Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Use of Available Tourism Data for Marketing Research & Policy
Tyrone Clarke
Definition of Marketing
• Marketing consists of the strategies and tactics used to identify, create and maintain satisfying relationships with customers that result in value for both the customer and the marketer.
• A social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others (Kotler, 1988,p.3)
• The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers’ requirements profitably (CIM, 1984)
The need for meaningful Research
• Before committing to the complexities and costs inherent in exporting our tourism services, it is absolutely essential that we undertake some degree of research to better understand the foreign markets that we will be competing in and the consumers to whom we will be selling.
• It is important that this research is meaningful; simply compiling statistics and other facts about a market without any purpose, is of limited value.
• Any information that we collect needs to be compared, interpreted and conclusions drawn.
• Our marketing research activities should be planned and practical exercises leading to specific decisions that drive our marketing strategies.
• There is a plethora of data available
Market research versus marketing research
• Market research is about understanding the broader marketplace in which we intend to compete.
• Marketing research, on the other hand, is about understanding what 'package' of marketing elements (i.e. the product, price, promotion and distribution factors) the country will need to put together in order to meet customer needs and to succeed in the marketplace.
• Market research is the more encompassing/broader concept of understanding the market environment in which you will be competing, while marketing research is the more specific/focused view of consumer needs and behaviour.
Gaining an Information Advantage
• In its role as the foundation of marketing, marketing research is arguably marketing’s most important task. Today marketers not only view research as a key ingredient in making marketing decisions they also consider information to be a critical factor in gaining advantage over competitors. Because organizations recognize the power information has in helping create and maintain products that offer value, there is an insatiable appetite to gain even more insight into customers and markets.
• Marketers in nearly all industries are expected to direct more resources to gathering and analyzing information especially in highly competitive markets.
• In conducting our research we also test concepts against our competitors in order to gain further insights as to what sets us apart and play to those strengths
Cost Implications
• While research is key to marketing decision making, it does not always need to be elaborate to be effective. Sometimes small efforts, such as doing a quick search on the Internet, will provide the needed information.
• However, for most marketers there are times when more elaborate research work is needed and understanding the right way to conduct research, whether performing the work themselves or hiring someone else to handle it, can increase the effectiveness of these projects.
•
Marketing Decision Types of Research
• Target Markets- sales, market size; demand for product, customer characteristics, purchase behavior, customer satisfaction, website traffic
• Product- product development; package protection, packaging awareness; brand name selection; brand recognition, brand preference, product positioning
• Distributiondistributor interest;
• Promotion advertising recall; advertising copy testing, sales promotion response rates, sales force compensation, traffic studies (outdoor advertising), public relations media placement
• Pricing price elasticity analysis, optimal price setting, discount options
• External Factors competitive analysis, legal environment; social and cultural trends
• Other company image, test marketing
E/D Card
• The E/D card is a rich source of data for tourism purposes. Serving both the operational and policy aspects of the tourism industry.
• The Caribbean is in an advantageous position compared to larger countries who utilize passenger surveys to estimate tourist counts versus the Caribbean where our data is virtually census data.
E/D Card
• Every permutation of data from the E/D card is useful.
• Apart from the tourists count, this data can be used for marketing purposes
E/D Card
• Today regional governments heavily subsidize airline carriers into the region.
• Therefore it is imperative that governments understand the implications of their investments
• Data from the E/D cards can aid in determining this kind of investment– Airline load factors– Occupancies for hotels
E/D Card
• Following trends from the E/D cards can also guide in the development of supply in terms of room stock.
• i.e if there is a heavy leaning towards a particular type of product then countries can invest in this type of product
Survey Data
• Types of surveys– Visitor Exit Surveys– Travel agent surveys– Delphi pannel– Hotel Registration information
The New Technology
• The Blogs (trip advisor) can also provide a rich source of data for both the private sector as well as government agencies.
