Hong Kong Ocean Park: Advertising and Promotion Plan I brand manager a renown consumer product marketing company responsible Hong Kong Macau markets.

Ocean Park has been a well-known brand in Hong Kong since 1977 Ocean Park Hong Kong, 2008.

This advertising promotion plan is for the Hong Kong Ocean Park which has three in-park themed hotels. These hotels are named Ocean Hotel, Fisherman's Wharft Hotel and Spa Hotel Frew, 2005.

Each hotel has its own unique blend of features which make it distinct and present a tremendous opportunity for marketing and particularly advertising. The hotels are set for launch in the last quarter of 2011 in Hong Kong. The total budget is HK$2million which covers all promotional activities for the month of December 2011. This will be used for digital media advertising and billboards. These have been analyzed to be the most cost-effective media for advertising. Hong Kong and Mainland China are mutual in fostering economic development Chu, 2003(, Kong, 1997)

. Thus all campaigns will be run both in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

The campaign is dubbed "Under the sea, up to the sky, on the ground, your first "fabulous" Christmas." This campaign details all aspects of the advertising campaigns to be run as well as all promotional activities.

Background of studies

Introduction of the company

Hong Kong Ocean Park has three in-park themed hotels. These hotels are named Ocean Hotel, Fisherman's Wharft Hotel and Spa Hotel. Each hotel has its own unique blend of features which make it distinct and present a fantastic opportunity for marketing and particularly advertising. Ocean Hotel is expected to be a 3-4 stars hotel with 660 rooms, an extra-large cafeteria, room for family dining, a specialty restaurant & bar, a lounge bar and facilities related to Ocean Park. Fisherman's Wharf Hotel is a 4 stars hotel with 460 rooms, a main dining outlet, an exquisite Chinese restaurant, bars & lounges, a promenade, a retail store, entertainment & dining. The Spa Hotel is a 5 stars hotel with 180 rooms, a main dining outlet, specialty restaurant & bar, a spa outlet Legislative Council Panel on Economic Development, 2008()

The industry

The Hong Kong hotel industry has been thriving since the early years of the 21st century. Results released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) in the year 2004 indicated that the industry was worth well above U.S. $110 million Jahns, 2005(, Reiber, 2011)

. Tourist arrivals in the same year surpassed the 21 million mark which represents a 30% increase from the year 2000 which recorded just 16.5 tourists Access Asia Ltd., 2001(, Lockyer, 2007)

. For Hong Kong, Mainland China is the largest source market which represents about 55% of all tourist arrivals Heung and Zweig, 2011.

Similarly, Hong Kong has greatly contributed to the economic development of Mainland China Cheng and Ngok, 2000(, Chalkley, 1997)

. The relationship between the development of Mainland China and Hong Kong is mutual

ADDIN EN.CITE

(Smart, 2004, Skeldon, 1995, Huppatz, 2005)

. This clearly goes to show that there is a thriving market in Hong Kong and these three in-park themed hotels are bound for success especially during this high peak holiday season of the month of December.

Environmental scanning

Helpful for achieving the objectives

Harmful to achieving the objectives

Internal

Strengths

- Founders well knowledgeable in hotel and tourism management

- Unique blend of features for all the three in-park themed hotels

- Self-motivated and hardworking founders

- Experience in marketing and customer/client support

- Internet access gives 24/7 accessibility of information for market research and analysis

Weaknesses

- Limited capital and marketing budget

External

Opportunities

- No competition in the market as the venture is unique and no other hotel is themed

- Existing and stable market created by the need

Threats

- Marketing challenge due to there being several competitors in the market

Justification

The target population is all tourists who like to spend their holiday in posh hotels that provide them with a comfort like no other. These revelers usually like to feel at home though they may be miles and miles away from home Carey, 1992.

That is why we are providing these three themed in-park hotels to make sure the needs of this market are fulfilled and all measures are taken to give the competitors a run for their money.

Product analysis

These being themed hotels every hotel are designed to have its own theme. The first of these hotels is the Ocean Hotel. This hotel has the largest number of rooms of the three and is designed for the lower class tourists. Those travelling as families will especially love this hotel since it will provide them with an extra-large cafeteria that allows them to have family dining. There is also a specialty bar and restaurant, and a lounge bar. All these features will appeal to tourists who budget is...

