Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. is using mobile to engage park visitors with discounts, promotions and event notifications to ultimately drive sales and build loyalty.

The company partnered with Hipcricket to use the company?s mobile marketing service. Cedar Fair plans to run mobile marketing initiatives in eight of its amusement parks across the country. 

?The strategy for Cedar Fair is to better engage park visitors while in the park and between visits,? said Jeff Hasen, chief marketing officer at Hipcricket, Seattle. ?Mobile has been proven to be the best method for permission-based marketing continually engaging customers and Cedar Fair is taking advantage of these benefits.

?The target demographic is park visitors of all ages,? he said. ?Since the program includes informational messages like events that are going on at the park as well as fun messages like trivia and coupons/discounts, it?s really meant to be used by anyone and everyone visiting the park or considering a trip there.?

Cedar Fair is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, OH, which owns and operates 11 amusement parks, six outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels.

HipCricket is a software and services mobile marketing company dedicated to driving sales and generating revenue for clients using SMS, mobile Web/WAP and mobile advertising services.

Message me
Cedar Fair has already been integrating mobile into its marketing initiatives.

Several of the company?s parks, including Kings Island, Kings Dominion and Dorney Park, are promoting their mobile clubs via Facebook, radio, email newsletters and in-park signage.

Consumers who visit the park are encouraged to opt-in and receive special offers.

?Cedar Fair is adding a mobile element to many of its existing ad buys,? Mr. Hasen said. ?The company is currently advertising its mobile club through traditional ads, non-traditional methods, such as Facebook and in-park signage.?

Mobile SMS
In October, HipCricket rolled out a SMS mobile coupon service that targeted retailers and quick-service restaurants.

The service let consumers single-use promotional codes that are  trackable by any point-of-sale system that accepts Visa or MasterCard (see story).

In addition to its new mobile marketing initiatives, Cedar Point ? the flagship park in the Cedar Fair system ? will be rolling out its mobile strategy in July.

?Mobile phones are a consumers? most personal device,? Mr. Hasen said. ?By opting-in to Cedar Fair?s mobile club, consumers are given what they want ? information, fun and deals, and Cedar Fair is able to stay top of mind with customers and promote repeat visits."

Final take
Rimma Kats, editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York.