Thomas Cook Marketing Strategy Analysis

This assignment requires students to analyze the corporate image of Thomas Cook, a travel company. It involves examining how the organization presents itself in the market and its impact on customer perception. The second part challenges students to develop a comprehensive integrated promotional campaign for Thomas Cook, focusing on internet marketing strategies such as SEO, social media marketing, and Google Ads. Students must justify their chosen tactics and demonstrate an understanding of how these strategies can effectively promote the company's products and services.

Marketing in travel and tourism
Market in travel and tourism
Name
Institution name
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Marketing in travel and tourism
Contents
Task 1....................................................................................................................................................3
LO1: Understand the concepts and principles of marketing in the travel and tourism sector:............3
P1.1 discuss the core concept of marketing for the tours and travel sector:.......................................3
P1.2 Assess the impact of the marketing environment on individual travel and tourism business
within Thomas Cook group and tourist destinations concerning Morocco and Egypt.......................3
P1.3 Discuss the factors affecting consumer motivation and demand in the travel and tourism sector
...........................................................................................................................................................5
P1.4 analysis the principles of market segmentation and its uses in market planning at Thomas
Cook..................................................................................................................................................6
TASK 2.................................................................................................................................................7
LO 2. Understand the role of marketing as a management tool in travel and tourism........................7
P2.1- Analyse the importance of strategic marketing planning for a selected travel and tourism
business (Thomas Cook) or tourist destination (either Morocco/ Egypt)...........................................7
P2.2- Discuss the relevance of marketing research and market information to managers in the travel
and tourism sector concerning Thomas Cook Group.........................................................................8
P2.3- Assess the influence of marketing on society.........................................................................10
TASK 3...............................................................................................................................................11
LO 3. To understand the role of the marketing mix in the travel and tourism sector.......................11
P3.1- Discuss issues in the product, price and place elements of the marketing mix concerning
Thomas Cook's Summer 2018 holidays to Morocco and Egypt.......................................................11
P3.2- Assess the importance of service sector mix elements to the travel industry..........................12
P3.3 apply the concept of total tourism product to an individual tourism business such as Thomas
Cook................................................................................................................................................13
Task 4 be able to use the promotional mix in travel and tourism.........................................................14
P4.1 assess the integrated nature and role of the promotional mix...................................................14
P4.2 plan and justify an integrated promotional campaign for Thomas and cook............................16
References...........................................................................................................................................17
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Task 1
LO1: Understand the concepts and principles of marketing in the travel and tourism sector:
The tourism sector is one of the most important and vital business industry for an economy.
Development of the economy of a country depends on the tours and travel industry of that
country. In this report, all the details and the various information of the marketing and the
functioning and the utilisation of marketing in tourism sectors will discuss (Chon, 2015).
P1.1 discuss the core concept of marketing for the tours and travel sector:
Recognise the demand, need of the sectioned or aimed group is marketing. After that is
fulfilling the requirements or the needs to get the maximum profit. So as to gain the profit
tours and travel sector has to identify the needs or demands of the customer. Different
marketing tools and techniques are adopted by the tourism sector to understand the market. I
recent times tours and travel industries are the huge profitable sector. The global economy
also shows lots of importance to this industry. There are many more countries shows interest
to improve the tours and travel sector to uplift their economic condition in the global market.
So tours and travel sector play a vital role to develop the economy of any country. For the
actual prosperity of country lots of effective strategies, techniques and tools required by the
tourism sector. Tourism sector should plan strategies according to the market effectiveness.
The highly modified network system is another way to gain or achieve the better growth and
better position in the market. As per the tourism marketing specific techniques and tools used
for the marketing purpose. Promotion of a tourism sector is a crucial part of this industry.
Promotional activities help to boost or accelerate the total profit of the travel companies.
P1.2 Assess the impact of the marketing environment on individual travel and tourism
business within Thomas Cook group and tourist destinations concerning Morocco and Egypt.
