The Magic House

2017 Marketing Communications Plan

Prepared by Kaitlyn Crites

ADVT 1940
Introduction to Marketing Communications
December 2017
 2017 The Magic House Marketing Communications Plan
Table of Contents:

I. Executive Summary

II. Objectives

III. Market Situation (Situation Analysis)

A. Overview
B. Trends
C. Competition
D. Pricing
E. Distribution
F. SWOT Analysis

IV. Target Market

A. Primary Audience
B. Secondary Audience
C. Segmentation

V. Product Plan

A. Brand Personality
B. Positioning
C. Brand Equities
D. Product Description

VI. Messaging

A. Benefits
B. Key Issues
C. Advertising Creative

VII. Promotional Activities

VIII. Marketing Events Calendar

IX. Evaluation

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I. Executive Summary

The Magic House is a favorite family fun attraction in the Kirkwood, MO. It provides children
and parents with an educational experience that they will enjoy and have fun with. It also
creates the opportunity for making memories with the whole family.

With 22.2% of the St. Louis County population being aged 18 and under, there is a large market
for visitors to the Magic House. This market is even larger when the 25,800,000 yearly visitors
to St. Louis are added into the mix. More and more, parents are looking for these kinds of
educational attractions to visit with their children, and with the population expected to
continually grow through the 22nd century, The Magic House will have plenty of people in their
target market. There is a large amount of competition for The Magic House, but they believe
they have a certain uniqueness that sets them apart from that competition that will help them
stand the test of time.

The Magic House already has a successful brand and company, winning many awards and high
rankings, but it plans to reconfigure the way they are doing things to continue to grow their
brand and sales. With a new website, educational blog, and YouTube sponsorships, The Magic
House plans to once again be the leader in family attractions both in the St. Louis area and
nationally.

This marketing plan will help highlight the unique qualities of this company and all of the
amazing things they are doing to keep their place welcoming, safe, fun, and inclusive. As it
establishes these qualities, it proves that The Magic House is a caring place that will always give
the most positive experiences. It will also remind current and former customers that they are
always welcome to have a good time at The Magic House.

II. Objectives

The Magic House has specific goals in mind for this year:

1. Building Brand Awareness

2. Creating Sales Opportunities
3. Retain Current Customers and Increase their Investment

All of these objectives are supported by the integrated marketing tactics stated in Section VII.

III. Situational Analysis

A. Overview

The Magic House is a nonprofit children’s museum in the St. Louis area. It was opened in 1979
by Jody Newman and Barbie Freund, two St. Louis natives who wanted to give children a

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completely interactive museum. Because children are open to totally interact with this
museum, it gives them the opportunity to have fun while learning.

Since it’s opening, The Magic House has gone through many expansions and renovations. The
current building is 55,000 square feet, a 10% increase from the 5,500 square feet at the time
they opened. The museum is spread across four floors with hundreds of exhibits, and it has an
outdoor area called “Backyard Magic.” Every year, The Magic House welcomes over 560,000
visitors. It has attracted more than 12 million people since opening its doors.

B. Trends

More than 25.88 million people visit the St. Louis area each year, spending $5.38 billion. About
45% of the visiting groups include children. People under 18 years old make up 22.2% of the St.
Louis County population.

C. Competition

Key Competitors

In the St. Louis area there are multiple competitors for The Magic House. The majority
of them do not advertise or market. They’re mostly known from word of mouth.

The City Museum:

The City Museum is an interactive museum for children in downtown St. Louis.
Although it is a museum designed to educate, it acts more as a giant jungle gym. It
features areas indoors, outdoors, and on the roof. It’s most known for the indoor cave
area that spans multiple floors.

https://www.citymuseum.org/

The St. Louis Science Center:

The St. Louis Science Center is a science museum in downtown St. Louis that also
includes a planetarium and OMNIMAX® theatre. Admission to the Science Center is free.
It opened in 1963 with the planetarium.

https://slsc.org/

St. Louis Zoo:

The St. Louis Zoo is located in Forest Park St. Louis, and it opened in 1904. Admission is
free and it’s known as a leader in many areas of the zoo industry.

