Hong Kong Marketing Concerns

Hong Kong Disneyland's Market The market that Hong Kong Disneyland operates in is multi-fold. A large aspect of its market is based on its location. Centered on Hong Kong's Lantaue Island, the organization posits itself as the premier destination for leisure and vacationing in the Asian Pacific (Hong Kong, 2016, p. 2). Moreover, the immediate market for which it operates within this space is in "Hong Kong, mainland China and Southeast Asia (Hong Kong, 2016, p. 2). Still, Hong Kong Disneyland also competes within the global marketplace for vacationing and leisure activities.

In this regard, it is competing with other locations throughout the world that offer many of the same features that are indicative of this marketplace. Hong Kong itself has multiple theme parks which provide competition for Disneyland (Choi, 2010, p. 573). The previously mentioned features themselves provide a fair amount of insight into the market in which this organization operates. Its primary attraction is its themed amusement park, which constitutes a fair amount of the marketplace in which this company competes.

However, there are numerous corollary aspects of this principal marketplace pillar which expands Hong Kong Disneyland's market accordingly. Its themed hotels illustrate its stake in the resort/hotel market; it is not inconceivable that these vacation spots are as much as an attraction as the theme park itself, especially when one considers that one of these hotels is based on Hollywood (p. 2), which is not directly related to Disney World.

Additionally, part of the market that this organization operates in is based on the nature of Disney itself, and its various cartoons and media endeavors -- along with licensed characters and other elements of this media -- that are part of the reason that guests seek this theme park. In this regard the park leverages several different avenues to highlight these characters and the various media in which they were involved, which is an integral part of its market share and means of galvanizing visitors to view the park.

Marketing Environments There are a host of micro environmental factors that assuredly impact the marketing environment for Disneyland Hong Kong. One of the most eminent of these is the suppliers, which are viewed somewhat different in the vertical in which this organization functions. On the one hand, the suppliers are those that purvey materials to build new rides, to stock and maintain the aforementioned hotels, and other such pragmatic necessities that play a huge impact on the market forces at play.

However, there are some specialized supplier considerations that pertain more to intellectual property which are arguably the basis for the more conventional supplies. These exist in the forms of the various media that Disney releases, and their characters which are the basis for a good deal of the attractions at Hong Kong Disneyland. An excellent example of this fact is the plan for the building of a new Iron Man section of the theme park (Hong Kong, 2016, p. 1), which represents a collaboration between Disney and Marvel.

The other micro factors that considerably affect the marketing environment of Hong Kong Disneyland include the public, customers, and competitors. The company must effectively "teach the public about the wonderful world of Disney" (Miller, 2007, p. 31). It is somewhat difficult to distinguish the foregoing three factors from one another when considering the impact that they produce on the trends that affect the marketing environment for this organization.

Competitors of course include other theme parks and vacation destinations, all of which cater to the public and affect the customer base that Hong Kong Disneyland is attempting to retain. Certain seasonal realities certainly affect the public and the customers of Disneyland, as people tend to vacation and travel more during certain months that are not plagued by winter's elements. Also, the tourism industry in general impacts this market -- its "prevailing softness" (Hong Kong, 2016, p. 1) was partly responsible for a decline in attendance during 2015.

The macro environmental factor that affects Hong Kong Disneyland the most is the economy. Since this organization operates in a vertical industry that is largely predicated on luxury as opposed to need, it is at the mercy of the economy. Fortunately, it is located in an area (near mainland China) in which the economy has continued to become robust, despite periods of decline in other sections.

Still, the prolonged recession that has engulfed the majority of the Occidental world since the last decade and which it is only just now showing signs of extricating itself from, certainly impacts the international clientele of this organization. Again, the slight decrease in the overall visitors to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2015 is partly indicative of this fact. Another macro factor.