Every park is trying to have a reason for you to enter their gates. Parks are looking for anyway to get you away from the competitor and into their park. One of the most prevalent ways is through the media. There are the most obvious ways, though TV and magazines. However there is another way that is often forgotten.
Word of mouth is a huge form of advertising for a park.
It gives a park an opportunity to get several people though it's gates by just pleasing one. That can work in reverse however, a bad report can cause people to keep away from a park. Another growing form is the internet. As people plan for their summer trips they often log onto the web now and look up to see just what different parks are doing. If you remember a few months ago I often had pictures of Hypersonic at Paramount's Kings Dominion.