized and those that are most utilized, thus emphasizing marketing on the most preferred marketing amenities.

Traditional Marketing Methods for Developing the Marketing Plan

Significance in the Acquisition of New Customers

The three traditional marketing methods that will be used in developing the park’s marketing plan are referral marketing, television ads and brochures. Referral marketing will help acquire new customers by informing potential customers about the reopening of the park and the amenities offered in the park. The referral program is likely to attract many new customers because they will be getting first-hand information about the park from people who have visited the park. Brochures will help acquire new customers by attracting new customers through appealing images of the park and emphasizing the value proposition by stating the uniqueness of the amenities in the park and prices. Television ads will help acquire new customers by displaying the park’s images that catch customers’ attention and increase their interest in visiting the park to have the experience portrayed in the television ads.

Significance in the Retention of Existing Customers

Referral marketing will help retain existing customers by rewarding existing customers who refer new customers. Rewards may include discounts and free entry to the park. Brochures will help in the retention of existing customers by informing them about the improvements that have been made to make their experience using the park better. Brochures can also be used to communicate any special rewards given to returning customers hence increasing customer retention. Television ads will help retain customers by keeping customers updated on the amenities being offered in the park and improvements made to enhance the safety of park users and create a fun experience for them.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Identified Methods

One of the advantages of referral marketing is a low cost per lead. Another advantage is a high conversion rate. According to Makandar (2014), the leads acquired through referrals convert to customers more quickly than prospects acquired through alternative sources such as advertising. However, referral marketing limits a business’ control over the customers they acquire mainly because each customer is fed different information by whoever is referring them to the product or service. The main advantage of brochures is that they offer a wide range of ideas in terms of decorations and design hence enabling the business to portray the products that will catch the customers’ attention. The second advantage is that brochures are time-effective because the brochures can be distributed to many customers within a short time. The main disadvantage of brochures is environmental concerns. According to Gupta & Nasa (2021), brochures are among the causes of environmental pollution because, in most instances, people dispose of them after reading the content being communicated. They may be disposed of on roadsides or in the streets. The second disadvantage of brochures is limited reach, mainly because the brochures are distributed in a specific area. The main advantage of television ads is broad customer reach because many people watch television either for recreation or to get news updates. The second advantage is multiple ways of passing the intended message to customers. Hyman & Sierra (2010) argue that television ads give marketers many options to broadcast their message through short videos, image displays and descriptions of the product or service. However, television ads rely on third-party tracking companies hence making it hard for the advertiser to track the advertisement’s reach.

Digital Marketing Methods for Developing the Marketing Plan

Significance in the Acquisition of New Customers

The three digital marketing methods that will be used in developing the park’s marketing plan will be social media marketing, content marketing, and search engine optimization marketing. Social media marketing is ideal because it will enable the park to engage customers in conversations about the amenities offered in the park and get recommendations on improvement areas. Content marketing will be ideal because it will enable the company to display the amenities offered in the park. Search engine optimization is also ideal because it will enable customers to learn more about the amenities offered in the park by visiting its website. Social media marketing will help acquire new customers by creating awareness of the different amenities offered in the park and adjusting the amenities based on customer needs and preferences. Content marketing will help acquire new customers by convincing customers about the value of the amenities offered in the park. Search engine optimization will help acquire new customers by familiarizing customers with the amenities offered in the park and the charges.

Significance in the Retention of Existing Customers

Social media marketing will help retain existing customers by engaging customers in conversations about the quality of services offered in the park and any areas that should be improved for a better customer experience. Content marketing will help retain existing customers by answering any questions customers may have about the amenities offered in the park. Search engine optimization will help retain existing customers by regularly updating customers on charges of different amenities in the park and improvements made for a better customer experience.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Identified Methods

One of the advantages of social media marketing is broad customer reach. According to Singh & Diamond (2012), social media platforms expose businesses to a large audience, widening customer reach. The second advantage of social media marketing is the direct connection with the target audience by engaging in conversations about the products and services offered and their level of satisfaction. The main disadvantage of social media marketing is that it is time-consuming because the business needs to constantly create and post content and maintain customer engagement. Another disadvantage is exposure to competitors. Social media marketing exposes a business’ business methods, products and services to competitors, thus limiting competitive advantage.

Further, the main advantage of content marketing is increased conversion and traffic because quality content draws the target audience to the business’s website, thus increasing web traffic. Content marketing also increases brand awareness by informing the target audience about products and services. However, content marketing is complex and time-consuming because creating content is a process that requires editing the content until it is ready to be aired. The main advantage of search engine optimization marketing is providing lasting results by increasing web traffic to the brand’s website. However, it is a slow process that requires patience to get the desired results.

Integrating the Selected Traditional and Digital Marketing Methods to Optimize the Brand

The Most Impactful Method in Addressing the Target Audiences

Content marketing, social media marketing, and television ad marketing will be the most impactful in addressing the target audience. To begin with, convincing the target audience to visit the park requires assurance that the park is safe. Therefore, customer testimonials may be needed to assure customers about their safety. Therefore, the television advertisements and content displayed on social media platforms will include customer testimonials declaring the safety of the park to the target audience. Social media marketing, television ads and content marketing will also be impactful by displaying images that attract customers to visit the park.

