Ms. Lutz

Sales & Marketing

Integrated Marketing Communications in Hotels

By Didi Lutz, President, Didi Lutz PR

If practiced properly, Integrated Marketing Communications is a healthy balance that can yield unlimited results beneficial to the organization's goals. Defining IMC has been controversial and has caused a lot of argument among experts, but generally it is described as the mix of all promotional efforts into "whatever works." With that in mind, hotels have begun applying this notion as part of their everyday outreach.

To begin with, traditional Marketing suggests the theory of the 4 Ps (marketing mix): Product, Promotion, Price and Place (note that Place is often referred to not only as Location but also as Distribution). The ultimate goal is to combine the Ps in such a way that the fifth element is generated, and is known to all of us as Profit.

Specifically, marketing methods and strategies will vary from hotel to hotel and some significant factors to analyze and research prior to drafting are: property size, management structure, type of ownership and type of hotel (luxury, business, hi-tech, economy, etc.), area demographics and psychographics, as well as the dynamics of the internal and external environment.

Once the research is complete, the goals have been identified, and the competitive advantage has been determined, the next step is to select the most effective tools to promote the hotel's niche, whether it is a groundbreaking technology, newsworthy amenities, special services, and anything unique that could become a revenue generator once it is promoted.

The Integrated Marketing Communications toolbox generally includes: Direct Mail (mail pieces, fliers, etc.), Advertising (billboard, TV, print, Radio, Internet), and Public Relations (media relations, press coverage, newsletters, collecting feedback, event management). Choosing the right tactics to maximize the value of the IMC strategy is imperative, and often hotels will outsource specialized firms to handle this project, since the decision on the strategy will directly affect the bottom line in the long run. For example, a good suggestion is to define a timeline that will determine how long a particular ad campaign will run, how much it will cost, where it will run and what results are expected from the exposure.

While tracking campaigns is a daunting task, it is extremely beneficial to outreach efforts of any kind. Nowadays, investing in custom designed marketing software and along with the help of the Internet, tracking results has become much faster, more accurate, and easier to analyze than a few years ago.

Many hotels have chosen wisely to have a Marketing and Public Relations professional on staff, responsible for facilitating and executing the complete strategy. Naturally, a marketing strategy will be updated and tweaked depending on the hotel's revenue goals and expectations over a certain period of time. For instance, instead of spending advertising dollars for six months in a row, putting forth the effort to obtain a feature in a prominent publication will generate much marketing value, since it can be used in sales/press kits and other promotional materials. Always keep in mind that press coverage includes the third party endorsement that advertising will never provide. What's more, the best thing is that editorial content is free (at least it should be).

In addition, IMC suggests that the discipline of Public Relations is part of the marketing mix, and should not stand out as its own entity. Due to its complex nature, Public Relations has much to offer and can be applied virtually to any industry, much like advertising and, therefore, IMC proposes that it should be included as an integral part of its marketing toolbox.

While there is controversy on this issue, IMC revolves around the notion of "whatever works, can work the best," and that usually includes a strategic mishmash of otherwise individual outreach techniques. Consequently, many organizations today, including most hotels, have recognized this value of combining promotional efforts into one measurable goal, and efficiently apply the results to modify their competitive advantage.

Ultimately, as more hotels enter the competition, where the technology keeps advancing, where amenities and services become more personalized, where momentum becomes crucial to survival, creativity and imagination are vital ingredients to a successful operation.

In conclusion, I like to think of an Integrated Marketing Communications strategy as the "cake mix" to successful performance, where the challenge is not only to create by choosing the right ingredients and measure them correctly, but also to deliver the final product properly to those who you anticipate will enjoy it the most.

Didi Lutz is an internationally acclaimed hospitality public relations professional specializing in boutique hotels, luxury travel, destination and tourism communications. Prior to starting her own business in February 2005, Ms. Lutz was the Director of Communications for the Hotel Commonwealth, a 150-room luxury property in Boston. Within the first year of the Hotel Commonwealth's opening, she established the media relationship that led to worldwide recognition for the property as one of Ten Best New Business Hotels by Forbes.com. Ms. Lutz can be contacted at 561-628-7422 or didi.lutz@gmail.com Extended Bio...

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