KI Comms

[Tr0y]

Will this be the season we finally find that long lost green Intamin track? 
 

 

[BeeastFarmer]

A PTE enthusiast shared this with me. They highlight an actor!  Wonderful!  But the actor they highlight in two different roles had two people representing him in the video. "Archie" plays one version of Maestro but the photo they represent as him is the other Maestro.

I understand choad doesn't make every social media post, but shouldn't he approve them?  Does he know the inaccuracy of this post?

 

[Tr0y]

13 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Update: he read my post.

Still no press. Bare minimum, at least. 

It looks like he waited till they were open, and ready for business. An empty stand just screams don’t bother making a trip yet, we’re not open. Just my two cents.

Kings Island was also mentioned in the WLWT article: 

https://www.wlwt.com/article/paytons-lemonade-stand-returns-with-record-70-stands/44670197#

[BoddaH1994]

11 hours ago, Tr0y said:

It looks like he waited till they were open, and ready for business. An empty stand just screams don’t bother making a trip yet, we’re not open. Just my two cents.

Kings Island was also mentioned in the WLWT article: 

https://www.wlwt.com/article/paytons-lemonade-stand-returns-with-record-70-stands/44670197#

Extremely lengthy article and this is the KI mention:

”With a record number of stands coming to life, including a kick-off stand at Kings Island on Friday, one stand in Texas and another in Florida, Obert shared this insight with her fellow stand hosts.”

Again, this should have been a huge opportunity. The lack of effort and/or competence to get a story out is pathetic. 
 

And as far as the social post is concerned, why on Earth would he wait until it’s open? Wouldn’t you want to invite people to the park to contribute to this? Waiting until it’s open is too late. My GF doesn’t have a pony in this race (with KI comms), but she’s passionate about this charity. By the time word got to her, she made a special trip to KI, only to disappointingly find it already closed. I’m sure others had the same experience. 
 

I used to think that this level of competence was just kind of sad coming out of a PR/social-heavy place like KI; however, I’m starting to think that you, I, or any aspiring Tik Toker could do a better job. Pathetic.

[disco2000]

2 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

 My GF doesn’t have a pony in this race (with KI comms), but she’s passionate about this charity. By the time word got to her, she made a special trip to KI, only to disappointingly find it already closed. I’m sure others had the same experience. 

They close things early that make them money, so why would they keep a charity stand open longer 

[BeeastFarmer]

On 7/28/2023 at 6:14 PM, BeeastFarmer said:

A PTE enthusiast shared this with me. They highlight an actor!  Wonderful!  But the actor they highlight in two different roles had two people representing him in the video. "Archie" plays one version of Maestro but the photo they represent as him is the other Maestro.

I understand choad doesn't make every social media post, but shouldn't he approve them?  Does he know the inaccuracy of this post?

 

And now the video is removed.  Thank goodness for fact checkers like my friend!

[Tr0y]

9 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Extremely lengthy article and this is the KI mention:

”With a record number of stands coming to life, including a kick-off stand at Kings Island on Friday, one stand in Texas and another in Florida, Obert shared this insight with her fellow stand hosts.”

Again, this should have been a huge opportunity. The lack of effort and/or competence to get a story out is pathetic. 
 

And as far as the social post is concerned, why on Earth would he wait until it’s open? Wouldn’t you want to invite people to the park to contribute to this? Waiting until it’s open is too late. My GF doesn’t have a pony in this race (with KI comms), but she’s passionate about this charity. By the time word got to her, she made a special trip to KI, only to disappointingly find it already closed. I’m sure others had the same experience. 
 

I used to think that this level of competence was just kind of sad coming out of a PR/social-heavy place like KI; however, I’m starting to think that you, I, or any aspiring Tik Toker could do a better job. Pathetic.

I just don’t understand why you are so bitter towards Chad? I’m curious now if you have ever applied for that position but Chad ended up getting the job. 

[JParks38]

On 7/17/2023 at 4:02 PM, Orion-XL200 said:

This happened around 2 today...while mostly okay...apparently there is no proofreading before hitting send. 

Once corrected, they deleted the tweet and resubmitted. Such a sentence crafter we have there.

