Introduction
The report is prepared to present a strategic marketing plan for Muscat Festival for the year 2017 to 2019. It includes short-term planning that needs to be implemented for ensuring the growth in this yearly event. The marketing strategies are addressed in this plan to identify what needs to be done this year for increasing the number of visitors. The management intends to plan something different in the next two years that will increase the number of visitors and people of Muscat will be able to enjoy more activities and fun in their city.
The changes are necessary to bring in the product, services, and operations of the festival to increase the number of local visitors. However, foreigners are also appreciated in this festival so it is also essential to provide entertainment to them as they may not take an interest in this cultural and heritage event. The entertainment and fun should be included to appreciate and invite foreigners who wish to visit different places for fun and enjoyment. The strategic plan contains all relevant elements that are essential for the marketing of such types of festivals. The main focus of the plan is towards implementing new operational strategies and increasing the number of products and services provided to public.
Overview of Muscat Festival
Muscat Festival is an event that is celebrated in Muscat, Oman. The time duration of the festival is from January to February each year. It is an impressive place as it includes a magical show, entertainment, and other multilingual activities. It is an attractive place for visitors as it comprises of fun, as well as heritage and culture of Oman. It is among the most popular places in Oman where a large number of visitors come to have fun. Approximately over 1 million people visit the festival for various purposes.
Tourists come from different parts of the world to get information about the culture and heritage of Oman. However, all types of visitors are allowed to visit the festival as there are varieties of products available there. The management of Muscat Festival organizes and controls the operations of this event. The date for the festival is not fixed, but it usually starts in the month of January and ends in February every year (Muscat Municipality, 2016).
Environmental Scan
The environmental factors associated with the festival are in support of the event that takes place once in a year. The tourists are allowed to come and gather information regarding the culture and heritage of the city. International tourists also attend the festival to enjoy and have fun. The government supports such types of festivals as they represent the historical elements associated with the culture and heritage of people living in that region.
The government provides security and funds to promote such cultural events that contribute substantially in presenting a soft image of the country to the rest of the world. In fact, there is no restriction on such type of festival in the city. Muscat festival not only represents the culture of Muscat but it also supports Arab culture prevailing in the neighboring countries. The musical instruments and dance are the major source of attraction for foreign visitors (Ferrell & Hartline, 2010).
The visitors come from faraway places and spend a lot of time on this festival, and that is considered as the most appreciable event of Oman. The event is not only enjoyable, but it is the major contributor to the overall GDP of the country. The visitors are not discriminated by class or race, and there is no age limit for the visitors. In short, it is a good opportunity for the Arabs to get information about their culture and heritage that cannot be gathered easily from other sources. However, there is no threat for the organizers or sponsors as it is open to all types of people having different cultural backgrounds. The cultural programs are in general supported by the authorities due to their attachment with the event. Moreover, the changes are made by the management every year to attract visitors who are willing to enjoy the festival again and again (Lovelock, 2008).
Generic Strategy
The generic strategy of the festival is to promote differentiation in the existing programs such as traditional dancing. The variety is the only way to provide entertainment to the visitors. The only thing is to make little changes in the traditional dancing such as changing the color and designs of clothes of performers. Another important change may be the relevant sections of the event in which a visitor can observe that there is something new that he missed last year. Differentiation is the key to success, and the festival cannot provide the expected outcomes if they are repeated every year. There should be some modification in the physical environment of the festival. The modification is required in poetry recital, craft displays, and acrobatic acts (Guberti, 2016).
Growth Strategy
The growth strategy is also essential to achieve the desired goals and objectives. It is mandatory to include other products that prove to be the attraction place for the international festival. The additional products that are included in 2017 are Fireworks that will be enjoyed by a large number of people. Shopping stalls are also included in the festival to facilitate tourists who desire to purchase some branded products. Shopping stalls will attract women to visit the festival as they demand to shop at relatively low price and ask for all things available at single place.
Children will be facilitated by providing free toys and refreshments to them so they would enjoy and inform other children to visit the festival. The dance and musical show in this festival will allow tourists to enjoy a traditional product that is the specialty of the people of Oman. In short, the next year festival will provide the desired outcomes expected by the management due to the effective growth strategies (Kleindl, 2006).
