Introduction

Tourism marketing is aimed at knowing what tourists require and developing experiences that fulfil what the tourists require. It also entails determination of prices, communication management and long term relationship with guests in the long term. The product is an experience in tourism. It is created and used simultaneously, and it is this aspect that makes the quality of service very important (Tay, Chan and Mohamad, 2023). Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a massive family theme park and zoo near London. It has numerous rides, animal parks, family-oriented daily shows and themed hotels (Lee and Kim, 2023). It is competing with the other parks and numerous sources of leisure.

This report is aimed at evaluating the use of the extended marketing mix by Chessington. The report dwells upon four aspects. These are product, place, promotion and people (Kotler, Armstrong and Balasubramanian, 2023). The product section looks at what the resort has and the way it generates value for the various visitor groups. The location section examines location, access and booking channels. The promotion and people section deals with the offer by way of communication and staff behaviour. The report concludes with the conclusion and suggestions on how the overall marketing mix of the resort can be improved in the next ten years.

Product analysis

The marketing of a product is perceived as more than a product. It is a package of advantages that satisfies the customers with issues or fulfils their needs (Kotler, Armstrong and Balasubramanian, 2023). In the case of service organisations, four phenomena are important. They include intangibility, inseparability, variability and perishability (Blythe and Martin, 2023). An example of such a product would be a day out in a theme park. The visit is merely in existence when the customers are on the ground. It is impossible to store it later, and it is difficult to evaluate it before.

Chessington can be analysed with the help of the model of the three levels of the product. The fundamental advantage that visitors have is the core product. This is a fun and safe family adventure at Chessington in an environment that combines rides, animals and themed areas. Parents seek good times together and memories with their children. Children desire excitement, characters and an opportunity to watch animals and shows. This is an emotional advantage that is at the centre of tourism and leisure.

The physical and visible faces of the resort are the actual product. There are over thirty rides available at Chessington, an aquatic animal sea life area, daily shows, a zoo and two themed hotels adjacent to the park (Lee and Kim, 2023). This level also includes food outlets, souvenir shops, as well as play areas. The combination of ride-based theme and high concentration in the zoo is what Chessington has, compared to other competing parks, which focus on high thrill rides only. The availability of hotels implies that the offer can be changed into a one-day trip or a full-fledged short break.

The augmented product consists of all the additional services that complement the experience. These are online booking services, advance ticket promotion, year passes, parking, school facilities and after-visit services. This layer also includes the information on safety, access and queue time (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2023). The assistance of the staff, maps and digital materials contribute to the family making the visit easier to plan and to enjoy. On the whole, the product at Chessington is wide and open. This favours various segments, yet it may lead to confusion of alternatives and prices. The perceived value of money may be lowered by the complexity of service when it is poor on a busy day (Blythe and Martin, 2023). The product should be designed to correspond with the evolving tourists' expectations. Learning and wellbeing are among the learning and wellbeing options sought by many guests (Tay, Chan and Mohamad, 2023). Offers should be clear to enable Chessington to compete (Bhasin, 2017).

Place analysis

Place in services marketing is the way a product is brought to the customers. It includes the place of the service and the routes of distribution. It also incorporates the manner in which the guests navigate the service environment since production and consumption occur concurrently (Kotler, Armstrong and Balasubramanian, 2023). In tourism, it refers to the fact that it is not only the location of the site that is important but also transport connections, reservation tools and internal designs that influence the guest experience (Blythe and Martin, 2023).

Chessington is well geographically placed within the south-west of London. It borders on extensive regions in Greater London and the South East region in England overall. The resort is accessible by car within a period of ninety minutes for many visitors. It has rail services and local bus services that serve the area and assist those guests who do not drive. The numbers in the industry indicate that the park has high numbers of visitors each year, and it justifies the power of this catchment (alva, 2023). The park is constructed as a green area along the fringes of the high-traffic roads and residential areas. This renders it like a world on its own, but not too far to go on day trips and short breaks (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2023).

