Festival case study and mock-up campaign TOU203

Festival case study and mock-up campaign

Table of Contents

Introduction. 3

The concept 3

History. 4

Development 5

Target audience. 6

USP. 6

Recommendations for competitive advantage and value Improvement 7

Conclusion. 8

References. 9

Introduction

Festivals are a reflection of cultural livelihood and geographical ethnicity (Eniola, 2024). The marketing campaigns of different festivals depend on their first nature and the focus of the audience. It is to be noted that marketing campaigns mainly derive your understanding of the significance challenges and opportunities that exist presently and in future for a significant festival. The purpose of these discussions will be to gain deep knowledge about the Sapporo Snow Festival, which is held in Japan every year and is considered one of the significant global events of winter. Discussion considered understanding the festival's historical evolution, development phases, target audience, and USP in detail. The discussion also includes recommendations for improvement that enhance the purpose of the festival in practice.

The concept

The Sapporo Snow Festival

The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the well-known winter events in Japan held in Sapporo Hokkaido. This festival attracts millions of tourists around the globe in the early month of February(Snowfes. 2024). During this time, the place is transformed into a snowy Wonderland with different types of snow and ice sculptures. The approach of the festival is mainly to spread the essence of winter and portrayal different types of artistry simultaneously. They are specific sites of the festival like Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome (Snowfes. 2024). Odori Park is considered the heart of the festival, where the depiction of global landmarks is seen through massive snow in sculptures. Besides global landmarks, iconic characters and cultural attractions also find a place in the sculptures. These cultures made by experts and international teams are showcased at night, creating a magical atmosphere for the visitors. The Susukino site exhibits intricate ice sculptures, providing a vibrant experience of nightlife to the tourists, and the Tsudome, being a family-friendly site, arranges different activities like snow slides, no rafting, and children's activities. In all the sites there are different types of culinary delight arranged through food stalls providing fresh seafood and Ramen (Snowfes. 2024). The festival is not only a celebration of winter but also one of the significant events for showcasing the natural beauty of Hokkaido, making it a significant part of tourism practices.

History

The Sapporo Snow Festival, popularly known as Sapporo Yuki Matsuri, began in 1950 (Snowfes. 2024a). It started as a modest event in the initiation of high school students who showcased six sculptures made of snow at Odori Park (Snowfes. 2024a). The event became rapidly popular gradually all over Japan and then in an international framework allowing millions of tourists to participate. In the year 1955, the festival took a significant turn when the Japanese Self-defence became a part of the festival and contributed their part in the snow and ice carvings (Snowfes. 2024a). This added value to the purpose and focus of the festival, which led gradually to an increase in intricate sculptures, some of which are 15 feet high.

In 1972, the Winter Olympics were held in the city of Sapporo (Snowfes. 2024a). This paves the way for attractive International visitors and media. Gradually, from Odori Park, two more sites were added to the Festival venue with different showcasing aspects. The history of the festival shows that this snow festival has been significant in the successful blending of art culture entertainment with the natural beauty of Japan. History shows that from a near-school event, the festival has been very attractive in gaining its potential audience.

Development

Early Beginnings (1950)

The festival begins like a mere high school event with six snow sculptures at Odori Park. Gradually, every year, this event occurs during the February month in winter. In 1955, the participation of Japanese Self-defense forces added value and significance to the festival for Japan in terms of snow and ice culture exhibitions (Snowfes. 2024a).

Expansion and recognition (1960, 70s)

Gradually, the festival becomes a significant celebration of artistry, culture and entertainment in Japan, attracting an increasing number of visitors every year to the city of Sapporo. The 1972 Winter Olympics at Sapporo gave the festival exposure to International Media and tourists, which turned the dimension of the festival by penetrating the International event list (Snowfes. 2024a).

Addition of Sites (80s to 2000)

The snow festival increased in popularity, so two new venues were gradually added to the list. The Susukino became famous for intricate ice cultures and nighttime illuminations. Another venue, Tsudome, provides family-friendly spaces and exposure to different unrelated activities like sliding and rafting that eggs entertainment visibly to the event.