Didn’t realize people weren’t allowed to be Human. You must be perfect in every way.

[BoddaH1994]

3 hours ago, Tr0y said:

I just don’t understand why you are so bitter towards Chad? I’m curious now if you have ever applied for that position but Chad ended up getting the job. 

I never applied for that position. 
 

The real question is: am I critical of Chad because I’m bitter or am I critical of Chad because I’m right? The things that I have critiqued do not take an MBA from an online college to interpret. It’s just one man’s opinion; however, most would consider what I say to be the job’s bare minimum. It’s 101-level stuff. The issues are glaring, even to those who have zero experience in this field. 

[Tr0y]

3 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I never applied for that position. 
 

The real question is: am I critical of Chad because I’m bitter or am I critical of Chad because I’m right? The things that I have critiqued do not take an MBA from an online college to interpret. It’s just one man’s opinion; however, most would consider what I say to be the job’s bare minimum. It’s 101-level stuff. The issues are glaring, even to those who have zero experience in this field. 

I guess I didn’t ask that question properly. I’m more or less trying to figure out what is your angle. What is the motive behind this smear campaign?

I’ve seen you edit one of your post most recently with the topic about SoB, and you’re apart of the Attractions Group. Should you too be mocked because of it? Also Don wasn’t perfect either during his tenure as Kings Island PR, that doesn’t mean he was any less of a person because of it. 

Look, I know passions are high and Don will be missed. But with new beginnings gives us new opportunities to mend the relationship with our beloved park. Which is the reason why we are all here. Let’s build new bridges, not burn what’s left down.

We are KIC!  
.
.

Not some backstabbing FB group. 

[BoddaH1994]

4 hours ago, Tr0y said:

I guess I didn’t ask that question properly. I’m more or less trying to figure out what is your angle. What is the motive behind this smear campaign?

I’ve seen you edit one of your post most recently with the topic about SoB, and you’re apart of the Attractions Group. Should you too be mocked because of it? Also Don wasn’t perfect either during his tenure as Kings Island PR, that doesn’t mean he was any less of a person because of it. 

Look, I know passions are high and Don will be missed. But with new beginnings gives us new opportunities to mend the relationship with our beloved park. Which is the reason why we are all here. Let’s build new bridges, not burn what’s left down.

We are KIC!  
.
.

Not some backstabbing FB group. 

Sometimes I’ll put a link, like Twitter (or X, whatever), in a post and post it to make sure that it populates correctly in the post. Then I’ll copy/paste the language into the post. That’s why I often edit posts about AGP and Tower Topics. 
 

Even if I did make mistakes (and of course I do): 

1. I do not speak on behalf of the park

2. I do not claim to speak on behalf of the park

3. I’m not paid to communicate with the public. I’m just talking to the KIC community. 
 

I resent that you are calling what I’m posting a “smear campaign” too. As someone who is both educated in, and works in, the marketing/PR/social field, the things I point out are things that are extremely elementary. You and other are free to disagree, I welcome the debate.

I also appreciate that you are concerned about KIC’s relationship with Chad, but I’m not. When I had Brad’s position on KIC, we would get exclusive photos, KIC Days at the park and much more. Chad has never chosen to have that relationship with KIC, so why even worry about it? This dates back to LONG before anyone had any opinion on that guy’s work. He doesn’t want to have a relationship with us, so we should feel likewise. 

[nhimes90]

12 hours ago, Tr0y said:

I just don’t understand why you are so bitter towards Chad? I’m curious now if you have ever applied for that position but Chad ended up getting the job. 

You seem like one of the very few defending him constantly, so one could turn around and ask you why? What do you potentially have to earn? Do you personally know him or are related to him?

 

I'm honestly not sure why this is still an issue. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and thoughts. It seems like you just want to constantly argue with anyone you can.

[jsus]

20 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Sometimes I’ll put a link, like Twitter (or X, whatever), in a post and post it to make sure that it populates correctly in the post. Then I’ll copy/paste the language into the post. That’s why I often edit posts about AGP and Tower Topics. 
 

