Volume 2, No. 21. November 8, 2002
A rewarding
marketing plan
CPA firms, engineering
firms, telecommunication companies, computer retailers, restaurants, hospitals,
mortgage companies, retailers: such businesses made up this year's finalists
for the Wells Fargo Copper Cactus Awards honoring excellence in small businesses
around Tucson, Arizona. One business that pulled down the honor in two different
categories, including community service, was Funtasticks Family Fun Park
Unusual? Not for this 6-year-old, six-acre (2.4-hectare) FEC with go-kart track,
bumper boats, batting cage, kiddie land, arcade, two miniature golf courses
and a 5,200-square-foot (483-square-meter), three-story laser tag arena. Funtasticks
seems to be a perennial winner of such awards, a list which includes the William
M. Clements Award for Community Service from the local Ad Federation and the
Humane Individual of the Year Award from the Humane Society of Southern Arizona.
In addition to being a corporate core value for the company, which also owns
FECs in Scottsdale and Tempe, Arizona, community outreach is Funtasticks’
most effective marketing tool. Director of Marketing C. Jill Hofer arrived in
1997 after working for nonprofit organizations, an experience which taught her
how far just a little help goes for a community charity, and how much publicity
that help generates.
She spends much of her advertising budget on radio, a local children’s
newspaper, rack cards and a restaurant and recreation guide. Meanwhile, she
spends much of her time arranging and organizing community events at the park
and publicizing those events. “The publicity and positive image you will
gain is more valuable than all the advertising budgets in the world,” she
said.
The basis of Funtasticks’ outreach is the Community Support Calendar with
which the park highlights a different nonprofit each month. The selected agency
can schedule a fund-raiser at the park, set up a display or staff an information
table, or the park will donate a gift. Additional to these monthly programs
the company puts on special charity events, like the pancake breakfast Funtasticks
hosted for Tu Nidito, an organization devoted to families of sick and grieving
children. The Scottsdale FEC, Fiddlesticks, staged a Christmas party for the
Thomas J. Pappas School for the homeless, which drew so many children—about
700—it required four Santas each manning a North, South, East and West
pole.
“It’s so valuable, and so positive,” Hofer said of the publicity
those events generate. “It keeps us in (the public’s) mind, and I
can’t afford to advertise with high frequency on television or radio.”
Then, to further maintain the community service publicity frequency, Hofer nominates
Funtasticks for every possible community award she can. “Each of these
awards resulted in increased exposure in the community through television, print
media and awards banquets,” she said.
Such community outreach and awards also boost staff morale, Hofer said, an important
consideration for a business open every day of the year but Christmas. “We
have a great 401K, excellent benefits, competitive salaries, really good educational
benefits, and we do so much in the community it helps keep the employees happy.”
The center has eight full-time employees and 25 to 45 part-time depending on
the season, mostly high school students. Hofer is convinced the community outreach
spirit helps with retention.
Evidence? Well, the other category for which Funtasticks won a Copper Cactus
Award this year was for “Best Place to Work.”
©2002, Minton Enterprises
LLC
All rights reserved