COVID-19 Impact: Theme Parks COVID-19’s Impact on Theme Parks and How Marketers Can Engage with Consumers While Planning for Reopenings In the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, theme park giants in the U.S., like Disney, Universal Parks, Six Flags, SeaWorld and Cedar Fair, closed their gates to guests and have remained closed for several weeks. Since suspending operations and pausing construction on all new rides and attractions, key players in the industry have used the downtime to plan their return in a way that will make their guests feel safe within the walls of their parks. Performance Research, a leading sports and event research and consulting firm, has introduced the first wave of its Impact of COVID-19 on Live Events Study, conducted with national online sampling partner Full Circle Research Co. According to Jed Pearsall, founder of Performance Research, “The results of this study, conducted in what may be the height of anxiety regarding the pandemic, show that event-goers will come back, albeit with reservations and a limited sense of urgency. When considering all the barriers to event attendance, perhaps nothing can be more personal and emotional than health and safety."
Hygiene-related precautions under consideration in the industry range from mandating social distancing while waiting in lines to taking guests’ temperatures as they enter the park or venue. "One of the things that we’re discussing already is that in order to return to some semblance of normal, people will have to feel comfortable that they’re safe," said Disney’s Executive Chairman, Bob Iger. "Just as we now do bag checks for everybody that goes into our parks, it could be that at some point we add a component of that that takes people’s temperatures, as a for-instance.” Six Flags has been proactive in gathering feedback and understanding the sentiment of their customers as they plan for the future. In a recent survey, they asked customers a range of questions related to their thoughts and concerns about COVID-19, and how they think Six Flags should respond. In a statement provided to Business Insider on the survey, Six Flags shared, "We are a guest-focused company. The opinions and sentiments of our guests matter greatly to us.”
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Where to focus today for the greatest impact later? There are a lot of unknowns right now, not only in the theme park industry but for many other industries too. While it is uncertain when theme park marketers will return to normal levels of engagement across channels, it is critical that plans are being put in place now for how and where they will engage with customers and the right audiences in this new normal. Let words speak as loud as actions. Key players in the industry are planning internally to ensure that when the time comes to reopen, guests are confident that the proper health-related precautions have been put in place to make them feel safe. But it’s also important to build a go-to-market strategy that will showcase the careful planning that has been done behind the scenes to ensure the wellness and safety of guests. Messaging through an emotional connection at this time should supersede performance because as things begin to return to normal, people will remember the sense of comfort brands made them feel in a time of crisis. Less is more. In these times of uncertainty, even after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has deemed theme parks safe again, trepidation will remain among customers to gather in large groups. Simplify online offerings and streamline the digital user experience to help reduce confusion and online bounce rates as users are weighing their options. Capitalize on contactless communication with mobile. In the new era of social distancing, brands have technology on their side. There is no better time to enhance the mobile in-app experience where your customers can make purchases, receive alerts, get real-time notifications, access to park maps and more. For example, apps that enable guests to scan their phone for entry rather than handling tickets or money with a another person will put concerned customers at ease. Constantly reassess your strategy to minimize waste. In this time when TV upfronts have been delayed, sports have been canceled and a recession is looming, every dollar counts. Precision is essential in reaching the right audiences, but understanding their shifts in sentiment, spending habits and media consumption is also key. Create an ongoing process to reassess your strategy based on changing consumer behaviors in order to reach the right user with the right message and guide them back to your brand and into your park. Put your first-party data first. Right now is the ideal time to be focused on evaluating and updating your firstparty data. Those relationships are the most important source of knowledge and insight a brand can garner. If silos in your data exist, break them down and consolidate your first-party data so that it is insightful, actionable and measurable. Modeling audiences and gaining insight into your highest lifetime value customers will give you a strong indication of who you need to reach when parks are ready to reopen.
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