Ewom Marketing

This past week was very busy for me, attending not just the annual CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) Marketing Communication Lecture, but also on Friday I assisted at the Hotel Marketing 2009 Conference. The Hotel Marketing 2009 conference, as the name suggests focus mainly within the hotel/hospitality industry, however with guest speakers from Trip Advisor, and Superbreak both successful online companies, there was many useful topics and avenues discussed that could be applied to many industries. The 5th National Hotel Marketing Conference, took place at Heathrow on Friday 6th March and was attended by just fewer than 100 of the hotel industries top executives. The conferences theme was “riding the recession” and many presentations focused upon this. The day kicked off with a keynote speech with former head of the BBC Greg Dyke, throughout the day several workshops took place, one of the workshops that stood out to me was one conducted by Barbara Huddart, from the Glendale Consultancy & PR. The workshop hosted by Barbara looked at “Effective PR for Hotels” although much of what she presented could be applied to most companies and establishments, therefore I thought I’d give a rough overview of what was presented and add in my own thoughts.

Effective PR
Basically PR is a strategic management tool to tell a good story, which can help to add value, and raises the profile of a company. Furthermore in times of recessions, where banks are tough on small businesses PR and consumers are quick to assume that businesses are in trouble if they don’t hear about them, PR can help send out a positive image to your bank manager & customers if they read about you in the press. PR is also a powerful tool to help secure the best knowledgeable staff, it will also help to increase staff moral within your firm within these poor economic times.

Many people view PR as something that appears in newspaper publications but it doesn’t have to stop there. No doubt your marketing plan is integrated ensuring that your marketing is reaching its full potential, your PR campaign should also take this form to ensure its effectiveness. Therefore the following methods/channels should be considered for effective PR:

· Articles - (shows an expertise within your company)
· Newsletters
· Company sponsors – (do the companies you sponsor have their own newsletters/publications)
· Speaking engagement
· Online PR
· Interviews
· Trade show/exhibition – (via the press room consider using freebies related to the Press Release)
· Competitions/offers – (effective method of getting good media coverage, and saves on advertising cost)

The most effective PR usually involves a story, which is one of the following: Topical, Unusual, Surprising and Reactive. PR revolving around one of these is more likely to be read then others.

Types of newsworthy stories
Many newsworthy opportunities are available for companies to use as PR, here are just a small selection:

· Human interest stories,
· Staff Achievement ,
· Economy – (creating jobs),
· Celebrities/VIP visitors or users,
· Unusual happenings/ events,
· A rise in visitors or number of products sold.
· Strange, but true stories,
· Themes or Milestones,
· Charitable events or support,
· New Launches,
· Business development,
· Events & exhibitions – pre, during and post.
· Surveys,
· Awards/ Accolades.

The presenter spoke about how important it is to keep up to date with the latest trend to enable companies to use this to their advantage. PR which focuses on current trends or use “Buzz Words” are more likely to gain attention. This reiterates what I spoke about in one of my previous posts about using social networks to spot growing trends. A selection of the current “Buzz Words” can be found below:

Economy Credit crunch Carbon footprint Local
Good value Healthy Traditional Adventure
Experience Glamour British Cuddly
Warm Books Spring Cleaning

Tourism Boards can be an important channel of communication between you and the press. When press come to a certain area their first stop for information on the area is the Tourism Board therefore it is vital that those involved in the tourism sector especially, ensure that they send out their information to them. Consider creating a information pack that be issued to the press by Tourism Boards, include freebies! – free nights stay or free entry!

The internet is incredibly important and had a major impact on the success of PR, these statistics presented by Barbara reflect just how important.

· 98% of journalists use websites for information.
· 92%of journalists use websites to research articles.
· 78% of journalists use websites to find new sources.
· 73% of users use websites just to access PR.

Due to these large statistics company websites should be very press friendly, therefore it is recommended that ALL company websites contain a Press Room. The press room should contain everything required you think that the press will require and more. From the simply things, such as the key PR contacts within the company, to company facts, case studies, and stories, a great tool to develop is a media fact sheet, which will provide all the information the press could require. This could contain company facts and history, strange, but true stories, a timeline of events, however make sure your company USP is clear and can be identified from the start.

Remember pictures speak 1000 words and a simple photograph can breathe life into a story; therefore always send a photo along with a story. A photo containing a person also has more potential of being used by press. Also ensure if you have images online you make them high resolutions so that press can use them in printed format.

