Marketing Review - Spring 2008 - (Page 14)

›› SUCCESS STORIES Taking the celebrity route: How the presidential candidates might have saved on hotel stays; naming a hotel to appeal to a market segment; “Stay Comfortable” at a comfort-based chain; “Glamping” in Montana; and “Minimooning” in St. Thomas. “Success Stories” will give you insights and ideas that you may be able to apply to your own problems and prospects. The column is intended to serve as an ideaexchange and to inspire creativity in real-life situations, so you’re encouraged to share your “best practices” with other readers by e-mailing your success stories to me at hchipkin@comcast.net. Be sure to include your name, title, organization, [ H A RV E Y C H I P K I N ] and telephone number, so that you can be reached if necessary. t their core, brands are a name—a name that stands for something and that promises to deliver on a promise. The following success stories approach the importance of “naming” in a variety of ways but all have in common the importance of marketing a name, phrase, or concept that means something and that generates a positive response among consumers A In today’s celebrity-obsessed culture, “name” frequently is shorthand for “a famous name.” While the concept of celebrity endorsements is tried and true, it has not often been associated with a company that sells vacations. Here is an example of how one travel seller took the celebrity route. THE COMPANY: Travelers Advantage, a travel club that offers members discounts on travel. THE SITUATION: Travelers Advantage wanted to position itself as an authority in travel by forming a partnership with an appropriate spokesperson. THE SOLUTION: Last summer, the compa14 ny signed Mariel Hemingway, the actress and writer (she has written books about health), to be its spokesperson. “She was a perfect fit,” says spokesman Todd Smith; “aside from being a popular movie star and writer, she is a well-versed traveler and health expert. She can speak to a number of issues and trends and that makes it a win-win situation for us.” Hemingway writes a monthly column for the Travelers Advantage magazine and a press release is distributed with copy from the column, as well as additional information. Hemingway is also available as a spokesperson for media interviews. “People are always interested in where famous people like to go,” says Smith. Hemingway has done columns on fall foliage, holiday travel, and skiing. THE RESULTS: The “ultimate bottom line,” says Smith, “is membership and we have seen a marked increase in that.” The most recent press release reached an audience of over five million with an ad value of over $300,000, and there was pickup in outlets like the Houston Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Yahoo and Forbes.com. And there is one major bonus. Hemingway is producing a film based on “A Movable Feast,” her grandfather’s memoir of his time in Paris, adding another travel element. A hotel company latched onto a whole roster of famous names—presidential candidates—to make the most of a closely followed election. THE COMPANY: Holiday Inn Express, a large chain of moderately priced hotels. THE SITUATION: Marketers believed they might be able to tap into the interest of the presidential election campaign—and do it online. THE SOLUTION: Building on its “Stay Smart” credo—which emphasizes why it’s a good value to stay with Holiday Inn Express, the company launched a Web site that employs a Smart Meter to show how much money every presidential candidate would have saved if he or she had stayed at HIE while campaigning rather than the hotels at which they did stay. Using publicly available information on candidate travel expenses, the company found, for example, that Hillary Clinton would have saved $136,105 if she’d stayed with HIE in 2007; and John HSMAI MARKETING REVIEW • SPRING 2008 http://Forbes.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marketing Review - Spring 2008

HSMAI Marketing Review - Spring 2008 Contents COLUMN: The Online Marketer COLUMN: Success Stories COLUMN: Guest Column Ten Trends Now Shaping the Future of Hospitality Turning the 2008 Consumer Tax Rebates into Hospitality and Travel Sales 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality and Travel Sales and Marketing The Lure of Lore: Connecting with Customers Through a Unique Brand Story A Careful Balancing Act A Meaningful Relationship: How Technology Affects the Connection Between Hospitality Marketers and Meeting Planners SPECIAL SECTION: The 2007 HSMAI Adrian Awards Building Five Star Imagery

Marketing Review - Spring 2008

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