• The private sector can use the feedback from these sites to improve on product deficiencies
• Government can use this information as a feedback mechanism to ensure that product offerings are consistent with where the country promotes itself
• In addition, rich content for advertising can come from this unsolicited source of data
The New Technology
• The internet has facilitated competitive analysis which would have been very difficult years ago.
• Tour operator /travel agent websites, airline websites, travel sites all provide competitive analysis on where countries are currently trading compared to other destinations.
• Monitoring these sites consistently can also provide insight as to the state of the market at over time i.e a plethora of special promotions in the market would suggest difficult times for destinations and can trigger further market stimuli on the part of the destination
Target Markets
• UK total population 60.9 million• USA population 305 million• Canada population 33 million• CARICOM population 16 million• China population 1.3 billion
Defining the target Market
• We have used segmentation studies in all our major markets
• USA- PRIZM
• UK – ACORN
• CANADA – PRIZM
• EUROPE in process
• CARICOM basic data
Segmentation Analysis
• Addresses four fundamental marketing questions– Who are the target you want to reach?– What are they like?– Where do they live?– How can we reach them most cost
effectively?
PRIZM ANALYSIS
• The strategy for identifying our marketing targets is based on two tried and true observations– The customers of our product are existing
customers– Birds of a feather flock together
PRIZM ANALYSIS
• Methodology– Data Collected from E/D cards– Names and addresses of all USA customers– All duplicates removed from dataset– All VFR travelers removed from dataset– Total unique households
Who are the targets
• US visitors are predominantly upscale and live in neighborhoods that run the gamut from urban to rural
• 66.4% of all US visitors fall within 40% of US base household count (first 2 quintiles)– 42.6 % of US visitors fall into first quintile (20% of
total)– Second Quintile contains 23.9% of all USA visitors to
Barbados
• 1.63 times as likely to reach our target audience within this group
Game Plan Categories Expansion Core Index 100 NonTarget Conversion Percent of US Visitors 1.61%
Game Plan Categories: Core. There is a large proportion of customers in these clusters and households are more likely than average to be customers. Expansion. Households in these clusters are more likely to be customers, but there are not many of them in either the customer population or the base population. Conversion. Conversion clusters contain a significant proportion of customers; however, they represent an even larger proportion of the base population. Therefore, indices suggest they are less likely than average to be customers. Since these clusters represent a significant portion of total customers, they do have potential. However, because of their under representation with respect to the base population, there are many households that have not been reached yet. Target marketing strategies designed specifically for these clusters may attract or convert non-customers into the Core group.
NonTarget. NonTarget clusters account for a small proportion of customer households, and indices suggest they are less likely than average to be customers. These clusters may require further analysis for classification due to their small numbers.
US Visitors
Target Category
Number of Clusters
Percent of Base
Households
Percent of US
Visitors
Index
Core 17 37.17 62.90 188 Expansion 2 1.48 1.51 103 Conversion 4 11.76 11.11 94 NonTarget 39 49.58 24.49 49
