Background

Universal Orlando Resort, commonly known as Universal Orlando, is a theme park resort wholly

owned by NBCUniversal and its affiliates. It features two separate parks (Universal Studios

Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure), three on-site hotels and CityWalk, an

entertainment and shopping district.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade is a themed area located at Universal’s

Islands of Adventure. It opened to the public on June 18, 2010, and features attractions such as

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Dragon Challenge, and Flight of the Hippogriff, as well

as many gift shops and restaurants from the original Harry Potter books.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade is a highly immersive themed area that has

attracted throngs of people from across the world, and is one of the most successful theme park

expansions to date. According to NBCUniversal, Universal Orlando’s revenue increased more

than 30 percent in 2010, thanks primarily to the Wizarding World's opening that year1. Fueled by

sales of Harry Potter souvenirs, Universal Orlando’s merchandise revenue more than doubled

to $48.7 million in 2010. Food-and-beverage sales increased 59% to $43.4 million on the

popularity of Harry Potter’s butterbeer2.

However, with the increase in visitors came additional problems, including complaints regarding

long waits for attractions and the area’s very limited guest capacity, and executives also

1 http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/23/travel/wizarding-world-harry-potter-diagon/

2http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/wizarding-world-of-harry-potter/os-universal-harry-

potter-20101215,0,1982334.story

grappled with trying to keep attendance balanced between Islands of Adventure (the theme park

containing The Wizarding World of Harry Potter) and Universal Studios Florida.

In December 2011, Universal Parks & Resorts announced the expansion of The Wizarding

World of Harry Potter, and on May 8, 2013, Universal Orlando released the details of the

expansion. The new Harry Potter attraction, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Diagon

Alley, will be located predominantly in Universal Studios Florida theme park and will open to

visitors in summer 2014.

This publicity campaign is designed to garner attention and drum up excitement of the grand

opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley, which would ultimately attract

the target audience to visit Universal Orlando Resort.

Business Goal The business goal of the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Expansion Publicity Campaign

is to increase revenue of Universal Orlando Resort and lift profit growth of NBCUniversal by

achieving the following objectives:

● Increase ticket sales overall (both one-day and annual passes) for Universal Studios

Orlando by 25 percent, and increase ticket sales during the summer season by 35

percent.

● Increase average guest spending on food, beverage and merchandise goods by 25

percent.

● Increase on-site hotel sales 15% by encouraging guests to extend their length of stay

at Universal Orlando Resort.

Communication Goals

The communication goal of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Expansion Publicity

Campaign is to communicate Universal Orlando Resort as the preeminent choice for family

entertainment through the use of the following:

● Targeted, strategic outreach that would generate wide, positive media attention and

coverage of this campaign;

● Campaign-related events and activities that would create buzz, grab consumer

attention and generate momentum into the summer season’s climax.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

● Universal Resort Orlando and its theme parks have built reputation capital. It has a

strong brand image as one of the top family vacation destinations in the world and is

socially appropriate for people of all ages.

● Universal Resort Orlando and its theme parks have passionate, devoted fans.

● Universal Resort Orlando has an influential online social presence. Sites include the

official website, a Facebook page (991K likes), a Twitter profile (129K followers) and an

Instagram account (57K followers).

● Universal Resort Orlando has strong existing relationships with various local and

widespread media outlets.

● The expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, one of the most talked about

expansions in the theme park industry, will easily attract media attention.

● The Harry Potter franchise has a massive and loyal fan base, which continuously seeks

out anything new that relates to the franchise.

● Universal Resort Orlando is a popular vacation destination for the over 20 million

families residing in Florida, Georgia and Alabama that are within driving distance from

the resort.

Weakness

● The resort’s price for admission is high. A one-day Park-to-Park admission ticket, which

will allow visitors to experience both parks (and thus, both Hogsmeade and Diagon

Alley), is $136. The resort recently increased ticket prices by $4 per ticket.

● The Wizarding World of Harry Potter lacks appeal for young adults who seek more

thrilling attractions.

● Because The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is one of the most popular areas at

Universal Resort Orlando, visitors must endure long lines and extended waiting periods

creating issues with guest management.

● Loyal Harry Potter fans and enthusiasts may critique and question the authenticity of the

new attractions.