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Market environment demonstrated as all the factors, which shows lots of effects directly or
indirectly on the business activities. The environment of the market has a brutal impact on
the business sectors such as tours and travel industry. Business success and failure totally
depend on the business environment. The business environment is not static it always
changing that is why business activities should monitor all the time. There is three distinct
concept in marketing environment these are a micro environment, macro environment and
the last one is a market environment. Business should be aware of the external environmental
that has a direct effect on the profit of the business industry. The external environment is
important for a business than that of the internal environment. Market environment has great
amount effect on the business that provides lots of importance to various factors of the
business environment. In a case of tourism sectors of Thomas Cook in Morocco has to face
few challenges due to the external environment. The government of the Morocco should not
pay any attention to the tourism policies of pricing. The government can manipulate the rates
as per their profits. To business in Morocco, Thomas Cook group should educate the
employees first. The government of Morocco is not interested in investing money in the
tourism sectors that hamper the economic environment. There is few tourism but the lack of
governmental services these were unable to improve their sectors properly. These are the
problem faced by the Thomas Cook tourism group in Morocco. All these factors show its
impact on the individual tours and travel industry. A tourism business operates from a
particular corner of a town. This type of tourism business can emerge using efficient tools
and techniques to promote in the market. Proper promotion, best service, understand the
customers need, etc. Helps to grow the company in the market. These are the adaptation
techniques to sustain in the market and create the awareness about the specific product in the
customer's mind and also grow the curiosity to invent new places.
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Marketing in travel and tourism
P1.3 Discuss the factors affecting consumer motivation and demand in the travel and tourism
sector:
There are lots of factors affecting the customer mind by motivating and fulfilling their
demands. These factors are- global economy, the internet and social media, personal budget.
Global economy: the tour is often referred as an amenity when the people are earning
sufficient money or less struggle in the life to sustain in the environment. People fixed a
budget for a particular tour. Now a day’s world experience a major disgrace that is tours and
travel industry got affected very much. Most of the people now trying to concentrate on
saving their salary or money for future. For this reason, tourism shifted to the future planning.
In the year 2009 tourism industry face 5% downfall in the global market due to the affected
economy. When the economy condition started to improve then the downfall of tours and
travel industry back to the early position. That create a substantial development in the tours
and travel industry.
The Internet and social media: now a day’s social media has become a part of human life. It
has become a daily need of human being. Among 24hours people spent their precious time
with social media. The consumer can read or know about every place of the world. Lots of
reviews and comments are there helps to understand what is good or not. People can express
their opinion, experience about various places as reviewing. Through social media, they can
book their ticket and also arrange their hotels. People can contact with the different travel
agency; fixed transportation type very easily. People can research about the places where they
intended to go. Even they gather knowledge about the known places through the internet.
Social media can disturb the consumer’s travel choice. The Internet and social media help to
gather knowledge about the consumer's destinations. The good and bad side of that particular
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place. Various types of social media are there such as Facebook. Google, twitter. Instagram
etc. lots of websites are there providing advisor online for better advising.
Personal budget: personal budget another aspect that has an impact on the customer
decision. For many people budget is not a big fact. There are People fond of a tour they have
no headache about the economic condition or the budget. These types of travellers search
multiple places online and help of online surfing. Through online booking, cost effective
plans they save money. They are using offers, deals another option to save the money for
travels. Because of these facilities travellers no longer depend on the regular price and they
can simply make their choices according to the price.
P1.4 analysis the principles of market segmentation and its uses in market planning at
Thomas Cook:
Market segmentation creates lots of question in mind (Roida, 2014), when it come to the
company such as Thomas Cook or business aspect. There are two types of the segment in the
market of Thomas Cook. These are prior method and post hoc method. There are few
components such as general attitudes of people in the direction of the environment,
demographics, geographic and the last one socioeconomic components. Few factors of
market segmentation in market planning of Thomas Cook-
Accessibility: It's a crucial factor of market segmentation. In the case of Tours and Travel
Company like Thomas cook, they are unable to attract the people who are in the distant
corner. Most of the customers are attracted because of the nearby location or for the
popularity of the Thomas Cook.
