Innovate Magazine - Spring 2008 - (Page 22)

one-to-one marketing techniques HOSPITALITY programs, and the source of several recent Mahoney campaigns. The hospitality industry comprises hotels, tour companies, restaurants, cruise lines, convention facilities and other enterprises in lodging, recreation, and food and beverage. It’s a big industry. Spending by resident and international travelers in the United States averaged $1.6 billion per Panraven and day in 2004, or about $19,000 Rapid Solutions Group per second, according to the Travel produce memory Industry Association of America. It books for customers of premier tour operators, accounts for one out of every eight boosting customer U.S. non-farm jobs. Moreover, many hospitality ﬁrms compile detailed records on their customers’ itineraries, which are highly suitable for fueling personalized direct marketing campaigns. And it’s a motivated industry, continually marketing, always seeking an edge to capture the new and repeat bookings that are its lifeblood. Increasingly, direct marketing that delivers relevant messaging across multiple media provides that edge. Among those in addition to Mahoney who run successful industry programs are two full-service graphic communications companies with powerful variable-information printing capabilities, Miamibased Franklin Communications and Rapid Solutions Group, Melville, New York. Here’s a look at what these leaders are doing in the travel and hospitality space. Building Loyalty, Satisfaction In 2006, Rapid Solutions Group made one of its periodic strategic assessments and determined to focus new business efforts in two vertical markets outside its sweet spots. The two new targets, hospitality and automotive, offer many high-volume variable-information printing opportunities. Hospitality had a special appeal, according to Julia Lombardo, Vice President of Marketing and Design, Rapid Solutions Group. Because recreational activities are highly personal choices, reaching out with personalized, relevant marketing is a natural ﬁt. “Most hospitality pieces are about what’s good for the consumer, regarding vacations and cruises,” she says. loyalty and generating word-of-mouth advertising as travelers share their books with family and friends. A WELCOME BOOST TO Latest one-to-one marketing techniques build customer loyalty and improve response rates to increase repeat and first-time bookings By Toni Schottenhammer D Innovate spring 08 BY T. SCHOTTENHAMMER irect marketing company, The Mahoney Company, Santa Clara, California, uses its Bloom marketing platform to run what it calls a “reply campaign” to solicit new business. Whenever a staff member receives a direct mail piece, the company replies with a direct mail piece that includes the prospect’s original piece and explains how the Bloom platform can help them dramatically increase their return on investment. “When we cast our marketing net in this way, hospitality companies were among the ﬁrst responders,” says company President John Mahoney. “They also were able to fund one-to-one multi-channel programs faster than everyone else, and they seem to want to learn more about their clientele than anyone else. It made me think there must be a play here.” Now, hospitality is one of four industries Mahoney targets for its cross-media, data-driven marketing 22

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Innovate Magazine - Spring 2008

Innovate - Spring 2008 Table of Contents 10 Tips for Successful Open Houses The TransPromo Path Escape the Complexity Putting a Price on Value A Welcome Boost to Hospitality Team Approach Earns Accolades Bound Together New Highs in Image Quality Transforming the Business of Processing Photos Predictive Maintenance Making the Right Choice Diving into Digital Book Production Doing More With Less Distributed Document Creation

Innovate Magazine - Spring 2008

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