SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (SEAS) Corporate Thread

[Rollercoaster Rider]

With Infinity Falls my only thought is that it's still far enough away from opening that maybe they're saving their marketing efforts until closer to that date. Seems like I saw a construction update somewhere recently and the site was still basically nothing but concrete forms and dirt piles, nothing that resembled a water ride so I get not pushing those kinds of updates.

 

Then again something, anything, promoting the new ride would be nice, but if they have a marketing strategy based around a timeline for the opening or something I get that. Promote the conservation during slower months, push the rides and theme park aspect closer to the busier spring/summer/christmas seasons, then again whatever they've been doing has'n't really been working so maybe I need to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt.

 

Like Tempesto? Maybe they'll announce it after it opens?

 

At least Sesame Place is focusing on the ride.

[ElvisLuv]

With Infinity Falls my only thought is that it's still far enough away from opening that maybe they're saving their marketing efforts until closer to that date. Seems like I saw a construction update somewhere recently and the site was still basically nothing but concrete forms and dirt piles, nothing that resembled a water ride so I get not pushing those kinds of updates.

 

Then again something, anything, promoting the new ride would be nice, but if they have a marketing strategy based around a timeline for the opening or something I get that. Promote the conservation during slower months, push the rides and theme park aspect closer to the busier spring/summer/christmas seasons, then again whatever they've been doing has'n't really been working so maybe I need to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt.

 

Like Tempesto? Maybe they'll announce it after it opens?

 

At least Sesame Place is focusing on the ride.

 

Tempesto seemed popular enough at BGW, I can see why it was a easy choice for SWSD even thought there's one further up in Cali.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

With Infinity Falls my only thought is that it's still far enough away from opening that maybe they're saving their marketing efforts until closer to that date. Seems like I saw a construction update somewhere recently and the site was still basically nothing but concrete forms and dirt piles' date=' nothing that resembled a water ride so I get not pushing those kinds of updates.

 

Then again something, anything, promoting the new ride would be nice, but if they have a marketing strategy based around a timeline for the opening or something I get that. Promote the conservation during slower months, push the rides and theme park aspect closer to the busier spring/summer/christmas seasons, then again whatever they've been doing has'n't really been working so maybe I need to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt.[/quote']

 

Like Tempesto? Maybe they'll announce it after it opens?

 

At least Sesame Place is focusing on the ride.

 

Tempesto seemed popular enough at BGW, I can see why it was a easy choice for SWSD even thought there's one further up in Cali.

 

 

I was talking about they didn't announce Tempesto until after it opened.

[robbalvey]

Like Tempesto? Maybe they'll announce it after it opens?

 

At least Sesame Place is focusing on the ride.

What? We are talking about SeaWorld. Can you please try.... TRY to be less stupid on our forums? PLEASE??!?!?

[Srosdude]

Like Tempesto? Maybe they'll announce it after it opens?

 

At least Sesame Place is focusing on the ride.

What? We are talking about SeaWorld. Can you please try.... TRY to be less stupid on our forums? PLEASE??!?!?

I’m guessing he thought it was relevant because they’re all under the same company, but I digress.

[robbalvey]

Like Tempesto? Maybe they'll announce it after it opens?

 

At least Sesame Place is focusing on the ride.

What? We are talking about SeaWorld. Can you please try.... TRY to be less stupid on our forums? PLEASE??!?!?

I’m guessing he thought it was relevant because they’re all under the same company, but I digress.

Please don't try to defend the dumb. Thanks.

[coneyislandchris]

Further to Robb's point...

 

My family and I watched a lot of the Winter Olympics over the past several weeks. The entire time we watched it via their streaming app, we got exactly one -- count 'em, ONE -- commercial for SeaWorld in the mix. That commercial can be viewed here.

 

Notice anything missing?

 

There were literally no shots of any of the rides or non-animal attractions at any point through the 30-second commercial, and the only reference being made to it being a theme park is in the tagline "From Park To Planet". My son didn't even realize that the commercial was for a theme park, much less one we have season passes to. For all intents and purposes, it was a wasted 30 second spot. It might have a feel-good message but it's not going to get guests through the front gate. I agree wholeheartedly with Robb's thought that they really need to start emphasizing exactly WHAT SeaWorld is aside from shots of the ocean and random people in SeaWorld uniforms running into it.

[ElvisLuv]

Further to Robb's point...

 

My family and I watched a lot of the Winter Olympics over the past several weeks. The entire time we watched it via their streaming app, we got exactly one -- count 'em, ONE -- commercial for SeaWorld in the mix. That commercial can be viewed here.

 

Notice anything missing?

