Project LC Posted February 3, 2019 Report Share Posted February 3, 2019 Oh come on. The social media team must be playing for the best reaction they can get on this forum. No one in there right mind can possibly have thought that was an ok thing to post. it misses the mark of "banter" entirely. JoshC. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted February 3, 2019 Report Share Posted February 3, 2019 That last post from Thorpe has killed me. No words. Again. JoelAllen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted February 3, 2019 Report Share Posted February 3, 2019 I mean, they're damaging their own brand more than anything else. It's like the park has gone into "self destruct mode" recently.. JoelAllen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 4, 2019 Report Share Posted February 4, 2019 Did the people who left after the Towers "better than nothing" thing end up working for Thorpe? But I guess their engagements list will be positive enough for this kind of thing to continue, even if the actual content of said engagements is mostly negative... Who has time to actually look at the content of responses? SteveJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuntman707 Posted February 4, 2019 Report Share Posted February 4, 2019 I think they were offending the enthusiasts too much so this post is to offend everyone else. Good job Thorpe, bravo. ? ??♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted February 4, 2019 Report Share Posted February 4, 2019 I understand a number of their visitors are chavy, cocky and ‘self entitled’ but for the park to class them inferior to pass holders is going a bit far really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted February 4, 2019 Report Share Posted February 4, 2019 My favourite comment on that FB post of Thorpe's was "10 minutes on the MAP group suggests this is very wrong ?" I'm saying nothing... Oh and also someone has commented this, bravo: JoelAllen, Marhelorpe, Ringo and 5 others 5 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 I'll be honest, the reaction to that Annual Passholder post is ridiculous. Anyone who's acting offended in any way needs to get a grip frankly. In saying that, it's not in any way a fun, funny or clever, and there's millions of better ways to advertise the Thorpe Annual Pass. Maybe even by, you know, advertising what you get with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 20 minutes ago, JoshC. said: I'll be honest, the reaction to that Annual Passholder post is ridiculous. Anyone who's acting offended in any way needs to get a grip frankly. In saying that, it's not in any way a fun, funny or clever, and there's millions of better ways to advertise the Thorpe Annual Pass. Maybe even by, you know, advertising what you get with it? Trouble is, that's Thorpe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marhelorpe Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 On 2/3/2019 at 2:51 PM, Ivsetti said: Treating their paying customers with contempt? How classy. Keep it up Thorpe. Watch your feedback and rating score on TripAdvisor fall even further this season if you keep up with that attitude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 55 minutes ago, JoshC. said: I'll be honest, the reaction to that Annual Passholder post is ridiculous. Anyone who's acting offended in any way needs to get a grip frankly. In saying that, it's not in any way a fun, funny or clever, and there's millions of better ways to advertise the Thorpe Annual Pass. Maybe even by, you know, advertising what you get with it? That's the stupid thing, like they could've listed number of rides, or events, or number of times you throw up because you get dizzy or whatever... But instead they decided to go with intelligence? Even saying MAP holders are more attractive would've been a better idea... It's simple and easy mistakes like this that tarnish a brand reputation... It's difficult to build, but oh so easy to destroy... SteveJ and 2542464 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 I agree it's a stupid post, doesn't do anything to help their reputation, etc. But saying they're treating customers with "contempt"? People on Facebook / Twitter calling this "offensive" and "insulting" (usually people with Annual Passes already who are trying to feel offended on behalf of others). Feels like a bit of an over-reaction, no? As I say, it's a ridiculous post, definitely not doing anything to help with their already damaged brand. But there are people genuinely trying to say it's offensive? Come on.. SteveJ and 2542464 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Agree, it's not offensive. It's just absolutely pathetic and childish, and does nothing positive in terms of public perception, either of MAP holders or Thorpe Park as a whole. Slow clap time. It's lazy, heavy handed, utter nonsense and ill thought out, which is true of many of Thorpe's decisions and PR. Post now, think later. But hey, that's the world of social media and iNflUenCinG guys. Maybe 2019 will see that mobile phone charging service open on The Walking Dead The Ride and that B.O. ban will finally be enforced on Stealth. Ringo, SteveJ, 2542464 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Is this the same Thorpe Park social media/PR team that gave that IAAPA presentation on how to engage with fans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 15 hours ago, Wumbamillio said: Is this the same Thorpe Park social media/PR team that gave that IAAPA presentation on how to engage with fans? Isn't the answer to this, don't ever engage with fans? Look at the state of us! 18 hours ago, JoshC. said: I agree it's a stupid post, doesn't do anything to help their reputation, etc. But saying they're treating customers with "contempt"? People on Facebook / Twitter calling this "offensive" and "insulting" (usually people with Annual Passes already who are trying to feel offended on behalf of others). Feels like a bit of an over-reaction, no? As I say, it's a ridiculous post, definitely not doing anything to help with their already damaged brand. But there are people genuinely trying to say it's offensive? Come on.. I've not looked at the responses, but we live in a 'offended on someone's behalf' culture, so it doesn't surprise me such a thing exists... But those people are the