Tips For Creating or Reinventing a Memorable Logo & Brand

Whether you are just opening a new park or FEC or you need to reinvent your business to develop a better public image, there are a few things to keep in mind. When you’re ready to create or reinvent a brand or logo for your park or FEC, there are certain customer and demographic considerations to keep in mind in order to make it successful.

Using your demographics is imperative during this creative process. Learning about your loyal guests, potential customer base and community can help you develop the perfect brand for your family entertainment business.

Values

Finding out what your potential guests value will give you insight that will be truly important to them. Here are some examples:

• If personal experiences and human interaction are the most important to them, you’ll need to implement a friendly, approachable personality into your brand or logo. Show them that your business is both welcoming and personable.
• If your demographics show a more logical and information-based group, you should make sure that your logo and brand reflect a more professional presentation of your core values in a way that engages them in a more direct yet informative fashion.?

There are too many customer values to go into here. But, this gives you an idea. In any case, you’ll need to be specific. Details are important because “general” ideas leave too much room for interpretation and assumptions, thus, it can be a downfall. You want your logo and brand to thrive!?

Age: Generational Groups

Every age group will respond differently to ideas. For instance, children love bright colors and designs that stand out visually while their grandparents will more likely respond well to basic designs with more earthy or subtle tones.?

Not only will you have differences per each age group, but you will also have differences in generational gaps as well. I'll take one of the most popular groups which is millennials. They tend to enjoy technology and unique designs. Your demographics will play a big part in letting you know what appeals to every group of your potential customer base.?

Education & Occupation

These are two areas that can provide a wealth of data through your demographics and analytic program. It can allow you to understand what approach you will need for your style of brand and a logo that will attract a lot of attention and win over your target groups.

Here are a couple of examples:?

• Higher-educated groups- Using more sophisticated vocabulary and appealing to their intelligence with regard to design and color tend to win them over.?
• Lower-educated groups- Keeping things simple, easy to understand, and practical is going to be your best bet.?

As far as occupation, there are key indicators in your demographics that will tell you what means the most to these potential guests. There are far too many occupations to go into today, but that's where your demographic software comes into play.?

Depending on what job particular groups have, there are different angles and approaches you may want to consider. Some working-class groups may be more in tune with conservative approaches and casual natures while others might want something more exciting or robust. You want to appeal to everyone so finding a style that includes what matters most to the largest of your customer base is ideal.?

In Cases of Reinventing Your Brand & Logo

If you have decided to reinvent your brand and logo, it is likely because you need a fresh new look to attract more guests. What you have currently, must not be working. In this case, you need to understand what hasn't worked in the past. A few questions you need to ask yourself when you begin to reinvent your image are:

1. Has your current brand or logo ever been popular or has it never really appealed to your target audience??
2. Have you had a lot of positive experiences with your guests?
3. Have you had a lot of negative experiences with your guests?
4. Did your guests just grow tired of the same old attractions and atmosphere?

By answering these questions honestly, you can add a lot of insight to the creative process. If something has failed, make sure that the people are aware that it has been fixed and that your mission is to provide a better experience. Create your new persona to spark excitement deep down with your potential guests.?

It doesn't matter whether you are creating a new brand or logo for the very first time or you are recreating or reinventing your business identity. The trick is to appeal to as many as you can and try not to be off-balance with the end product. Use your demographics and analytics wisely! These programs can make it much easier to develop a positive image for your future family entertainment business.?

Have you read an article I’ve published here on LinkedIn and want to talk about the topic a little more? If you’d like to book a call with me regarding the Family Entertainment Industry or Private Equity, please feel free. I enjoy connecting & collaborating with others in the same professional space.

Tim Murphy is CEO of APX Operating Company, dba Boomers Parks, under the ownership of Cerberus private equity ($60B assets). Boomers Parks owns six family entertainment centers and two water parks with locations in California, Florida, and New Jersey.

As CEO of Boomers Parks since 2020, Tim took these eight parks from bankruptcy to profitability in just a year – in the middle of a global pandemic. When Boomers acquired these parks, they were operating at a $10 million loss. Tim transformed the customer experience and added new revenue streams to generate a 180% increase in revenue in 2021 and on a similar trajectory in 2022.

Tim launched his 35+ year career at Walt Disney World and has since served more than 150 entertainment, restaurant, and food & beverage brands across more than 10,000 locations in C-suite and senior positions.

Additionally, Tim is a Board Director with Coney Park & Happy City - Family Entertainment & Amusement Parks, part of The Carlyle Group ($276B assets), a private equity firm that operates 150+ family entertainment centers and amusement parks in Latin America.?

Tim has worked with top-tier entertainment and restaurant brands including Disney, Rebounderz Trampoline Parks, Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, etc.), Red Lobster, Jimmy John’s, Applebee’s, Sonny’s Bar-B-Q, Denny’s, El Pollo Loco, Hardee’s, Golden Corral, and Firehouse Subs.

Tim has overseen more than 35 purchase transactions involving over 1,200 restaurants, stores, and park locations.? With extensive experience in buying and selling businesses, handling negotiations with buyers and sellers, and creating strategic partnerships to build strong brands, Tim has facilitated deals ranging from $11 million to $350 million+.

Tim is a member of International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (IAAPA), California Attractions and Parks Association (CAPA), Florida Attractions Association (FAA), American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA), National Restaurant Association (NRA), California Restaurant Association (CRA), World Waterpark Association (WWA) and International Franchising Association (IFA). He is a licensed commercial real estate broker in the State of Florida. Tim earned a BS/BA in Accounting from the University of Central Florida and an MBA in Finance from Orlando College.