Marketing Update continued

During tough times, is it appropriate to continue advertising? Is it smart? Do our guests and partners want to hear from us? Can we afford to keep talking?
As business and property owners, managers, sales people and marketers, we’re all asking ourselves these questions during tight economic times. As we budget to protect our revenues, can we afford to continue advertising? Would it be smart to take a break until the economy recovers?
According to Price Waterhouse Coopers, there will be a substantial number of underperforming hotels in the months ahead due to the current conditions. Likewise there will also be hotels that perform significantly above the Price Waterhouse Coopers ‘norms’. While occupancy and revenue for these hotels may dip, it will be significantly less than some competitors who are active in their marketing activities - and who will also capture more than their fair share of the market from those customers still travelling.

So, what does that mean for our local and national advertising efforts?

Try not to slash the marketing that is working for you – Be conservative, use cost efficiencies, look outside the box, but keep talking! Those who stop talking to their customers in a downturn, leave space in consumers’ minds for our more aggressive competitors to make strong inroads.

Communicate value – Your guests and partners are currently looking to get the most value they can from every dollar they spend. Value, therefore is an important message to build into your marketing messages.

Create emotional appeal – This is especially important when marketing your properties to general consumers/leisure guests. Use emotional appeals; paint a picture, emphasise the need for that emotional release or getting away from the rat race.

And finally, keep talking - Our guests and partners want to hear from us. They want to know that we care about those things that are important to them. This is the time to strengthen our current relationships and make new ones!

Kind regards,

Mardi Brown
Marketing Manager, Choice Hotels Australasia