STP Strategies
Market Segmentation Strategy
The market segmentation of the festival comprises of different programs that are planned to get the attraction of all types of visitors. The market segmentation strategy for the festival relates to the programs presented in the festival. The event comprises of sports, culture, and entertainment for local and foreign visitors. The sports program is the product that will attract youngsters and adults towards the festival.
Children will get entertainment due to the competition between the participants and their rewards. Culture is also essential to facilitate locals of the city or country to inform them regarding their culture identity. Entertainment is included to entertain foreign visitors so that they might not get bored during the festival as it mainly concerned to the culture and heritage of Oman (Lovelock, 2008).
Target Market Strategy
The target market for the festival is broad and not limited to a particular region, business, or visitors. As it is discussed above that the festival is available for all and there is no restrictions for anyone who need to enjoy it. The target audience for the festival includes men, women, and children who are willing to enjoy these types of programs or events. The main targeted audience for the festival is children so the management needs to focus on the children’s activities to attract children of Oman (Sherlock, 2014).
Market Positioning Strategy
Arts and crafts are the best available option to attract visitors. It is a unique way to facilitate visitors, and they would be able to learn the culture and heritage of Oman. Tourists are mainly concerned to get information regarding different culture, traditions, heritage, and norms. The festival will increase the number of arts and crafts to appreciate visitors and allow them to have an idea of the thinking of people living in that region. Moreover, it is important to include children arts and crafts that are interested in various types of portraits such as painting and sculptures (Smith, 2006).
Branding Strategy
Muscat Festival is the nation brand of Oman as locals mostly come to the festival to promote their culture. The branding strategy for the festival is simple that it should be visited by the most of the tourists who planned to visit the amazing places in Oman. The plan is to organize and manage all the programs in the event to satisfy the visitors who expect more from the management. The traditional dancing and crafts display along with the children activities are increased to make it more interesting. Also, celebrities are also invited at the beginning of the event to attract a large number of audiences. Foreign visitors will be entertained by the performers who are expert in attracting children and adults (Burns & Bush, 2003).
Product and Service Strategy
The festival appreciates international visitors and tourists who especially come from different parts of the world to know the cultural and heritage history of Muscat. The inclusion of new products and services is essential to increase the number of visitors . There are few new products and services available at the festival as it is essential to bring a change in the traditional event that is celebrated annually. The new products are sculptures of animals, beauty products, video games, storybooks, and other interesting products to facilitate visitors. More services are also provided in the festival such as face paintings for children and race competition among visitors. All these products and services will build up the interest of visitors, and they will visit the location frequently (Ferrell & Hartline, 2010).
Pricing Strategy
The pricing strategy will not change as the responses of the visitors for the last year was quite appreciating that coincide with the goals and objectives of the festival. The comments of the visitors showed that they had enjoyed a lot by paying small fees. Also, they were agreed to pay more for the additional products and services. The management realizes that the entry fees for children 100 and adult 200 are reasonable for the visitors as they are expecting more from the festival. The pricing will remain same as the increase in prices may affect the decision of visitors, and they might feel that it is expensive. In fact, the entry fees of such kind of festival should be reasonable and affordable to allow people who intend to visit the festival frequently. In short, there is no need to lower the price as the revenue collection is essential for the management (Doole & Lowe, 2008).
Operational Strategy
The operational strategy for the festival includes development in the products and services, high security, and monitoring all the sections of the festivals through a system.
Guidance services
The development is needed in increasing the volunteers who are responsible for guiding the public regarding different sections of the festival. Everyone does not go to the information counter to get directions so it is feasible that the volunteers should guide and direct visitors regarding relevant sections. It is difficult to manage a large number of visitors at a place where some incident may create problems for the management (McDonald, 2009).
High Security
High security is needed to control and manage the public especially at the entrance gate of the festival. A proper detection system is needed to ensure high security for the visitors and the management. There should be officers at the edge of each section who are called by the management in case of need. The full proof security system will reduce the threat of unusual activities that arises in public places. Also, there should be an effective security plan that will be followed by the security officers (Doole & Lowe, 2008).
Monitoring Room
The monitoring room is also required to monitor the movement of people visiting the festival as it is common that some people come to such kind of people and create a disturbance. The disturbance or distraction disallows visitors to have fun, and they will not appreciate visiting the festival again. Also, it will create negative perceptions in the mind of people visiting it. The monitoring or watching the movement the people will enable the security management to ensure that all the things are moving in the right way, and there are no threats of unusual events that might occur (Guberti, 2016).