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 https://www.stlzoo.org/

Grant’s Farm:

Grant’s Farm is the former Busch family estate that was turned into a 281 acre “farm”
home to 100s of species of animals. It’s been ranked as a top nationwide attraction by
the US Family Travel Guide Zagat Survey.

https://www.grantsfarm.com/

Substitutes

Staying in the house:

With the economy in the state that it’s in, more and more families are choosing to stay
in the house rather than go out. They’re finding creative things that they can do to make
memories without having to leave the comfort of their home or spend money.

Going out of town:

Some families might be more inclined to go on vacation or take a small trip to make
memories. Families within the St. Louis area may be more willing to leave the St. Louis
area for family fun. However, families may also travel into St. Louis for the same reason.

D. Pricing

The current cost of admission is $11 for ages one and above. Groups that have more than 15
people have a special price of $6 per person. There are opportunities for free admission during
Emerson Free Family Nights which are held every third Friday of the month from 5:30 to 9:00
pm. To attend these nights, you must be a family of up to two adults and four children. You can
also enter The Magic House for free if you are a foster family with proof of a foster home
license.

E. Distribution

Since The Magic House is a service business, they will make use of Advertising and Direct
Marketing to build brand awareness, educate the market, generate sales, and retain current
customers.

F. SWOT Analysis

Strengths

The Magic House is known for being a must-see location in the St. Louis area. It’s a market
leader in family attractions both in the area and nationwide. The Magic House has many
advantages over the competition:

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 Hundreds of exhibits that are hands-on, educational, and fun
Indoor and outdoor play area
Calming Corner designed for nursing mothers and children with special needs
Picnic Basket Café offering healthy food options
Reputation and credibility from 38 years in the industry
Field Trips and Summer Camps
Free Family Nights every third Friday of the month

Weaknesses

The Magic House does have some weaknesses compared to competition in the area.

Cost of admission is high, especially compared to competition with free admission

Usually very crowded which turns away some customers

External forces also can affect The Magic House and its operations over the next couple of
years. These are the key factors:

Opportunities

Need for family fun: Parents of children like places where the family can have fun and where
the children can learn and burn up energy. The Magic House is a great place to go for this and
attracts tourists as well.

Educators: Educators often look for fun places like The Magic House to take students where
they will still be educated. They need a place that will be able to accommodate large groups,
potentially a whole class or school.

New Market: The Magic House can offer an afterhours program for adults to be able to play at
the museum without children there. They could also sell alcohol at the café and restrict it to
that area, and they could have music playing throughout the museum. This would open up a
new market to teens and adults with and without children.

Threats

Competition: There are a lot of competitors and substitutes in the St. Louis area that could hurt
business for The Magic House.

Competition Pricing: The competitors in the area have a better cost of admission. Often they’re
free. Families on a tighter budget will be more likely to go to a free attraction.

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Economy: The current state of the economy may affect the likelihood of attracting the target
market. Families facing economic challenges may not be as willing to spend money on
unnecessary fun and outings.

IV. Target Market

G. Primary

The Magic House’s market is very large with 73,673,073 children under the age of 18
nationwide (22.8% of US population) and 221,685 children under the age of 18 in the St. Louis
county area (22.2% of St. Louis county population).

Parents of children
 221,685 or 22.2% of St. Louis County population are aged 18 and under
 58,916 or 5.9% of St. Louis County population are aged 5 and under
 25,880,000 people visit St. Louis each year
Education Community
 Schools
o Around 262 elementary schools in the St. Louis area
o Over 50,000 students a year visit The Magic House through field trips
 Summer camps
o 6,405 or 232.2% of Kirkwood city population are aged 18 and under
o 5,656 or 24.6% of Webster Groves population are aged 18 and under
o 5,392 or 19% of South St. Louis County population are aged 18 and under

H. Secondary

 Children living in or visiting St. Louis, MO

o 221,685 or 22.2% of St. Louis County population are aged 18 and under
o 58,916 or 5.9% of St. Louis County population are aged 5 and under
o 25,880,000 people visit St. Louis each year
 Adults aged 18-25
 Couples getting married
 Parents to children of special needs

I. Segmentation

Demographic
 Parents of children in the St. Louis area with an average household income of $30,000 -
$50,000.
 Mothers are usually more likely to plan family outings

