Marketing Review — Fall 2008 - (Page 12)

›› SUCCESS STORIES “Nature’s Wonders” in Florida; “Fertile Turtle” on Marco Island; A Renovation Builds Business; Myomelet.com Creates a Niche Web Community; Vacation Photo Contest Makes a Splash; Maine’s “Close to Home” Campaign Pays Off “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, and telephone number, so that you can be reached if necessary. [ H A RV E Y C H I P K I N ] t a time when the economic cycle has spiraled downward, it would be natural to assume that many marketers would turn to rate-driven deals to maintain business levels. However, as the following examples show, many travel companies have moved beyond rate to more targeted campaigns, to tweaking already successful initiatives, and to using technology to maintain momentum—while doing their best not to make rate the centerpiece of promotion. A The following two resorts both decided to focus on their natural gifts to enhance their images—one geared toward familyoriented activities and the other toward a more romantic appeal aimed at couples. THE COMPANY: The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Florida THE SITUATION: The resort recognized that experiential family travel was gaining a foothold, especially in the luxury travel segment, as more parents were opting to 12 bring their children on vacation and were choosing destinations that offered tailored activities aimed at the entire family. THE SOLUTION: With no advertising budget and limited marketing resources, the hotel worked with its public relations firm, Laura Davidson Public Relations, to launch Nature’s Wonders and create awareness for a collection of eco-friendly activities. A package that included a stuffed toy sea turtle, Nature’s Wonders sand globe, binoculars, and the books, “I’ll Follow the Moon” (about sea turtle migration) and “Florida’s Unsung Wilderness” was sent to targeted family media to create buzz around the launch. With the interest from the delivery, the agency arranged media visits that highlighted the program. Writers from Family Travel Forum, Travel Planet, Visit Florida, and New York Daily News were among those participating. In addition, a “Discover Nature’s Wonder” package was developed for the resort’s summer need period. It included passes to the Nature’s Wonder program, a private Eco-Sail through the mangroves with a naturalist, tickets to The Naples Zoo, tickets to The Conservancy of Southwest Florida, nightly turndown and daily breakfast. To further promote the program, the resort developed new photography and b-roll and added them to their Web site. THE RESULTS: Nature’s Wonders was covered in print outlets, including The New York Times: T Magazine; The Bergen Record in New Jersey, New York Family, Big Apple Parent and Naples Illustrated, among others. Placements were also secured in key online consumer outlets such as Family TravelForum.com, WeJustGotBack.com and FamilyTravel Planet.com; and travel trades including ModernAgent.com and Vacation Agent. The public relations initiatives yielded over $55,000 in revenue for the resort to date and a total PR value (advertising value multiplied by three) of $176,000 for the media coverage, solidifying the resort’s image as a family travel destination. HSMAI MARKETING REVIEW • FALL 2008 http://www.Myomelet.com http://www.FamilyTravelForum.com http://www.WeJustGotBack.com http://www.FamilyTravelForum.com http://www.Planet.com http://www.ModernAgent.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marketing Review — Fall 2008

Marketing Review – Fall 2008 Contents The Online Marketer Success Stories Forecasting Trends Ian Schrager: The Revolutionary Man Leaving No Stone Unturned: The Quest for Ancillary Revenue Gaga Gadgets for Execs on the Go: Functional New Portable Technology to Make Life and Work on the Road More Hospitable Effectively Weathering the Ups and Downs of the Economic Cycle Experiments in Podcasting Higher Transportation Costs and a Slowing Economy Shift Hotel Room Demand

Marketing Review — Fall 2008

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