Honors Theses

Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Marketing

First Advisor

Rahul Govind

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

This thesis will explain the ways in which Universal Studios can maximize post admission profits for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, to be located inside Islands of Adventures. When looking at the background information for Harry Potter, I studied the history, the reasons it became so successful, the marketing strategies used by the company to ensure that success, the decision to create the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the competitive environment that this park will be entering, and additional post admission attractions that could increase revenue. To create post admission attraction ideas that visitors would like to see added to the park, I conducted a focus group in which respondents were able to answer several questions. Respondents were asked to answer whether they were fans of the series, elements they would like to see included in the park, and whether they would choose a Disney park over a Universal park. The focus group yielded ideas for additional attractions and explained the overriding problem that has plagued Universal for years: Universal fails to recreate the level of nostalgia that Disney has within their own park. This research concluded that UniversaEs Islands of Adventures is balanced precariously on outdated attractions and the unknown future of Marvel Superhero Island. In order to rectify this potentially devastating problem, IJliiversal partnered with Warner Brothers to build the Wizarding World of Harry Potter However, to make the most profit from this park. Universal must use every opportunity to merchandise and sell the experience. By following Disney’s example and taking risks to create more profit per attendee, Universal can significantly increase revenue. Effective attractions inside the park (those that provide a profit to Universal and entertainment value to consumers) will reinvent Universal into the number one vacation theme park in Orlando, Florida.

Accessibility Status

Searchable text

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.