B3

IN ADDITION TO A FULL DESCRIPTION RECOMMEND ONE ALTERNATIVE APPROACH WHICH THE ORGANISATION COULD MAKE TO IMPROVE AVAILABILITY OF ITS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Evaluate the ease of communication. Telephone and assess them on their efficiency in answering and dealing with your enquiry.
Carry out a mock booking over the internet and decide how user friendly it is. (Stop before you get to 'confirm')


To complete this, imagine that you have just been put in charge of marketing at your chosen organisation and your aim is to increase visitor numbers.
To do this you need to look specifically at PLACE in the marketing mix and how this part of the mix at Alton Towers can be improved. The aim of this memo is to persuade the marketing manager to use your recommendations.
Place refers to both physical factors and the distribution channels. What could be improved at Alton Towers?
Make a recommendation showing how their products could be made more available to customers.
This could be in the form of a memo to the manager at Alton Towers
How could you improve the on-line booking procedure?
Are any sections needed on the website?
Could the section on how to get there be improved? what about adding links perhaps to multimap or the AA routefinder service.
Are there details on the website of how to get to Alton Towers by public transport - are these sufficiently detailed.

Is there a service to collect people from main public transport connections?

Where does Alton Towers advertise?

• schools


• bill boards


• magazines, national press, local press


• Mail shots


• TV


• regional radio
  
  Write a memo describing your recommendation. Make sure you explain fully what your recommendation would involve and why it would be successful. Alton Towers will only use your recommendation if your reasons are convincing and your memo is persuasive.
  
  
  How to create a memo:
  


• open word


• select file, new and then click on the memo icon to view a choice


• Select professional memo


• edit the text and complete your ONE recommendation

b2

DESCRIBE FULLY HOW THE ORGANISATION MAKES ITS PRODUCTS AND / OR SERVICES AVAILABLE

Describe in detail how Alton Towers makes its products available to customers, with specific reference to 'place'

'Place' refers to the actual location of the facility and how the product is distributed to the customer.

This can be divided into:
1. physical factors of location
2. distribution channels



PHYSICAL FACTORS
Explain how the following physical factors help make the products available to customers:

1. Location - include a map annotated to show the accessibility of the location from M1 and M6. Include a table with the distance, direction and length of journey from major cities to Alton Towers.


2. Signposting - what is the brown signposting scheme? Where do the brown signposts to Alton Towers start to appear?


3. Sufficient car parking for staff and customer? coach and minibus parks?


4. Disabled access? access for pushchairs?


5. Transport links?

DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

How does the product reach the customer?

Explain how the following distribution channels help make the products available to customers:

1. Communication (giving advice on ticket availability, opening times, directions ... website, telephone, email


2. Stock holding (making sure there are enough products in stock such as sufficient equipment, seats, souvenirs etc) Remember there range of products in Alton Towers is quite vast


3. Transportation (helping customers actually get to the facility)

b1 Marketing

IDENTIFY AT A BASIC LEVEL HOW THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE MADE AVAILABLE

This just needs simple statements as to how the products are made available to the customers of the organisation

What attracts people to Alton Towers - what is it about?

How is it made available to the customer....
accessibility, brown signposts

provision of car parks, coach parks etc as visitors are expected from a wide catchment area

Accessibility within the attraction - provision made for wheelchairs, push chairs etc?

How do people find out about Alton Towers - distribution channels?

TV advertising
press
website
booking through agents e.g. last minute.com
exhibitions - lifestyle and leisure

SECTION B

A DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE MADE AVAILABLE

What do you need to include to achieve an A-C grade?

• This section is focusing on the part of the marketing mix which refers to PLACE. This focuses on how organisations make their products and services available to customers. Organisations may have a range of ways of making their products available and you must give a detailed description of how they do it.
• You also need to make a sensible and practical suggestion of how the organisation could improve the availability of its products / services to potential customers.

Alton Towers photos

The first batch of photos has been uploaded to www.Flickr.com. Will upload the others including Alicia's from 1st October.

You need to look for the user name Tudorgeog

Useful information received from Alton Towers that you might want to include

Alton Towers aims to attract between 2.2 and 2.5 million visitors per season

Mission Statement

Vision: To be the global leader in location based branded family entertainment.
Mission: The delivery to our visitors of high quality memorable visitor experiences.

What is the marketing strategy at Alton Towers?
The Alton Towers' marketing strategy is to communicate its strategic brand messages to the key target markets that are teenagers, young adults and families.
The main objectives in terms of individual visitors

• Deliver volume objectives in terms of individual visitors
• Deliver profit objectives
• Maintain brand leadership status within the UK
• Continue to position Alton Towers as a destination resort.

What type of advertising does Alton Towers do?

The advertising strategy is developed as a result of a thorough review of the competitive environment, the current economic climate, research results, visitor profiles and other external and internal factors.

Alton Towers' advertising media includes TV, radio, press, direct mail, promotions and the Internet with the majority of the budget being spent on national TV.

What type of promotions does Alton Towers do?

Alton Towers runs promotions only with partners who reflect equal brand values to Alton Towers. The promotional plan must deliver high quality communication of the Alton Towers brand; strong incentives, national coverage, cover varying market sectors and ultimately ensure the Alton Towers brand is not devalued. The main types of promotions used by Alton Towers include BOGOF tickets, children go free when one adult pays full price and limited discounted tickets.

How are individuals targeted?

Through mainstream advertising and PR strategies, i.e. TV adverts, press adverts, poster campaigns, direct marketing and editorial features.

How are coach groups targeted?