Finally it is important to stay ahead of the trends curve, for example the next Harry Potter film is released this year, therefore companies should be planning to see if there is an opportunity which they can capitalise on.

On Wednesday 4th March 2009, I was able to attend the 3rd Annual CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) Marketing Communication Lecture. Session proved very useful and a great opportunity to see how three large companies are coping with the current economic climate. Guest speakers included:

- Ryan DeCruz the Brand Content Manager for MediaCom

- Rob Healey the Head of European Marketing for Panasonic System Solutions

1) The first presentation, was from Ryan DeCruz, the Brand Content Manager for MediaCom. MediaCom are a currently the biggest media company and has clients such as VW, T-Mobile, Sky, CNN just to name a few. The presentation focused on branded media, something which I have not much knowledge out, therefore it was educational, but at the same time left me wondering on the cost and if there are more cost effective ways to achieve the same results.

Branded content usually takes the form of sponsorship or branded TV. An example for the UK readers is the transmission with T-mobile show on Channel 4, which achieved great success as a TV show, gaining repeats within the channel. As well as branding the show title, brand colours and logo were used within the show. Furthermore a range of other forms of communications were used such as street gigs for T-mobile customers, dedicated sections on social network site Bebo, all these promotions and the TV show generated 25+ articles a week.

Therefore it appears amplification is the key, and that branded media needs to be supported through a selection of other types of marketing, such as websites, PR, in store and packaging promotion to name a few. Within the current climate television stations are crying out for programming, and as a result they are asking brands to help fill/fund main time slots. Traditional television is also facing competition from online web players, which face fewer rules and regulations. “Bebo“ created an exclusive online drama, which companies paid to sponsor and brands were integrated into the story lines. MSN video will be following Bebo’s example and is creating an exclusive sci-fi web show. BMW also created a series of online shows starring actor Clive Owen.

A great example of branded media is a campaign AXE launched in the United States, called the game killers. Make sure you watch this YouTube video for more information on the whole campaign and how effective branded media can be.

Branded media is all about engagement with your target market, its main purpose it seems is to amplify your brand, rather than just stick to the TV with an advert and hope that something comes from it.

2) The second presentation was from Rob Healey the Head of European Marketing for Panasonic System Solutions. Rob highlighted how much more challenging Marketing would be in 2009, identifying the following issues:

· Shrinking Economy
· More competitive market –survival of the fittest
· Increased unemployment – Less consumer spend
· Changing exchange rates
· Reduced business confidence due to deflation
· Rise of Protectionism

He also identified how much the marketing world is changing: Highlighting that advertising and sponsorship has the biggest decline, this can be seen with ITV making 600 people unemployed and RBS dropping its sponsorship of sports just this past month alone. With lower budgets, companies are saving on adverts by using previous ads rather than creating new ones, ensuring that they save costs but also continuing to maximise coverage within their media plans.

For a company like Panasonic, which mainly deals with B2B clients, its marketing strategies differ from that of a B2C company. Panasonic focuses heavily on relationship marketing, and to ensure the successful communication of product specifications. This is completed through specific targeted marketing to generate leads. Rob noted that Panasonic are suffering from the economic climate and have implemented regulations within the company to control costs with constant budget reviews. In addition more time is spent on assessing and analysing, ensuring a high ROI. Panasonic are currently only exploring avenues that guarantee strategic development and advancement, resulting in slower reactions to marketing opportunities.

Panasonics key marketing during 2009 is still heavily focused upon building relationships with clients, through exhibition, reassuring consumer have confidence in their products. Telemarketing is also important, capitalising on the contact made at exhibitions. PR and advertising still remain important, however a growth in the use of case studies and press releases will be used due to the assumption that these are stronger then adverts, adverts will remain present to make sure brand is still present in the market. If they disappear this could impact client confidence, as they could presume the brand is in trouble. With that said all these methods have been cut in some volume by Panasonic, see below:

Exhibitions 43%
Advertising 50%
PR 39%
Telemarketing 22%

It was clear from the presentation that ROI was centre of attention more than ever, all marketing activities need to show that they served a purpose and that the decision process has increased immensely. It was also apparent that even large companies such as Panasonic are preparing for a weak year(s) through restructuring to save on costs.

