gforce1994 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 49 minutes ago, LovinMeSomeBanshee said: Here's my question: what marketing HAS Kings Island done regarding Orion? The answer: not much. And that's incredibly disappointing. An Instagram post here, a Facebook post there. I know if my park was spending $30 million on a new attraction, that would be posted EVERYWHERE. Meanwhile, Kings Island takes the "surprise" approach. Don't show them anything until they see it with their own eyes. I can understand that - but that's for the people who already know a lot about Orion. What about those people who don't know much at all about Orion? The general public knows very little compared to enthusiasts. The marketing they did stopped at the same time the pandemic shutdowns started to occur. At that point there was some in the industry who thought the season would be lost (check out AttractionPros podcast at that time). Now since stuff is beginning to reopen in a modified world, where new information is now being posted about by the parks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIghostguy Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 7 minutes ago, gforce1994 said: The marketing they did stopped at the same time the pandemic shutdowns started to occur. At that point there was some in the industry who thought the season would be lost (check out AttractionPros podcast at that time). Now since stuff is beginning to reopen in a modified world, where new information is now being posted about by the parks. As others have said, there was barely anything even before the shutdowns. What was preventing them from posting an update of Area 72 construction in January or February? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonHelbig Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 11 minutes ago, KIghostguy said: As others have said, there was barely anything even before the shutdowns. What was preventing them from posting an update of Area 72 construction in January or February? 46.93% of the park's posts on Facebook beginning January 1 through February 29 were focused on Orion, which is a significantly higher number than barely anything. 16 2 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUN&ONLY! Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 13 minutes ago, DonHelbig said: 46.93% of the park's posts on Facebook beginning January 1 through February 29 were focused on Orion, which is a significantly higher number than barely anything. I really did enjoy these posts, and I know that for reasons of uncertainty during COVID-19, Kings Island probably held back on Orion posts. I understand that it was only recently that the park was able to set an opening date. Now that opening day has been set, and it is only weeks away, will Kings Island continue to post new Orion updates? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonHelbig Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 5 hours ago, LovinMeSomeBanshee said: In the age of social media, Kings Island’s use of it has been disappointing. They could do so, so much more to excite the general public. Instead of posting pictures to show the grand scale of their new baby, they choose to hide it, as if it being a surprise will generate chatter amongst the general public. That’s not how enthusiasm works these days. In the age of COVID-19, I, like many people in America, was forced to work from home for the past 10-plus weeks where I and others at the park would need a pretty long lens to capture photos and video to show the grand scale of this new baby. That's how the world was working these days. 17 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Theater Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 1 hour ago, LovinMeSomeBanshee said: Here's my question: what marketing HAS Kings Island done regarding Orion? The answer: not much. And that's incredibly disappointing. An Instagram post here, a Facebook post there. I know if my park was spending $30 million on a new attraction, that would be posted EVERYWHERE. Meanwhile, Kings Island takes the "surprise" approach. Don't show them anything until they see it with their own eyes. I can understand that - but that's for the people who already know a lot about Orion. What about those people who don't know much at all about Orion? The general public knows very little compared to enthusiasts. I obviously don't know the specifics, but I'm sure the KI marketing team had plans to advertise more in the month leading up to the park opening, you know, March. The month where everything closed and most people were sent home from their jobs, some to never return (such as myself). I don't think coming after the parks marketing team for their poor marketing of Orion is fair at all. For a time, I remember seeing Orion all over my Facebook and was a big deal to most non-enthusiasts on my friend list. I think you need to take a step back and think of how much the world has changed in just the past three months. I don't think Kings Island's marketing team was greatly concerned with promoting a new attraction that was put on hold indefinitely (until today). 42 minutes ago, KIghostguy said: As others have said, there was barely anything even before the shutdowns. What was preventing them from posting an update of Area 72 construction in January or February? Do many parks give construction updates, especially of new themed areas? I can't think of any parks that have made it a point to give guests an update on construction and showing an unfinished new area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIghostguy Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 41 minutes ago, Phantom Theater said: Do many parks give construction updates, especially of new themed areas? I can't think of any parks that have made it a point to give guests an update on construction and showing an unfinished new area. There were lots of updates on the construction for the plaza of Mystic Timbers, as well as some of the theming work. There was no reason the park couldn't have done the same for Orion before coronavirus. Instead, we got the same POV and off-ride footage posted and reposted instead of the frequent and unique update strategy that they used when they were building and finishing Mystic Timbers. Look at Meteor Canteen. I love the park's history, I love seeing every step of the way on construction. Instead of posting photos of it being built, it just suddenly appeared in one of the drone photos. Why did the park not want to post any photos of it being built? Hopefully, with the full-time staff back at the park, we'll be back to getting more frequent updates. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gforce1994 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 19 minutes ago, KIghostguy said: There were lots of updates on the construction for the plaza of Mystic Timbers, as well as some of the theming work. There was no reason the park couldn't have done the same for Orion before coronavirus. Instead, we got the same POV and off-ride footage posted and reposted instead of the frequent and unique update strategy that they used when they were building and finishing Mystic Timbers. Look at Meteor Canteen. I love the park's history, I love seeing every step of the way on construction. Instead of posting photos of it being built, it just suddenly appeared in one of the drone photos. Why did the park not want to post any photos of it being built? Hopefully, with the full-time staff back at the park, we'll be back to getting more frequent updates. To be fair, Mystic Timbers is a totally different ride and thus marketed as such. Most of the future updates will be about park information, post COVID-19. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIghostguy Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 15 minutes ago, gforce1994 said: To be fair, Mystic Timbers is a totally different ride and thus marketed as such. Both are themed coasters built under Cedar Fair’s ownership. I felt that the marketing of Banshee and Mystic Timbers were similar in terms of updates. Plus, we actually got plaza/queue/theming development updates with both. Why are you so against constructive criticism of the park? Kings Island has done many things right the past few years and they deserve to be applauded when they do things right. I think that overall, Kings Island is being operated at the highest quality it has been in decades. However, I feel that this is one aspect that can easily be improved upon. As a fan of the park’s history, I want to see every step of the way in the construction process. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 The pandemic put a total wrench in everything about the park this spring, including the marketing for Orion. We are moving on from this discussion. 8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldschool75 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Both are themed coasters built under Cedar Fair’s ownership. I felt that the marketing of Banshee and Mystic Timbers were similar in terms of updates. Plus, we actually got plaza/queue/theming development updates with both. Why are you so against constructive criticism of the park? Kings Island has done many things right the past few years and they deserve to be applauded when they do things right. I think that overall, Kings Island is being operated at the highest quality it has been in decades. However, I feel that this is one aspect that can easily be improved upon. As a fan of the park’s history, I want to see every step of the way in the construction process. I’d suggest stepping away from the keyboard for a while. Just some advice from someone who’s walked down the road of life a little longer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiian Coasters 325 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Got an email from Don today saying that they are looking to do the first rider auction on July 1st. Wonder if they'll do media day on that day or if they'll do a media day. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ding Dong Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 And all of this nonsense is why we can't have nice things. There is such a thing as over marketing something and I think Don and the rest of the marketing department has a handle on what they need to do for the desired results. KI wants to bring people to the park and be excited for the whole experience not just Orion. Does having 4+ hour waits benefit them anymore than having 2+ hour waits? Look up the law of diminishing returns. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiian Coasters 325 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 The General manager of KI Mike Koontz just said on facebook that him and the CEO rode Orion this morning and said that Richard Zimmerman couldn't wait for guests to get their first ride and was very happy! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUN&ONLY! Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 2 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said: The General manager of KI Mike Koontz just said on facebook that him and the CEO rode Orion this morning and said that Richard Zimmerman couldn't wait for guests to get their first ride and was very happy! Do you have a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiian Coasters 325 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 4 minutes ago, FUN&ONLY! said: Do you have a link? No link, but here is a screenshot: 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondhawk Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 27 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said: And all of this nonsense is why we can't have nice things. There is such a thing as over marketing something and I think Don and the rest of the marketing department has a handle on what they need to do for the desired results. KI wants to bring people to the park and be excited for the whole experience not just Orion. Does having 4+ hour waits benefit them anymore than having 2+ hour waits? Look up the law of diminishing returns. Does selling an extra 10,000 season passes benefit them anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ding Dong Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 2 minutes ago, diamondhawk said: Does selling an extra 10,000 season passes benefit them anymore? Do people buy season passes because of just one ride? Maybe they