Key audiences & Key messages

a. Families and family decision-makers

Key Message: In honor of the unveiling of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley,

visitors of all ages can embark on fantastic new adventures, like taking a ride on the Hogwarts

Express to the brand new King’s Cross Station. At Universal Orlando Resort, you can turn

spending time with your family into spending time as a family.

b. Harry Potter loyal fans and enthusiasts

Key Message: Come join us at Universal Orlando Resort to celebrate the grand unveiling of the

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley. Now you can experience even more of The

Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Guests can take a stroll through Diagon Alley, catch a ride on

the Hogwarts Express, grab a meal at the Leaky Cauldron, and go for a thrilling ride into the

Gringotts Vaults. Summer 2014 will be more magical than ever!

c. Teens and college students

Key Messages: With the whole new Harry Potter rides and attractions in Universal Orlando

Resort, summer 2014 will be cooler than ever! Bring your friends and join us at Universal

Orlando Resort to celebrate the grand unveiling of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter -

Diagon Alley. Now you can win free tickets to the opening ceremony by participating in our

social media contests!

Budget ● Determine amount from marketing and sales and promotional team’s offsets from

marketing partners (U.S. Post office, Burger King, Arrowhead, etc.)

● Continually check on analytics to maintain that campaign is meeting business goals

and campaign is staying on budget

Strategy

The strategy of this campaign is to capitalize on the power of the events and media

outreach associated with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Expansion to communicate

Universal Orlando Resort’s role as the ultimate destination for happiness, joy and

entertainment.

Tactics

Phase #1 (One year prior to the opening date)

● Media Pitching and Publicity – Long Lead Stories for Print Publications

Target audience: Families and family decision-makers

○ Send out press releases to announce the projected opening date and details of

the expansion to all the major national weekly print and top market

newspaper publications, especially travel/leisure/book/film/entertainment

publications. Targeted media include but not limited to: Travel Magazine,

Leisure Magazine, NY times, LA Times, Washington Post, EW, US Weekly,

Variety, and major airline magazines.

● Launch of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley’s official website for

consumer education and to build awareness of various ticket and vacation options for

the upcoming year (1 day, multi-pass, summer pass, park hopper, hotels, restaurants,

etc).

Target audience: Families and family decision-makers; Harry Potter loyal fans and

enthusiasts.

Phase #2 (Six months prior to the opening date)

● Media Pitching and Publicity -- Local Media

Target audience: Families and family decision-makers in Orlando

○ Send out press releases to announce the projected opening date and details of

the expansion to all the local media outlets in Orlando, especially publications

that feature travel and leisure. Target media include but not limited to:

Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Weekly, Orlando Home & Leisure Magazine, etc.

● Media Pitching and Publicity – Digital Media

Target audience: Teens and college students; Families and family decision-makers;

Harry Potter fans and enthusiasts.

○ Release the official video that detailing what fans can expect when the Diagon

Alley Expansion on Universal Orlando Resort’s official

Facebook/Twitter/YouTube pages.

○ Pitch the official video and deliver digital press kits that outline the new

attractions and rides in the expansion to key digital media and influential

bloggers to create online buzz. Targeted Media include but not limited to:

IGN, LA Times, NY Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Yahoo!, Mashable,

USA Today and travel/lifestyle/leisure/game/film bloggers.

○ Create an EPK that features behind the scenes footage and exclusive clips for

inclusion on major national entertainment shows

○ Reach out to existing Harry Potter fan pages/websites/blogs to capitalize on the

popularity of these outlets.

Phase #3 (Three months prior to the opening date)

● Social Media Contests and Giveaways

Target audience: Teens and College students; Harry Potter fans and enthusiasts.

○ Set up social media contests through Universal Resort Orlando’s

Facebook/Twitter/Instagram accounts.

■ Repost and @ one of your followers/friends for a chance to win two free

tickets for the Opening ceremony of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

– Diagon Alley!

■ Tweet your #HPMagicMoment for a chance to win free tickets to The

Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley!

○ Weekly giveaways of Harry Potter merchandise on Universal Resort Orlando’s

Facebook/Twitter/Instagram accounts

○ Work with commercial partners (U.S. Postal, Burger King, Arrowhead, etc.) to set

up ticket giveaways (contests) for private preview of Diagon Alley with minor

characters from HP series (think Neville Longbottom, Jenny Weasly, Luna

Lovegood, etc.)