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  Parents aged 25-35 are typically the ones more interested in children-focused family
attractions
Psychographic
 Worried about being a good parent and giving their children good memories
 Energetic, athletic parents ready to chase after their children
 Values family time
 Desires the best relationship with their children
Geographic
 Suburban families in:
o St. Louis County – zip codes include 63005, 63122, 63119, etc.
o Southern Illinois – zip codes include 62236, 62298, 62295, etc.
Behavior

 Enjoys family fun and making memories

 Values education
 Supports local businesses and attractions

V. Product Plan

J. Brand Personality

The personality traits of The Magic House are friendly, family-oriented, approachable,
understanding, fun, and knowledgeable.

The brand personality of The Magic House should be thought of as fun, educational, and
patient. Young children need lots of assistance, and they should be guided by those with these
kinds of values. Parents, especially those with multiple children, will also be in need of help, and
they should always be able to have that. Their needs should be met while they’re having a fun
time making memories and learning a lot of things. Children often need that fun, hands-on
approach to learning.

K. Positioning

In the minds of children, parents, and educators, The Magic House is a leader in family fun
attractions in the St. Louis area and nationwide and in educational exhibits for children.

The Magic House is driven to be the authority regarding:

1. Giving families a fun and stress-free experience making memories
2. Educating children in a fun way that makes them feel like they’re just playing, not learning
3. Being a great place for schools to take field trips

L. Brand Equities

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  Knowledge of what children find fun and entertaining
 Trained staff prepared to help small children
 Calming Corner
 Well known destination and central location
 Exhibit rental for parties and weddings

Justification/explanation:

Knowledge of what children find fun and entertaining

Because of The Magic House’s knowledge in the field of entertainment and education for
children, they have undergone multiple additions and renovations to make the museum a more
fun and educational experience for their guests. The Magic House has also been ranked #1 in
the nation based on child appeal by “Zagat U.S. Family Travel Guide.”

Trained staff prepared to help small children

The Magic House knows that the parents’ number one concern is their children’s safety. That’s
why they make sure all employed staff are trained and knowledgeable about safety measures.
The staff is also trained to be able to patiently assist younger visitors with whatever is needed.

Calming Corner

The Magic House has added the Calming Corner in one of its recent renovations. This area is
secluded from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the museum. This makes it perfect for
nursing mothers and children with special needs, like autism, who need a quiet place to go to.

Well-known destination and central location

Since The Magic House has been around for so long, it has become a very well-known place
both locally and nationally. It has an iconic appearance that lets everyone know that it’s The
Magic House. It’s also centrally located in Kirkwood, MO with dozens of restaurants, stores, and
other popular destinations just minutes away. The Magic House is also a fairly central location
for the schools in the area.

Exhibit Rentals for parties and weddings

The Magic House allows visitors to rent out exhibits or the whole museum for parties of any
kind. They also allow this for weddings, and there are two outside areas, Backyard Magic
Pavilion and Mary Ann’s Garden, that are perfect venues for a wedding.

M. Product Description

Establish The Magic House as the #1 attraction for family fun and education for children.

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Physical Characteristics

 Big and spacious

 Popular exhibits
 Well-known location
 Safe and inclusive environment

Service Characteristics

 Well-trained and helpful staff

 Fun and educating experience
 Opportunity for family fun and making memories

Symbolic Characteristics

 Inclusion
 Education
 Giving back

Justification/explanation:

Physical Characteristics:

The Magic House’s building is a mansion turned into a museum. It has also undergone multiple
renovations and expansions which allow the museum to be spacious enough to accommodate
more guests. The exhibits inside the museum are extremely well-known to its guests and target
market. For example, their most popular exhibit is the giant electric ball that makes the guest’s
hair stand straight up from static electricity. It’s iconic look and central location make it well-
known in the area. It’s impossible to miss. The Magic House also provides a safe and inclusive
environment for all visitors, throughout every age, mental capability, and income level. This is
done through its safety precautions in the building itself, trained staff, and unique areas like the
calming corner. Another aspect of inclusion is the Free Family Nights every third Friday of the
month. They allow for families who can’t afford the cost of admission to enjoy the museum for
free.