The Most Effective Method in Branding

Content marketing could be most effective in branding because it will help the brand create the brand image it intends to sell to the target audience through the content in the marketing content. For instance, the content can emphasize the safety of the park and the design of amenities in a way that creates a friendly environment for children and adults.

Digital and Traditional Marketing in Support of Brand and Growth of the Business

Both digital and traditional marketing can support the brand and growth of the business by being applied to increase brand awareness. For instance, traditional marketing methods can increase brand awareness among customers who are not on social media, and digital marketing methods can be used to target Internet users.

Crisis Management Strategies

Focusing on Customer Expectations to Improve Brand Damage from the Incident

We can focus on customer expectations to improve brand damage from the incident by conducting a survey to get the customers’ opinions on our improvements to increase customer satisfaction. We can ask customers whether they think the new safety measures will effectively prevent insecurity incidents and get their recommendations on what we should do to guarantee that the park is safe. We can also conduct a survey on what customers think are the leading causes of insecurity in the park and focus on eliminating them to improve customer safety.

Supporting Our Employees’ Needs in Reopening the Park

One of the things we can do to support our employees’ needs in reopening the park is to adjust closing hours so that employees can leave the park before dark to prevent attacks. We can also offer transportation to our employees to and from the park to prevent incidents of employees being attacked on their way to work or when going home after work. We will also ensure that everyone entering the park is screened to prevent armed people access the park.

Possible Crises That Could Arise Relevant to the Incident and Reopening

One of the crises that could arise is concerns that the park is putting its profits first over the safety of its customers. This could limit the number of customers visiting the park, especially if the concerns are raised on social media platforms. Another crisis is backlash from former employees who are not reinstated. They may feel that the park’s management is unfair because employees had nothing to do with the park’s closure.

Legal and Ethical Issues

Upon reopening, the main legal issue that could arise and negatively affect the park’s brand image is false advertising. The park’s management may be desperate to reinstate the park and gain revenue, thus outing too much pressure on the marketing team resulting in false advertising to attract customers. This issue could be prevented by reviewing all content used in marketing to ensure that it is true. On the other hand, the main ethical issue that could affect the organization’s brand image upon reopening is bias in stakeholder engagement. The brand may engage customers more than employees because it relies on customers to generate revenue, creating the possibility of failure to meet other stakeholders’ needs. The main step that could be taken to prevent bias in stakeholder engagement is involving a representative for every stakeholder in the decision-making process.

References

Gupta, S., & Nasa, P. (2021). Advertising management by Sanjay Gupta, pooja NASA (SBPD publications). SBPD Publications.

Hyman, M., & Sierra, J. (2010). Marketing research kit for dummies. John Wiley & Sons.

Makandar, N. (2014). A study on referral marketing. ELK Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Retail Management. https://doi.org/10.16962/eapjmrm/issn.2349-2317/20140731.v5i3.01

Singh, S., & Diamond, S. (2012). Social media marketing for dummies. John Wiley & Sons.

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Overview

In Milestone One, you analyzed the brand implications of reopening the park, and you delivered the analysis report in the form of a presentation. In your role as regional marketing director of one of the theme parks in the southeastern United States, you have been tasked by your CMO with designing a marketing plan to address the marketing and branding needs of reopening the park. You will create a customizable strategic marketing plan template, which you will implement for your own park and share with the other regional directors of marketing. The other directors will implement the same strategy based on the needs and demographics of their respective parks.

In this template, you will elaborate on the traditional and digital marketing methods and discuss how these marketing methods are aligned with each other. You will also discuss the crisis management strategies that should be implemented prior to the reopening of parks and perform some analysis of legal and ethical issues, which might have negative impacts on the brand.

Prompt

Based on the information provided to you, share a completed customizable marketing plan template for the reopening of the individual park. Your template should include the following critical sections with relevant guiding information:

1. Determine two methods to be used for consumer research in developing the marketing plan. Provide rationale.
2. Determine three traditional marketing methods you will use in developing the marketing plan and provide a rationale. Your response should address the following:
   1. How will identified methods help in the acquisition of new customers?
   2. How will identified methods help in the retention of existing customers?
   3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of identified methods?
3. Determine three digital marketing methods you will use in developing the marketing plan and provide a rationale. Your response should address the following:
   1. How will identified methods help in the acquisition of new customers?
   2. How will identified methods help in the retention of existing customers?
   3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of identified methods?
4. Explain how the traditional and digital marketing methods you have selected will work together to optimize the brand. Your response should address the following:
   1. Which method do you think could be most impactful in addressing your target audiences?
   2. Which method do you think could be most effective in branding?
   3. Can both digital and traditional marketing support the brand and growth of the business?
5. Explain the crisis management strategies that should be implemented prior to reopening. Your response should address the following:
   1. How can we focus on customer expectations to improve brand damage from the incident?
   2. How can we support our employees’ needs in reopening the park?
   3. What possible crises could arise relevant to the incident and reopening?
6. Determine one legal and one ethical issue that could arise and negatively impact the organization’s brand image upon reopening, and provide proactive steps that could be taken now to prevent them.