 

There were literally no shots of any of the rides or non-animal attractions at any point through the 30-second commercial, and the only reference being made to it being a theme park is in the tagline "From Park To Planet". My son didn't even realize that the commercial was for a theme park, much less one we have season passes to. For all intents and purposes, it was a wasted 30 second spot. It might have a feel-good message but it's not going to get guests through the front gate. I agree wholeheartedly with Robb's thought that they really need to start emphasizing exactly WHAT SeaWorld is aside from shots of the ocean and random people in SeaWorld uniforms running into it.

 

They should at least do a combo where it shows rides and fun along side their animal work, a place where both are possible.

 

I can not stress the value of a day at Discovery Cove is when you consider the other perks and yet folks where I live are oblivious to it existing.

[Hilltopper39]

 

I can not stress the value of a day at Discovery Cove is when you consider the other perks and yet folks where I live are oblivious to it existing.

 

I live 2 hours away from the park and people are still oblivious to it existing. I can't tell you how many people over the years I've told about Discovery Cove, the experience, the perks (food and beer included), and the free admission to SeaWorld/Aquatica, but most people have never heard of the place and even after praising it I don't think anyone I've told about it has ever gone.

Edited March 2, 2018 by Hilltopper39

[jedimaster1227]

The bottom line is, from where SeaWorld currently stands, their greatest asset is the fun and exciting offerings their parks contain including but not limited to, the rides, shows and the hands-on interactions the park offers with its many animals. I will always remember the following marketing campaign for its upbeat, attractive mix of visuals of animals, shows, rides and fun throughout the parks. This is what I wish we'd see more of these days.

 

Edited March 2, 2018 by jedimaster1227

[ElvisLuv]

bok

 

I can not stress the value of a day at Discovery Cove is when you consider the other perks and yet folks where I live are oblivious to it existing.

 

I live 2 hours away from the park and people are still oblivious to it existing. I can't tell you how many people over the years I've told about Discovery Cove, the experience, the perks (food and beer included), and the free admission to SeaWorld/Aquatica, but most people have never heard of the place and even after praising it I don't think anyone I've told about it has ever gone.

 

 

And yet they fork over insane amounts for inferior dolphin encounters at stops on cruises.

[colinx]

The bottom line is, from where SeaWorld currently stands, their greatest asset is the fun and exciting offerings their parks contain including but not limited to, the rides, shows and the hands-on interactions the park offers with its many animals. I will always remember the following marketing campaign for its upbeat, attractive mix of visuals of animals, shows, rides and fun throughout the parks. This is what I wish we'd see more of these days.

 

This x100000

 

This is one of the best marketing campaigns, I also particularly love this one as well. Both of these commercials really capture the wonder of SeaWorld.

[p-sychiatrist]

I agree with Robb's points that they need to shift the focus of their marketing to the fact that these are theme parks, with great rollercoasters, new (awesome looking) rapids rides, and all the fun stuff that comes with an amusement park.

 

However, I'll also offer an extremely radical alternative. While extremely unlikely, I personally think Sea World would be better off with a complete rebranding. The Busch parks are fine, and Discovery Cove would be safe due to the lack of the Sea World name alone. I just think as a millennial (and our generation is split between late teens, 20-somethings, and parents with young kids) we are currently the biggest market for theme parks. And this generation (and presumably the next one) is far more liberal than Gen X, especially in regards to animal rights. Blackfish dealt a deathblow to really all types of aquatic animal shows, and even zoos across the country have been struggling and have had their own controversies. The idea of animals in captivity for the purpose of entertainment is just a hard pill for many to swallow, even if it's dressed up as conservation efforts through intensive Jack Hanna marketing. Now this rebrand wouldn't be as simple as a name change, but I honestly think it would be their best bet to keep the parks afloat long term.

[boldikus]

When we visited SWO in December every single non-enthusiast friend/family member/etc we told about our trip had no idea SeaWorld even had coasters. Most were surprised we made it a stop until I explained the rides.

[gerstlaueringvar]

Blackfish has caused so much damage and the younger generation tend to stand at the “rights” side without fact checking. (That’s why PETA gets to survive anyway)

 

SeaWorld is basically universally hated among everyone I know from outside of the industry no matter how I try to convince them with facts. Plus the fierce competition in all of their locations, I think rebranding would help.

[larrygator]

SeaWorld is basically universally hated among everyone I know from outside of the industry no matter how I try to convince them with facts. Plus the fierce competition in all of their locations, I think rebranding would help.

 

I do not encounter the same level of hate towards SeaWorld from my non-enthusiast friends. Maybe it is because my friends are older and have seen all the good SeaWorld has done over the years.

 

So I agree it is a generational issue.

