Theme Park’s New Year’s Eve Marketing: An Evolution Once Again

“Theme Park’s New Year’s Eve Marketing: An Evolution Once Again”.As the year comes to a close, theme parks and attractions are gearing up for their annual creative “competition season.” Amid the transition from the old to the new, the challenge for operators is how to create a more diverse and memorable experience for visitors. Industry professionals are pulling out all the stops to deliver fresh and innovative ideas. In today’s world, where cultural and commercial tourism are inseparable, Hot Commercial also wants to take the opportunity to observe the changes happening within the cultural tourism industry and explore the psychological insights that industry professionals have about younger audiences.This time, our observation sample comes from Happy Valley Group, a theme park brand that started in Shenzhen and has expanded across 13 cities nationwide. Over the past two years, the company has shifted its operational direction towards “city IP entertainment hubs,” marking a significant transformation in its approach. Facing the challenge of “New Year’s Eve marketing,” Happy Valley has rolled out the “Shining Happy Festival,” creating a “social new arena” and offering young people a space for self-expression.We hope to break down this representative theme park brand’s New Year’s Eve marketing moves and analyze the industry trends and brand strategy transformations behind them.Ice and Snow Culture Continues to “Break Out”.In recent years, ice and snow tourism has become a popular choice for winter vacations.

For tourists, this type of travel offers an opportunity to escape daily pressures and relax. The successful Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, along with strong government support, has contributed to the rapid growth of the ice and snow tourism market. According to statistics from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the market size of ice and snow tourism in China surpassed 400 billion yuan in 2023, accounting for over 20% of the winter tourism market. It is expected to reach 800 billion yuan by 2025. The number of participants in ice and snow tourism continues to rise, reaching 305 million in 2023, with a year-on-year growth of 30%.Harbin, which has frequently trended on social media recently, is undoubtedly a representative of the growing popularity of ice and snow. According to data from Harbin Airport, between December 1st and 21st, the airport handled 1.425 million passengers, a 13.9% increase compared to last year, with tourists accounting for about 60%.Compared to traditional snow-making scenes in shopping malls, theme parks, as comprehensive entertainment destinations, have more space to play with the ice and snow theme. This provides a broader perspective of “entertainment” and allows for the expansion of content boundaries and target audiences, fulfilling the younger generation’s desire for novelty and differentiated experiences.

Beijing Happy Valley launched the “Fantasy Ice and Snow Island,” which covers more than 10,000 square meters and offers a one-stop experience with artificial snowfall, ski slope activities, and ice sculptures—no need to go to Harbin to enjoy a pure “snow world.” In Tianjin, Happy Valley has created a nearly 10,000-square-meter Blizzard Square and introduced four major themed areas: “Dream Snow Town,” “This Village,” “Wishing Temple,” and “Bergen Street.” They also plan to hold trendy parties and use social media to attract young tourists to check in.In cities like Shenzhen, where snow does not naturally fall, the fascination with ice and snow has reached its peak this year. For example, various ice and snow-themed attractions have emerged in the Qianhai area of Shenzhen. Shenzhen Happy Valley is also forward-looking, launching the “Dream Snowfall” ball and a winter carnival parade with “snowfall” effects.The allure of ice and snow is not only the visual enjoyment in a cold environment but also the sense of participation and emotional value it conveys. From family-friendly activities to gatherings of friends, the ice and snow theme makes Happy Valley an ideal destination for winter travel.NPC Interaction: From One-Way Communication to Interactive Co-Creation.With the rise of immersive entertainment and interactive experiences, NPC (non-player character) interaction in theme parks has become a hot topic.

The growing popularity of “self-pleasure economy” and the desire for emotional fulfillment are driving this trend. Today’s tourists, especially younger generations, are seeking personalized and customized experiences. They participate in “NPC interaction” with emotional resonance and satisfaction. Theme parks are no longer one-way product outputs, but spaces where tourists can co-create a “joyful atmosphere” together.The 2024 Theme Park Development Report by Deep Blue Think Tank and Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Research Institute mentions that nearly 80% of tourists enjoy interacting with NPCs, and over 90% believe that immersive experiences allow them to briefly forget their worries. Happy Valley, with its “City IP Entertainment Hub” concept, is working to bring together NPCs, influencers, and trendsetters, along with followers seeking to fit in with the latest trends, to create a joyful “home ground” for visitors.Recently, Happy Valley has been exploring diversified types of NPCs. In addition to high-appearance NPCs, it has actively sought out talent-based and comedic NPCs. Theme parks like Chengdu Happy Valley and Xiangyang Overseas Chinese Town Fantasy Resort have experimented with a “cute pets + NPC” interaction format, attracting more young people and families with children to take photos and check in.

In Tianjin Happy Valley, the “cute ghost playing Erhu” and “funny grandpa” quickly became popular on short-video platforms due to their unique appearances and humor, bringing massive attention and traffic to the park. Social media has also helped spread the immersive experiences brought by NPCs. As of now, the “How Good Looking are Happy Valley NPCs?” topic on Douyin has reached 1.89 billion views, generating massive user-generated content (UGC) and attracting more tourists to visit Happy Valley.At this year’s Shining Happy Festival, Happy Valley further explores the potential of NPCs. Multiple cities, including Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Nanjing, have launched NPC-themed performances and challenges, guiding visitors to interact with NPCs. It is likely that the Shining Happy Festival will become another highlight for NPCs, appearing once again on trending topics.Popular IPs: Offline and Online Synergy.IP (Intellectual Property) operations are a key method for attracting foot traffic in theme parks. Disney and Universal Studios have built strong brand value through IP partnerships. For example, at Universal Studios Hollywood, visitors can ring in the New Year with “Transformers” and enjoy immersive VR (virtual reality) experiences.In recent years, we have seen Happy Valley frequently collaborating with popular cultural IPs and well-known brands, exploring deep integration across industries.

These cross-industry partnerships aim to provide visitors with more diverse and engaging entertainment experiences. For IP providers, the richness, rarity, scale, and prestige of theme parks make them an ideal partner, establishing a solid foundation for collaboration.At this year’s Shining Happy Festival, Happy Valley used its partnerships with popular IPs to attract tourists by leveraging their traffic. Wuhan Happy Valley collaborated with the cute IP “Little Beaver Loopy” to create Central China’s first ZANMANG LOOPY light park, where pink lights and shadows create a warm festive atmosphere, filled with childlike fun.At Shenzhen’s Splendid China Folk Village, this year’s trending IP, “Black Myth: Wukong,” hosted an esports carnival that blended classic stories with New Year’s vibes. During the seven days, immersive experiences allowed both esports enthusiasts and casual visitors to enjoy the event. Additionally, Shenzhen’s Window of the World teamed up with “The Little Prince,” while Chengdu Happy Valley partnered with the national comic IP “Douluo Continent,” Shanghai Happy Valley and Beijing Happy Valley each worked with “Slither.io” and “Egg Party,” incorporating more interactive games into their New Year’s Eve celebrations.This IP collaboration strategy not only boosts Happy Valley’s market competitiveness but also creates a new interactive model that combines online and offline experiences in the theme park industry.