sort of people who likely complain if they posted something cool with "YeAh BuT u HaVe To WaIt NiNe HoUrS fOr It!", because idiots... If people are saying it's offensive let's hope they don't have MAPs as that completely disproves Thorpe's research Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 20 hours ago, Wumbamillio said: Is this the same Thorpe Park social media/PR team that gave that IAAPA presentation on how to engage with fans? There's an interesting article from around the same time: http://www.attractionsmanagement.com/index.cfm?pagetype=features&codeID=33238&fbclid=IwAR3C6Mzr4fAfBT_8txXPcIUw7tLnL-4HFgodWcvBO0f8ryr-PuAbM5GmOi8 There's a lot to pick out from it which I think gives some very interesting insight... Quote Although the fan/park dialogue can be rocky at times, in my experience it’s largely positive if you’re willing to work together. If you have fans on-side, then you essentially have an army to fill that sometimes-daunting social media echo chamber with praise, positive feedback, helpful suggestions and playful banter. It's obvious of course that a park wants fans on its side. Of course, 'fans' can mean much more than 'enthusiasts' - anyone who's a passholder is technically a fan. Hence the silly "Annual Passholder facts", which say passholders are more intelligent, more polite and whatever else. Anything to try and make a passholder smile and go 'heh, cool' or something like that. In turn, it sets a tone that the account has this 'banterous' side to them, making people more inclined to share in that banter and post positively. Except, that's not how it's worked. It comes across as the park trying to hard. Like that uncle at parties who says buzzwords like "yolo" and "yeet" and thinks he's cool. It'll make some people smile, but it's not what people want from a theme park account. They want an upbeat tone, information and interesting facts. 99% of the time a 15-minutes of fame meme won't do the job with getting people on board in supporting the brand. Quote it simultaneously enriches the perception of the brand and strengthens the park/fan relationship, which can only be of benefit to us all. And it's not like there's people being clueless that the social media reflects the brand - the park are well aware it affects the perception of the brand. But either they don't realise it's not enriching the brand, or they're too stubborn to change their mind. Maybe they'll argue it is working, but enthusiasts in their ivory towers of wisdom are too narrow-minded to see. Maybe it's like a Trump/Brexit thing, where we're just surrounded by so many people who share the same opinion that we're blind to the strength of those who think the social media presence is brilliant. But it's not. Crudely speaking, social media ultimately comes down to interactions and getting people talking. You look at the numbers the park's posts are getting - they're not good. And the majority of people aren't going to be talking about it like enthusiasts are.. Quote Dealing with Backlash Then there’s the other side of the coin. What do you do when a rumour gets out of hand and that once playful and optimistic discussion starts to stray down the wrong path and comments become negative? In this instance, we would issue an official statement directly to the fan groups stating the facts to ensure any rumour remains just that – a rumour. You only have to look at how they've handled the Logger's Leap to see that this is a theory they do not follow. They shut the ride quietly, gave a vague, non-committing statement, and just swept it aside ever since. People hound the park constantly, both during on and off season, and go nowhere. They've dug themselves into a hole that they can't get out of. And yes, Loggers is a weird one. I'm very much under the impression to closure of it was a decision they didn't want to make, and was only planned to be temporary. There had been plenty of plans and ideas for its reopening. I don't think the park lied when they were saying 'they hope it returns soon' - I genuinely believe that was their plan at one stage or another, but plans changed. But this is the issue when you hide behind vague buzzwords and try to be clever about it, you lose all integrity when something goes wrong behind the scenes, since you have nothing to fall back on for a public statement. Quote Getting engaged The key to strengthening your attraction’s fan base is simple – engage. Use your social media platforms to leave comments on your fans’ content. Share their reactions and opinions on your official channels and make their voice heard. Let them know how much you loved their latest vlog and actively take an interest in the content they’re producing and the information they’re giving you. Is this what social media should be about though? Do I really care if Jack visited the park for the 15th time this season with a camera pointed at him the whole time, and he had a good day because he knows all the tricks of how to do the park and the rubbish rides to avoid? Do I care that Sally from Kent, with her 200 followers, visited the park for the first time and wrote a blog saying how wonderful Stealth is? Not really. It's good to do this sort of stuff, but sparingly. People want an upbeat tone, information and interesting facts - this is rarely achieved through influences. Quote Fan-made vlogs, Facebook comments and discussions and even internet forums are a goldmine when it comes to gaining first-hand perspectives of a day out at your attraction. All well and good saying this, but Thorpe in particular are terrible for this. The amount of unanswered questions that fly past on a daily basis, the copy and paste responses make it feel like they don't care, don't read responses and just reflects badly on the brand. I know this is a distinction between the marketing team (who craft the original tweets) and the guest services team (who are in charge of responding to general queries), but if there's this disconnect in philosophies between the two teams (one saying that taking the time to respond to comments is important, the other not doing this effectively), then that speaks volumes about the park. The park's brand is just ruined at the moment. Can anyone answer, positively, what Thorpe Park is at the moment? Who do they target? How will I feel after a day out there? Why should I go there? So