3) The third presentation was from Andy Le Duc, the Brand Manager for Merlin’s UK Theme park Thorpe Park. Thorpe Park currently position themselves as the nation’s thrill capital, and with over 25 rides and attraction and the launch of the new SAW ride this month continue to be positioned as the UK’s market leader. The parks target market is thrill seekers aged between 16 -24, who are as Andy called it “up for it”. The vision for the company is that they become the No. 1 Entertainment company (currently 2nd after Disney)

A number of key points came out of the presentation regarding the state of the Visitor Attractions market in 2009:

· Balance yield with care promotion
· Grow penetration and catchment area with large scale media
· Destination positioning through the use of packages (long term aim)
· Focus on annual passes – large secondary spend
· Maximise link with Saw brand – merchandise and fast-track passes.

The Saw ride was a major part of this presentation and it could be viewed that this presentation was largely used as a marketing opportunity. The Saw ride incorporates many firsts for theme park rides, and is the only one of its kind in the world, therefore a major USP for Thorpe Park.

The launch of the ride takes place this Friday (13th March) and has been in planning for 3 years. Thorpe Park has set themselves the following challenge for the launch:
· Balance the Thorpe Park brand and position with the Saw brand
· Drive 2 million visitors through the gates; this is 200k more than in 2008.
· Generate more than 5.4 million pounds worth of revenue.
· Increase yield through promotion.
· Increase penetration - grow age footprint of the park.
· Position as thrill capital

Thorpe Park used a viral campaign, through four videos to generate buzz for the launch and hope to gain record breaking crowds in the Easter holidays. (Already these videos have gained over 200,000 views on YouTube). Further promotion for the prelaunch took the method of a dedicated micro site, PR in the press popular with target market, as well as through social networks and in park advertising. Also prior to launch a number of TV adverts will be shown during high rated TV shows, the ride will also be feature on television shows. A high impact PR launch is planned across all media, including a radio blitz on Friday 13th. To ensure maximum press coverage, a media day was been held and invitations were sent on Dictaphones as used within the film, with the real voice over actor recording them. To increase secondary spending Thorpe Park has capitalised on the Saw branding creating merchandise to sell at the park.

The launch campaign will come to an end at Halloween when Thorpe Park aim to make the ride an 18 certificate the first in the world. A great venture by Thorpe Park and they will no doubt smash their targeted visitor numbers, although the park does have a risk of negativity within the press for creating such a scary ride aimed at over 18s, all PR is good PR.

Although all three companies differ completely it was interesting to note that the first two were very negative about the economic problems currently affecting the world, but Thorpe Park is benefiting from it. It is stated that within stressful time’s consumer do spend more on leisure to try and forget their troubles. It will be interesting to see how Thorpe Park are doing this time next year when the launch of the Saw is over and which methods they will implement to sustain the visitor numbers achieved with the help of a new ride.

After logging into LinkedIn for the first time in several months, I thought considering how successful they have been and the huge marketing push it received in London I should really have identified and wrote about the marketing opportunities it provides.

For those who haven’t heard of LinkedIn, it is a social networking website that is geared specifically towards business members. It enables users to build up a network of existing and new business contacts (called connections). Wikipedia reports that LinkedIn has more than 20 million registered users and attracts over 3.2 million visitors every month in a total of more than 150 different industries from all across the globe. LinkedIn is more closely matched to offline business networking than virtually any other social networking website. It can be used to keep contact details while building a strong network but other users predominantly use it to make contacts and secure future employment. Conversely, many employers and agencies use their network to find suitable candidates for work. The key USP to LinkedIn is that when you add a new connection, their connections and the connections of those connections will also be added to your network, if that makes sense! Providing you with an impressive network of business contacts.

For businesses looking to promote their own service, the money is literally in the list. By building a large and relevant network of connections, a business can greatly improve their profile within that community. Using a powerful portfolio page also ensures that those connections that are interested in using the services of that business will be more inclined to do so. Everything is essentially in place to help the business owner or professional to generate new leads. This of cause means that you need to market your LinkedIn profile!

Another benefit of the LinkedIn service is the testimonials section. When you provide a service to another member of the community, or your network, they can leave a testimonial of how you performed. As many of you will know testimonials are important for any business and not only help persuade the unsure, but can turn a contact's opinion of you around.

A recently new section of the site is LinkedIn Answers This allows users to ask and answer questions, gaining the information they require and providing a useful response. This can help your business to network because useful answers will usually be rewarded with an invitation to join that member's list of connections.While there are other sites that offer similar services, (such as Xing.com) no other business networking website can boast the popularity that LinkedIn offers. The combination of powerful features and a large network means that many businesses want to be represented on the LinkedIn website.