Coach groups and group organisers are targeted via the Trade Sales department and through direct mail and trade PR. The Trade Sales Team works out in the field visiting coach operators and tour operators helping them to set up trips to Alton Towers.

How are companies targeted?

Companies are a vital part of the trade market for Alton Towers and are targeted via the main TV campaign. trade PR, direct mail and direct calls from sales representatives.

How are school parties targeted?

School parties are targeted by direct calls and direct mail. Visits to Alton Towers are communicated to schools as a fun and educational day out. Two on site Education Centres have been established to help students with assignments on park.

useful websites:

Alton Towers

AA routeplanner

Multimap

Alton Towers Adverts:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WdWdPuIEcjk
http://uk.youtube.com/results?search_query=&search_type=&aq=f
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yg1IyeDQJIk
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0N6NvbEomak&feature=related

Imperial Leather promotion
Blue Peter does Oblivion
Blue Peter does Air

guest.services@alton-towers.com

Alton Towers Resort, Alton, Staffordshire ST104DB
Tel 01538 703344
Fax 01538 704097

A3 Marketing

ANALYSE THE PRODUCTS AND / OR SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE ORGANISATION IN RELATION TO THE PRICING STRUCTURES

Having described the products, relate them to the pricing structure. Include a list of prices with details of discouts and special offers.

Explain the dwell time and various pricing policies used.

Do you think that the organisation offers value for money


CHECKLIST
1. Have you discussed why products are priced as they are? e.g. competitive pricing, discounts etc

2. Have you calculated the dwell time and compared it with other similar organisations pricing structures? Dwell time is an important factor in price determination in which customers decide whether a product offers value for money

3. Have you concluded whether you think the organisation offers good value for money?

4. Analyse the pricing strategies used in the Leisure and Tourism industry.

Pricing strategies:
market penetration pricing - new product, low cost to try out
cost plus pricing - profit margins
competitive pricing - compate to similar organisations
discount pricing
variable pricing - OAP, child
market skimming pricing - in demand

5. Try to find one example of a product or service from Alton Towers that uses one of the above pricing strategies and explain why they might use this method

6. Compare the prices of entry for Alton Towers with other organisations that offer similar products and services and have similar aims.

A2 Marketing

PROVIDE A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCTS AND / OR SERCICES AND PRICING STRUCTURES FOR ALTON TOWERS

1. Describe all of the products, describing clearly what they are and who they are suited for (target groups, market segments)
Copy images from the internet and any suitable photograhps taken from the visit to help with your detailed description

CHECKLIST:
Describe the goods in detail
Describe the services in detail
Explain any differences in pricing

A1 Marketing

IDENTIFY THE PRODUCTS AND / OR SERVICES WITH PRICING STRUCTURES FOR YOUR CHOSEN ORGANISATION

1. Give a definition of marketing and say why it is important to leisure and tourism
2. Identify the products and services offered by Alton Towers
3. Give the pricing structure for the products


CHECKLIST:
Brief description of the organisation
Summary of facilities
Definition of goods and services
List of goods and services with prices

SECTION A

THIS SECTION INVOLVES A DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WITH PRICING STRUCTURES THAT THE ORGANISATION OFFERS

What do you need to include to achieve an A-C grade?

• Basically you need to produce a detailed analysis of all of the products and services offered by the organisation. This may range from souvenirs in the shop, to the organisation of conferences and weddings
• You need to include information on the pricing structures of the goods and services on sale. For example, your does the organisation offer discounts for certain groups of people or different times of the year?
• Explain some of the reasons why the organisation might vary its pricing structures. For example, cheaper prices at off-peak times to attract customers
• Comment on the factors that influence the organisation's pricing decisions, for example, the prices of competitors

Notes from Marketing Talk

History of Site
8th Centruy fortress site
Talbot Family (Earls of Shresbury)
Houe and Gardens commissioned by 15th Earl in 1800
1890s crowds of 30, ooo visited the buildings and estate. Tourist attractions included lion tamers, elephants and bands
1920s became a significant tourist attraction
WWII used as officer training unit
Late 1970s - developed as a theme park
1990 Sold to Pearson plc and became parto f the Tussauds Group
1998 Sold to Charterhouse
2005 sold to Dubai International Capital
2007 became part of Merlin Entertainments who also own Chessington World of Adventures, Warwick Castle, Legoland

History of rollercoasters
1980 The UK's first modern looping rollercoaster, The Corkscrew
1985 - The Black Hole, UK's first rollercoaster in the dark
Late 1980's Thunderlooper and the Beast (secondhand white knuckle rollercoasters)

1980's
The economy was entering a recession
Competitors were emerging: American Adventure, EuroDisney
Financial backing was unsound, other projects were draining profits
Alton Towers was associated with Young Adults market segment and not seen as a Family Day out and so was missing a large target market.

1990's - objectives
Growth - £3million was invested in the infrastructure of the park
promotional links with major brands were established to drive communication into the home (CocaCola, Walkers Crisps, Flume ride sponsored by Imperial Leather

1990 - 2000
Reposition of brand - focus on the balance between white knuckle rides and family rides

1992 - £10m Haunted House and Runaway mine train Family
1994 - £12 Nemesis (£10m) Thrill
Toyland Tours £2m Family
1998 - £12 Oblivion Thrill
1999 - £2.5 Ugland theming Thrill
2000 - £4 Hex Family
2002 - £12 Air Thrill
2004 - £8 SpinballWhizzer Thrill
The Flume Family
2005 - £8 Rita Queen of Speed Thrill
2006 - £4.5 Charlie and the Chocolate factory - the Ride Family
2008 - £6 Mutiny Bay Themeing Battle Galleons Family

London Eye