Island Beach Resort: Integrated Marketing Communications Plan

This report provides an analysis of integrated marketing communications within the hospitality industry, focusing on the Island Beach Resort. It assesses various marketing channels such as online listings, direct selling, and contextual advertising, evaluating their contribution to achieving communication objectives. The report also develops an integrated marketing communications plan, emphasizing communication strategies, channel selection, and creative content. It concludes that while Island Beach Resort utilizes effective communication strategies, improvements are needed in online presence, digital channel integration, and creative content development to enhance overall marketing effectiveness and accessibility. The need for the resort to become more digitally equipped is imminent for future success and profitability.

UNIT 33- INTEGRATED
HOSPITALITY
MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS

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 term hospitality marketing basically 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
different banners and other contextual topics are selected as the base for developing
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

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
any vacation related query on the homepage of the website that further fosters the
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 be availed 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 be communicated and this will ultimately improve the profitability of the company
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

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. and Grönroos, C., 2017. Communication-in-use: customer-integrated marketing
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

9