1. DEVRY UNIVERSITY
Knott's Berry Farm
IMC Campaign
Jacqueline Rothstein
8/20/2015
An IMC plandetailingthe currentproblemswiththe Knott'sBerryFarmtheme parkand the bestway of
addressingandfixingtheseproblems,improvingtheir image andrevivinginterestinone of America's
oldestandoriginal theme parks.

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Executive Summary
There are a wide variety of theme parks in Southern California which draw enormous
crowds of people from all over the world. Most notable among all of these are Disneyland Parks
and Resorts, boasting two separate theme parks and three luxury hotels. Keeping up with
Disneyland is certainly a challenge, but one theme park in particular falls far below the sky high
standards set by even the least of its competitors: Knott's Berry Farm.
Knott's describes its brand concept as combining quality and wholesome family
entertainment with nostalgia and history. Knott's Berry Farm is well-known as America's first
theme park, begun in the 1940s; a good decade before Walt Disney's famous park first opened its
doors. The park began as a chicken restaurant using the family recipes, and expanded into a
theme park when Walter Knott built the first of six themed areas, a historical Ghost Town to give
the waiting customers something fun to do while waiting for a table to open up in the wildly
successful restaurant. From there the park continued to expand until the deaths of Walter and
Cordelia Knott. For a few years after their deaths, the park was maintained by the Knott Family,
until it was sold to Cedar Fair, L.P. in 1997.
The problem with the Knott's brand is that after the acquisition of the theme park by
Cedar Fair, the park has consistently failed to uphold the values of this concept which made
Knott's Berry Farm "The Theme Park Californians Call Home" when it was still owned by the
Knott family. Key problems include: poorly trained employees, lack of safety and cleanliness
within the park, the removal of classic attractions, and changing the original Knott recipes such
as Mrs. Knott's famous fried chicken dinners. A lack of security has also resulted in prominent
gang activity within the park. These issues have resulted in the association of the Knott's brand
not with quality, history and family-friendly entertainment, but with poor quality, unsafe
attractions, a bad neighborhood, and unfriendly employees. Dedication to history has also fallen
sadly by the wayside in favor of building bigger and faster roller coasters. The Knott's brand
desperately needs to be realigned with its original concept so that the associations with its brand
return to the original values upheld by the Knott family.
The main draw of the park is its thrilling roller coasters and comparatively low price of
admission. Cedar Fair uses these to target local families and schools as a less expensive
alternative to family or school trips to more expensive parks like Disneyland.

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IMC Introduction
Cedar Fair's mission statement for Knott's Berry Farm has recently been far out of line
with the reality of the park's presentation. On the Knott's Berry Farm website, the mission
statement reads: "Cedar Fair is dedicated to providing our guests with world-class thrills, fun and
family entertainment, guided by the principles of safety, service, courtesy, cleanliness and
integrity." On the History page of the website, a similar claim is made, stating that, "In keeping
with Walter and Cordelia [Knott]'s original goals, Knott's Berry Farm continues to combine
quality, wholesome family entertainment with nostalgia and history." Overall, the goals and
objectives of this plan will center mainly around realigning the Cedar Fair and the park with their
own mission statement and the ideals of the original owners.
IMC Plan Overview
This section will present a basic overview of the Integrated Marketing plan to get Knott's
Berry Farm back on track and in line with their mission statement. Objectives for corporate
growth as a result of this plan are as follows:
 improve standards of safety
 develop improved safety training program for all employees
 develop improved guest interaction training program
 enforce higher standards of cleanliness within the park
 retheme each area of the park into more cohesive lands
 return to the original recipes created by Cordelia Knott
 create more historic features within the park
 increase security at the front gate and within the park
 implement more child-friendly attractions
Analysis of Promotional Program
The promotional program should highlight all of the original Knott's Berry Farm values,
while showing old favorite attractions in a new and exciting modern light. The program should
encompass all forms of media, including online, radio, television, and print. Various viral
marketing strategies should be applied to increase consumer interest. A contest to win tickets to
the press preview should be devised and implemented to enable a select few guests to experience
the newly renovated park before anyone else once the renovations have been completed. An
overall theme of 'modern vintage' should be applied to all campaigns and programs to keep
advertisements in line with the Knott's Berry Farm image of nostalgia meeting modern
excitement and thrills.

