Both online and offline media was used. A targeted list of coaster enthusiast blogs and forums were identified. Coaster bloggers were treated as VIP's and content was created to suit their needs. A content rich site was created for content and information. It was to allow for future site expansion. The plan was to take the site down for result evaluation after the ride opened and to re-launch after modifying. Nonetheless, the site is no longer up.
Sea World created eleven videos and a 45-photo portfolio in-house that highlighted groundbreaking up to opening day. They utilized Youtube, Flickr, and Veoh and allowed others to embed the media into their personal blogs. A media launch day was held and bloggers and coaster enthusiasts were invited to attend and be among the first to ride Journey to Atlantis.
To evaluate results, the campaign looked at links from coaster sites, attendees at the media day, and ongoing contact. Of the initial 22 sites identified, 12 chose to cover the ride. The American Coaster Enthusiasts group brought 30 of its members to ride the coaster on media day. The riders later left positive comments on Youtube. This is an ongoing relationship.
In order to evaluate the cost of the program, a survey was utilized. The budget for the campaign was $44,000. The survey asked riders how they heard about the ride and if they came to Sea World especially to ride Journey to Atlantis. The cost per impression for the social media campaign was $0.22 versus $1.00 for television. It was also determined that the online group represented more than $2.6 million in revenue. For all of the statisticians out there, the survey was conducted over two weekends in June of 2007 during normal operating hours. A total of 402 questionnaires were completed and returned. At a 95% level of confidence it is accurate within plus or minus 4.9 percent.
Sea World also utilized television commercials, word of mouth, park brochures, print news stories, radio commercials, newspaper ads, passmember communication, Pepsi can promotion, and billboards. All in all internet outperformed all of the others except television commercials which was just under 40 percent of all visitors.
Overall, the campaign was effective both online and offline. However, the online social media interactions provided the most bang for the buck. For upcoming campaigns, I would suggest that Sea World San Antonio also utilize twitter and facebook to create more of a buzz. Other social media campaigns can also benefit from utilizing both online and offline methods.
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