Should parks develop their own characters to encourage better merchandise sales?
MS: We feel that custom made characters are part of a parks identity. When only standard merchandise is sold, the competition is much stronger. This means price will also be an issue. Fortunately, we specialise in small quantities, which makes it possible for parks to have their own character and create stronger branding to distinguish themselves from other parks in the market. How early should parks consider associated merchandise when planning a new attraction? MS: We prefer to be involved at the very beginning of a project. We always look to be creative with merchandise, and often these creative thoughts can be integrated into the theming of the attraction itself. Often parks build a shop near the attraction, but forget that the shop needs to be stocked! Themed merchandise takes time to develop. Due to lack of time, standard items or badly themed merchandise can make their way into the shop. This degrades the experience and the brand as the merchandise represents the park and will b
