Hello. I have been browsing these forums for several years, however I have just decided to join and post.  I would rather my first post not be a new topic, however I could not find a topic that fit what I need.

I am a senior in high school and I am currently enrolled in a class called Principles of Marketing.  For this class we are required to carry out a 20 Time project.  For those who are unfamiliar with this concept, it is similar to what Google has their employees carry out.  The idea is that each Friday (20% of our 5 day school week), we are to devote time to a separate project that does not pertain to our current in-class projects or assignments.  There really is no limit on what we can do, however it is recommended that we work on something that we are passionate about.

As an avid amusement park enthusiast I feel that it will be a fantastic idea to participate in Kings Island's Marketing Day contest.  The goal is to submit a 30 second advertisement promoting Mystic Timbers.  The video is due by May 9, 2017, and the winning video will receive $500 for my school. Below is a link to Kings Island's website about the contest.

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/youth-programs/marketing-day

I am posting this as a new topic because for the assignment we are required to submit a weekly reflection on our project.  This can be in the form of a Facebook page, blog, YouTube channel, etc.  I figure what better to use than Kings Island Central where some of the parks biggest fans will see it.  I am very excited about the debut of Mystic Timbers and I am excited to learn more about roller coaster marketing.  In previous years I have closely followed the construction and marketing of Cedar Fair's major installations such as Gatekeeper, Banshee, Fury 325, and Valravn.  Each new installation provided a new idea and aspect to marketing that I had never thought about before.  The same can be said for Mystic Timbers.

I would appreciate your feedback as I progress through this project.  Any advice and ideas will be greatly appreciated!

I am a huge fan of the bringing together of the rides at Cedar Fair owned parks. I am excited to see what you come up with. Good luck out there!!!

That is an awesome project! I've always been interested in advertising/marketing but never took any classes. Looking forward to what you show us!

As far as ideas, as you know KI employed a lot of early teasing when it came to Mystic Timbers. I know that this worked very well on me personally. I love to solve puzzles, and having this season-long mystery to work on really invested me in the project.

Good luck!

Good luck on the project; sounds cool! As I've stated before on the forums, I think that Don (and the other marketing peeps at KI) took what they learned from Banshee and took it to the next level using Snapchat, Twitter and in-park diversions such as the removal of the funnel cake stand and that vine tunnel that they said  was for "nostalgia", but was really for construction (and we'll really find out how the vines tie into the theming in about 64 days...). Again, good luck sir and thanks for keeping us in the loop, so to speak!  

When I brought up Cedar Fair's previous projects I didn't really think to use these for my advertisement. But I think that would be a really cool way of going about it.  I would probably only use Kings Island's projects such as Firehawk, Diamondback, and Banshee.

What was the main marketing scheme for Firehawk and Diamondback.  I vaguely remember Diamondback because that was right about when I got interested in the industry, but the relocation of Firehawk was definitely before my time.  I would appreciate input in regards to how these coasters were marketed and what presence management thought each would bring to the park.  What I mean by presence is that I feel every roller coaster has a personality. (I am not personifying inanimate objects. A lot of people would think I'm insane but as fellow roller coaster enthusiasts I think you know what I mean.)

14 hours ago, CoasterCam said:

What I mean by presence is that I feel every roller coaster has a personality. (I am not personifying inanimate objects. A lot of people would think I'm insane but as fellow roller coaster enthusiasts I think you know what I mean.)

I think you underestimate enthusiasts. One user on here (mostly inactive these days) has previously referred to Vortex as his girlfriend, and that's just one example.

As a Communication/ business major who has taken a handful of marketing classes I'd say Cedar Fair appeals to the current market very well. If you have any questions DM me and I'll be happy to help you!