Evaluation of Marketing Communications for Mount Ephraim Resort

This report provides a detailed analysis of the integrated marketing communications plan implemented by Mount Ephraim Resort, a countryside establishment in the UK. The report begins with an introduction to integrated marketing communications (IMC) and its significance, followed by an evaluation of various marketing channels such as social media and email marketing. It assesses their contribution to achieving communication objectives, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each channel. The report then focuses on the integration of these channels to enhance consumer value and provides judgments on their effectiveness with examples. Task B outlines specific communication objectives for the resort, including increasing brand awareness, stimulating consumer revisits, and enhancing its brand image, along with the justification for selected marketing channels. The report evaluates the application of these objectives within the marketing communications mix and provides a critique of the plan's monitoring impact, concluding with a summary of the integrated marketing communications plan.

Integrated Hospitality
Marketing
Communications

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
TASK A...........................................................................................................................................1
Evaluation of various marketing channels and their contribution in attainment of
communication objectives......................................................................................................1
Integration of marketing channels of communication to add value.......................................3
Judgements about contribution of marketing channels in providing consumer additional value
and attaining communication objectives with suitable examples...........................................4
Communication Objectives for Mount Ephraim resort..........................................................5
Justification for selected communication channels................................................................5
Evaluation of application of communication objectives in relation to the marketing
communications mix..............................................................................................................6
Evaluation of Integrated marketing communication plan in context of communication strategy
channel choice and content.....................................................................................................6
Critique of monitoring impact of integrated marketing communications plan......................7
Integrated marketing communications Plan...........................................................................7
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
The concept of integrated marketing communications in the simplest terms is defined as the
process of integration of various promotional tools and channels so they function in coordinated
manner and provide the consumer a seamless experience across all communication channels. The
aim of integrated marketing communications programs is to ensure that every form of
communication and messaging are linked together (Blakeman, 2018). The present report is based
on the communication strategy used in small resorts located in countryside. The resort selected
for this report is the Mount Ephraim resort located in Faversham which is countryside region in
the UK The resort is surrounded by greenery and provides weeding venues in addition to the
accommodation services. The establishment offers daily housekeeping, weeding services and
luggage storage services to the consumers. The event management and accommodation
management team at the establishment work collaboratively to provide weeding parties and other
guests bets services. This report includes evaluation of marketing channels used by the
establishment and their role in attaining communication objectives. In addition to this,
communication objectives and integrated marketing communications plan are provided in this
report. The integrated marketing communications plan is evaluated in context of communication
strategy, channel choice and creative content.
MAIN BODY
TASK A
Evaluation of various marketing channels and their contribution in attainment of communication
objectives
Hospitality firms use range of marketing channels to interact with their consumers and
accomplish marketing objectives. The main reason behind this is to diversify marketing channels
for a large audience which is from various demographic, income and cultural backgrounds.
Diversification of marketing channels plays an important role in ensuring completion of
communication objectives (Bruhn and Schnebelen, 2017). The contribution of marketing
channels used by Mount Ephraim resort in attainment of communication objectives are provided
below:
Social media marketing: This marketing channel utilises various social media platforms
such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reedit and many others to interact with consumers and
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promote products or services offered by the company. The primary role of social media
marketing channels in communication strategy is to build relationship with consumers. In
context of Mount Ephraim resort, will be able to build ethical relationship with consumers
through direct communication with consumers. In addition to the business firms are able to attain
transparency by providing consumers information about business operations of the company
(Choong, and et. al., 2021). In relation of the respective establishment, sustainability which is
one of the biggest issues associated with hospitality firms can be promoted by providing
consumers information about sustainability practices adopted by the firm with the help of social
media platforms. Social media marketing helps the respective accommodation establishment
communicate CSR initiatives started at the Resort and answer queries related to various services
in a personalized manner.
The merits of usage of this marketing channel to attain communication objective is that it
enables the establishment to communicate directly with consumers in a creative manner. In
addition to this social media content such as user generated images enable the company to create
an organic and authentic conversation with the consumer. This not only enables the firm to share
information but also build relationship with consumer with the help of polished dialog which
lacks corporate rigidity.
Usage of social media marketing channel as the main communication channel have various
demerits which includes low return on marketing investment. Social media marketing channels
do not provide direct outcomes when it comes to enhancement of communication. The main
demerits which can affect communication objectives of Mount Ephraim resort negatively by
usage of social media marketing channel is that such platforms generate negativity. Single
negative post on social media platforms attracts large amount of bad publicity towards the firm
which increases the risk of undesirable communication for Mount Ephraim resort.
