Disney World Rival Is Brilliant or Desperate With New Marketing Trick
SeaWorld Entertainment (NYSE: SEAS) went to some pretty desperate promotional lengths to keep its turnstiles clicking in the second quarter. It wasn't enough. Now it's turning to some new marketing tricks to salvage its peak summertime quarter. Will the second time be the charm or the harm?
The theme park operator expanded its inclement weather raincheck program last week. The revised Weather-Or-Not assurance program -- which used to give day pass buyers complimentary admission for a future visit if rain or windy conditions shut down attractions for more than an hour -- now covers days of extreme heat.
Guests with tickets on a day when temperatures reach a heat index of 100 degrees can request a ticket to come back any day in the next 12 months at no additional cost. There's no denying that this scorching hot summer is weighing on theme park attendance. Even industry bellwether Walt Disney experienced a decline in attendance at its Florida resort in its most recent quarter. However, handing out return tickets when a day is too sunny is either a sign of the times or the latest desperate move by SeaWorld.
Source Fool.com