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Communications Goals and Objectives
The Communications Goal for Knott's Berry Farm is to draw customers in with the
promise of an all new experience, improving the newer features of the park and the return and
modernization of the older features. Excitement and family-friendly fun is the main focus, as
well as affordability. Safety, cleanliness, and courtesy should be implied without needing to be
stated explicitly.
The Communications Objectives are as follows:
 Develop a theme for new advertisements
 Distribute advertisements to all viable media sources, including online, in print,
television, and radio.
 Link all advertisements back to the park website
 Retheme the website to fit with the creative theme in the advertisements
 Allocate budget for promotional program
 Distribute press kits both digitally and physically to specially chosen sources
Budget Determination
While Cedar Fair alone doesn't have the money for large construction programs,
donations and sponsorships could be utilized to obtain the necessary funds. Specifically,
partnering with the California Historical Society would not only help Cedar Fair in terms of
budget, but it would also benefit the objectives of rethemeing and creating more historical
features. Partnering strategically with certain other companies would also help with the budget
and the themeing issue. The Coca-Cola company is already partnered with Knott's Berry Farm,
but besides simply providing soft-drinks for the theme park, the partnership could be utilized to
add new life to the loosely-vintage-themed Boardwalk area featuring a style reminiscent of
vintage Coke ads.
Overall, the projected budget for the rethemeing project is 4 million. Improving safety
and cleanliness standards shouldn't require its own budget. All that should be required is to use
the resources the park already has to their fullest potential. Reintroducing Mrs. Knott's original
recipes also would cost nothing, since the resources are already within the possession of the park.
The budget for devising and implementing new training programs is projected at $500,000, and
the budget for hiring and training additional security is projected at another $500,000. The
projected budget for the promotional plan is 1 million.
Overview of IMC Promotional Mix
The promotional program will consist of various new advertisements featuring a hip,
vintage theme, focusing on the modernized return of old favorites such as the Ghost Town, the
return of Mrs. Knott's recipes, and the rethemed areas of the park. The advertisements will come
in the form of television commercials, commercials on online media such as YouTube, and a
sales promotion offering discounted tickets to guests who come to the park's grand unveiling
dressed in vintage styles.
There will also be a viral marketing campaign offering eerie video sneak previews of the
new, more scary features of the Ghost Town area, and an entirely new interactive website on

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which prospective guests can play themed puzzle games to uncover a chilling mystery
surrounding the Knott's Berry Farm Ghost Town, which updates released periodically until the
opening day of the attraction.
The final element of the promotional program will involve a write-in contest where
potential guests write about their favorite memory or attraction from Knott's Berry Farm. 1,000
winners will be chosen and will receive free admission to the press preview of the new and
improved park.
Monitoring, Evaluating, and Controlling IMC Process
Attractions should be closed for renovations one at a time, with each attraction reopening
before the next attraction begins construction. While the rides are being renovated, the Old Ghost
Town and various building facades will be under continual construction and will not be opened
until the grand unveiling. Timeline of construction should be made available online and in
pamphlets at the park so that guests are aware ahead of time of attraction closures.
Response to the promotional plan should be constantly monitored via surveys and social
media. A team should be constantly scanning various social media sites, including Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, etc, using keywords that refer to Knott's Berry Farm. Surveys will
be conducted online and in person at focus groups.

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Knott's Berry Farm Advertising Campaign
The following Advertising Campaign for Knott's Berry Farm will include objectives,
budget, planning, and artwork for television and radio advertisements. All other marketing tools
including internet marketing, direct marketing, sales promotions, and public relations will be
discussed separately as part of their own campaigns.
Advertising Objectives
Objectives for television and radio advertising are as follows;
 Develop comprehensive theme to encompass all advertisements, including
advertisements other than television and radio
 Identify television channels and radio stations that target the appropriate market
 Identify time slots best suited to target market
 Distribute advertisements to various television channels and radio stations best
suited to target market
Budget
The budget for the advertising campaign is approximately $33,000. This budget includes
funding for television and radio advertisements.
Message Strategy
The television and radio advertisements will showcase the new look of Knott's Berry
Farm, highlighting old favorites re-imagined, and newer favorites themed to fit better with the
overall theme of the area. Quality guest service will be shown through onscreen interactions
between guests and Knott's employees. The overall strategy is to showcase new additions, invoke
a nostalgic feeling, and excite potential customers with the promise of a thrilling, family friendly
experience.
Media Plan
Television commercials will air in the mornings and afternoons on various children's
programming stations, at midday on channels like Lifetime, and in the evenings during news and
sitcom programs. These stations and time slots target local children and parents when they are
most likely to be watching TV, covering school-aged children from Kindergarten to 12th grade,
stay-at-home parents, and working parents.
Radio commercials will also air in the mornings and afternoons on kid-friendly radio
stations, rock and alternative stations, and news/talk stations in order to target children and
parents on their way to and/or from work and/or school.
All commercials will be family-friendly and will not contain any content which may be
unsuitable for children.

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Art Work
The artwork used in television ads will feature sets designed as rough drafts representing
the final product of the re-themed park. Any text used in these advertisements will be in a
vintage newspaper font circa 1945, the approximate year the Knott's Berry Farm park opened. A
sienna filter will be used at key points during the advertisement to add a nostalgia factor, and act
as a contrast to the clear-color footage of various thrilling theme park attractions.
The radio advertisements will be done in the style of old time news radio, interjected with
exciting modern music as the new additions and themeing of the park are discussed.

