Who – the protagonist
Ray Coyle, owner of Irish theme Park, Tayto Park.
What?
Tayto Park is Ireland’s favourite theme park and zoo, welcoming more than five million visitors since it opened in 2010.
The venue is home to a wide selection of attractions including roller coasters, more than 250 animals, a family friendly music festival, educational facilities, shops and a restaurant.
In 2022, Tayto Park returned to normal post-Covid trading operations, with visitor demand bouncing back quickly. The park restricted capacity to 6,000 visitors per day.
Why?
Ray’s direct involvement with Tayto Snacks ended in 2017, when he stepped down from the board of Largo Foods – the parent company owning Tayto.
Tayto, Ireland’s most popular crisp and snacks brand, has a strong emotional connection with Irish consumers, reinforcing brand values around family and community.
But as the sponsorship deal ran out with Tayto at the end of December 2022, the award-winning attraction rebranded as Emerald Park. According to Ray: “Now is the opportunity to rename the park to better reflect the exciting rides, attractions and zoo that are coming over the next few years.”
The park’s management had a big task on its hands to curate a new brand identity for Emerald Park.
When?
The venue officially became Emerald Park on 1 January 2023.
Where?
The attraction is located in Co. Meath, a short distance from the capital, Dublin.
Key quote
What next?
The rebranding exercise for the park was the key operational and marketing challenge facing the management team in 2023 and beyond.
Developing problem solvers
Rosie said: “We are three colleagues who have worked together for many years and wanted to leverage an experiential and authentic learning process for our students which emphasised an application to practice, critical thinking and the development of communication skills. In essence, we wanted our case to develop students as holistic, strategic problem solvers.
“We also wanted to formulate an assessment which we felt acknowledged the increasing convergence between our disciplines of Marketing and Consumption Studies.”
Adding value for students
Rosie continued: “In order to achieve an immersive experience, in addition to the case discussion, we arranged a formal site visit to the theme park and gave the students the opportunity to meet members of the senior management team for a Q and A session. This field visit was definitely a highlight for the students as they experienced first-hand the unique mix of theme park, activity centre, zoo, and educational facility at Tayto Park which allowed them to ‘live’ the brand.
“A further highlight for students was to present their solutions to Tayto Park founder, Ray Coyle*, and, in this way, build their professional client facing and presentation skills.”
Case relatability
She added: “Teaching this case continues to be a most rewarding experience. We find students relish the opportunity to engage with real-world business problems and to consider appropriately strategic solutions. However, given that most students have consumed a theme park and/or a branded experience at some point in their lives, this case gives them the opportunity to tap into and share their own experiences with their class, often leading to lively and positive debate.”
Positive student feedback
She commented: “Student feedback has been universally positive. They are energised by addressing relevant, real marketing and consumption challenges and also appreciate the importance of developing analytical competences and professional skills for future employment.”
Case writing tips
Rosie explained: “Identify the right industry partner. One of the main challenges of writing a case is to identify a brand or context which resonates with students, while also designing an appropriate real-world task which allows them to demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills.
“We were very fortunate to have an industry partner who was open to a collaboration with educators and was generous in sharing their expertise, knowledge and of course the relevant company information.
“In addition, theme parks are generally identified with fun and enjoyment so we felt that our students would engage with the Tayto Park brand from the outset.”
Final thoughts
Rosie concluded: “Our students have benefited from the immersive experience of a field visit which helped foster strategic and creative responses to the task. While a visit to a theme park, or a branded experience, may not be possible for everyone using this case study, the addition of a guest lecture with expert knowledge of experiential marketing would add value to the learning experience.”
*Ray Coyle passed away on 8 June 2022.
The case
Who – the protagonist
Ray Coyle, owner of Irish theme Park, Tayto Park.
What?
Tayto Park is Ireland’s favourite theme park and zoo, welcoming more than five million visitors since it opened in 2010.
The venue is home to a wide selection of attractions including roller coasters, more than 250 animals, a family friendly music festival, educational facilities, shops and a restaurant.
In 2022, Tayto Park returned to normal post-Covid trading operations, with visitor demand bouncing back quickly. The park restricted capacity to 6,000 visitors per day.
Why?
Ray’s direct involvement with Tayto Snacks ended in 2017, when he stepped down from the board of Largo Foods – the parent company owning Tayto.
Tayto, Ireland’s most popular crisp and snacks brand, has a strong emotional connection with Irish consumers, reinforcing brand values around family and community.
But as the sponsorship deal ran out with Tayto at the end of December 2022, the award-winning attraction rebranded as Emerald Park. According to Ray: “Now is the opportunity to rename the park to better reflect the exciting rides, attractions and zoo that are coming over the next few years.”
The park’s management had a big task on its hands to curate a new brand identity for Emerald Park.
When?
The venue officially became Emerald Park on 1 January 2023.
Where?
The attraction is located in Co. Meath, a short distance from the capital, Dublin.
Key quote
What next?
The rebranding exercise for the park was the key operational and marketing challenge facing the management team in 2023 and beyond.
Author perspective
Developing problem solvers
Rosie said: “We are three colleagues who have worked together for many years and wanted to leverage an experiential and authentic learning process for our students which emphasised an application to practice, critical thinking and the development of communication skills. In essence, we wanted our case to develop students as holistic, strategic problem solvers.
“We also wanted to formulate an assessment which we felt acknowledged the increasing convergence between our disciplines of Marketing and Consumption Studies.”
Adding value for students
Rosie continued: “In order to achieve an immersive experience, in addition to the case discussion, we arranged a formal site visit to the theme park and gave the students the opportunity to meet members of the senior management team for a Q and A session. This field visit was definitely a highlight for the students as they experienced first-hand the unique mix of theme park, activity centre, zoo, and educational facility at Tayto Park which allowed them to ‘live’ the brand.
“A further highlight for students was to present their solutions to Tayto Park founder, Ray Coyle*, and, in this way, build their professional client facing and presentation skills.”
Case relatability
She added: “Teaching this case continues to be a most rewarding experience. We find students relish the opportunity to engage with real-world business problems and to consider appropriately strategic solutions. However, given that most students have consumed a theme park and/or a branded experience at some point in their lives, this case gives them the opportunity to tap into and share their own experiences with their class, often leading to lively and positive debate.”
Positive student feedback
She commented: “Student feedback has been universally positive. They are energised by addressing relevant, real marketing and consumption challenges and also appreciate the importance of developing analytical competences and professional skills for future employment.”
Case writing tips
Rosie explained: “Identify the right industry partner. One of the main challenges of writing a case is to identify a brand or context which resonates with students, while also designing an appropriate real-world task which allows them to demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills.
“We were very fortunate to have an industry partner who was open to a collaboration with educators and was generous in sharing their expertise, knowledge and of course the relevant company information.
“In addition, theme parks are generally identified with fun and enjoyment so we felt that our students would engage with the Tayto Park brand from the outset.”
Final thoughts
Rosie concluded: “Our students have benefited from the immersive experience of a field visit which helped foster strategic and creative responses to the task. While a visit to a theme park, or a branded experience, may not be possible for everyone using this case study, the addition of a guest lecture with expert knowledge of experiential marketing would add value to the learning experience.”
*Ray Coyle passed away on 8 June 2022.