The resort is also based on a multichannel system of distribution of tickets and packages. Guests are able to purchase day tickets and short breaks on the Chessington site. They are also able to book via the Merlin group websites, call centres and the selected online travel agents. This variety of channels expands exposure and ease, and gives families the chance to shop around at home (Kotler, Armstrong and Balasubramanian, 2023). Direct digital channels facilitate the collection of data and follow-up messages. They can deliver specific deals to local families during the slower seasons and are in a position to offer integrated room and ticket packages to visiting families.

Places are also concerned with what occurs after the arrival of guests. Visitors move around the site through the paths and queues as well as the layout of the lands and hotels, which are influenced by signs. Since there can be no services without the location where they are provided, families consider quality by the ease of movement, waiting time and access to toilets, food and rest space (Blythe and Martin, 2023). The place element and the people element both include staff who provide directions and handle queues. Rides and paths are crowded with pressure in car parks during high traffic days, which may decrease enjoyment and value. On-site digital technologies that provide maps, queue notifications and parking directions can be useful to spread the guests evenly and secure loyalty in the competitive market (East et al., 2017).

Promotion and people analysis

Promotion is the marketing mix aspect that deals with communication with the selected audiences. It will focus on building awareness, attitudes and stimulating the purchase and repeat visits. Strong storeys and images are common in the tourism promotion industry since the product is mostly just an experience (Blythe and Martin, 2023). Online channels and online reviews are also significant since a significant number of visitors look for information and social evidence prior to making a reservation (Ahmet and Hancer, 2022).

Chessington applies several promotions. It is shown in family advertisements of new rides and seasonal events. It employs price-led campaigns which emphasise discounts and packages during school holidays. The site has some photos of rides, animals and themed rooms and describes the types of tickets. The postings in social media feeds are concise, competitions, and photos of users that display the fun of what a visit is like. This combination will contribute to the main product promise of a safe and exciting family adventure near London. It also connects it to the place by emphasising the ease of accessing the resort via car or train (Post, 2022).

Promotion, however, comes with dangers in case the messages do not reflect the experience. Long queues, high prices and ride closures are also some of the remarks of visitors on peak days. When the stress in promotion is on simple value or short waiting lines, and people do not see it at the start of their stay, the level of trust decreases, and the image of the resort shatters. The excessive use of discount conditions the guests to expect vouchers, and it harms the quality perceptions (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2023). More realistic campaigns that display fun and useful information could aid in a further match between promotion, product and place.

Another major component of the extended marketing mix is people. The staff is at the centre of service since they meet the guests as the experience is created. Satisfaction, word of mouth and loyalty depend on their behaviour (Blythe and Martin, 2023). The Chessington staff consists of the ride operators, zoo staff, entertainers, hotel staff and cleaners. Informed and friendly working staff may de-stress queues, assist the families to plan their day and make the animal stories interesting. They give life to the product and assist the visitors in moving around the premises. Quality of the visit can decrease in case the level of staffing, training or morale is low. The selection, training and support can thus be invested in to build strength in product provision and how the place is utilised as well as in long-term loyalty to a crammed market (East et al., 2017).

Conclusion and recommendations

Product, place, promotion and people analysis reveals that Chessington has significant strengths, and also has articulated threats. The product will have a combination of rides, animals, shows and hotels into a family-enriched product. The place factor is good since most visitors can access the resort due to its proximity to London. The access and ability to reach different segments are also facilitated by the multichannel booking systems, which enable the resort to access different segments (Kotler, Armstrong and Balasubramanian, 2023). This is the stand that is typically backed up by promotion and people, but on busy days may lead to disaffiliations between what is being promised and what is being offered (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2023).

The marketing mix is, in general, partially effective. It provides pleasant outings to numerous families, but competition and substitutes pressure is high (Tay, Chan and Mohamad, 2023). This evaluation is followed by three recommendations. To begin with, Chessington needs to clarify ticketing packages and additional expenditures on online platforms and at the entrance to help families plan (Bhasin, 2017). Second, it must enlarge digital aids to place, such as maps, line positioning and car parking directions, to preserve improved value of money. Third, it ought to invest in employee recruitment, education and mentorship to ensure that service remains amiable and dependable during peak hours (East et al., 2017).

 

 

References

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