do, wouldn't be enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gforce1994 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 52 minutes ago, KIghostguy said: Both are themed coasters built under Cedar Fair’s ownership. I felt that the marketing of Banshee and Mystic Timbers were similar in terms of updates. Plus, we actually got plaza/queue/theming development updates with both. Why are you so against constructive criticism of the park? Kings Island has done many things right the past few years and they deserve to be applauded when they do things right. I think that overall, Kings Island is being operated at the highest quality it has been in decades. However, I feel that this is one aspect that can easily be improved upon. As a fan of the park’s history, I want to see every step of the way in the construction process. It’s not criticism. The world’s been changed, hence marketing practices will be different. Why should the park spend $1 million dollars to promote something in the middle of a disaster? Any money spent then would simply lead to zero change in attendance. If you ever want to see how construction, manufacturing is done, I highly recommend joining an engineering club at high school or college. One can learn a lot from these clubs. 2 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JubJester Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 33 minutes ago, gforce1994 said: It’s not criticism. The world’s been changed, hence marketing practices will be different. Why should the park spend $1 million dollars to promote something in the middle of a disaster? Any money spent then would simply lead to zero change in attendance. What the hell in marketing would be worth one million dollars? Would they buy a blimp? Twitter and Facebook are free. Last time I checked they weren't spending one million on marketing staff. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonofBaconator Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 31 minutes ago, gforce1994 said: Why should the park spend $1 million dollars to promote something in the middle of a disaster? You do realise its free to post on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter right? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gforce1994 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 3 minutes ago, JubJester said: What the hell in marketing would be worth one million dollars? Did they buy a blimp? Twitter and Facebook are free. Last time I checked they weren't spending one million on marketing staff. Radio adverts, print ad, TV Spots, and billboards. It was an hypothetical question. Kentucky Kingdom spent a fortune 4 years ago for billboards along Norwood Lateral. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JubJester Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 2 minutes ago, gforce1994 said: Radio adverts, print ad, TV Spots, and billboards. It was an hypothetical question. You can market it even more without using those methods. Which by the way they have used those methods and will. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 5 minutes ago, gforce1994 said: Radio adverts, print ad, TV Spots, and billboards. It was an hypothetical question. Kentucky Kingdom spent a fortune 4 years ago for billboards along Norwood Lateral. How much did they spend? Do you have a source or is this a feeling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gforce1994 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 1 minute ago, BeeastFarmer said: How much did they spend? Do you have a source or is this a feeling? I saw at least 20, and the ones I saw most often were up for four months. Some estimates I’ve seen for billboards are 2k a month per board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Cedar Fair Advertising expenses totaled $67.9 million in 2019... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonofBaconator Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 1 minute ago, gforce1994 said: I saw at least 20, and the ones I saw most often were up for four months. Some estimates I’ve seen for billboards are 2k a month per board. But do you have an actual number from a source? Even if you're correct I'm sure we'd all like to see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiian Coasters 325 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 I just emailed Don asking about media day and he responded saying that they will still have media day, but warned that the event may look different than originally planned. He said he plans to reach out to those registered once details have been finalized. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 1 minute ago, gforce1994 said: I saw at least 20, and the ones I saw most often were up for four months. Some estimates I’ve seen for billboards are 2k a month per board. Hmmmm....now I am not a local to the Cincy area (thank goodness!), but I have never seen 20 billboards for KK when I have been in Cincy, which I am quite a bit, even not r/t KI. But if they are marketing to an area that is dominated, that is not a fortune. It might be to you or me and our personal budgets, but not to a park, even a smaller park like KK. I wonder what the mural on the side of the building on 75 costs per month? I always enjoy that one and would love to own that house, or whatever it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gforce1994 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 3 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said: Hmmmm....now I am not a local to the Cincy area (thank goodness!), but I have never seen 20 billboards for KK when I have been in Cincy, which I am quite a bit, even not r/t KI. But if they are marketing to an area that is dominated, that is not a fortune. It might be to you or me and our personal budgets, but not to a park, even a smaller park like KK. I wonder what the mural on the side of the building on 75 costs per month? I always enjoy that one and would love to own that house, or whatever it is. True, but those 20 were along I75 and Norwood Lateral. I’m assuming there were definitely more in the region. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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