Center Parcs' Semi Rebranding
Last week, one of our PACK members stayed in the delightful forest near Heijen. Heijderbos Center Parcs so is it called. That park with the bowling alley, Aqua Mundo, Market Dome and of course not to be forgotten to anyone who has been there: the wild water course. But Center Parcs has encountered many problems in the past years, because people need more than just a bowling alley or a watercraft course today.
The problem of Center Parcs
Visitors want adventure, exploring, a real vacation. Center Parcs experienced a lot of competition from not only national providers but also many foreign providers. Because overseas vacations are relatively cheap today, many people choose a place other than the Netherlands to go on holiday. So Center Parcs had to invent something new, a Rebranding.
Now, they didn’t change much in terms of logo or corporate style, but they rebranded the whole experience about it. With additions in the park like another 'map', other tone of voice and adding lots of extras in the park. Center Parcs is doing its best to be a holiday location full of experience and exploring for its customers.
For more and more brands and companies it is important to focus on the feeling and experience and not so much on the products or services they offer. This not only applies to large brands or products but also to holiday parks such as Center Parcs and Landal Greenparks. They have to offer something extra, something that the customers come back to or think of when they are home again.
The story of Nonna's
One of these additions is the new restaurant: Nonna's. A new Italian inspired restaurant placed in the Market Dome, the centre of Center Parcs. Nonna’s started in 2015 and recently opened its third location in Heijderbos. Upon entry, it is immediately clear that this is not a standard pizzeria or Italian restaurant, but that there is a different feeling in the restaurant.
It looks like a cosy living room with Italian details. For example the laundry is still hanging out, the people who work there speak Italian/Dutch and the the tablecloth is messy but homey. The pictures below show how this looks like in the restaurant. The menu is written in three languages and is actually Nonna's recipe book full of notes and doodles. This also describes Nonna's story: "The restaurant is named after Nonna, what means grandma in Italian.
"Nonna lived in a quiet town in southern Italy with her husband Giuseppe and her children in a traditional Italian cottage. Guiseppe worked in the quarry and Nonna took care of the household and of course not to forget about cooking. But one day Giuseppe didn’t come home: he has had an accident in the quarry. This is the time when Nonna is alone and decides to use Casa Familia as a restaurant. Here Nonna cooks the most delicious Italian dishes every night and everyone is welcome, definitely the bambini!" (Marketing4results, 2015).
And that's right, because children in particular get all the attention here. The hostess has fully practiced as Nonna and behaves exactly as you would expect while reading the story. She is busy and babbles everywhere. Children especially find her amazing. After dinner, children are allowed to go to the Piaggo Vespa, the old car of Guseppe to make an ice cream. But of course, this had to be tried out.
Succesful strategy
What is the most special about this story is that the restaurant only started two years ago, but it doesn’t feels like only two years. Every detail, every word, every furniture has been considered and fits exactly with the story that can be read in the menu.
Whenever you look around you discover something new and think o right, that is that part of the story. And that's the most powerful point of a story, taking someone on a journey were they always discovering things. Everything has to fit and your imagination takes the free run. So, indeed, with just a wild water course and bowling alley, you do not make it as a holiday park, but if Center Parcs continues this strategy throughout the park, I bet that Center Parcs will still be successful in 50 years.
Many other restaurants and also other brand can take a example of this strategy. They wrote a great story but made sure that it would fit exactly with the expectations from the customers. Good job Center Parcs!
Video: Center Parcs' NONNA'S
Recourses Cohen, R. (2016, 31 oktober). Met alleen een zwembad en een bowlingbaan redt een vakantiepark het niet meer. Geraadpleegd op 23 oktober 2017, van https://fd.nl/ondernemen/1173249/met-alleen-een-zwembad-en-een-bowlingbaan-redt-een-vakantiepark-het-niet-meer Marketing4Results. (2015). Nonna's - Center Parcs. Geraadpleegd op 23 oktober 2017, van http://www.marketing4results.eu/blog/nonnas---center-parcs
NOBS Film & Video. (2015). 2015 ALBRON CP Nonna’s [Video]. Geraadpleegd op 23 oktober 2017, van https://vimeo.com/122564164
Nonna's. (2015). Menukaart Nonna's. Geraadpleegd op 23 oktober 2017, van https://www.dagjecenterparcs.nl/cms_media/downloadById/976
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