Even if I did make mistakes (and of course I do): 

1. I do not speak on behalf of the park

2. I do not claim to speak on behalf of the park

3. I’m not paid to communicate with the public. I’m just talking to the KIC community. 
 

I resent that you are calling what I’m posting a “smear campaign” too. As someone who is both educated in, and works in, the marketing/PR/social field, the things I point out are things that are extremely elementary. You and other are free to disagree, I welcome the debate.

I also appreciate that you are concerned about KIC’s relationship with Chad, but I’m not. When I had Brad’s position on KIC, we would get exclusive photos, KIC Days at the park and much more. Chad has never chosen to have that relationship with KIC, so why even worry about it? This dates back to LONG before anyone had any opinion on that guy’s work. He doesn’t want to have a relationship with us, so we should feel likewise. 

Just going to point this out, but based on some on here pointing out the park doesn't have a particularly good relationship with the local media, does anyone really think that the park is doing a better job facilitating relations with KIC?  It's a two-way street.

Further, as is often pointed out on fan/enthusiast forums, the biggest supporters tend to also be some of the biggest critics.  Note that this tends to be done in a constructive manner.  Tearing down those who provide constructive criticism is not, well, constructive.

[BoddaH1994]

21 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Sometimes I’ll put a link, like Twitter (or X, whatever), in a post and post it to make sure that it populates correctly in the post. Then I’ll copy/paste the language into the post. That’s why I often edit posts about AGP and Tower Topics. 
 

Even if I did make mistakes (and of course I do): 

1. I do not speak on behalf of the park

2. I do not claim to speak on behalf of the park

3. I’m not paid to communicate with the public. I’m just talking to the KIC community. 
 

I resent that you are calling what I’m posting a “smear campaign” too. As someone who is both educated in, and works in, the marketing/PR/social field, the things I point out are things that are extremely elementary. You and other are free to disagree, I welcome the debate.

I also appreciate that you are concerned about KIC’s relationship with Chad, but I’m not. When I had Brad’s position on KIC, we would get exclusive photos, KIC Days at the park and much more. Chad has never chosen to have that relationship with KIC, so why even worry about it? This dates back to LONG before anyone had any opinion on that guy’s work. He doesn’t want to have a relationship with us, so we should feel likewise. 

Also -

10:1 says he sends Brad a bunch of photos or something in the next week or so just so he can try to prove me wrong. To be clear, he hasn’t gotten a press release in months from him. If Brad magically gets thrown a bone then we know he’s reading this thread. 

[Tr0y]

2 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Sometimes I’ll put a link, like Twitter (or X, whatever), in a post and post it to make sure that it populates correctly in the post. Then I’ll copy/paste the language into the post. That’s why I often edit posts about AGP and Tower Topics. 
 

Even if I did make mistakes (and of course I do): 

1. I do not speak on behalf of the park

2. I do not claim to speak on behalf of the park

3. I’m not paid to communicate with the public. I’m just talking to the KIC community. 
 

I resent that you are calling what I’m posting a “smear campaign” too. As someone who is both educated in, and works in, the marketing/PR/social field, the things I point out are things that are extremely elementary. You and other are free to disagree, I welcome the debate.

I also appreciate that you are concerned about KIC’s relationship with Chad, but I’m not. When I had Brad’s position on KIC, we would get exclusive photos, KIC Days at the park and much more. Chad has never chosen to have that relationship with KIC, so why even worry about it? This dates back to LONG before anyone had any opinion on that guy’s work. He doesn’t want to have a relationship with us, so we should feel likewise. 

Well considering Chad just now assumed Don’s responsibilities with Don’s departure maybe he was never the point of contact for any of the above things you mentioned. Let’s not confuse roles and responsibilities based off a person’s title at work. A FB group got that mixed up and well, Don is no longer with the park.

Also If you would, I’d like for you to answer my question about your motive with this campaign. Or would you prefer me to DM you first instead? 

[BoddaH1994]

24 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

Well considering Chad just now assumed Don’s responsibilities with Don’s departure maybe he was never the point of contact for any of the above things you mentioned. Let’s not confuse roles and responsibilities based off a person’s title a work. A FB group got that mixed up and well, Don is no longer with the park.