Identifiable feature: it's another important requirement of segmentation (Weinstein, 2000).
It is the ability to identify the customers need. There are lots of customer of same taste or
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choices. Thomas Cook identified all these needs of common customers that help to run the
company successfully.
Substantial feature: this type of segments are vital features of the important company.
Market segments mainly grounded on the strong needs of the people. This factor plays an
important role in the marketing of Thomas Cook group.
Affordability: essential features of the market segmentation. It’s used in the market planning
of Thomas Cook group. Affordability is the ability of the customer’s paying(Bogdanovica et
al., 2011). Is also helps to improve the valuing that play as modest benefits for the Thomas
Cook group.
TASK 2
LO 2. Understand the role of marketing as a management tool in travel and tourism
P2.1- Analyse the importance of strategic marketing planning for a selected travel and
tourism business (Thomas Cook) or tourist destination (either Morocco/ Egypt).
The benefits of strategic business planning are directly interlinked to the success and
development of that particular business. There are many advantages of the strategic
marketing technique. The well-being of the strategic marketing techniques are-
1. Strategic business planning helps to eliminate all the wastage and unproductive
activities. These types of events are in no use as those are the wastage of money and
time. Instead, these strategic techniques help to focus on the main and more
significant features.
2. The strategic marketing techniques of Thomas Cook contributes to identify the track
for the particular trade like tours and travels and find the path to reach that record.
3. The economic condition is struggling nowadays in every country and that financial
situation is not in a stable state. So, the various organisations are trying to spend more
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effort and money to form a proper marketing technique, and this plan can create a
huge difference in the performance of a team(Davis and Reilly, 2010).
4. A strategic business planning helps for having a profound understanding and
knowledge of the target mark what they attempt to achieve in their business. The
strategic plan also contributes to make out their client's mentality as the company can
serve their customers better. The perfect long-term assessment making lies in these
complete information which acts such a bold foundation in the tour and travels
organisation.
5. The strategic technique helps in forming a robust and planned framework. This
structure acts as a dictionary for various activities such as preparing the budget for the
company, effective client service and permanent course of activities.
P2.2- Discuss the relevance of marketing research and market information to managers in the
travel and tourism sector concerning Thomas Cook Group.
The important tool is marketing research which helps to make out the preference and taste of
the customers. Through the marketing research tool, the company understands where their
clients may want to go and with the help of this understanding they can set their plans and
trips for their customers (Gurit's target market sales up, 2009). The information of
marketplace condition acts as a guide for the organisations like Thomas Cook in tours and
travels sector. The important thing is to understand the requirements and needs of the
customers which help the organisations to prepare their offerings to their clients
accordingly(Francois and Wooton, 2010). The relevant discussions on the marketing research
are-
1. The tour and travels company should understand the meaning and relevance of the
research if the business needs some research to satisfy their clients. If any
information is assembled for a particular place without any motive or purpose,
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then the research will be valueless after the certain time as the value of that
research is less important and limited. So, that kind of the investigation can hinder
the development of the organisation.
2. The vast information about Morocco and Egypt can be collected from the market
via the internet or anything else and the tour and travels companies like Thomas
Cook should actually use the information for making the plan of Summer Holiday
trip 2018.
3. Marketing research must be an activity of planning that leads to attaining a
particular decision and helps to devise the plan of marketing strategy.
4. All the data gathered from the study of those places should be analysed,
compared, interpreted and after that a proper decision should be collected from it.
5. Marketing research is a serious work which helps as a guideline to collect data for
different issues from various sectors. Before setting any package of the Morocco
and Egypt, the research contributes to understand about the market condition and
plan on the investment and how to draw the attention of customers more.
6. Managers of Thomas Cook travel and tourism company expect to gather more
information, and then they analyse that info to use positively in the competition of
the market.