Service Characteristics:

Because The Magic House takes such care in hiring the right employees and giving those
employees sufficient training, The Magic House knows that all guests will enter and leave with a
positive attitude and good memories. Should any issues arise, the staff will be properly trained
and equipped to handle the situation the best way possible. This also helps keep The Magic
House experience uniquely fun and educational. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn a lot

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about the world they live in without even realizing they’re learning. They will definitely
remember their experience and memories for years to come.

Symbolic Characteristics:

The Magic House offers a wonderful feeling of inclusion throughout the museum. The Calming
Corner and Free Family Nights really help drive that message home, showing how The Magic
House doesn’t want anyone to be left out. This includes individuals, like those with special
needs or a lower income, that are often left out of these memory-making moments. The Magic
House’s main focuses are fun and education. They’re hoping to be able to help visitors become
more educated which will make them able to create new ideas. Their exhibits include an art
studio, Math Path, Star-Spangled Center, Music Play, Outdoor Play Garden, etc. Each exhibit
teaches visitors about a different subject like math, science, social studies, art, music, and
more. The Magic House is a non-profit museum, so it also has a focus on giving back to the
community. This includes outreach programs that allow students to experience the wonder of
The Magic House in their own schools, camps, libraries, and child-care facilities.

VI. Messages

N. Primary Benefits

The Magic House will appeal to its target market based on these benefits:

 Entertainment

As the aforementioned #1 rating for child appeal by “Zagat U.S. Family Travel Guide”
proves, The Magic House knows exactly what children find entertaining and how to give
them the best hands on experience.

 Education

Because of the museum’s great knowledge of keeping kids entertained, they are able to
educated thousands of kids every year through hands-on learning. Most museums don’t
allow this inclusive way of doing things, so this really makes The Magic House unique.

 Safety

The Magic House promises safety to all of its visitors. Necessary safety precautions are
always taken and employees are trained in all safety measures. To get the most out of
The Magic House experience, guests shouldn’t have to be worried about their safety, so
The Magic House makes sure they don’t have to.

 Positive Experience

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 Along with being well-trained in safety, employees are taught the best ways to give all
guests a positive experience that they will remember and tell others about. Family
memories are best made in environments and situations with little to no stress or
incidents, so the staff at The Magic House is sure to provide that.

O. Key Issues

The Magic House faces some key issues that may keep it from being as successful as it could be:

1. Competition:

The Magic House faces a lot of competition both locally and on a national scale. Not only are
there dozens of family fun attractions, but many of them have free admission. This has the
potential to really hurt The Magic House because of its higher priced admission. The
competition they face are also award winning attractions. For example, the St. Louis Zoo is
ranked the #1 zoo in the nation and has free admission.

2. Size limitations:

Although The Magic House has already gone through multiple rounds of renovations and
expansions, there’s still a need for more space. Because of their popularity, they are often very
crowded which makes the space crammed and turns away potential customers. There’s not
much more room for growth on their lot because it’s surrounded by already established
buildings. Also, the more the building grows the more the parking shrinks which could, again,
turn away potential customers.

P. Advertising Creative

Marketing Situation:

The Magic House is a well-known and beloved family attraction in the St. Louis area. It has an
established brand, and it’s a leader in the industry. However, they face a lot of challenges
because of competition. They have the opportunity to surpass their competition by using
marketing that reinforces their kid-friendly, educational brand and their unique ways of valuing
inclusion. They also can showcase their contributions to the community.

Copy Objective:

To show that The Magic House is the leader in educational, family fun attractions in the St.
Louis area and the nation, and that they have a unique set of values.

Copy Support:

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Show that The Magic House is an entertaining and educational attraction that will benefit all
members of the family and create amazing memories. Support The Magic House’s knowledge
of all things geared towards the education of children. All websites, blog posts, press releases,
billboards, TV advertisements, radio commercials, feature stories, etc. should reinforce the
brand, knowledge, and uniqueness of The Magic House.

Target Audience:

The primary target markets are parents of children, and aspects of the educational community
listed in section IV.

Key Competitors:

 The St. Louis Science Center

 The City Museum
 The St. Louis Zoo
 Grant’s Farm

VII. Promotional Activities

The key marketing objectives for The Magic House are: 1) Building Brand Awareness, 2)
Creating Sales Opportunities, 3) Retain Current Customer and Increase their Investment.

