For Six Flags Great America, did anyone see any commercials for it at all on tv, or even in billboards? Yes, they have advertising on the Internet for Screamscape, and SFGAmWorld, but those are the people that would buy a Six Flags season pass anyway, and they don't say when the park is open at all. So, how is that helping at all! At Jewel is the biggest advertisement I guess.

The best Six Flags Great America advertising what they did is for cheap is by going to the news, and saying you must advertise our ride. I find it kind of funny that if Target gets a new brand in their store, they don't just go to the local news, and say hey tell people about our brand - You know, for free. For Pizza Hut's special, they didn't go to the news, and say hey news you know just put it on the air.

If you really think about it, amusement parks are getting a steal every year from the news, and I can't really understand why they deserve it even though yes I do like when they do show the amusement parks on the news.

And as I said before, they are so worried about the season pass rather than just impressing people to come to the park.

They are on the schedule for several location live spots in the local media outlets. The bankruptcy situation may have something to do with the lack of advertising.
In some cases spending has to be approved by a court appointed trustee and with the cost of advertising, they may not be able to spend as much as they once did.
I agree that a lack of advertising isn't a great idea, but few people appreciate the value of non-tangibles like advertising.
This is the merger portion of the economic situation. Big companies with cash will start gobbling up smaller companies that are strapped. I expect SF to be purchased by a large company sooner rather than later.

They have said a little bit ago that they were going to stop having so many billboards, and tv ads, and worry more about the Internet advertising, but even to me the Internet advertising is very, very poor. They are advertising on enthusiast sites. Those people have season passes. What's the point of advertising their? You need to advertise to non-enthusiasts!

Billboards to me work even more than Internet ads. Internet ads are just to some people a big annoyance whereas a billboard ad, you are want to look at it. To me, Busch Gardens Tampa gets it's big crowds because of all of those billboards around Orlando. That really to me drives in people when you start showing people rides, and animals. Even though it might not get them to go that day, it drives them in to research the place later.

I think you're right. I don't know that advertising to enthusiasts makes much sense. But then those ads don't typically cost that much either. Billboard advertising is expensive. Prohibitively so sometimes.
Personally, I would be buying airtime in the Wisconsin television markets which is pretty cheap compared to Chicago. But I would be even more inclined to tie in with the airlines and travel agencies like Expedia, Priceline, etc. and offer package deals. You would be shocked at how many people travel to Chicago on business and bring their families with because they had flier miles, or some other perk. I had some perks and brought my whole family down to Florida when I attended the IAAPA convention the last couple of years.

Six Flags is currently in a marketing "Off-Season". Basically, the only people that really will go to the park right now are enthusiasts and thrill-seakers. There is no reason to market the park to people that will go anyways. Trust me, the ads will return in full force, and you will regret this post.

^Well, if you aren't marketing a park to other people, how do you expect them to come to the park? Again, even last year the ads more very geared towards people buying season passes. They took some 10 seconds out of ads for buying a season pass, and not marketing the park in what the park has. Sure, they show the new ride, but they can show so much more that the park has to offer.

I think one of the best things that Six Flags could do really is market on the Kennedy on a billboard form for Six Flags Great America. Yes, you are right Tiki about a lot of people coming to Chicago on a plane, but you have Great America 30 some miles away from Chicago, and some people going downtown might even know their is such a place called Great America. What about trying to get those Navy Pier people also, or Michigan Ave. people? One time, they had a billboard I think near Lamb's Farm, and to me that seems kind of stupid because the people going on that highway are going to go further, and either pass Six Flags Great America (the park), or go to the park. They need to advertise away from the park to get people their.

Well to that end, the cash strapped Chicago Transit Authority is selling ads a plenty. They have LED billboards on buses and full train wraps. If that didn't get city dwellers attention I don't know what would.
The distance between Chicago and the park doesn't matter if you have a package deal. They could provide a car service or shuttle bus service to and from. A good portion of people who go to Disney parks actually stay at hotels that are a considerable distance from the park either because of costs or availability.
Chicago is rapidly losing its convention business. Now would be a great time for Gurnee to build and promote a convention center/hotel. But bear in mind that you already have a large pharmaceutical and medical corporation right next door. They even have their own air strips. All those visiting execs and scientists have families that could come to SFGA and spend, spend, spend.

Shapiro himself said something along the lines of...

"People know we're the place to be during the summer time. They don't need us to constantly tell them to buy a season pass. We still offer better value than any other amusement park."

I detest when the phrases "best value" and "theme park" are used in the same sentence.

I like Mr. Shapiro, but if he truly said; "People know we're the place to be during the summer." That is a tragic mistake!
You almost always have to reinvent new reasons for your clients to come back. And you constantly have to keep your name out there. Otherwise you become a small niche business.
I own a small niche business (by choice.) I used to advertise and beat pricing dollar for dollar and had crews running everywhere. But as I gained some very steady higher end customers who wanted more artistic (and higher profit margin) stuff done. And as I got older, it was in my best interest to settle for fewer customers who did smaller high end projects and get out of the rat race.
This really isn't possible with an amusement park unless you plan to charge $3500 for season passes and $1500.00 at the gate. Then you could just cater to the regulars and enthusiasts.
I shouldn't say it isn't possible. Regular people go to Seaworld but more affluent people go to Atlantis. But Atlantis was built specifically for that market. It would be tough to turn SFGA into a high end destination.

