Loop 033 printable

Volume 2, No. 9. May 24, 2002

Free flowing fluids
First it was free sodas. Now Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, has expanded the idea of giving away free liquids with yet another popular commodity in its waterpark: sunscreen.

As it did when it introduced free unlimited sodas two years ago, the park has erected kiosks where guests can serve themselves. The two sunscreen kiosks in the waterpark each have four one-gallon bottles of sunscreen that guests can pump out whenever they like. “We think it’s just another way to say to our guests that we care about you and we want you to take good care of yourself,” said park President and General Manager Will Koch. “And we want to provide something at no charge because it says something nice about the park.”

Because of the great success the park had with its free soda campaign, Koch at the end of last season challenged his directors to come up with ideas for similar giveaways in their departments. Splashin’ Safari Director Lori Gogel broached the notion of free sunscreen.

Rather than hand out packets or bottles of sunscreen, the park went with the pump dispensers. “It self-controls itself as far as usage,” Koch said. “If you give away packets, somebody could walk away with 20 packets.” The park already had been buying gallon bottles for its lifeguards, but Koch said he solicited quotes from several suppliers “since we expect we’ll go through some volume.” Rocky Mountain Sunscreen won the contract.

The park has taken a low-key approach to promoting the free sunscreen. Advertisements do not mention it as they do the unlimited soft drinks. Instead, it becomes yet another nice touch for patrons already in the park. The park opened for the season last weekend, but cold weather limited Splashin’ Safari’s attendance. Those guests in the waterpark “were appreciative,” Koch said, the only initial feedback he has received. “It’s going to be a learning experience,” he said. “We may find out after we’ve done it a few weeks we may have to change gears.”

After two years of successfully doing the unthinkable, giving away free sodas, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is not likely to reverse gears on free sunscreen.