Medium: USA Today

Vehicle: Newspaper Article

Reporter: Arthur Levine

Date:  January 29, 2020

Headline/Section/Page:  “New thrills to fill theme parks,” LIFE section: 3D

Company Involved: Theme parks across USA

Story: This article highlights theme parks across the United States and walks readers through all of the new rides set to be built within the new year. These highlighted theme parks are to showcase a bigger picture of a “new era of theme parks,” which are being remodeled and expanded to keep thrill seekers interested in  returning to theme parks year after year. This story ultimately seeks to gain publicity for theme parks as they prepare to open within the upcoming months.

So, what do I think? What’s the point of this?

I think that this is fantastic PR for theme parks across the United States. I specifically chose this article because I think the role of a Public Relations person for a place such as Six Flags or Universal is a very interesting job, because their product is seasonal, usually appeals to a younger demographic yet is often priced too high for many young people to afford, and rarely changes. Therefore, I think promoting theme parks must be challenging, as they aren’t necessarily affordable, or something people think of during all four seasons. However, this article is such a “hype builder,” essentially letting people know now, in the colder months, that they have a ton to look forward to regarding theme parks in the upcoming months. It builds excitement, and definitely allows PR professionals to continue this “hype.” If I were them, I would blast out a big social media campaign in the months leading up to when their respective park opens, hyping up the announcements of new coasters/rides/additions to the park. I would include things such as “if this post gets 1,000 likes, we will reveal another fact about the newest coaster,” and then follow up with a contest to name the coaster. Theme parks seem like a challenge to promote, but PR professionals can run with this publicity and create a ton of excitement regarding their brand, so that people are eager to visit once they open in the spring.