These tactics support the marketing objectives:

K. Marketing Objective 1

Build Brand Awareness: Build upon the established brand of The Magic House, and increase
brand awareness to include more nationwide coverage.

Tactic A: Website: Update website that better enforces brand identity and highlights unique,
often overlooked, values.
Estimated Cost: TBD

Tactic B: Blog: Link blog to website with material that supports The Magic House’s knowledge
of education for children. Articles should be about trends in the education industry and could
even include fun and educational quizzes and/or games. Track how many people click link to
blog from website and from website to blog.
Estimated Cost: TBD

Tactic C: Search Engine Marketing (SEM): Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click
(PPC) advertising will be implemented. This will increase traffic to website and blog, and it will
get the word out more about The Magic House. See Event Calendar for more details on SEM.
Estimated Cost: TBD

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Tactic D: YouTube Creator Sponsorship: Sponsor one or multiple content creators on YouTube
to increase brand awareness. Focus on creators who feature their families and/or are involved
in the education community. Creators based in or near the St. Louis area would be beneficial
financially. They should spend a day at The Magic House while filming and talking about the
great qualities and values of it.
Estimated Cost: TBD

Tactic E: Web Promotion/Sponsorship on Travel Websites: Web promotions on websites

related to traveling and tourism: TripAdvisor, Trivago, Travelocity, etc.

L. Marketing Objective 2

Create Sales Opportunities: Promote The Magic House to the primary target markets as soon
as possible. Highlight the features often overlooked to create further reason to become a
customer.

Tactic A: Magazine ads: Advertise The Magic House in popular magazines read by our target
market: Family Circle, Parenting, Highlights, TEACH, Scholastic Teacher, etc. These
advertisements should emphasize these aspects of The Magic House: educational fun and
inclusion and safety for all visitors.
Estimated cost: TBD

Tactic B: Public Relations: Write and send out press releases through online newswire that
showcase the brand and explain the Unique Selling Position (USP).
Estimated Cost: TBD

Tactic C: Feature Stories: Have local and national newspapers, magazines, and TV news
programs run feature stories on the Magic House. Support their educational program and really
hit hard on the value of inclusion. Showcase Calming Corner and Free Family Nights.
Estimated Cost: TBD

M. Marketing Objective 3

Retain Current Customers and Increase their Investment: Show the current customers why
they should return to The Magic House and become members.

Tactic A: Local TV Advertisements: Advertise The Magic House on local TV networks during
prime time TV and in the mornings before school time to remind past customers of the fun
experience and memories made from their last visit.
Estimated Cost: TBD

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Tactic B: Reward Points in Membership: Add reward points to the existing membership
package. Ex: For every $1 spent, members earn 1 point. More points lead to rewards like free
admission, free drink or snack at the café, free small gift from the gift shop, etc.
Estimated Cost: TBD

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N. Marketing Events Calendar X=Monthly W=weekly AN=as needed

Activities and Events JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Update Website X AN AN AN AN AN AN

Create Blog/Posts X W W W W W W W W
Search Engine
Marketing X X X X X X X X X
Search Term
Monitoring AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN

Google Adwords X X X X X X X X

Google Analytics W W W W W W W W
YouTube Creator
Sponsorship X X X X X
Advertising: Travel
Websites X X X X X X
Advertising: Family
Circle, Parenting, X X X X X X X X X
Advertising: TEACH,
Scholastic Teacher X X X X X X

Press releases AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN

Feature Stories X X

Advertisements: TV W W W W X X X X
Implement Rewards
Program X

Highlighted Messaging:
May 2017 – Summer begins – “Spend your summer with The Magic House”
August 2017 – School’s back in session – “Fun and Educational Field Trips at The Magic House”

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IX. Evaluation

The success of this marketing plan will be measure through these steps:
1. Website visits
a. Company website
b. from blog
C. travel websites
2. Bog visits
a. from website
b. Blog page
3. Social Media Activity
4. SEM
a. Google Adwords
b. Search term monitoring
c. Google Analytics
5. New membership sign ups
6. Use of the rewards program

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