Target Market of Six Flags

Most human beings enjoy a little bit of an adrenaline rush every now and then. Whether it be something as intense as a roller coaster, or something as calm and peaceful as a Ferris wheel ride. How awesome is it that there are locations in the world that offer a bunch of those attractions all at once? All you have to do is to pay about 45 dollars in total and go to whatever ride your heart desires. Many amusement parks are available worldwide. In this blog, however, we are going to focus on Six Flags, the largest theme park company in the Globe.

This blog is going to have a few parts. The first one is one of Six Flags’ marketing campaigns.

We are going to introduce it and dive deeper into the idea behind it.

The overall year of 2020 was challenging worldwide for various areas. A lot of companies belonging to the service sector suffered a great deal of damage, in particular. People were ordered to stay at home and leave only in cases of emergency.

Even if they wanted to exit their houses, there really was not much to do. And in a chaotic situation like such, going to an amusement park would be in the furthest back of one’s mind.

Therefore, it is pretty understandable that Six Flags also struggled. Amusement parks, in general, had to put their new projects on hold for an unknown amount of time. On average, the revenues of these kinds of companies declined by 90 percent in the course of three months.

Understandably, most people will not feel comfortable going back to these parks until the Covid-19 vaccine becomes more broadly available.

Six Flags has about 26 parks in North America and in 2020 the company was planning on opening all of those locations back up. In just 9 months, this company had a decrease of 83 percent in park attendance.

What this company did was it took more than 90 percent of its budget and put it into social media. The reasoning behind that was the promotion of an annual event called Fright Fest Halloween. A bonus for 2020 was a safer holiday Drive-Thru experience.

In order to hold an event like this, it had to correspond with federal, state, and local guidelines. That was the first step. Also, this event was made possible in collaboration with SNICKERS.

Obviously, wearing masks and social distancing were monitored to avoid risk at all costs.

The indoor activities were moved outside so as to reduce danger and a threatening environment.

The tickets had to be reserved beforehand to sidestep from overcrowding.

What is more, is that this company donated branded masks to local schools for every mask bought by park guests. This is an incredibly smart marketing move. For one, it is encouraging people to purchase masks for helping the younger generation out.

Moreover, at the same time, this action is guaranteeing safety for themselves and the people around them.

Why this company came to this decision in the first place is that they asked their guests whether they still wanted to celebrate the holiday. And an overpowering number of them answered positively.

The event was generated with the help of healthcare professionals to make sure that every person could feel secure.

Even the scare-actions had to be performed six feet from the attendees.

The most important thing about the event is the activities that it had to offer.

So, there were Trick-or-Treat trails, costume contests, magic shows and storytelling, themed mazes, and etc. all of that accompanied by spooky sinister music, special treats, and Halloween gear.

Next, let’s talk about the slogans of Six Flags.

The company has had a few. Hence why we suggest looking at and quickly analyzing all of them one by one.

Initially, their slogan was “America’s favorite thrills” in the years 1961-2004. It’s mentioned to be America’s favorite because as a company it only makes sense to strive to be the best and most desirable.

This was the longest matter of time that this company kept a slogan. The goal of an amusement park is to provide people with fun, exciting, entertaining, and why not even scary pass time.

Let’s look at it this way. Try thinking of this scenario. Is there anything more fun than screaming at the top of your lungs while reaching the 360-degree rotation on a roller coaster? Well, it is certainly a memorable experience, a thrill if you will, hence the slogan.

The next slogan that Six Flags held from 2004-2006 is “It’s playtime”. At first glance, it looks very simple. However, it is an incredibly effective way of delivering the message of this establishment. For kids, it is a yearning experience to go to theme parks.

It is a great contribution to their childhood and delightful memories that they will remember later in life.

For adults, however, the message is slightly different. Grown-ups study for their careers, go to work and take care of their families. At a hectic and stressful rate, they hustle and live their lives. In that packed schedule, it is important to still enjoy oneself.

As a result, Six Flags offered them to forget about their responsibilities for a few hours and just play. A good way to take a burden off of one’s shoulders.