7. Marketing research is undoubtedly one of the most crucial factors for any business
as it helps to determine the upcoming actions of the company. It just does not
contribute to decide a proper plan, but it benefits to gain the advantages in the
competition for their competitors (Francois and Wooton, 2010).
8. The marketing research helps to test the different types of ideas and to understand
the competitors in the marketplace, and that is also helpful for decision making for
the future.
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Marketing in travel and tourism
9. An elegant research is crucial most of the time as it helps to make out the
marketing strategy in a perfect way.
10. There is no importance of elaborate and big research, any research has the same
importance. Sometimes a quick and small research helps the staffs of the company
efficiently in a certain way.
P2.3- Assess the influence of marketing on society.
Marketing and community are deeply interlinked with each other, and they work in hand in
hand in the similar place. Marketing could not achieve any location outside of the society.
General people can imagine their society devoid of marketing but marketing cannot exist
beyond the society. Marketing is a management process that takes place in the trade and
identifying, forecasting, searching the process are involved in the commercialization planning
through which the company can satisfy their customer’s demand. Direct marketing,
advertising, public relations and sales promotion are the various tools of advertising
(Ortelbach, 2005). Thomas Cook Travel and Tour Company uses these instruments to
achieve the success within existing in the society. The marketing technique is a policy by
which a company can connect with the customers and their products and remove the gap
between them that is claimed by many critics and authors. Advertising and promotion are the
most debatable and utilised conceptions of marketing that attempts to make the influence on
the demand. It has been an integral portion of the life of people as the people cannot imagine
their life devoid of watching and reading the advertisements. An assistant marketing manager
notices that the people of the society are getting attracted by these regular advertisements but
these advertisements leave an impact on the community especially on the mind of children.
Some vulnerable groups of thought can argue that the marketing strategies and attempts of an
enterprise make the society, but other teams realise that the marketing sorts more materialistic
society (Sorokin, 2012). Though it is significant but creates complexity to make a proper
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balance between these two ideas. The business atmosphere needs that every phase should be
tracked and maintained ethically and the businessman should make attention to the morally
correct function.
TASK 3
LO 3. To understand the role of the marketing mix in the travel and tourism sector
P3.1- Discuss issues in the product, price and place elements of the marketing mix
concerning Thomas Cook's Summer 2018 holidays to Morocco and Egypt.
One of the most significant aspects of a contractual business is marketing mix, and the
marketing elements are also important for any business. There are elements and issues of
marketing mix like:
1. Product: the most significant aspect is a product for any trade, by the product any
organisation earn progress and profit. When the company sells their product, the
selling product brings back money that keeps the industry forward. The company may
face some situations like reselling of goods or manufacturing the products, under both
these circumstances the enterprise should determine the features on that basis they can
attract the consumers (Kishore Kumar and Anand, 2013). Before introducing any
product in the market, the company should address certain issues immediately. The
various problems are- target market, an expectation of the customers, selling point and
competitive edge and these issues should be dealt with directly for determining the
future course of the business.
2. Place: Another significant thing is the place where the goods are manufactured and
offered for service to the customers. The goods of any company are made in a
particular location and that products can be sold at different places all over the world.
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The products are delivered at a single location. Then the products have been spread to
the various locations.
3. Price: One of the most crucial aspects of the business is the price on that basis the
goods are sold. Various companies have adopted different types of pricing strategies,
and that is significant to cover the value of the products.
4. Promotion: the successful selling of product means the products have been
communicated positively to the target market and customers. Development is
concerned with increasing the attentiveness of people.
P3.2- Assess the importance of service sector mix elements to the travel industry.
Another name for the marketing combination of the service area is extended marketing mix
and is crucial for service design. It effectively provides service to create any popular place in
tour and travels company. The service marketing mix consists of seven Ps when the product
marketing mix occupies 4 Ps in the comparison.