Also If you would, I’d like for you to answer my question about your motive with this campaign. Or would you prefer me to DM you first instead? 

In the job description for the Director of Communications it stated that their responsibility is to maintain relationships with enthusiast groups. All of the things I listed a very basic PR responsibilities. Even if he pushed those responsibilities onto someone else, it would mean that he isn’t doing his job. 
 

I’m not sure what lines he’s feeding you, but you should probably tell him that he needs to be working with the media, no trashing former employees. That’s a fireable offense. Make sure you remind him of that next time he feeds you lines. 
 

Oh, and my motivation? I deeply care about the park. I’ve dedicated the majority of my free time in my adult life visiting the park, contributing to the park, writing about the park and making videos about the park. When someone in a critical role for the success of the park doesn’t do the bare minimum, and what is done is with reckless incompetence then it fails me, it fails you and it fails everyone else who has any kind vested interest in the park. 

[Tr0y]

18 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

In the job description for the Director of Communications it stated that their responsibility is to maintain relationships with enthusiast groups. All of the things I listed a very basic PR responsibilities. Even if he pushed those responsibilities onto someone else, it would mean that he isn’t doing his job. 
 

I’m not sure what lines he’s feeding you, but you should probably tell him that he needs to be working with the media, no trashing former employees. That’s a fireable offense. Make sure you remind him of that next time he feeds you lines. 
 

Oh, and my motivation? I deeply care about the park. I’ve dedicated the majority of my free time in my adult life visiting the park, contributing to the park, writing about the park and making videos about the park. When someone in a critical role for the success of the park doesn’t do the bare minimum, and what is done is with reckless incompetence that it fails me, it fails you and it fails everyone else who has any kind vested interest in the park. 

Feeding me lines? I just thought it was odd for Chris to post something like this after Don was no more.

”Chad, Who for some reason remains.”

Who says that? Unless they were actively involved in trying to get something changed or in this case removed. Sounds like Chris clearly knew Don got fired. 

I’m not defending Chad because I know the guy personally or get any favors from him. Im “defending” him because of how horrible it makes our forum look trying to actively have people removed from their jobs over petty stuff. That is wrong on so many levels. 

[SonofBaconator]

This seems to have turned into a rant thread. I understand people are frustrated, I myself included, but at times it feels excessive and comes off as obsessive.

[JubJester]

Can we just admit KI's communications isn't that great, and call it there. I see more ads for Holiday World than KI.

[Captain Nemo]

Sigh, here it comes.

I'm not here to talk about Don or Chad. What I do want to discuss is the maturity of corporations on Social Media. You see, up until I would say 2016/2017 social media on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have been straight and to the point. Update Guest about X thing happening on X day. Today when you think of good online social accounts run by theme park / manufacturing accounts I think of;

https://twitter.com/HorrorNightsORL

https://twitter.com/universalorl/

https://twitter.com/RockyMtnConst/

https://twitter.com/altontowers/

 

These are just to name a few but many others exist. On top of just the language used I really would like everyone here to also look at the REPLYs tab. This is what IMO makes a social stand out. Uni replies to an exceptional amount of tweets both good and bad. RMC plays back and forth with its fans and other parks twitter accounts. I could go on and on. Twitter for these places actually feel like were having an active conversation and that as a guest or pass member feels... well... good! Now take a look at the online presence of not just Kings Island, but Cedar Fair in general it just seems like a one sided conversation. There isn't any reply to any mentions! Not even when Kyle at KD posted the following did Kings Island like or even respond.

Not that it is a big deal with that specific example but it shows a lack of using the "social" in social media. 

Now compared to how Universal expresses concern when a tweet with a critique is sent, This is how my tweet was responded to back in 2019. And to this day am still blocked. 

I don't hold a grudge, I still love this park but I wish here in a digital age there were actual communication between the parks and their guests.

 

Nemo out

 

[SonofBaconator]

@Captain Nemo Maybe that’s the SOP nowadays for them. I’m not defending it by any means but there’s no reason why people need to be blocked. That would be something I’d be interested in hearing from corporate. Perhaps corporate says “you have the ability to block people at your discretion.” 
 