Email marketing: This marketing channel can be used by Hospitality firms such as Mount
Ephraim to communicate with consumers. This involves sending commercial emails to
consumers which are part of the email list of the firm and have agreed to receiving emails from
the establishment (Högberg, 2017). By using this email marketing channel for communication,
Mount Ephraim Resort is able to effectively communicate with large number of consumers in a
cost effective manner. In addition to this, the firm can ensure that each consumer are
communicated in personalised manner by sending them information on the basis of their
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purchasing history and travel interests. This can help the establishment effectively communicate
offers created for specific consumers and influence purchase intent which drive sales of the
company. This marketing channel attains communication objectives as it influences immediate
action from the consumer to reach particular site, subscribe or purchase directly.
The main merit of using email marketing as the primary channel for achieving
communication objective is that it is cost effective (Law, Leung and Chan, 2019). In addition to
this, investment in email marketing is profitable for Mount Ephraim Resort as it email
technology is fully updated and does not need regular purgation to gain effective results. The
establishment can use this marketing channel to communicate with potential clients such as
wedding couples, business travellers and others.
The main demerits of usage of email marketing channel to communicate with the
consumer is that most corporate emails are erased by the spam filter and never reach the
consumer. In addition to this email marketing communication through email limits creativity and
only enables the company to send formal messages (Leung, Bai and Erdem, 2017).
Social media marketing is the most suitable marketing channel for Mount Ephraim Resort
as it will help the establishment communicate with large amount of consumers creatively and
effectively.
Integration of marketing channels of communication to add value
Mount Ephraim Resort has integrated marketing channels for communication which
includes social media marketing channels, email marketing channel, physical marketing channels
such as print and radio marketing to optimise usage of resources and provide additional value of
the consumer.
The social media platforms used for communication are regularly updated with
availability of wedding venues, new services or changes in existing services to share updated
information to the consumer. This helps the company regularly communicate accurate
information to the consumer.
The email marketing channels used by the establishment are integrated within the overall
communication strategy of the firm. Offers, discounts, personal messages communicated with
the help of email are created on the basis of social media activities of the consumers to send them
more personalised information. This collaboration between various marketing channels helps the
company communicate messages which influence auction of the consumer.
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The integration of various marketing channels used for communication helps Mount
Ephraim Resort provide additional value to the consumer by understanding consumer interests
and increasing more personalised consumer interaction at every point of the consumer journey.
The respective establishment is able to create seamless communication experience through
integration of marketing communication channels. This provides the firm with valuable
consumer data which is used to create personalised messages for each consumer. This not only
helps the respective establishment attract consumers by giving those offers according to their
needs and interests but also creates a trust between the consumer and the Resort that this firm
will provide the most effective accommodation. This helps the company build a loyal consumer
base by providing additional value to the consumers and using every resource for communication
in the most optimal way.
Judgements about contribution of marketing channels in providing consumer additional value
and attaining communication objectives with suitable examples
Marketing channels are not only the means to promote products and services of the
company but are also used by business firms to provide additional value to the company. Apart
from this communication goals of a company are also attained with the help of effective
marketing channels (Liu and Sun, 2020). Mount Ephraim Resort is a prime example of business
firm utilising marketing channels to create value and attain communication goals.
The company uses social media marketing channels to create additional value for the
consumers. This is completed by increasing personalised communication with consumers,
sharing information to increase transparency on topics such as sustainability, engage large
number of consumers in organic conversations through creative social media posts and regularly
updating social media platforms with information on various services provided by the firm such
as wedding services to keep consumers aware about changes in the establishment. The
communication goals of keeping the consumers informed and brand switching are accomplished
through creative use of social media.
The email marketing channel is used by Mount Ephraim Resort to communicate offers
with consumers which are part of their email list. This channel helps the firm create value by
giving consumers offers in the view of their interests, income level and needs. The emails sent by
the Mount Ephraim Resort initiate action from the consumer as it involves links to purchasing
product. This enables the firm to attain communication goal of influencing purchase intent.
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In addition this organisation of various marketing channels to communicate seamlessly
with the consumers enables the company to collect consumer data about each consumer. This
data is used by the company to provide personalized services to the consumers and ensure high
satisfaction. Mount Ephraim Resort is able to utilise each marketing channel individually to
provide additional value to the consumer and integration of marketing channel enables the
respective firm to provide high consumer satisfaction to consumers at every stage of their
journey.
TASK B
Communication Objectives for Mount Ephraim resort
 To increase brand awareness with foreign travellers from developed Asian countries
The marketing channels selected for this objective are social media marketing and SEO.