far, all the social media side of things is doing is making me think they're a park desperate for attention and wanting to be "down with the kids". And it really shows. And what's worse, is this has been done before. Thorpe went through the terrible meme phase in 2013/4, back when they were changing target market. The new island brand was working and masking the issues they had there, but the social media side felt desperate. But back then, social media wasn't as critical to a brand, and they managed to salvage it. But they haven't learnt from their mistakes, clearly. Admittedly, they're not doing everything wrong. The Thorpe Park blog, with weekly entries, is nice, and the winter updates have been good. Yet both of those things always seem to miss the mark a bit, and are only 'good', rather than 'great'. They can get the tone of voice and personality right, they've had some good funny moments in the past. But these are exceptions. More often than not, it feels like they're shooting themselves in the foot, really don't care or just trying to troll followers for the lolz. I want to make it clear I'm not trying to attack particular people. Yes, this post has been related to a particular article written by one particular person who works at Thorpe, and I'm being critical of it. But that's simply one person reflecting the ideals and value of the park and its brand. It's not something that one person has thought of, and it's gone through. This is a collection of people, making a collection of mistakes, and it's there for their whole following to see. The park is stagnating with investments, the brand is going round in circles and the social media accounts are slowly becoming a laughing stock. It needs sorting out. I'll finish off with a quote from the article, in case anyone tries the 'if you hate it so much, why are you here' line... Quote They [fans] can be honest – brutally so at times – but it’s that honesty that will help you identify any key issues at your park. pluk, Matt 236, Coaster and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 38 minutes ago, Ivsetti said: You forgot to include a not in that. Well that's embarrassing. Thanks! MattyMoo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattgwise Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 Looks like LOTS of cuts for 2019... Coaster, Matt 236, Matt A and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 That’s not a good sign at all. Plus I’m sure DBGT will still not open in time either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marhelorpe Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 Something I've also just noticed which I honestly cannot believe hasn't been picked up yet is Thorpe Park & Alton Towers are no longer offering a 2-day ticket for their parks for the 2019 season according to their FAQs, which I find astonishing and incredibly naughty money-wise. Here is your proof lads:https://support.thorpepark.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001150291-Do-you-offer-a-2-day-ticket-https://support.altontowers.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000657131-Can-I-buy-a-2-day-ticket- And to confuse things even more, Chessington and Legoland DO still offer 2-day tickets:https://support.legoland.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360000918932-Do-you-offer-a-2-day-ticket- https://www.chessington.com/plan/faq/360001631191/do-you-offer-a-2-day-ticket.aspx This is clearly an incentive for people to get a season pass and one might argue "oh, but for £55 you can get a season pass instead for a little bit more and get unlimited access all year with it", but do remember that for families who can only afford to visit somewhere like Alton Towers once a year (e.g. - my family), going from a 2-day ticket price of approximately £40 each to £55 minimum is quite a substantial increase wouldn't you say? A family of 4 could be paying as much as £50 more in tickets alone for a 2-day weekend now. This doesn't sound fair at all to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBoyJD10 Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 Those opening times look very bad.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robw Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 11 hours ago, Marhelorpe said: Something I've also just noticed which I honestly cannot believe hasn't been picked up yet is Thorpe Park & Alton Towers are no longer offering a 2-day ticket for their parks for the 2019 season according to their FAQs, which I find astonishing and incredibly naughty money-wise. Here is your proof lads: This is clearly an incentive for people to get a season pass and one might argue "oh, but for £55 you can get a season pass instead for a little bit more and get unlimited access all year with it", but do remember that for families who can only afford to visit somewhere like Alton Towers once a year (e.g. - my family), going from a 2-day ticket price of approximately £40 each to £55 minimum is quite a substantial increase wouldn't you say? A family of 4 could be paying as much as £50 more in tickets alone for a 2-day weekend now. This doesn't sound fair at all to me... hmmm, interesting Two day tickets were rarely advertised, you always had to hunt round for them (even on Chessington and Legoland's sites, it's not exactly easy to find them!). So I assume this is something they've slowly worked towards - "oh look, we are barely selling 2 day tickets, why bother offering them at all. Especially when the APs are so cheap" I don't think removing the option is the best way to go. I don't know what the prices were for Thorpe - presumably the £40 number you say is when booked in advance, choosing the specific days, etc etc? Maybe the better way to go would have been to just increase the price to make the season pass a more lucrative deal than making it the only deal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringo Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 So Summer nights hours have been reduced from 10pm to 8pm which isn’t surprising but they brought back 6pm close on Sunday. https://www.thorpepark.com/resort-info/opening-times-and-travel JoelAllen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 Also no 10-4 days planned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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