This report analyzes different marketing channels and their contribution to communication objectives in the hospitality industry. It also presents an integrated marketing communications plan for Island Beach Resort.
Contribute Materials
Your contribution can guide someone’s learning journey. Share your
documents today.
UNIT 33- INTEGRATED HOSPITALITY MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Secure Best Marks with AI Grader
Need help grading? Try our AI Grader for instant feedback on your assignments.
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3 MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3 LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3 P1 Different Marketing channels and their contribution in the achievement of communication objectives....................................................................................................................................3 LO 4.................................................................................................................................................5 P5 Integrated marketing communications plan..........................................................................5 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7 REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
INTRODUCTION The termhospitality marketingbasically refers to the marketing strategies that are adopted by the firms that are operating in the hospitality industry i.e. the hotels, restaurants, tourist agencies etc. (Finne and Grönroos, 2017). In this report an analysis will be done on the different marketing channels that can be adopted in order to better integrate the communication objectives, and the integrated marketing communication plan will be prepared.Lastly an appropriate conclusion summarising all the key factors will be prepared. MAIN BODY LO 1 P1 Different Marketing channels and their contribution in the achievement of communication objectives The case study of the Island Beach resort clearly indicates that there are many marketing channels that they have been using in order to increase and develop the current promotional and marketing purpose within the hospitality industry in which they are operating. The different marketing channels that the resort is currently using can be interlinked with the contribution that they have in the achievement of the communication objectives that have been set up by the Island Beach Resort in following manner: Listing up on online websites: This kind of marketing channel is based on digital orientation and even if the Island Beach Resort’s presence on this platform is not very effective one, it is yet a major customer generator for the resort mainly from Florida as it was illustrated in the case study as well. Island Beach Resort’s marketers, using the internet facilities have advertised the services tha they are offering on certain online platforms on different websites where they have listed all the amenities and facilities that they provide and have also added some picturesque images of the resort. This was the manner in which Betty was able to identify and analyse the different services that Island Beach Resort had to offer after multiple searches (Patti and et.al., 2017). The costs incurred by the management of the resort is significantly much lower as they have not engaged in regular update and keeping track of the online listing and the marketers have presented all the services that the resort has to offer, the different amenities that are available, the manner in which the resort that is surrounded by water can be accessed etc. However, after adding up all this information, there has been no integration with the correct personnel who can regular give updates or can create an online presence for the resort. The Island Beach Resort has benefitted 3
however by the use of online websites where it has become easier to access them and has also allowed them to tap the potential by communicating and marketing to much larger market size and segments collectively. Direct Selling: This traditional manner of marketing basically helps in implementing the promotional activities to a limited number of audience that can be easily accessed and that too from a fixed retail location. Island Beach Resort is using the direct selling technique where they are communicating directly and personally with their existing and potential customers. This is the key factor that is helping the marketing department of the Island Beach Resort assisting them in increasing the promotional activities and also promotes and advertise the variety of services that are being offered by the resort (Blakeman, 2018). The direct selling approach helps them in illustrating the variety of recreational and entertainment activities that are being carried out in the resort, the different types of accommodations and the additional services that are available etc. to the customers and this has ultimately helped them in generating good sales and revenue in the previous years generating satisfied customers. They have been able to easily market their different products or services and the adoption of the individual approach has also helped the resort. For instance engaging in one to one demonstrations, indicating the personal touch and services that are added on, the comfort and luxury etc. all enhance the overall achievement of the communication objectives that have been developed by the resort. Therefore the adoption of the direct selling approach is one of the critical aspects in the marketing channels that are being used by Island Beach Resort. Using Banners and other contextual Advertisements: The Island Beach Resort has also utilised the benefits of the internet by engaging in yet another digital marketing channel where the differentbannersandothercontextualtopicsareselectedasthebasefordeveloping advertisements. This marketing channel helps in increasing the competition and awareness regarding the different and variety of services that are being given at the resort and thus they are able to address the individual demands of the people who have been targeted through such advertisements (Hyun and Perdue, 2017). The contextualised ads help in depicting before the customers that how the different amenities and services that are available to the customers can be used by the different age group to which the customer belongs. Although the overall usage of the company in the form of digital channels is weaker but however this technique helped the viewers in easily identifying those services that are most justifiable to them. For instance the lack of any 4
Paraphrase This Document
Need a fresh take? Get an instant paraphrase of this document with our AI Paraphraser