○ Foursquare Geo-targeting

■ People who check in at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter --

Hogsmeade on Foursquare will get promotional advertisements about the

expansion. If they share the advertisements on their social media

accounts (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/etc.), they will have the chance to

win free tickets to the opening ceremony.

Phase #4 (One month prior to the opening date)

● Media Pitching and Publicity – Talent Outreach

Target audience: Teens and College students; Harry Potter fans and enthusiasts.

○ Approach celebrities that are known to be Harry Potter enthusiasts and have a

high volume of social media followers to promote the park in addition to giving

away a special prize to one of their dedicated fans

○ Secure tweets and social media posts from cast members of the Harry Potter

movies (ex., Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, etc.) to

promote the expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

● PR events

Target audience: Families and family decision-makers; Teens and College students;

Harry Potter fans and enthusiasts.

○ Road Shows at major cities and counties in FL, GA and AL (Fl-Hillsborough,

Miami / Dade, and Orange County-GA-Atlanta, AL-Mobile, etc) - stunts and

giveaways - invite local media with minor actors from the Harry Potter movie -

coordinate with promotions

○ Attend the 2014 Comic-con in San Diego and hold a panel discussion with the

executives of Universal Park & Resort as well as the creative team of the new

rides and attractions of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Diagon Alley.

o InstaMuggle (Traveling Pop-Up Photo Booths)

To get Orlando residents, many of whom are frequent visitors and annual

passholders, excited about the new Harry Potter rides and attractions,

InstaMuggle will pop-up in high traffic locations in Orlando. Magical props will

be provided in the photo booth.

Phase #5 (One week prior to the opening date)

● Media Pitching and Publicity – TV/Radio

Target audience: Families and family decision-makers; Teens and College students.

○ Set up interviews / guest appearances on national talk shows/radio stations to

discuss the benefits of taking the entire family to one resort where they can share

in the overall family experience of Universal Orlando Resort and the new

Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel, The Tonight Show,

The Today Show, Good Morning America, etc.)

Phase #6 -- Opening Day

Target audience: Families and family decision-makers; Teens and College students; Harry

Potter fans and enthusiasts.

Pre-Event ● Send out invitations to all appropriate media (major national and local outlets;

travel/leisure/entertainment/film/lifestyle outlets; influential bloggers) and secure their

attendance to the Opening Day Ceremonies

● Invite all the social media contest winners and influencers in Harry Potter fan

communities to the Opening Day Ceremony

● Work with talent’s publicists and managers to secure the attendance of main

characters from the HP series (Talent Wishlist: JK Rowling, Emma Watson, Daniel

Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton and key celebrities).

During the Event ● Special celebration show featuring characters from the Harry Potter Series (ex., flying

dragon, Lord Voldemort, Dobby the house-elf, etc.) to create “Wow” factor

● Provide experienced staff for all press and event aspects including, but not limited to,

press check-in, red carpet management and flow, arrivals and talent handling

● Manage all red carpet journalists, photographers and crews, as well as select media

invited to cover inside the event

● Create and execute a customized shot list and set up key celebrity and Universal Park

& Resort executive shots and interviews, with a strategic focus on sponsors and key

players (i.e., Emma Watson and other high-profile celebrities) for branding

● Conduct a social media live stream for the event

● Plan and organize a press junket after the ceremony and invite all key media to the

junket

Post-Event ● Draft post-event release, outlining key attendees, performances, and overall event

highlights

● Use the photos and footage generated from house photographer and video crew to

distribute immediately following the event to secure press coverage

● Recommend and execute unique publicity angles to generate additional, out-of-the-

box buzz (i.e. fashion trends seen on the carpet, Emma Watson’s exclusive interview,

etc.)

● Conduct an ongoing social media contest (i.e. Tweet your #HPMagicMoment to win

free tickets to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley)

● Create a comprehensive wrap-report, reflecting all pre- and post-event media hits

and impressions

Evaluation

● Build analytics based on business goals

● Go to accounting and operations to retrieve information on total hotel, merchandise,

ticket sales, etc. after campaign completed

● Customer response - evaluated by total increase in sales

● Guest satisfaction surveys

● Social media impressions and sentiments

● Media coverage (Both online and traditional)