Who has an unlimited marketing budget? Even the biggest attractions have limits, with ROI looming over every spend. But here’s the thing — I actually enjoy working with a tight marketing budget! The constraints force creativity, and some of my most successful campaigns were born out of those limitations.
Over the last 30 years, I’ve launched startups in the FEC and OTA space, grown them into multi-venue global businesses, and managed large attractions like Luna Park Sydney. Each time, I had to amplify my marketing reach with minimal resources. Here are some practical strategies I’ve used to stretch a tight marketing budget and achieve results far beyond what the numbers on a spreadsheet would suggest.
Co-branding partnerships
Co-branding partnerships are a powerful way to expand your reach without significant costs. By teaming up with complementary brands, you can combine audiences, leverage marketing channels, and increase credibility.
Example: Adventure meets apparel
When building Adrenalin — an adventure activity aggregator with over 800 experiences online — we partnered with Salomon, a global adventure clothing and equipment brand.
The deal: We co-branded Salomon gear and sold it across our corporate and customer bases. In return, we gained premium outdoor gear for our staff, featured our brand in Salomon’s marketing campaigns, and aligned ourselves with a trusted global brand.
Outcome: Increased brand exposure and credibility, valuable new revenue from retail sales, and a well-equipped team — all at minimal cost.
Example: Shared promotions
While promoting iFLY venues across Australia, we partnered with other local attractions to mutually boost our sales reach.
The deal: We created a combined product that each partner could sell.
Outcome: All businesses shared the promotional costs, effectively doubling our exposure for half the spend!
Key co-branding takeaways
- Be clear on your objectives for co-branding – this could be exposure, credibility, or revenue.
- Find brands that complement yours and have similar target demographics, and look for mutually beneficial outcomes.
- Don’t forget – Sales for any brand are usually high on the priority list, so if you can offer sales perks, the deal will become more attractive.
- Does the deal have mutual benefits? Great - pitch it!
- Be persistent, as sometimes it’s a timing thing.
Media partnerships
Media outlets are always hungry for content, and your venue is a treasure trove of visual stories and experiences. So, with this in mind, searching for the right media partnerships should be high on your list to amplify the exposure of your venue.
Example: Adrenalin and travel shows
There are two prominent travel shows on mainstream TV in Australia - The Great Outdoors and Getaway. At Adrenalin, we approached the shows with the proposal that we could get them access to over 800 activities to film – years of content for them and lots of exposure for us!
The deal: We coordinated activities for their crew to film, giving them content while they featured our brand on-air as the call-to-action. In return, we gained invaluable national exposure without spending a cent on ad space and direct sales.
Outcome: Over 30 episodes aired, reaching millions of viewers and positioning Adrenalin as the go-to adventure brand.
Example: iFLY and the weather
When we launched iFLY Indoor Skydiving in the APAC market, we actively pursued media partnerships to create engaging content for their shows. News stations quickly recognized the opportunity to feature live weather segments from our facilities, giving viewers a unique and exciting broadcast backdrop. Weather segments also delivered multiple live crosses across several hours, extending our reach exponentially.
The deal: We provided live-action segments from our facilities, coordinating themes and talent for their broadcasts.
Outcome: In return, iFLY has been featured in over 15 live segments and multiple additional promotional shoots, which continue to this day.
Key media partnership takeaways
- Build strong relationships with media — both traditional and online outlets — as these connections are key to securing coverage.
- PR companies guard their contacts closely for a reason: Trusted relationships are valuable.
- Once you’ve made contact, focus on nurturing that relationship to improve your chances of repeat exposure.
- Media outlets are constantly looking for fresh content, particularly with the growth of online platforms and influencers.
- Tailor your pitch to align with key buying periods, such as Easter Bunny visits or Christmas promotions, to increase relevance.
- By combining timely, engaging content with strong relationships, you can turn media partners into ongoing amplifiers for your brand.
Promotional partnerships
Finding partners that can help amplify your marketing reach is gold – particularly if you’re just launching a new venue. You want to get as much exposure as possible to get your sales “snowball” rolling.
Example: iFLY & Salesforce: A win-win launch
To successfully launch indoor skydiving in the APAC market and reach over 20 million people, we knew our limited marketing budget wouldn’t be enough. So, during iFLY’s APAC launch, we partnered with Salesforce, which had recently acquired the email automation platform ExactTarget.
The deal: We hosted a pre-launch exclusive for Salesforce’s key customers. In conjunction, Salesforce featured iFLY in its national outdoor/online advertising campaign.
Outcome: The launch surpassed all targets, and iFLY achieved exceptional first-year awareness and sales results.
Example: iFLY and OTA
To help launch iFLY in APAC, we also approached a large online travel agency (OTA) to help promote the launch across all their media and networks.
The deal: We agreed to an exclusive third-party contract with the OTA for 12 months. In return, they invested heavily in advertising iFLY across key media platforms.
Outcome: The partnership delivered 10x the marketing exposure we could have achieved if doing it alone!
Key promotional partnership takeaways
- Promotional partners can significantly expand your reach — the right partner at the right time can expose your brand to millions.
- Focus on brands that are reinventing themselves or investing heavily in advertising.
- Craft a compelling pitch that highlights mutual benefits.
- Leverage your network to connect with these brands.
- Be persistent — timing is crucial, and patience can lead to big wins.
TV and film shoots
Film productions need exciting locations, and your venue can offer the perfect backdrop – this includes TV, movies, and commercials.
Example: iFLY as a production hotspot
To further post-launch exposure at iFLY, we proactively approached advertising agencies, production companies, and brands to shoot their commercials at our facilities.
The deal: We provided our venue, staff, and expertise at an affordable cost. In return, brands such as Lavie below, showcased iFLY prominently in their campaigns.
Outcome: Multiple TV and online ads were filmed at iFLY locations, resulting in valuable exposure.
Example: Adrenalin and The Amazing Race
At Adrenalin, we partnered with The Amazing Race TV show to provide on-location challenges and manage safety and logistics for races across Australia, NZ and Asia.
The deal: We designed the creative concepts, sourced the best operators, and handled safety logistics.
Outcome: In return, Adrenalin gained global exposure and a new revenue stream from production support.
Key TV and film pitching takeaways
- Building media and production partnerships takes time — think of it as an ongoing contact program.
- Success depends on timing — the right brand, the right activity, at the right moment.
- Create a database of agencies and production companies to stay organized.
- Keep your contacts updated with news, events, or unique opportunities at your venue.
- Stay patient — with persistence and preparation, the universe will eventually align.
Final thoughts
Amplifying your marketing budget isn’t just about spending more — it’s about finding creative ways to collaborate, leverage partnerships, and position your venue as an attractive platform for shared promotion.
How to hack your marketing budget:
- Think beyond your budget spreadsheet — your reach isn’t limited by your cash flow, just by your creativity.
- Seek partnerships with complementary brands and media outlets — they’re looking for compelling content and valuable collaborations.
- Be persistent — timing plays a big role, and that initial ‘no’ may turn into a ‘yes’ when the conditions are right.
With a bit of creativity and determination, you can achieve the exposure that only big brands dream of — all without burning through your budget.