Hm. The intricacies of a theme park that charged $1500 per ticket excite me. No lines. Anywhere. Everything's free (food, games, etc.), well paid for at the gate anyway. And the park would be damn near empty. Romantic.


I'm going to attempt to stay on topic and note that I haven't seen a shred of advertising this year, except for facebook. Six Flags must think it smart to advertise on social networking sites that are occasionally free for advertisers, that reach practically everyone. Everyone's on the 'net, right? It would seem the days of printed adverts like billboards are starting to get behind us. Good Riddance.

In terms of their advertising being concentrated in Facebook, I think it has more to do with money. They are still reaching a very large audience, and it costs a lot less to include updating a Facebook profile in some PR person's job duties than to pay PR and marketing time to design an ad to go in a newspaper, or something on a billboard, and then pay to have that printed and be uncertain on your feedback from it. A phrase that's been used in an online game I play, but is relevant here, "Pixels are cheap."

There's a lot of truth to saying that print media is dead. Billboards, newspapers, magazines and the like are certainly not in the prime position they once were.
And with the exception of AM talk radio, the radio business is dead both terrestrial and satellite.
But Internet advertising isn't what it once was either. Unless you spend a pretty good chunk on Google Ad Words or the like, you're relegated to Facebook and Twitter pages.
So about the only ad media that's left is cereal boxes and soda cans.

This is a hilarious statement from him. He says one thing, and does the other thing with all the advertising. The guy just doesn't know what he's doing. He paints Batman the Ride blue at Six Flags Over Georgia, but the only real reason to paint it is because the rails look bad and rusty, and what does he do? He doesn't paint the rails on that Batman as I see with pictures unless that park painted them after that picture was taken?

They might advertise for Facebook, but why not? That's basically free (You are paying the PR person anyway.), but to me they need to advertise more than Facebook. Facebook people of Six Flags are probably nothing but enthusiasts, and other obsessees with the park, not a majority of people that come to the park.

And with the marketing, seriously they now have a Discover card Entrance with an orange fence for the front of the park to get in. It must be if you have a Discover card, you can go in that line, or something. That's ridiculous to have something like that. Anything to make a buck. Geesh.

I haven't been to the park yet but a Discover Card line?
Discover card was started by Sears and is in about the same financial condition as Sears is. (Blecch!)
SFGA is probably the only place that accepts Discover cause the only thing I "discovered" with Discover is that I couldn't use it anywhere. Surely they didn't dedicate a line just for the 3 people in Illinois who have a Discover card?

Not sure where you've been, but Discover is accepted a lot of places. The movie theatre I used to work at took it, although we didn't take AMEX.

I didn't read this whole thread so forgive me if any of this is repeated, but a few things of note:
1. Advertisement costs a lot and Six Flagz just got out of bankruptcy so they most likely don't have a large budget alotted for it.
2. Public Relations representives don't force anybody to cover anything, only the head anchor and excutive producers decide what's newsworthy, however with hours to fill in a day if they get a press release from the public relations department of Six Flags regarding a new ride that could fill 3 minutes of airtime than it's more than likely a local intrest story and generates free publicity for Six Flags. And considering Great America is currently operating without a public relations representitive that's great to see them getting that publicity for free.

Amex is the same kind of crapola as Discover. The reason very few people accept it is because of the much higher percentage that a retailer pays to them for accepting those cards. I have an Amex Platinum, but really don't use it. They also offer a card called the Centurian which is nothing more than a status symbol. You pay a $5000 initiation fee, a $2500 annual fee, and have to put at least $250,000 on the card a year.
The best advice I could give anyone is: Don't use credit cards! And if you do, make sure you pay off the balance before interest accrues.

Six Flags has a website as a great adveristing thing (A lot of people get their information from the Internet, and Six Flags website), and what do they do? They put Little Dipper all the way on the right hand side of the website in a little tiny box that's the 2nd thing. Can't they milk the Little Dipper a little more than that like on the left side of the page? Who cares about Maine, or Mitchelle Musso - a one day thing each- big whoop? On top of that, they put the Glow in the Park Parade as the 6th thing on the left side. It's a new thing, and you are spening money on it, so milk much better.

Why isn't Little Dipper on the left side of the page - 1st thing, than Glow in the Park Parade 2nd, than Buy Your Season Pass, than MaqiQuest, than Fun Finder, and than combine the two Starbust people into one thing - The Maine, and Mitchelle Russo as last thing.

Sorry for the double post, but I just would like to mention that they moved the Little Dipper to the left side of the screen on the main page (of the webpage) instead of in a little box. Hooray Six Flags. :thumbs:

Have you not seen the Six Flags ads? On The radio, on the TV?

I told you that around this time they would pick-up. :P