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Business Plan and Strategic Marketing Considerations for CityWalk Roll-Out Program
Universal City, California USA
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Shortly after opening its first CityWalk urban entertainment center at Universal Studios Hollywood, MCA Recreation Services retained StoneCreek LLC to prepare a business plan and strategic marketing evaluation for rolling-out CityWalk as a new kind of urban "retail-entertainment" project. CityWalk at the time was a new kind of facility dedicated to creating memorable, repeatable "shared" entertainment experiences for Universal's guests to enjoy during their out-of-home leisure time. CityWalks sought to achieve this for guests by offering a showcase of best-of-class (i.e. category-killing) Hollywood-style entertainment in authentic "gathering place" settings.
A major facet of the CityWalk experience is the promise implicit in a recreational facility backed by a company active in all facets of entertainment, including movie production, music publishing, concert promotions, television programming, and new media.
The vision for CityWalk Experiences, is a role presenting Hollywood not as a place - but a state of mind - the emotional and pyschological space that we each have, inhabitated in our dreams and aspirations. Hollywood is a distinctly and uniquely American creation - the world largely defines the American experience through its perception of Hollywood media - particularly movies and music, while Americans increasingly use this same media to re-define our own past and set our collective future. With its ever longer reach, Hollywood has impacted America's broader consumer culture, creating expectations of an entertainment experience from even the most basic consumer "at-retail" transactions (i.e. food, soft goods, etc.)
The Hollywood experience, and therefore Citywalk's potential, translates internationally. At our base, humans share a desire for storytelling, communication, and shared experiences. Its American roots add international interest to the Hollywood experience, but its tradition as the quintessential storyteller is what drives long-term demand for Hollywood's products. No matter our nationality, we related to, and emotionally connect with, and sometimes aspire for the images and experiences that Hollywood storytelling provides.
The long-term success is tied to packaging immersive and participatory experiences as consumer products. When the consumer's desired product is an entertainment experience, the process of how that experience is delivered and personalized becomes the product. Traditional tangible consumer retail products then serve as the means to commemorate the experience.
Each CityWalk can provide a crossroads type of personal and communal experience - the concept of Main Street is common across all cultures and rich with historical significance. Regardless of its name, we all desire at times to be at the common place. Perhaps it is to be with others, to share an experience, to be in the center of things, to to be part of something greater than ourselves. Maybe as well it is to become caught up with "what's happening" - to learn how others are doing, and to compare and constrast our experience with others. For others, the act of being part of the common place legitimizes their acceptance as part of the larger group.
Client: MCA Recreation Services, International Business Dept.
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