 To stimulate consumer revisits.
The marketing channels selected for this objective are email marketing and Chatbots
 To enhance brand image as symbol of British heritage.
The marketing channel selected for this objective is content marketing.
Justification for selected communication channels
The communication channel selected for increasing brand awareness in Asian countries are
social media marketing and SEO (Martin, Javalgi and Ciravegna, 2020). The justification for the
use of social media marketing channel is that this channel enables Mount Ephraim resort to
effectively communicate brand, facilities and amenities of the Resort at low cost. As most
consumers learn about travelling locations usage of influencer marketing from Asian countries to
promote the Resort will help the company attain this Objective. In addition to this SEO will help
the firm ensure that consumers in Asian countries reach website of the Resort upon searching
keywords such as British countryside, British weeding venues, British countryside resort.
Justification for selection of email marketing for increasing consumer revisits is that with
the help of this marketing channel, the respective establishment will be able to communicate
offers personalised for each consumer to increase consumer revisit. In addition to this, catboats
will continuously communicate with consumers to solve queries and gain consumer data Sydney-
(Hilton and Vila-Lopez, 2019).
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. The consumer data can be used to provide services which exceed consumer expectations.
This along with consumers gaining quick answers of their queries will increase consumer
satisfaction and revisits.
The justification of using content marketing on social media platforms and company
website to build British brand image is that these channels provide the first view of the firm to
the consumers.
Evaluation of application of communication objectives in relation to the marketing
communications mix
Usage of communication objective in context of marketing communication mix of Mount
Ephraim resort:
 Advertising: This part of the communication mix assists in attainment of communication
objectives by increasing brand awareness to foreign consumers, enhancing British brand
image and promoting offers to existing consumers.
 Personal Selling: This part of the communication mix assists in attainment of
communication objective of Mount Ephraim resort by selling personalized offers to
existing and foreign consumers to increase sales.
 Sales Promotion: This element of the marketing mix will assist in promotion of offers to
existing and foreign consumers to according to their needs and preferences ensure
increased consumer retention and brand awareness.
 Direct selling: This element will help Mount Ephraim resort directly communicate
particular brand image and inform them about various facilities and offers with the help
of email marketing and social media marketing.
Public Relations: This element will help the respective establishment turn brand and
information into stories which connect consumers (Porcu and et. al., 2019). This will help the
firm attract foreign consumers, retain existing consumers and build narrative of the firm
associated with British heritage.
Evaluation of Integrated marketing communication plan in context of communication strategy
channel choice and content
The integrated marketing communication plan devised for Mount Ephraim resort is
effective in terms of communication strategy. This is because email marketing and social media
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marketing are some of the most cost effective channels to attain communication objective. SEO
also plays an important role in communicating brand awareness.
The marketing channel of social media platforms, email marketing, SEO, content
marketing are effective marketing channel selected for accomplishing communication objectives
because they do not require investment and provide effective results (Sheng, 2019). The creative
content focusing on British heritage is effective in accomplishing various communication
objectives as it helps the company attract foreign visitors which seek to participate in British
culture. The discount offers which are content of email marketing is effective in retaining
consumers while the emphasis on personalization is helpful in providing additional value to the
consumer.
Critique of monitoring impact of integrated marketing communications plan
The monitoring KPI used to track various IMCP components are effective in tracking
various activities. Content marketing is the only marketing option which cannot be monitored
effectively.
The IMCP is effective in attaining various objective as to covers various consideration and
helps the company communicate effectively with low cost.
Integrated marketing communications Plan
SMART objectives
Objective Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time
Bound
To increase
brand
awareness
with foreign
travellers
from
developed
Asian
countries
This objective is
specific as it aims
to communicate
brand offers with
high income
consumers in
developed Asian
countries such as
Singapore and
Japan with the
help of SEO and
This objective
can be
measured by
increase in
consumers
from
economically
developed
Asian regions
This objective
can be archived
by creative use of
various
marketing
channels such as
social media
platforms and
SEO.
This
objective is
realistic as
consumers
from
economically
developed
Asian
countries
tend to travel
to European
6
months
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Social media
marketing.
countryside.
To stimulate
consumer
revisits
This objective is
specific as it aims
to ensure
consumer revisit
during every
holiday season.
This objective
can be easily
measured by
identification
of consumer
revisits.
This objective
can be attained
with the help of
email marketing
and chatbots.
This
objective is
realistic as
email
marketing
and chatbots
can be used
to influence
existing
consumers
make
revisits.
