Section 1
The marketing mix is important to a company because it helps sell the product; it helps sell the product by the four p’s. The four p’s are place, price, promotion and product. The marketing mix is an organisation that offers in order to meet its customers needs, it is one of the most important concepts in leisure and tourism marketing. Marketing is getting the right product to the right people in the right place at the right price using the right promotion. It is important for organisations like Drayton Manor to meet the needs to recognise that different groups of people have different needs. Marketing is an important aspect in the leisure and tourism industry. The marketing budget is allocated in the following areas 60% of this budget is allocated to television, which has proven to be the most effective way of selling the park.
Section 2
It is difficult to tell if theme parks are either products or services as there is a great mixture in what they offer. Although theme parks offer products, in the forms of actual merchandise, food and drink and rides and attractions, they are more commonly shown as service products. A good in marketing is any object or service that, upon consumption, increases utility and therefore can be sold at a price in market. In marketing, a service is the non-material equivalent of a good. A service can be useful to customers because if a customer is handicaped they have the facilities to that customer because the customer can not do all the things a normal person can do e.g. if a customer is in a wheelchair it is harder for them to get onto the ride then a normal person that can walk.
Goods are objects that are available in the market place(Drayton Manor park), the goods in Drayton Manor park are food, drink, goods are something you can take away whereas service is when your at the park using them, for example food and drink, mostly teenagers will buy it, some family will buy it, it could be for the their children or for thierselves. Drayton Manor has a garden centre and that is targeted to old people because they most likely will not go on any rides.
Section 3
Drayton Manor is located in Tamworth. The rides in Drayton Manor park are near each other so you don’t have to walk far to get to one ride to another unlike Alton Towers you have to walk far to get to one ride to another.
The company of Drayton Manor theme park have placed it in Tamworth because there are hotels near there so if people come from far they can stay there. Drayton Manor is placed in Tamworth because people can access it by road, air, rail and bus or coach. The main target market group for Drayton Manor is a 50 mile radius of the park and from the Cotswolds, London are South Wales, the North of England, Lincolnshire and Northhampshire.The areas that are marketed are the rides and attractions and Banqueting. They are marketed by three outside agencies, the company employs its own marketing staff to liaise with the outside agencies and co-ordinate promotional activities.
How to get to Drayton Manor Park.
Section 4
In Drayton Manor park, the company should make sure that they get the price right, it shouldn’t be too high and it shouldn’t be too low, it should be just right for the customers because if it is too high the customers are going to think the price is too expensive so they wont come there and if the price is too low the company won’t make any money so they will lose out so the company of Drayton Manor park should make sure that the price is just right so the company will make profit and the customers can afford it. They can make the price just right by seeing their direct competitors and see what they are charging for example if Blackpool or Alton Towers are charging £20.00 they should charge £18.50 because that way the customers will think that Drayton Manor is cheaper so they will go there.
They have special offers to encourage people to come, usually they have special offers in the holidays because people from school can come and also they have group prices, this encourages schools to come and encourages big groups to come to. By having large groups this reduces the administration cost. Family pricing is there to encourage families to come because children are not allowed to come thereselves. If someone is pregnant, over 65 or if you are a baby the ticket prices are much lower as they will not use the park facilities as much. Drayton Manors direct competitors are Alton Towers, American world of adventure, West Midlands Safari park, Chessington World of adventure, Thorpe park, Camelot, Blackpool pleasure beach. The opening times in Drayton Manor are 10.30 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m.
Section 5
Promotion is telling and pursuading, telling them about the product and then making them buy it, the drayton manor company can use many different methods such as: Advertising, Direct marketing, public relations, displays, sponsorship, demonstrations, sales promotions.Drayton Manor theme park’s company can advertise the theme park by showing information on a magazine or on a billboard that will attract the customers attention and will make them want to come to the park. Drayton Manor theme park’s company can use Public relations by people standing giving out leaflets about Drayton Manor. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to advertise this technique, word of mouth is when a person tells them how good the product/service was when they went. This is a good technique as people will trust their friends and family more than the company.
Map of the Drayton Manor park.