Marketing and PR plan for Marriott Hotel

Marketing and pr plan for Marriott hotel
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Marketing and PR plan for a hotel
PURPOSE OF REPORT
Marriot International has been in existence for more than 80 years, and with continued expansion the hotel and lodging chain has gained recognition or good quality service deliver, integrity and innovation (Marriott, 2007). Marriott has a wide distribution network allowing the loyal customers to enjoy their services in different countries. In other words, there has been brand awareness through marketing and PR strategies, but there is concern that some customers feel that they are charged exorbitant prices for some services. For instance, there was uproar when the hotel decided that customers would increase their tips placed in special envelopes in order to pay for a fraction of the hotel maids pay (Ratti report, 2014). The Marketing and PR plan aims to improve the hotel’s online presence and brand awareness as this creates a platform where interested customers become loyal to the brand.
BACKGROUND OF ORGANISATION:
Marriott has relied on the company’s website Marriott. Com, to engage customers, and with the popularity of social media, there is a need to improve the website’s design (Marriott, 2007). Online marketing plays a critical role towards improving the hotel’s visibility, as the company’s website is popular among retail customers. The digital marketing segment is responsible for identifying and choosing the most optimal strategic decisions that would enhance profitability, while also engaging with the stakeholders. In essence, personalization of the website has been vital to enhancing the hotel marketing strategies in the lodging industry (Boardroom Insiders, 2015). It is noteworthy that the company’s website has been adapted to respond to Web content shifts, meaning that visitors using mobile devices are able to access the online platform with ease (Boardroom Insiders, 2015). Improving online user experience is marketing strategy, and the website as well as online platforms will be synced to make it easier for visitors to get for what they are searching for.
Marriott international has increased its social media presence in order to reach out to more customers, but the digital marketing techniques fail to adequately engage customers. Additionally, through data analysis the non productive marketing efforts will be eliminated, and Google analytics will complement this function. There is a need to change the online platform engagement through having better digital marketing options. The company has used the engaging social media outlets to engage customers, but it has also failed to engage the message recipients in a way that would improve brand recognition. One of the main problems is that the communication does not cater to the pre-existing customer needs because of failure to understand their preferences. The marketing is aimed at a wide audience, but when communicating to an individual person, the message is not tailor made to their needs and preferences. When there is no proper background check, the message may fail to create excitement or compel action form customers and potential customers.
VALUE PROPOSITION
There are various facets to the value proposition in Marriott International, focused on ensuring that the customers get the value for their money. Even though, different brands are priced differently, customers are drawn to services and perceived value they get. As such, the price is set depending on services and brand. For instance, those services where the brands are low priced have fewer services being offered. In any case it is by focusing on customer value proposition that the lodging chain maintains brand loyalty among customers. In essence, the brands associated with selected services are then geared towards providing the identified needs of the clients. The value proposition focuses on improving guest experience through high quality service and comfortable surroundings. As marketing focuses on ensuring that the brand positioning is thriving, and there will be more focus on brand amentias suited to different clientele.
AIM OF COMMUNICATION PLAN
The PR and marketing plan will likely create a better environment for which potential customers can engage with the digital marketing team to understand the services being offered. Creating a buzz in the social media platforms will renew interest for customers on the hotel’s efforts towards improving the rewards program. The need for the PR and marketing plan is that it improves the hotel’s image through engagement with the customers while also creating good relations. As such, a well thought out marketing plan is essential in improving customer loyalty in the long run. In any case, online marketing is an enabler of advertising, and good customer reviews are equally important for the marketing campaign to be a success.
One of the main aims of a communication plan is to build a more robust platform for which to engage with clients (Mobley, 2005). Even though, the online platforms have been a valuable tool recently, there is a need to continue marketing Marriott’s unique features. The company has reduced marketing costs through relying on online platforms, and a lot more can be achieved by researching on the consumer preferences, and understanding how consumers think about Marriott’s services. In order to understand the impact of improving engagement through an online platform, then the number of clicks and reviews about the lodging chain will b assed over time. The online platform needs to incorporate incorporate more interactive features wit h enhances digital marketing being vital to achieve this objective.
Improving brand recognition and awareness
The traditional media has been relied upon to improve brand awareness and recognition over time, but with the advent of the internet Marriott’s can reach out to the potential customers more than ever before. As such, the media campaigns will integrate online communication in order to engage more customers and expand social media presence. As such, the content will be easily viewed in various devices and platforms, given that there is increased web traffic from mobile devices. Marriott’s is renowned for innovation, and be up date with social media happenings is vital to understanding whether the hotel’s services are well received and reviewed by clients. Assessing the impact of media strategies on the hotel’s brand equity will be done after 3 months, 6 moths, 9 months and one year. Critical to the success of the marketing and PR initiatives is creating credible brand massages to the targeted audiences.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Market segmentation influences the business operations of the hotel, since the target audiences have different needs and desires when choosing the Marriott. A ‘one fits all’ approach is not recommended since the customers also have different lifestyles and attitudes (Brier, 2012). It is through market segmentation that the hotel can reach out to more customers. In any case, the different market segments have their specific needs, and division of the market increase efficiency since the hotel caters to the unique needs of the customers. The geographic, demographic factors, psychographic and behavioral factors are some of the important considerations taken into account in market segmentation.
Geographic factor
The target market focuses on the geographic, demographic, behavioral as well as the psychological factor (Williams, 2002). The geographic factors take into account the location as a geographic target market. The North American market has the bulk of operations for the hotel and lodging chain. Expansion in Canada is preferred as the brand is well known in the country, but most operations are in America. Hence, Toronto and Ottawa two major cities in the country will be targeted to improve the hotel’s reach in the market. it is easier to engage with customers in Canada through online platforms because of shared cultural bonds, use of language and sharing similar time zones
The other target audience is in Hong Kong and Singapore where there are sizeable populations with good knowledge of English. The Asian market can be challenging because of cultural differences, and although the online media campaign will be in English, where possible mandarin Chinese will be utilized to engage potential c...