In 2007, the slogan of this company was “You are here!”. If you ask me, the idea behind it is pretty similar to the last slogan. As in, “You are here so just drop everything and goof around”. You know how at parties some good advice that people give is to dance like nobody’s watching.

Well, being in an amusement park, and having that experience is somewhat similar. Because you gotta let your emotions flow like no one hears you. It is not embarrassing to leave a ride with trembling hands and legs, and messed-up hair from the wind.

The next slogan starting from 2008 until 2011 was “More flags, more fun”. They even came up with a different version for the Fright Fest. “More flags, more fright”, hinting at the events. The more you allow yourself to be silly and free, the more fun your life will be. That is basically what is meant with these slogans.

Life is too short to keep a serious attitude towards every aspect of life. There should always be some carefreeness involved. Even if you’re going through something, some rides may help free you from unpleasant thoughts and feelings.

And the last slogan that this company has kept since 2011 is “Go Big, Go Six Flags”. Pretty similar to “Go Big Or Go Home”. But the ‘or’ is not included in this slogan because there is no other option.

The only choice is to go to your nearest Six Flags park and make the most of it. This is probably the best slogan of the company. Before this one, except for the first one, all of them were pretty short-term. This one, however, has been around for ten years.

The last thing that we will be discussing in this blog is the segment that Six Flags has chosen to target.

For doing so, let’s first watch this short advertisement.

The video is promoting the VIP tickets of Six Flags. It is basically mentioning everything that comes with the package. Those include skipping lines, getting unlimited drinks, etc. All of that can be made possible starting with just 8 dollars a month. And also, a bit of humor is included in the video as we see park guests arriving in a limo, then walking on a red carpet, and so on.

There are a few hidden hints in this video that could possibly be missed. That’s exactly why we are giving a closer look to recognize the small details.

The first thing is that the people in the video are dressed casually and in a way ‘normal’. Not in a way to stand out or be different.

The preference for VIP comes from the desire for comfort. It makes a lot of things easier in a crowded park.

Also, buying a membership to an amusement park means that it is one of your favorite places to go. Somewhere you would think about when you have some free time.

All of these clues make it obvious that the segment that Six Flags has chosen to target is Nesters.

Let’s quickly lay out all of the information that we have about this segment.

Lifestyle and values.

Family duties and traditions play a huge role in Nesters’ lives. This segment strives for its goals. It is important to have resolutions and work towards them, a good example is pursuing a career. However, even if Nesters reach a tremendous amount of success, it will be pointless if not shared with family.

Family is so important, that this segment can not go a week without seeing them. Even if it means having a small gathering where people get to cook and have quality time together, that is good enough.

The thing that comes after the family for this segment is faith. It is a great value to have traditions and customs. That is another thing that brings people together. The people they choose to have relationships with, have to share their beliefs. Trust is an immense aspect of relationships.

Nesters are pretty optimistic and see the best in everyone. There is no reason to assume the worst. Therefore, their attitude to people is always positive, whether they are family members or strangers.

Nesters don’t think of themselves highly. They view everybody as equals, as a part of a well-balanced world.

This segment will not willingly choose to step out of its comfort zone. Surprisingly, it applies to both career and personal relationships. They want to have a stable career with the least amount of risks possible. Also, they choose to be in a relationship where they can lean on their partner and have it be long-term.

Brand usage.

When it comes to choosing outfits, comfort is what matters most for this segment. Style is in the furthest back of Nesters’ minds. They do not particularly like shopping, therefore they usually have their favorite stores. That way they save a lot of time and energy. Also, Nesters search for affordable items when possible.

When new products and trends come around, Nesters do not really care. Instead, they will observe other people testing new goods, and later decide if they want to make a purchase.

Another notable mention is that Nesters like giving domestic brands a chance. If the same product is made by a smaller business, why not give it a chance?

Other interesting facts:

Nesters enjoy time around family and at home. Anything done with family is a good way of spending time. It can be watching TV, gardening, listening to the radio, and other stuff.

Ultimately, we discussed Six Flags from a marketing perspective. Six Flags is a massive amusement park chain. We talked about one of its campaigns, its slogans, and the segment that it has chosen to target. We constantly update our feed discussing the marketing strategies of different companies. So, if this interests you, make sure to check out our main website.