Beyond the Norm
Outside-the-box promotions help separate FECs from competitors
by Mike Bederka
In many ways, The Funplex went for a standard radio marketing package. The family entertainment center (FEC) in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, received on-air giveaways, live reads from the hosts, and web exposure.
The promotion itself, however, was wildly differed from any other event it previously held, and you could probably guess that from its title: The Granny Grand Prix. “I was blown away by it,” says Brian Williams, the facility’s general manager and chief operating officer.
For the wacky promotion, area grandmas raced each other for go-kart supremacy. Thanks to the novel concept and meaty hype, the event brought in roughly 700 guests, including family, friends, and fans of the radio station, Williams says.
The FEC didn’t charge people to watch the senior speedsters race. Those folks who hung out after the competition got a 25 percent discount on wristbands; about 75 guests stuck around. “A lot of people who were there never came to The Funplex before,” he says. “They didn’t even know we existed.”
Williams might have hesitated at such an odd promotion during better economic days. “When things are good, you tend to get a little lazy,” he admits. “You settle into a pattern sometimes. You renew your contracts and don’t really think about them.”
But in these uneasy times, FECs need to extend beyond their creative comfort zone and think outside the box to separate themselves from the competition, Williams says.
Celebrity Status
The buzz around a standard two-for-one promotion comes and goes in a week with a whimper, agrees Josh Gair, chief executive officer of Impact Entertainment, in Orlando, Florida. “It’s not really innovative,” he says, “and you have to work hard to get the message out there.” A much smarter alternative to generate excitement would be hiring singers, actors, and other of-the-moment entertainers for performances and meet-and-greets, he believes.
Gair, whose company specializes in booking celebrities for entertainment venues, acknowledges smaller facilities may scoff at the price tag some stars command, which could run anywhere from $20,000 to $2 million depending on the name (he collects a 15 percent fee from the artist). To the cost argument, he counters with two points.
First, traditional marketing campaigns—once you factor in all the components—can be expensive as well. Plus, as mentioned above, standard promotions generally blend in with the background noise these days. Second, FECs can piggyback on the celeb’s success. One facility had a line out the door when Kate Gosselin of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” fame made an appearance. “Nothing draws like a celebrity,” Gair says. “People will drive 100 miles to see them.”
At another venue, Justin Bieber attracted 6,000 screaming fans. Even after the teen sensation left, the venue enjoyed a 15 percent to 20 percent bump in attendance for several weeks. “People who forgot about the place came back,” Gair explains.
A-List Invites
Susan Graver (not a client of Gair’s) once brought in some B-list and C-list names for a promotion, but the weak turnout left her feeling that she had wasted her money.
Far from discouraged, the marketing director for K1 Speed, with six locations across Southern California and Washington, decided to go another route to turn star power into revenue. She participates in gifting suites on various award shows, like the Emmys and People’s Choice, and offers free race packages to promote the facility to celebrities. They can bring in eight to 10 of their friends for a bachelor party, birthday party, or just to hang out. “The response is amazing,” Graver says. So far, some names stopping by include future hall-of-fame football player Marshall Faulk, actor Beau Bridges, and rapper Rev. Run of Run-D.M.C.
The kicker is she purposely avoids turning their appearances into a fan frenzy or media circus. “I don’t tell the world,” Graver says. “They want their privacy.” Only after the fact does she promote on her web site and social networking sites that they came in. She says it’s a more subtle way to use celebrity status to garner guest attention and make her facility look like a cool place to visit.
Contact Contributing Editor Mike Bederka at mbederka@IAAPA.org.
Celebrate Nontraditional Holidays
Without fail, most FECs celebrate Halloween and Christmas in some way. But how many managers encourage staff to climb into overalls for World Farmers Day or bring in a petting zoo for TV-Turnoff Week?
Probably not many, and that’s a missed opportunity, says Silvana Clark, author of “Every Day a Holiday.” Guests may soon grow tired of the standard trick or treating and Christmas decorations.
“You have to keep people’s interest,” she notes. Quirky activities centered around notso- average holidays like National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, Paul Bunyan Day, or Dog Lovers Day will do just that.
Also, the media—always looking for a fresh news angle—will more likely cover nontraditional events, giving your facility some extra free exposure.
For more information on this topic, visit www.IAAPA.org/funworld. |
Have you run a successful outside-the-box promotion?
Contact Contributing Editor Mike Bederka at mbederka@IAAPA.org and we’ll post your great ideas on IAAPA’s In the Queue blog (www.IAAPA.org/blog). |
|