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Knott's Berry Farm Internet and Direct Marketing Campaign
The following Marketing Campaign for Knott's Berry Farm will include objectives,
budget, planning, and artwork for internet and direct advertisements and marketing tools.
Marketing Objectives
Objectives for internet marketing are as follows;
 Develop comprehensive theme to encompass all advertisements
 Identify social media sites that the target market is likely to use frequently
 Utilize data mining on various internet media to target consumers
 Retheme the Knott's Berry Farm website to reflect the new changes to the park
itself
 Add contest page to Knott's Berry Farm website
 Distribute digital press kits to various internet media outlets
 Write and film a series of viral videos
 Establish and develop a companion website for viral marketing campaign
 Distribute viral videos via YouTube and other social media websites
Objectives for direct marketing are as follows;
 Develop and apply comprehensive theme to encompass all advertisements
 Distribute fliers and pamphlets around the Buena Park area, including at travel
agencies, hotels, gas stations, mini-marts, and coffee shops
 Distribute physical press kits to local papers, entertainment magazines, and local
travel magazines
Budget
The budget for the internet and direct marketing campaign is approximately $33,000.
This budget includes funds for website and video development, designing and printing fliers and
pamphlets, and all other direct and internet marketing tools.
Message Strategy
The internet and direct marketing advertisements will showcase the new look of Knott's
Berry Farm, highlighting old favorites re-imagined, and newer favorites themed to fit better with
the overall theme of the area. The viral videos and companion website will showcase the
mysterious and spooky reimagining of the Ghost Town. The contest will encourage people to
revisit their favorite park experiences, reminding consumers of why they loved the park and
encouraging them to return. The overall strategy is to showcase new additions, invoke a nostalgic
feeling, and excite potential customers with the promise of a thrilling, family friendly experience.
Media Plan
Using data mining, internet advertisements will be targeted specifically to the consumers,
appearing on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and other popular social media websites. The viral

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video will be uploaded on YouTube and distributed by sharing it on various media sharing
websites. Accompanying the viral video will be a link to its companion website where
consumers can play a variety of puzzle games that tell the story of the Old Ghost Town, with the
story advancing as the reopening date gets closer, leading up to the climax of the story and the
grand reopening.
All advertisements will be family-friendly and will not contain any content which may be
unsuitable for children. The viral video is recommended for ages 13 and up due to potentially
frightening content.
Art Work
The artwork used in the internet advertisements and physical fliers and pamphlets will
feature the new designs for the park. Any text used in these advertisements will be in a vintage
newspaper font circa 1945, the approximate year the Knott's Berry Farm park opened. The viral
video will feature replicas of the actual new set pieces from the reimagined Ghost Town. The
story centers around a family of pioneers just settling down in the new frontier, when a curse
overwhelms the small town. As the grand reopening draws closer, the website and new videos
will expand on the story, uncovering the mystery of the cursed town.

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Knott's Berry Farm Sales Promotion and PR Campaign
The following Sales Promotion and Public Relations Campaign for Knott's Berry Farm
will include objectives, budget, planning, and artwork for all promotional and public relations
activities.
Marketing Objectives
Objectives for sales promotion are as follows;
 Develop comprehensive theme to encompass all advertisements
 Add contest page to Knott's Berry Farm website
 Advertise discounted tickets for guests who arrive dressed in vintage styles on the
day of the grand opening
Objectives for public relations are as follows;
 Develop and apply comprehensive theme to encompass all advertisements
 organize press conferences with park CEO and designers
 organize press preview the day before park reopening
Budget
The budget for the sales promotion and PR campaign is approximately $33,000. This
budget includes funds for the promotional write-in contest, and organization of press conferences
and media events.
Message Strategy
The public relations campaign will showcase the new look of Knott's Berry Farm,
highlighting old favorites re-imagined and newer favorites themed to fit better with the overall
theme of the area, the return of Mrs. Knott's original recipes, and focus specifically on the
improvements made to security and employee training in order to assure potential guests of the
best experience possible. The contest will encourage people to revisit their favorite park
experiences, reminding consumers of why they loved the park and encouraging them to return as
well as giving people a chance to experience the new park before anyone else.
Media Plan
Press conferences will be arranged for various news media. The CEO as well as the head
designer for the new additions will be present to discuss the improvements to the park and what
guests can expect from the redesigned park. New safety features will be a highlight, and the new
training programs for employees and security will also be discussed. Potential guests should be
assured that their visit will be safe, entertaining, and pleasant. At the press conference, the
contest will be announced by the CEO. Potential guests will be invited to write about their
favorite memory of Knott's Berry Farm for a chance to experience the park at a media event the
day before opening. 1000 entries will be chosen to receive complimentary admission to the press

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preview. The CEO will also announce that any guests who arrive on opening day dressed in
vintage styles will be given a 'Vintage Spirit' discount to thank them for contributing to the
theme.
Art Work
The artwork used in the will feature the new designs for the park. Any text used in these
advertisements will be in a vintage newspaper font circa 1945, the approximate year the Knott's
Berry Farm park opened. The press conference will present several of the design sketches the
improvements were based on to give the media a little sneak peek of what the park will look like
once the renovations are completed.
Conclusions
The final product once the Plan has been completed will be a brand new face for the park
that is both familiar and fresh. Park standards of safety, hygiene, and courtesy will be much
higher, promising a better experience for guests. Bringing back old favorites, including
attractions and food will help to realign the park with the original image created by the park
founders, and with Cedar Fair's mission statement. Bringing together nostalgia and state of the
art thrills in a unique way will put Knott's Berry Farm back on the map, and foster a better
competitive relationship with Southern California's other theme parks.