Marketing Communication Angles
A reputation for running successful parties is crucial to stimulate positive word-of-mouth referrals via parental social networks, accentuated by frequent contact at school pick-ups and drop-offs, but also on social media, and in particular parenting website communities such as mumsnet.com, which offers local listings, discussion boards, and advice-based content. In addition to successfully hosting enjoyable parties, which should drive positive referrals, a number of low-cost marketing activities can be implemented to help generate future bookings such as
Rugged Earth Adventures
One ex-army officer’s start-up inspiration led to a birthday party business centered on a military outdoor adventure theme. Having experimented with a number of temporary locations, the business finally settled on a large piece of underutilized agricultural land that comprises a mix of scrub land, combined with lines of commercially unsuccessful shrubs and trees.
The customer segment that this business proposition appeals to is mostly parents of boys—approximately 75 percent of participants are male, aged between 6 and 10 years. The children participate in a two-hour party that sees them run around outside in a natural environment. Issued with a foam bullet Nerf gun and protective glasses, participants are initially put into two teams, jungle versus desert, utilizing authentic British army terminology. A second game, the less frenetic snipers-and-seekers, is a form of hide-and-seek using realistic camouflage costumes. Then the young people are carefully instructed on how to thoroughly cook their own sausage, which is served as a hot dog, and the party concludes with toasted marshmallows. During one of the well-timed rest periods, a picnic basket is offered to the participants around the campfire with a variety of foods—an array that is low in chocolate and big on fruit and vegetables, which is appealing to parents, but it also includes less healthy but popular cupcakes and crisps. With overprotective parents, toy guns that fire projectiles, and an open fire, the safety briefing is taken very seriously and uses a highly authoritative army style. Children are regularly reminded about safe behavior requirements around the fire pit, particularly when wearing flammable costumes. Compliant use of safety glasses is paramount, with regular and direct reinforcement of the safety rules taking place. Hosting and supervising parents are made to feel at ease, provided with access to self-service hot and cold drinks and a place to perch. An informal satisfaction polling takes place just prior to the end around the campfire; positive responses are anticipated, thanks to a fairly simple formula that is well executed. The opportunity afforded to parents to relax while watching a group of children enjoy a totally stress-free afternoon is actually quite enjoyable. The business income comes predominantly from weekend parties, with the current site offering a capacity of three or possibly four parties per day. Each party can entertain 10 to 24 young people and costs between £120 and £295 (£12 to £20/child, excluding cake and party bags, which are £5 per child extra). Activity days, attractive for dual working parents, are also offered during the Easter and summer school holidays, priced at £26 to £34 per day. The revenue generated covers operating costs after a very short operational period.
- With the existing facilities and staff capabilities can you identify additional product/ service offerings?
With such a large piece of site in hand holding the beauty of the agricultural land and the staffs available, the entity can also take up other party or wedding reception’s which can be carried out at night by lighting and making such necessary arrangements. This would make them earn more revenue with just concentrating on the lighting and setting themes after talking with the couple for whom the arrangements are being done.
If they don’t want to involve in making the arrangements, they can even rent out the land alone for such parties were they can also outsource the arrangements or hire a designer.
- Critically assess the proposed low-cost marketing activities for enhancing the generation of the future bookings and the brand awareness of this small business The promotional activity which is being suggested or used over here is the referrals and word of mouth, arranging to share a business card or small color flyer via the party bag that is often given to departing guests, posting flyers at local clubs and church halls, advertising in directories (telephone and web), donating a free party to a school/community charity auction, writing advertorial content accompanied by strong images in the local press (note parental permission and ethical issues around publishing photos of children), creating a website and social media presence on key sites, performing at community group/school events, printing car stickers to build brand awareness and share web and telephone contacts.
These all are the best way of promoting a business which is basically a startup and a one man’s setup. This is because, all these promotional activities would help him reach the parents and those prospective customers who belong to the locale and would make it easy for them to acquire more and more related customers in the future.
Eventually they would also arise a trend where people in the locale and around the place gets used with the face as they are advertised in all those normal and everyday parts of peoples life and would be forced to think of this as a brand and identity for birthday parties and like events.
- Would you invest in a business like this?
Yes, I would definitely invest in such a business as it holds a great future. I hold this opinion basically because, today parties and celebrations are increasing and people look around for reasons to celebrate. But at the same time everyone are out of time as both the male and female members of the family would be working. They would be having enough money which they are ready to spend and not the time. So they would outsource and depend on such event management teams for the parties. But if there are these teams who have new and innovative ways for celebrating then people would be choosing that over any other event management teams.
And when coming to children, more than sitting and eating, they would want fun activities and if it is real military set up then them would be more than happy. This would leave the children wanting to come back to the party over and over thus increasing our revenue.
Not just that, with such a land in hand I see a lot of scope for expansion and growth of the business.
- What additional revenue and market opportunities might the business investigate?
With people accepting this new trend and increasing the reach to the customers, they can increase the price charged for the party on a per child basis at the initial stage.
The entity can also find a similar land in the nearby city and start setting a business like this in that place or city before other players enter there. And the market also hold opportunities for using such places to arrange night parties as these children parties are hosted during the afternoon. This would also provide the entity to increase their revenue and earn more amount of money.
Eventually they can also enter the catering and healthy serving area by increasing the staffs and hiring more chefs into their entity by turning the business into a full time working entity rather than just working on the basis of receiving the party orders.
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