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P3.3 apply the concept of total tourism product to an individual tourism business such as
Thomas Cook:
A tourism product consists of all the aspect of travelling, destination places, affordability of
the customer’s pay, etc. it also consists of the arrangements of the transportation at multiple
destinations, making the plan to visit in various places of that city (Giannopoulos, 2002). In
the case of the individual tourism business covers the aspect of tours and travels such as
travelling, lodgings, etc. but Thomas Cook offers, food facilities, lodging, and transportation
to the customers or the travellers. Thomas cooks very much aware of the customer demands
and requirements. Thomas Cook served all the customer with gratefulness. Various facilities
are offered in the various destination. Customers can book tickets through online, not only
destination information also provided by the Thomas cook company (Stewart, 2002). With
such installations, Thomas Cook served all the clients.
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Task 4 be able to use the promotional mix in travel and tourism
P4.1 assess the integrated nature and role of the promotional mix
The promotional mix has some significant characteristic such as advertising, sales
promotions, personal selling, direct marketing, public relations, corporate image. These
matters are described below.
Advertising- Advertising is the way to invite people to be aware them about their products of
the organisation. The way of advertising are radio, TV, print ads, brochures, direct mail, etc.
by advertising, a Thomas and cook organisation presenting their products or services to the
customers. By this process, the consumers get to know about the organisation's products and
also the facilities of the particular organisation. It also needed for a Thomas and cooked
organisation because, after knowing about the products the people started buying the products
and also it can help them to understand the demands of the products.
Sales promotion- In an organisation, before producing the product, the company decided the
price quality and customer review. After that, they can advertise their product in the market.
Communicating process is needed to promote a product. But in this method, the period of
communication is very short. By this process, Thomas and cook organisation introduce their
new products with exclusive offers. It encourages the people to buy it.
Personal selling- Personal selling is a traditional method where creates a face to face
interaction between the sellers and consumers. By this process, the customers can understand
the offers of the products of the organisation. It is easy for the seller because they can explain
about their products to the customer clearly and also can reduce the customer's problems.
According to with these, sale meeting, sales presentation, and telemarketing are involve in
this process. Along with these, the employees have to provide goof service to their customers,
and it will help them to bring new consumers in the organisation.
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Marketing in travel and tourism
Direct marketing- In this process, the employees of the Thomas and cook organisation
communicate with their customers directly. According to with this, by this service or
products the consumers get affected. This can help a Thomas and cook organisation to
enlarge the business. Along with these, they used some advertising tools such as email,
promotional letters, messaging, outdoor advertising and social media, etc.
Public Relations- It is important for a Thomas and cooks organisation to keep the best
relationship with their customers. If the customers do not impress by the seller of the
organisation, then it will be very harmful for the organisation. They cannot reach their objects
or cannot increase their business. In this process, the organisation uses magazines and
newspaper to advertise their products of the organisation. By these advertising tools, the
consumers get to know about the products of Thomas and cook organisation. According to
with these, the organisation also advertise their products by television. Nowadays, everyone
uses television to know about everything. Therefore, it is easy for the particular organisation.
On the other side, face to face conversation is also included in this process. The employees of
Thomas and cook organisation introduce the people with their products or service.
Corporate image- People always want branded products or products with good quality.
Therefore, at first, an organisation have to set up its image in the market. It is also a way to
bring customers in the company. It also helps an organisation to enhance the business. If the
particular organisation can create its image, then customers buy their products without any
hesitation. According to with these, if the organisation failed to build up its image then
consumers would get confused to buy any products from the organisation. Maybe their
potential customers would go to their competitors to buy the same products. Then, Thomas
and cook organisation would miss the opportunity to gain competitive advantage.
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P4.2 plan and justify an integrated promotional campaign for Thomas and cook.
One of the most interesting promotional plan for the company will be the internet marketing
process. This promotional plan will include most of the people from the globe. The main
purpose of the promotional plan will be to deliver the understanding of the products and the
services that the company will provide to the customers in the near future. There are several
ways in which they can promote their products. The ways are like; SEO promotion, Social
Media Marketing, and google ads. These are the main tools to promote the service to the
people through the internet.
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