Regional marketing director of a theme park in the southeastern United States
You are the regional marketing director of a theme park in the southeastern United States that is part of a global brand. The chief marketing officer (CMO) of global operations has called upon you to help coordinate the marketing tasks related to rolling out an emergency response due to a recent safety and injury incident at one of the parks resulting in serious injuries to employees and customers. The parks were closed immediately following the incident to ensure safety measures for customers and employees and to deploy the needed safety measures.
Now, as the theme park is all set to reopen, the CMO has called you to take a lead in planning the marketing strategy for the same. Your responsibility is to design a phased strategy for marketing and the reopening of all parks. Your strategy should address critical objectives such as maximum safety, crisis communication, customer satisfaction, and profit potential. You must coordinate marketing strategy with corporate strategy, as failure or success of the marketing strategy can have a direct impact on the brand.
As a first step, you will perform an analysis to understand the implications of reopening on brand equity. In this analysis, you will identify the groups of stakeholders that are affected by the reopening and also plan the communication strategy for before and after the parks’ reopening. Also, you will identify the roles and responsibilities of key functional departments that are going to play an important role in the reopening process. This analysis will help you develop a strategic marketing plan to address the reopening of the park and also to develop an effective crisis communication plan.
In this milestone, you will create a PowerPoint presentation that will include brand analysis and the implications of reopening on the brand equity and functional departments, including their roles and responsibilities in the reopening process.
Prompt
Brand Analysis and Implications—In this part of the project, you will present the brand implications of reopening the park in the course scenario. Your presentation should include the following critical factors:
Determine the essential factors that can impact brand equity when reopening the park (Slides 1–3)
Define brand equity and explain its importance to the organization (Slide 1).
Provide positive implications (Slide 2):
Safety concerns addressed and communicated
Community and local government support for reopening
Employee support for reopening
Provide negative implications (Slide 3):
Social media negative reactions
Employee negative concerns
Operational concerns for safety
Describe the strategic communication plan that should occur before and after the park reopens. Your responses should address the following (Slides 4–8):
Identify three key stakeholder groups from this list and describe each stakeholder’s interest in the organization:
Employees
Customers
Government agencies
Communities
Vendors
Describe their communication needs.
Identify the best mode for communicating with them based on their needs, including how you will take feedback from stakeholders.
Describe what impact reopening the park could have on each identified stakeholder (low, medium, or high). Why?
Functional Departmental Roles and Responsibilities—In this part of the project, you will identify the functional department and describe their roles and responsibilities in making the reopening of the park a success. Your presentation should include the following critical factors (Slides 9–12):
Identify three functional departments, including marketing, which play a significant role in the reopening process. Consider which departments will be most engaged in the reopening process. Describe the roles and responsibilities of these functional departments in the safe and successful process of reopening the park (Slides 9-10).
Sample Answer
Balanced Scorecards for Company A and Company B
Company A Balanced Scorecard
1. Financial
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KPI 1: Net Profit Margin
- Rationale: Net profit margin directly reflects the company’s profitability and its ability to generate revenue in excess of its operating costs. Higher margins indicate greater financial health and the ability to reinvest in the business or distribute dividends to shareholders.
- Cause-and-Effect: Increased revenue through higher passenger loads, efficient cost management (fuel, maintenance, labor), and competitive pricing will directly impact net profit margin.
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KPI 2: Return on Assets (ROA)
- Rationale: ROA measures how efficiently the company utilizes its assets to generate profits. A higher ROA indicates better asset utilization and stronger financial performance.
- Cause-and-Effect: Efficient utilization of assets such as aircraft, ground equipment, and personnel, coupled with effective revenue generation, will lead to a higher ROA.
2. Internal Processes
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KPI 1: On-Time Performance
- Rationale: On-time performance is crucial for customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Delays can disrupt passenger schedules, damage brand reputation, and incur additional costs.
- Cause-and-Effect: Effective flight planning, efficient ground handling, and proactive maintenance procedures will contribute to improved on-time performance.
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KPI 2: Aircraft Utilization Rate
- Rationale: Maximizing aircraft utilization is essential for profitability. Higher utilization rates translate to more revenue generated per aircraft, improving overall operational efficiency.
- Cause-and-Effect: Effective scheduling, efficient turnaround times, and minimizing downtime due to maintenance issues will lead to higher aircraft utilization rates.