Again, I’d love to hear corporate’s response to this issue because it does indeed not provide good customer service.

[disco2000]

Popcorn sales are down, let's fire up this thread again 

Apparently it is easier to block people on social media than ban people from the park lol

[Orion-XL200]

On 7/30/2023 at 12:02 AM, JParks38 said:

Didn’t realize people weren’t allowed to be Human. You must be perfect in every way.

I'm far from perfect, but the history of the person in charge of tweeting, is constantly tweeting with grammatical errors and incorrect information. He does get paid to do this, so you'd think he'd do it well. 

[BoddaH1994]

On 7/24/2023 at 10:24 AM, BoddaH1994 said:

I’m sure he’s covering both. But I’m saying that no one is comparing his PR techniques to Don’s. People saying that they saw the media walking around without a cohort, or that he can’t get a story out of Cincinnati, or that he has dismantled the park’s relationship with the enthusiast groups has nothing to do with Don. 
 

But since he’s a social media newbie I’ll throw him a bone on this one:

Since July 22 is in the past, it’s generally accepted that in situations like this it would be phrased as, “Daily through August 6, 2023,” so that the messaging doesn’t come off as dated. Also, calling out July 24 - 30 on the post but 22 - Aug 6 is both confusing and sloppy. None of this is simply my opinion. This is a widely-accepted style guide in professional social media. So @gforce1994 please ask him to fix this next time he feeds you some lines to post here. 

Yay.

[jsus]

4 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Yay.

Well, on the bright side, the student sees your corrections and is implementing them, eventually...

[Tr0y]

10 hours ago, Orion-XL200 said:

I'm far from perfect, but the history of the person in charge of tweeting, is constantly tweeting with grammatical errors and incorrect information. He does get paid to do this, so you'd think he'd do it well. 

Don’t be so hard on yourself, eventually the guilt goes away. I thought a lot of people in the FB group that gave you grief about that post you made about Don with them saying it was written like an obituary simply didn’t understand that it was an obituary for his career with CF, not him as a person. 

[BoddaH1994]

12 hours ago, Tr0y said:

Don’t be so hard on yourself, eventually the guilt goes away. I thought a lot of people in the FB group that gave you grief about that post you made about Don with them saying it was written like an obituary simply didn’t understand that it was an obituary for his career with CF, not him as a person. 

Please elaborate. 
 

Also, you alluded to the fact that an enthusiast inadvertently was the reason why Don is gone. Please elaborate on this and cite your source. 

[KIfan73]

Just thought I'd add some vintage advertisements for perspective (I realize the first ad is actually for Firestone tires, but it's still good)

[IndyGuy4KI]

That Firestone ad sure is brilliant. 

[Tr0y]

On 8/1/2023 at 11:04 AM, BoddaH1994 said:

Please elaborate. 
 

Also, you alluded to the fact that an enthusiast inadvertently was the reason why Don is gone. Please elaborate on this and cite your source. 

I don’t have any sources other than the posts and comments that have been made. As an outsider, it appears that the social media complaints about PR at KI had a role in Don “leaving” And the complaints outside of Chad’s personal twitter fell under Don’s responsibility per the KI bio.

per King’s Island:

"Don Helbig serves as Kings Island's area manager, digital marketing. An experienced storyteller, Don manages the content for the park's website, mobile app, blog, and social media. "

Chris obviously wasn’t the only person that complained but the fact that Chris posted a comment on here stating “Can’t say the same for Chad, who for some reason remains” is telling.

Key phase “for some reason remains” in his statement. Now why would Chris use the phrase “for some reason remains”? Sounds to me like he knew Don got fired. How would he know Don got fired unless he and some others were actively trying to get someone in trouble which later we come to find out the real target was Chad.

Either way debating me won’t fix the guilt, and name calling and getting Chad fired isn’t going to get Don his job back. If anything it makes those that are apart of groups such as the Attractions Group, Coaster Crew, FB Fan groups and or our beloved forum look like something Cedar Fair would not want to collaborate with.