1 year
To enhance
brand image
as symbol of
British
heritage.
This task is
specific as it aims
to enhance brand
with the focus on
creating image
associated with
British heritage.
This objective
is easily
measured by
determining
brand recall
capability of
the
establishment
in relation to
British
heritage.
This objective is
attainable as it
can be attained
by building
image of British
heritage during
communicating
with consumers.
This is
realistic
objective as
the goal is to
enhance
brand image.
3
months
Background Research: Mount Ephraim Resort is UK based accommodation firm which is
located in Faversham and provides Wedding services, daily housekeeping services, parking and
transportation services to their consumers. It is important for the firm to utilise existing
communication capabilities such as email marketing and social media marketing and develop
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SEO marketing along with up gradation of communication technology to ensure that
communication objectives are accomplished (Stay with us, 2021).
IMC components:
Social media marketing: The firm needs to use their social media accounts on Facebook
and increase presence on other social media platforms in different languages to reach foreign
audiences in Asia. In addition to this the firm needs to collaborate with local travel influencers to
communicate facilities of their firm to the consumers.
SEO: Mount Ephraim Resort is UK needs to utilise search engine marketing in order to
increase brand awareness in foreign regions.
Email marketing: This plan includes usage of email marketing to communicate with
existing consumers and inform them about offers to influence their decision about revising the
firm.
Chatbots: This technology will help Mount Ephraim Resort is UK maintain continuous
communication with existing and potential consumers to attract and retain consumers.
Content Marketing: Development of content marketing ability will help the firm
communicate narratives which highlight strength and create Brand image of the fir. This involves
usage of digital medium such as social media platforms and website to create a seamless brand
story of British heritage.
Budget:
The budget of this ICM plan is not financially taxing as the main investment is in building digital
presence for foreign consumers, hiring content writers to create brand story and collaborating
with influencers. The total budget for this plan is 4 million GBP.
Timing: The time required for this plan is of 1 year.
Tactics: The main tactic followed in this plan is on local partnership by collaborating with travel
influencers, creating global market plan for foreign consumers but communicating local brand
image of British heritage. In addition to this high emphasis on personalized communication is a
tactic of this plan.
Implementation and monitoring: The plan will be implemented with the help of digital
marketing team which overlooks social media communication, content marketing, email
communication and SEO. The plan will be monitored through relevant digital marketing KPI.
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Measurement: To measure effectiveness of global social media pages on attracting foreign
consumers is to identify online bookings from international regions. To measure effectiveness of
SEO Google analytics is used. Increase in acceptance of discount offers through email is the
main factor used to measure effectiveness of email marketing in retaining consumers. Content
marketing measurement is completed with number of shares and lead generated on every post.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report it is determined that marketing channels can be used by business
firms in the Hospitality sector to attain their communication objectives. Integrated marketing
communication involves the integration of various promotional tools to attain communication
objectives and provide additional value to the consumers. This involves creation of an integrated
marketing communication plan which includes information about tactics used, marketing content
generated, selection of appropriate marketing channels, implementation, monitoring and
measurement techniques.
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REFRENCES
Books and journals
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
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Choong, and et. al., 2021. Reaching subculture markets: The cryptic marketing
approach. Journal of Marketing Communications, 27(2). pp.160-175.
Högberg, K., 2017. Challenges of social media marketing-an explorative international study of
hotels. International Journal of Technology Marketing, 12(2). pp.127-141.
Law, R., Leung, D. and Chan, I. C. C., 2019. Progression and development of information and
communication technology research in hospitality and tourism. International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Leung, X. Y., Bai, B. and Erdem, M., 2017. Hotel social media marketing: a study on message
strategy and its effectiveness. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology.
Liu, P. and Sun, J., 2020. Marketing Strategy of Marine Resort: An Exploratory Study. Journal
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Martin, S. L., Javalgi, R .R. G. and Ciravegna, L., 2020. Marketing capabilities and international
new venture performance: The mediation role of marketing communication and the
moderation effect of technological turbulence. Journal of Business Research, 107. pp.25-37.
Porcu and et. al., 2019. Analyzing the influence of firm-wide integrated marketing
communication on market performance in the hospitality industry. International Journal of
Hospitality Management, 80. pp.13-24.
Sheng, J., 2019. Being active in online communications: firm responsiveness and customer
engagement behaviour. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 46. pp.40-51.
Sydney-Hilton, E. and Vila-Lopez, N., 2019. Are marketing strategies correlated with financial
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Online
Stay with us, 2021. [Online] Available through <https://www.mountephraimgardens.co.uk/>
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