A brand revamp led to record numbers

Waldameer Park & Water World is an award-winning family-owned amusement park in Erie, Pa., with more than 100 rides, slides and attractions.

Challenge:

After a change in leadership, Waldameer sought to reinvigorate their brand to attract park-goers and draw in new families, especially Millennial parents and out-of-towners. Additionally, post-Covid, Waldameer found it difficult to bring in the staffing numbers needed to fully operate all their rides and slides. Waldameer challenged Engel O’Neill to find a way to entice seasonal workers to join the team.

Strategy:

Engel O’ Neill crafted messaging and imagery that reached new audiences by:

• Evoking emotion through immersive storytelling
• Evolving the brand using customer feedback
• Communicating the firsthand benefits of joining the Waldameer team

Impact:

Solutions:

Storytelling in technicolor

To evoke unfettered joy, we splashed the vibrant sunset colors of Waldameer’s logo across all branded assets. Whether in outdoor or in digital ads, the revamped brand commands attention in all forms of advertising.

Prior to our collaboration, Waldameer ads were told from a more distant perspective. Knowing that immersive storytelling leads to higher click rates and shares, we put viewers in the middle of the action, with thrilling close-ups to make the storytelling more personal and to emotionally draw in the viewer.

Waldameer historically leaned toward direct-response commercials, prompting viewers to take a specific action — like buy a Season Pass. We continued this tried-and-true approach. But, when challenged by the owners to produce a more abstract brand awareness spot, we got really excited (and creative). We thought, let’s recreate an immersive story, one that conveys the joy a child experiences on a ride, and the memories that stay with them long after they leave. The “Fun Is in the Air” spot was born.

Considering the park owners’ geographic goals, our media buying for the spot included cinema targeted toward drawing in out-of-towners to discover the ease of a daytrip to the family-friendly park.

Leaning on the wisdom of the crowd

Waldameer felt misaligned with the outward representation of its brand. So, Engel O’Neill decided to take a step back. We believe in many ways a brand builds itself. To capture it, all you really have to do is listen.

So, we dug deep into customer feedback, uncovering the core themes that truly struck a chord with the audience. This thorough exploration helped us distill the brand’s essence into distinct pillars, setting the stage for impactful marketing strategies and brand evolution.

In order of importance, the brand pillars that emerged were 1.) family-friendly fun, 2.) the value for the price, 3.) the variety of rides, 4.) and nostalgia. We infused every ad across all touchpoints with elements of those messages.

Getting team members to tevepill the tea

Faced with the challenge of filling 600 seasonal positions, including lifeguards, concession workers and ride operators, we launched a full-force PR and digital advertising campaign to attract potential team members ages 14 and older.

A featured portion of the recruitment advertising included TikTok videos and YouTube Shorts featuring candid conversations with park team members — the honesty and humor in the messaging fully resonated with viewers across social.

The campaign drew significant media attention — local TV, radio and newspaper coverage. On-air interviews promoted a dedicated hiring event, effectively reaching a broad audience. Recruitment was so successful that Waldameer asked us to stop the campaign earlier than planned.