Posts for Breaking Category

The Best Amusement Parks

Breaking, Travel - Patrick - February 13, 2019

For exciting, adrenaline-pumping rides, relaxing and humorous shows, delicious carnival food, games, and lifelong memories, few things beat the experience of an amusement park. American entertainment companies have assembled some of the grandest amusement parks on the planet, and the best are scattered throughout the country.

Six Flags
Six Flags is more than just an amusement park, it is a massive entertainment behemoth. With 22 parks throughout the United States and Canada (not including the newest park in the United Arab Emirates), it is hard not to be close to a Six Flags park. Some of the more exciting parks are the ones located in California, Texas, and Georgia, but few amusement parks can compare to the sprawling entertainment complex that is Six Flags Great America near Chicago. With exciting thrill rides like the King Chaos and fun entertainment like the Looney Tunes Talent Show, Six Flags Great America is certainly one of America’s greatest parks.

Six Flags Great America

1 Great America Pwy.

Gurnee, IL 60031

847-249-4636

sixflags.com/greatamerica

Carowinds
Located just outside the city limits of Charlotte, NC, the Carowinds amusement park has a very unique geographical characteristic — half of the park is in North Carolina, while the other half is separated by the South Carolina state line. Guests can easily wander between the states, though, and take advantage of breathtaking thrill rides like the Carolina Cyclone and Thunder Road, or enjoy one of the numerous shows sponsored by the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. An air-conditioned, relaxing tower in the center of the park also offers pleasant skyline views of nearby Charlotte.

Carowinds

14523 Carowinds Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28273

704-588-2600

carowinds.com

King’s Island
King’s Island, located in Ohio, is an enormous collection of thrill rides, shows, food, kid’s park, and a water park. Despite its gigantic size, King’s Island is renowned for its roller coasters, and sports two of the most famous wooden coasters in the world. The Beast is the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet, and Son of Beast, the tallest, fastest wooden coaster, and the only one with a loop. If the lines for these rides are long, though, visitors can check out any of the other more than 80 rides and attractions on the park’s 364 acres of land.

King’s Island

6300 Kings Island Dr.

Mason, OH 45040

513-754-5700

visitkingsisland.com

Walt Disney World Resort
No amusement park list can be complete without mention of the largest, most visited amusement center in the world. With multiple parks inside its 45-square-mile kingdom, not to mention nightclubs, a downtown district, water parks, and numerous resorts, Walt Disney World resort is a true icon of the amusement park industry.

Walt Disney World

Kissimmee, FL 34747

407-939-6244

disneyworld.disney.go.com

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Singapore – Richest Country in Asia

Breaking, Travel - Patrick - December 20, 2018

SINGAPORE

Singapore is a first-world country located in Southeast Asia (against public perception, which perceives it as a poor territory). Like Hong Kong, not many know whether it’s a country or a city. Singapore is both, meaning a city-state and, at the same time, an island country. Tourism focuses on cultural attractions, the beaches, of which some are unaltered by the hand of man, urban civilization and wildlife. You’ll miss the charm of the mountains here: Singapore’s highest point is at 165 m. They have taller buildings than that.

SINGAPORE

Singaporeans come from a very active country with a dynamic financial sector. They’re always hurrying someplace else. Paradoxically, social rituals take a longer time than most countries. They avoid criticizing and accusing the others because it causes a loss of honor. Instead, they beat around the bush and rely heavily on non-verbal communication. Silence consumes even more time: when replying, etiquette requires one to pause for a moment as to acknowledge what has been said already and only after this break, that person should give a reply. Also, don’t chew gum. There’s a ban in Singapore on gum, saying you can buy gum only with a doctor’s prescription.

SINGAPORE

If you visit Singapore, try out its delicious food. Better yet, go out to eat at New Asia Bar, a restaurant 72 floors above the ground. For another great view of the city, the Singapore Flyer allows you to see the surroundings and the other islands from the top. The Merlion Park, with its statue, is the emblem of the country. The nature embellishes the city, with many national parks. Take a trip to the zoo, where the animals roam freely and not behind any bars. The Esplanade and the Helix Bridge attract most of the tourists. Another way to see the wonders of Singapore is on a cruise that allows you to admire the beauty of the country’s islands

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Brand Managers Who Want More Loyal Customers Need To Do This

Breaking, Business - Patrick - December 15, 2018

Loyal Customers

Every brand manager and product manager in the world wants more loyal customers, right? Well if they can master the art of one-simple 6-letter word they would be well on their way to achieving their goals.

This seemingly innocuous or harmless word can be very harmful and quite damaging to a brand’s long term success if not done properly and consistently.

The word is “engage” or “engagement” if you prefer. No matter what you call it interacting and engaging with your customers and prospects is the key to establishing, fostering and maintaining brand loyalty. However as know from a recent post, Engagement Is The Most Important Digital Challenge For Marketers… “According to a recent McKinsey quarterly report, having the ability to engage their customers and leverage those relationships is the number one digitally-related challenge facing marketers today.”

Brand Manager 1

In its findings from a recent report, the Top 12 Customer Loyalty Trends for 2012 – Loyalty 360, the loyalty marketer’s association made it perfectly clear that brand managers and product managers and all digital marketers better meet that challenge head on.

“Customer engagement is the journey, loyalty is the destination. Loyalty is a much bigger, broader, richer and growing ever more complex idea than it has been in the past. Loyalty is no longer about points, discounts, miles, rewards; it is about the way the processes, technologies, ideas, interactions engage an individual with the brand. The only way to achieve loyalty is through deeper engagement.”

That last line is very powerful indeed if for no other reason the use of the word “only.”

Brand Manager 1

More from their report:

  • Marketers are being distracted by daily deal sites and need to refocus and get their eyes on the ultimate prize. “While daily deals like Group-on, Living-social are generating lots of buzz, marketers are realizing that these price-based technologies have taken their focus away from the real prize: customer loyalty.”
  • The issue of Big Data is all-too real and knowing how to use it effectively. “Study after study is showing that marketers are struggling with mining this data and analyzing it in order to derive valuable insights and actionable intelligence from it.”
  • Marketers will seek out brand ambassadors. “Social personalization will increase. Marketers will harness the power of recommendations and referrals to persuade customers and prospects to follow their friends’ leads. They will become more proactive in encouraging reviews, implementing refer-a-friend programs, etc.”

Loyal Customers

These are just some of the loyalty trends Loyalty 360 identified and you can read the full report here.

It is clear, now more than ever, that engaging your customers and your prospects in a deep and meaningful way is paramount to any company’s success. Consumers want to engage their favorite brands, they want to know you are listening, they want dialogue, two-way conversations.

How do engage your customers now?

What other ways can you engage them?

As a consumer, which we all are at the end of the day, how do you want your favorite brands to engage with you?

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