$5 Billion Divided by 9

According to HSMAI the calendar year 2009 will see travel advertising expenditures in excess of $5 billion. How well spent is your share of those billions? How do you even judge how well spent your critical advertising dollars are? Are you maximizing consumer insight to help achieve max ROI, max occupancy and max ADR?

Tired of all these questions? Me too. Here are some answers by the numbers – “The Nine Stages of Consumer Vacation Planning”* to get back to our headline equation – and to help you tap into your best prospects at just the right moment(s).

1. The Trigger – Consumer Response: “I need an escape.” Your Objective: Ignite the need for a vacation.
2. Destination Decision – Consumer Response: “Where should I go?” Your Objective: Get into the consideration set.
3. Logistical Decisions – Consumer Response: “Which hotel fits me and gives me what I desire?” Your Objective: Stop them from continuing to shop and get them to book.
4. Booking – Consumer Response: “I’ve made up my mind.” Your Objective: Begin one-to-one relationship and introduce add-ons.
5. Activity Planning – Consumer Response: “What should I do while I’m there?” Your Objective: Make customers aware of add-on amenities
6. Travel – Consumer Response: “I hope I thought of everything.” Your Objective: Establish emotional connection and educate guests and non-guests
7. On-Site – Consumer Response: “I don’t want to miss a thing.” Your Objective: Maximize on-site revenue.
8. Afterglow – Consumer Response: “I need to tell my friends.” Your Objective: Create an evangelist.
9. Recontact – Consumer Response: “I can’t wait to go back.” Your Objective: Create repeat business.

Okay, one through nine seem simple enough – and if you go through again and read only the “your objective” parts in order it’s practically “Advertising 101.” Scratch that. More like “Advertising 1 through 9.”

By now I know you’re starting to see the relevance (and in these competitive times — absolute necessity) of a multi-channel, multi-touch point approach to closing the loop on your marketing communications and opening up some targeted discussions with your ad agency. Time to divide and conquer — each one of these touch points is an opportunity to create a stronger emotional bond with your customer and likewise an opportunity to empower them to share their brand experience around the “digital water coolers” of Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc… and maybe even around the actual water cooler too. So, how are you spending your share of that $5 billion?

*Based on HSMAI’s (Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International) April 2009 Marketing Review/Finding Opportunity in Troubled Times by Jessica Halter-Powell

For the complete article follow this link