Edited March 8, 2018 by larrygator

[Canobie Coaster]

At the park in Orlando yesterday there were some signs advertising Infinity Falls, but they were somewhat hidden. On a few of these ad pagodas, Infinity Falls always seemed to be facing away from the main pathway.

[ABW]

Blackfish has caused so much damage and the younger generation tend to stand at the “rights” side without fact checking. (That’s why PETA gets to survive anyway)

 

SeaWorld is basically universally hated among everyone I know from outside of the industry no matter how I try to convince them with facts. Plus the fierce competition in all of their locations, I think rebranding would help.

Definitely, I also agree that it's a generational issue. The funny thing is it's not even a rights issue, but its so fervently framed as one. Further, just like you say, people in the said generation seem to not understand the concept of fact checking, either. It's really aggravating, yet should be to any genuine person who cares about seeing both sides of the issue, which is how any decently intelligent person should look.

 

But no, we all just hate whales and dolphins, or whatever.

[grsupercity]

Rebrand them as Busch parks or Animal Adventures. What is the worst that could happen at this point

[jray21]

Their Facebook posts don't help either. They help to show how many animals they rescue, which is great for people to know, but that's a vast majority of their posts. I just looked at their facebook posts, and the past 22 have not included a single ride. Maybe 4 or 5 included references to areas or other basic attractions, but no roller coasters or things that are obvious theme park related. The 23 one was just for a waterslide. It takes 47 posts, going back to February 25, for a roller coaster photo. No wonder why people don't go to the parks, they don't know that they exist!

[coasterbill]

SeaWorld attendance rises 15 percent

 

Heading into the summer tourism season, attendance jumped 15 percent at SeaWorld Entertainment’s theme parks, the company announced Tuesday.

 

In its quarterly earnings, the company said 3.2 million visitors came to the amusement parks in the first quarter of 2018, up about 400,000 year-over-year from 2017. The company’s total revenue spiked nearly 17 percent to $217.2 million.

 

It was welcome news for SeaWorld, said interim CEO John T. Reilly in a statement.

 

“Despite this strong start to the year, we know we have significant opportunity for further improvement,” he said, contributing the attendance rise to several factors including the timing of Easter, expanded rides as well as company’s new marketing and pricing initiatives.

 

Reilly also said season pass sales revenue increased by more than 10 percent and in-park per capita spending grew by about 6 percent.

 

SeaWorld has faced steadily dipping attendance and revenues, although it is still one of the largest theme park companies in the world, according to a report released last year by the Themed Entertainment Association/AECOM, which rated it the ninth biggest with 22 million visitors in 2016.

 

To fight attendance losses, SeaWorld is aggressively opening new rides and attractions — including in Orlando. Aquatica Orlando’s Ray Rush water slide opens Saturday to the public and a Sesame Street land will debut at SeaWorld Orlando in spring 2019, the company announced recently.

 

From the Orlando Sentinel

 

Obviously Easter was early, and personally I'm concerned that the improved revenue can be attributed to revenue from Q2 shifting to Q1 with Williamsburg's aggressive membership sale but this is extremely welcome news.

[RCjunkie]

^ That is great news for SeaWorld. Good for them, I hope it continues. Unfortunately the way they handled the Blackfish fall out from a public relations stand point will now be the case study on how not to handle a situation like this.

[The Geek Mojo]

An attendance increase is very good news! More good news is SeaWorld is supposedly building a new park in China. Not sure this is legit or not...I can only find it one place on the interwebz. Could be fake news. I also read that Zhonghong is in some major debt problems...Not sure how that effects SeaWorld or not but they do own 21% of the company.

 

http://www.themeparx.com/seaworld-china/

 

https://www.mingtiandi.com/real-estate/finance-real-estate/chinese-developer-defaults-on-364m-in-debt-just-one-year-after-449m-blackstone-deal/

[ThemeParkJunkie51290]

I love SeaWorld! And I'm glad things are starting to improve for the company! I visited SeaWorld Orlando for the first time in 2011, and I'll be visiting SeaWorld San Diego for the first time in July. The reason I'm visiting is because of the new coaster (I've never ridden a Sky Rocket II model), and to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere that SeaWorld parks provide. I'm happy that SeaWorld does so much for the animals, but adding coasters, thrill rides, and other attractions is what draws guest in. As long as they focus on the parks, and stop caring about that BLACKFISH garbage, and worrying about PETA, I'm sure the company will do just fine.

[bert425]

yeah.. CNN ran a positive story on attendance being up too! (but of course, mentions Blackfish in the story)

 

http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/08/investing/seaworld-attendance-earnings-stock-blackfish/index.html