Present

Technology like projection mapping added a modernist touch to the nose sculpture creation (Jamieson, 2022). It has become a global competition for showcasing no and ice sculptures, which are cherished by millions of tourists annually. From a snow festival it has become a celebration of winter for Hokkaido in showcasing the hospitality and creativity of the location through art, culture and cuisine.

Target audience

Global events can be considered only when it has appeal to a large mass scale on a wide region (Ferdinand and Kitchin, 2012). The Sapporo Snow Festival focuses on a diverse range of audiences, including domestic residence tourists and sculpture artists. It also provides exposure to different age groups within families, and the activities are attractive to the children. One of the key aspects of global event popularity is marketing. The 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo became a medium for art enthusiasts and international Travellers to know about the event and be a part of it in the later years. Besides, young couples and adults can spend quality time experiencing the nighttime illuminations, and food lovers can taste the culinary delight of the place.

USP

• World-class Snow Sculpture Exhibition - Festivals are considered to be an influential element of public life (Mair, 2019). In this context, the major USP of the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan is its cultural exhibition made of Snow or Ice that has unique craftsmanship, freshness of artistry and the essence of winter. It is seen that most of these sculptures are intricate and even towered as high as 15 feet.


• Global visitors - The popularity of a festival, especially that which refers to global events, depends majorly upon the increased rate of visitors over the years (Yeoman et al., 2003). In this context, The Sapporo Snow Festival has not only attracted domestic Tourists art lovers and residents but also International artists and visitors. The festival witnesses millions of participants and tourists every year, both from domestic and international levels.


• Entertainment activities - It is seen that entertainment is quite a profitable business in the current era, like live concerts and music (Reynolds, 2021). In this context, the Sapporo Snow Festival provides diverse mediums of entertainment snow based on activities like rafting and sliding, nighttime illuminations, snow craftsmanship, etc. These different ways of entertainment also attract different segments of audiences to be a part of the festival.


• Highlights of local culture - Any seasonal festival based on a specific location portrays a picture of local culture and livelihood. The Sapporo Snow Festival is also a very strong medium for showing Hokkaido's culture like food, natural beauty etc.

This is one of the major USPs because it has linked the festival with the hospitality business. It also results in an improvement in the standard of living in the locations.

Recommendations for competitive advantage and value improvement

Competitive Advantage

From the theoretical perspective of the Kano model, it is seen that performance area is also a significant factor for the enhancement of a festival in achieving a satisfaction level (Jiang et al., 2023). Apart from Snow sculptures and culinary exhibitions, different local dance and music performances can add beauty to the festival in terms of portraying ethnic and cultural aspects of the city and the place. In this contact different domestic artists as well as teams of dance and music can be invited by the festival organisers to perform. On the one hand, it will improve the experience of international visitors who will know less about the place, and on the other hand, it will help to create a stronger economy with a specific ecosystem of businesses linking Hospitality and tourism with art. This will help the local artists and their teams to get exposure on an international level.

Value Improvement

The resource-based theory considers the utilisation of unique capabilities as resources to avoid wastage. In this context, sustainability can be a significant factor that will create a unique approach to the festival globally. The Sapporo Snow Festival can be a strong medium for promoting sustainability practices to a large global audience. Sustainability practices like the use of Eco-Friendly material for sculpture, promotion of local fresh foods, etc.. Can be done. In order to regulate materialistic waste during the festival, Technologies can be used to be aware of and eliminate the waste. Through the snow sculptures, different sustainability themes can be portrayed by artists. In this way, the festival can create a differentiation among Global events which, from different perspectives like business celebration, social improvement, etc, hold significance and relevance.

Conclusion

To conclude, it can be said that The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of its kind that has, from the beginning, a strong appeal towards blending art, culture, and entertainment to the highest level. It is seen that this is one of the most ancient festivals that turned into global events by 1972 after the Winter Olympics happened in the City. It is also seen that in the evolution of the festival, the role of local people, different forces, and media is significant. Festivals enjoy it not only for a large scale audience, both domestic and global levels, but also for diverse people. Lose culture competitions and exhibitions can be considered the most unique selling proposition for these festivals that have attracted people, especially artists. The festival can be enhanced infusion of local music and dance and also eco friendly promotion in the future.