The hotel is expected to be granted 3 stars recognition which will be upgraded to 4 stars within no time.
The second hotel is named the Fisherman's Wharf Hotel. This is built to be a 4 stars hotel which has well over 400 rooms, 460 to be precise. There is an exquisite Chinese restaurant to promote local Chinese delicacies as well as give the locals and tourists a taste of their fine Chinese recipes. The hotel also has a main dining area, bars and lounges, a retail store, and a promenade. The promenade is built to provide ample shopping space and parking for non-residents of the hotel too. Last is the Spa hotel which is designed to be a 5 stars hotel with 180 comfortable and spacious rooms. The main feature of this hotel is the spa that it has.

Competitors

Hong Kong Disneyland is the main competitor as it has a remarkably similar business type comparing with Ocean Park. Disneyland has the advantage on their brand reputation, and resources on their amusement rides. Disneyland has two in-park themed hotels name "Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel" which offers 400 rooms, and "Disney's Hollywood Hotel" which offers 600 rooms Hong Kong Disneyland, 2009()

In addition, Hong Kong Disneyland consists of the following themes:

"Adventureland, Fantasyland, Main Street USA and Tomorrowland. These areas feature themed attractions, entertainment and interactive experiences, restaurants, merchandise shops, and refreshment stands. Additionally, there are daily parades and a nighttime fireworks extravaganza" Hong Kong Disneyland, 2009()

The second direct competition is the Novotel Citygate Hong Kong at the MTR Tung Chung Station which was opened in April 2006 and has 440 rooms and 13 suites. Although the rooms are smaller and have limited facilities, Novotel is still considered as direct competition as it closed to Tung Chung Citygate Outlet, and there are certain numbers of tourist attractions like the Disneyland NP360 cable car etc.

Another direct competitor is the Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel situated close to Sky Pier which has 625 rooms and 33 suites. SkyCity Marriott also offers complimentary shuttle service to Tung Chung MTR Station and Disneyland.

All these competitors will create a marketing challenge in a bid to try to undercut their market share so that Ocean Park can gain market share on its own. However, with this being the peak season for tourists, this challenge is eased by the huge numbers of tourists expected to tour Hong Kong.

Campaign objectives and key messages

Objectives

To boost gross income of the hotel base on the loyalty with Ocean Park.

To create brand awareness among customers within the target market.

To create interest and attract more local families coming to Ocean Park.

To strength the brand name.

To increase the number of customers can see the advert in order to get information about our product to the buying publicity.

Branding strategies

The overall branding strategy for Ocean Park is that of fun and family entertainment. All items for this campaign will be made to be in line with this strategy that is being adopted. This strategy is being picked to capture a larger audience. During the peak season, many tourists travel together with their families. This presents opportunities, especially for the hotel industry as everywhere they go they eat as a family which will greatly boost sales at the Ocean Park.

Top 3 communication objectives

To boost gross income of the hotels

To create interest and attract more families to the hotels

To strengthen the brand name

Key Messages

The key message that will be passed through this advertising and promotion campaign is in line with the brand strategy of fun and family entertainment. Thus the key message is that of families having fun and enjoying a fantastic stay at Ocean Park's hotels.

Advertising activities

1. Creative consideration

a. Print

Competitor

Strengths

Weaknesses

Hong Kong Disneyland

- strong brand recognized across the world

- advantage of being in existence since 2004

- themes appeal to children

- none identified

Novotel Citygate

- large number of rooms

- advantage of being in existence since 2006

- Disneyland NP360 cable car

- small rooms

- fewer facilities

SkyCity Marriott Hotel

- large number of rooms

- complimentary shuttle service to Tung Chung MTR station and Disneyland

- none identified

Ocean Park

- Founders well knowledgeable in hotel and tourism management

- Unique blend of features for all the three in-park themed hotels

- Experience in marketing and customer/client support

- Internet access gives 24/7 accessibility of information for market research and analysis

- limited marketing budget

Campaign print creative

The campaign print creative will be designed to show families having a fun time at Ocean Park.…