hassle and away from all the glitz and glamour was the main requirement for Betty and William and the different advertisements out up by Island Beach Resort were the reason that they finalised this resort where they identified that the island has everything that the couple was looking forward to in their short recreational vacation (Bansal and Rai, 2020). Therefore, the banners and the contextual advertisements were the reason that they are able to create a certain level of online presence and this has helped them in obtaining better deals. Hence the different marketing channels that are currently in use for the Island Beach Resort have been illustrated above and the overall communication objectives are also influenced by such marketing techniques. LO 4 P5 Integrated marketing communications plan The development of an integrated marketing communications plan helps in the achievement of both marketing and communication objectives together collectively for any organisation where the integration and coordination between the promotional activities and the communication strategies, the communication channels being used and the marketing content etc. is very strong and clear (Kandampully, Zhang and Jaakkola, 2018). Fir Island Beach Resort as well, the communication strategies etc. that are in use are well integrated with their marketing objectives and different aspects of the overall communication plan can be observed in following manner: Communication Strategies: The communication strategies that Island Beach Resort has been using are extremely effective in nature where the success rate has been comparatively higher. Since the resort has been using direct selling as one strategy, the integration of communication strategies such as peddling, conducting one to one demonstrations etc. so that communication with client can become more clear and precise. Additionally, online mediums of marketing and communication such as Project Management System etc. are also being implemented that helps in the developing correct content for the websites and thus increase the creativity aspect in the communication taking place. The customers have been given the option to visit the site or send anyvacationrelatedqueryonthehomepageofthewebsitethatfurtherfostersthe communication (Schultz, Block and Viswanathan, 2018). The use of contextual advertisements and banners etc. have also increased the communication as the clear conception of the services and facilities that can beavailed here has increased the potential tourists for the resorts. The major work that the management of the resorts needs to do lies in the improvement of the online 5
and digital presence where strategies like search engine optimisation i.e. SEO etc. must be adopted in order to generate more customers because majority of the customers today use these search engines which guide them regarding the different places, their services, reviews etc. Hence it is necessary for Island Beach Resort to further develop their communication strategies in the online platform. Communication Channel selection: Normally the Island Beach Resort has been using the traditional channels only for both the marketing as well as the communication purposes but now the times are changing and the company needs to select those channels that are less costlier and have a wider access to the audience that they want to target using the widely available and easily acceptable digital means. From using the traditional methods such as direct selling etc. the resort should invest in the integration and updating according to the latest technological advancement and development (Yoo and Gretzel, 2016). The SME’s can especially take benefit of the online platforms, social media etc, for their products and services as these channels can overall increase the number of customers that becomes in interested in the services that are being offered. And Island Beach Resort can be dream place for the millennials today where they all are seeking quiet places that are not very glamorous but are well equipped with all the necessary amenities and is closer to nature. Further the planning of the marketing campaigns that are to be used, the communicating messages etc., needs to be in a planned manner so that only relevant information can becommunicatedand thiswillultimatelyimprovethe profitabilityof thecompany immensely. Therefore the diversity if the communication channel being used and yet their proper coordination and integration are some of the key aspects that can be used in the improvement and better integration of the communication channels being used. Creative Content: The use of the creative content while communicating is an necessary aspect of the overall communication process. There is usually a large amount of information that might be deemed as important or necessary to post but the marketing manager of the Island Beach Resort must clearly segregate the information that is to be provided and rather than blatant statement of such information there should be use creative graphics, external references, puns etc. so that the reader can remember it for a longer time (Bruhn and Schnebelen, 2017). The key to differentiate oneself on the online media is to differentiate the brand so that the user can remember it for a longer time. It also needs to be kept in mind that the content is being displayed globally for anyone who wants to visit the resort so the manner in which the ideas are portrayed in the online 6
media must be deliberately evaluated before actually implementing them ensuring that they are not offending to any religion or any cultural belief (Damnjanovic, FILIPOVIĆ and JANICIC, 2016). Overall the content that is being used in order to market the services of the Island Beach Resort whether it is online or it is offline must be properly aligned and integrated with the goals of the and objectives of resort so that both creativity and objectives can go hand in hand and the profitability of the resort can be improved. Therefore the aspect of developing creative content needs to be worked upon and improved very much. Therefore collectively the communication strategies, channels and the creative content in use all were analysed and it can be adequately said that the overall position of the Island Beach Resort currently needs much more improvement and hence it is necessary to work more on all the three aspects (Ots and Nyilasy, 2017). This will ultimately lead to better and improved communication mechanisms for the Island Beach Resort thus helping them in increasing their accessibility more efficiently. CONCLUSION The research conducted in the report above help in concluding that the overall importance of the marketing communication in the hospitality industry is very immense. The report also concluded that the Island Beach Resort is very far backwards in the terms of the communication channels that are being adopted by them and the need to become more digitally equipped is imminent. 7
Secure Best Marks with AI Grader
Need help grading? Try our AI Grader for instant feedback on your assignments.
REFERENCES Books and Journals Bansal, K. and Rai, S., 2020. Block-4 Integrated marketing communication. Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. Blakeman, R., 2018.Integrated marketing communication: creative strategy from idea to implementation. Rowman & Littlefield Bruhn, M. and Schnebelen, S., 2017. Integrated marketing communication–from an instrumental to a customer-centric perspective.European Journal of Marketing. Damnjanovic, V., FILIPOVIĆ, V. and JANICIC, R., 2016. The planning process of integrated marketing communication.International Scientific Days. Finne,Å.andGrönroos,C.,2017.Communication-in-use:customer-integratedmarketing communication.European Journal of Marketing. Hyun, S. S. and Perdue, R. R., 2017. Understanding the dimensions of customer relationships in the hotel and restaurant industries.International Journal of Hospitality Management,64. pp.73-84. Kandampully, J., Zhang, T. C. and Jaakkola, E., 2018. Customer experience management in hospitality.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Ots, M. and Nyilasy, G., 2017. Just doing it: theorising integrated marketing communications (IMC) practices.European Journal of Marketing. Patti, C.H. and et.al., 2017. Improving integrated marketing communications practices: A comparison of objectives and results.Journal of marketing communications.23(4). pp.351-370. Schultz, D. E., Block, M. P. and Viswanathan, V., 2018. Consumer-driven media planning and buying.Journal of Marketing Communications,24(8). pp.761-778. Yoo, K. H. and Gretzel, U., 2016. The role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in marketing tourism experiences.The handbook of managing and marketing tourism experiences, pp.409-42. 8