Marketing Communications Strategy
The marketing communication strategy refers to spread the message and influence a large number of audiences towards the specific event. As it is a seasonal event that took place every year, it is preferable to prepare an effective message and forward to the general public (Dowhan, 2013).
Online Communication Strategy
The electronic, social, and printed media are relevant to invite a large number of visitors. However, electronic media is relatively costly than printed and social media but it is necessary to influence more visitors as to ensure that over one million people come to visit the festival . The communication message will be provided immediately after the confirmation of the date of the beginning of festival till it ends. The images, clips, and a list of the variation in the programs are also presented in the message so that everyone has an idea what is new in it. The message should be communicated to all locals as well as foreigners so that they can make a plan to visit this amazing place (Guberti, 2016).
Offline Communication Strategy
On the other hand, people will be invited through emails, text messages, and telephone calls (recordings) to inform them that they will be fully entertained in this festival, and there are more programs included in the list of existing products and services provided by the management. The marketing message is the best source to inform people that the management has decided to entertain them through different strategies, tactics, and techniques. The small description of programs that will be presented in this event is essential to draw the attention of a large number of audiences. The attention will change into engagement if they realize that the event is amazing and interesting and should not be missed (Lovelock, 2008).
Marketing Control
It is necessary to manage and control the marketing strategy to assess that all the things are moving in the right position, or there is a need to make changes and redirect the overall operations. The marketing will be controlled through effective strategies such as identifying the number of users who have searched for the official site of Muscat Festival. Another source for identifying the level of interest of public towards the festival is commented on the social website. Also, it will enable the management to make changes according to the preferences of visitors and ensure that the visit will be gorgeous for them. The official web page is available to facilitate visitors regarding all the information related to the festival (Guberti, 2016).
Marketing Metrics
The marketing metrics is also essential to check whether the marketing is performing in the same direction of the management goals . The best way to measure the performance of marketing management of Muscat Festival is to analyze that how many visitors searched for the website and how much of them visited it actually. People visit the official websites and web page of the coming event to take decisions for visiting the place. It will highlight the real outcomes of the effective marketing strategies adopted previously to attract a large number of the audience towards this mega event. The management will analyze the numeric figures of the visitors by tickets. The comparison will show the proportion of total number of users who came to the festival. Also, the management will realize the strengths and weaknesses of the previous marketing strategies and bring a significant positive change in it (Guberti, 2016).
Conclusion
The plan contains new products and services that will be provided free to the visitors. The strategies plan is effective for bringing a change as this festival took place every year. Although the changes are small in numbers, it is also essential to ensure that the festival represents the culture and heritage of Oman and changes may put an adverse effect on the original identity of the festival. The marketing tools, media, and tactics will attract visitors especially foreigners who are more interested in fun or entertainment. The management of Muscat Festival is suggested to follow the plan and make effective strategies to satisfy the visitors. The plan is prepared for two years, but it is preferable to follow it for a long time as it considers regular changes in providing products and services to the visitors.
List of References
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Doole, I. & Lowe, R., 2008. International Marketing Strategy: Analysis, Development and Implementation. Mason: Cengage Learning.
Dowhan, D., 2013. Hitting Your Target. Marketing Insights, 35(2), pp.32-38.
Ferrell, O.C. & Hartline, M., 2010. Marketing Strategy. Mason: Cengage Learning.
Guberti, M., 2016. How to master online marketing in 2016. Westchester County Business Journal., 52(3), pp.9-9.
Kleindl, B., 2006. International Marketing. Mason: Cengage Learning.
Lovelock, C., 2008. Services Marketing People, Technology, Strategy, 5/e. Harlow: Pearson education.
McDonald, M., 2009. Marketing Plans: How to Prepare Them, how to Use Them. Pennsylvania: Elsevier.
Muscat Municipality, 2016. Welcome to Muscat-Festival. [Online] Available at: <http://www.muscat-festival.com/about-festival.html>[Accessed 28 April 2016].
Sherlock, T., 2014. 3 Keys To Identifying Your Target Audience. Promotional Marketing, 1(2), pp.1-2.
Smith, B., 2006. Making Marketing Happen. London: Routledge.