Tourism Authority’s-US Visitors Target Groups
Percent of US Visitor % Comp IndexOlder Wealthy Couples 15.8 232Wealthy Midlife Families 12.42 204Young Professionals 11.93 199Older Upper-mid Mix 17.55 157Young Urban Mix 8.04 110Non target 34.87 55
Percent of Base Households % Comp Household inputOlder Wealthy Couples 6.53 4,765,999 Wealthy Midlife Families 6.1 4,449,718 Young Professionals 5.99 4,372,342 Older Upper-mid Mix 11.19 8,160,246 Young Urban Mix 7.33 5,350,296 Non target 62.86 45,856,109
Percent of US Visitor
16%
12%
12%17%8%
35%
Older Wealthy Couples
Wealthy Midlife Families
Young Professionals
Older Upper-mid Mix
Young Urban Mix
Non target
Percent of Base Households
7% 6%6%
11%
7%63%
Older Wealthy Couples
Wealthy Midlife Families
Young Professionals
Older Upper-mid Mix
Young Urban Mix
Non target
CORE GROUP
Social Group
Lifestage Group Cluster Nickname
Base Households
% Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 % Comp Index
S1 M1 1 Upper Crust 2.21 6.37 288 S1 F1 2 Blue Blood Estates 1.40 3.80 270 S1 Y1 3 Movers & Shakers 2.29 5.05 220 U1 Y2 4 Young Digerati 1.79 5.20 290 T1 F1 5 Country Squires 2.38 5.07 213 S1 F1 6 Winner's Circle 1.48 2.61 177 U1 M1 7 Money & Brains 2.93 6.61 226 S2 Y1 8 Executive Suites 1.57 2.07 132 T1 M1 9 Big Fish, Small Pond 2.03 3.76 185 C1 M1 10 Second City Elite 1.56 2.18 140 T1 Y1 11 God's Country 1.92 3.19 166 C1 Y1 12 Brite lites, Li'l City 1.99 2.18 109 S2 M2 14 New Empty Nests 1.46 1.70 117 S2 M2 15 Pools & Patios 1.69 1.95 115 U1 Y2 16 Bohemian Mix 2.63 4.66 177 U1 M2 26 The Cosmopolitans 1.62 1.91 118 U1 F2 29 American Dreams 2.90 3.37 116 U2 Y2 31 Urban Achievers 2.44 2.49 102
TOTAL 36.31 64.18 177
Expansion
Social Group
Lifestage Group Cluster Nickname
Base Households
% Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 % Comp Index
T1 F2 20 Fast-Track Families 0.84 0.94 113 TOTAL 0.84 0.94 113
Social Group
Lifestage Group Cluster Nickname
Base Households
% Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 % Comp Index
C1 F2 13 Upward Bound 2.04 1.93 95 S2 F2 18 Kids & Cul-de-sacs 2.04 1.71 84 S2 Y1 19 Home Sweet Home 2.34 1.82 78 T2 M2 28 Traditional Times 1.99 1.72 86 U3 M4 59 Urban Elders 1.78 1.75 98
TOTAL 10.19 8.93 88
Forming Target Groups Target groups were formed by selecting those clusters that indexed above (100+) and grouping those with similar demographic and socio economic characteristics.
Target groups account for 65% of all US visitors to the island and 37% of the USA household counts
Nickname Count % Comp Count % Comp %Pen IndexUpper Crust 1,613,101 2.21 12,047 6.37 0.75 288Movers & Shakers 1,672,033 2.29 9,545 5.05 0.57 220Big Fish, Small Pond 1,480,865 2.03 7,111 3.76 0.48 185Older Wealthy Couples 4,765,999 6.53 28,703 15.18 0.60 232
Blue Blood Estates 1,024,348 1.40 7,179 3.80 0.70 270Country Squires 1,736,830 2.38 9,583 5.07 0.55 213Winner's Circle 1,077,838 1.48 4,942 2.61 0.46 177Fast-Track Families 610,702 0.84 1,782 0.94 0.29 113Wealthy Midlife Families 4,449,718 6.10 23,486 12.42 0.53 204
Young Digerati 1,308,793 1.79 9,828 5.20 0.75 290Bohemian Mix 1,919,575 2.63 8,818 4.66 0.46 177Executive Suites 1,143,974 1.57 3,912 2.07 0.34 132Young Professionals 4,372,342 5.99 22,558 11.93 0.52 199
Money & Brains 2,136,713 2.93 12,496 6.61 0.58 226God's Country 1,402,639 1.92 6,032 3.19 0.43 166Second City Elite 1,138,957 1.56 4,130 2.18 0.36 140The Cosmopolitans 1,183,871 1.62 3,615 1.91 0.31 118New Empty Nests 1,063,372 1.46 3,218 1.70 0.30 117Pools & Patios 1,234,694 1.69 3,692 1.95 0.30 115Older Upper-mid Mix 8,160,246 11.19 33,183 17.55 0.41 157
American Dreams 2,115,686 2.90 6,379 3.37 0.30 116Brite Lites, Li'l City 1,455,404 1.99 4,125 2.18 0.28 109Urban Achievers 1,779,206 2.44 4,702 2.49 0.26 102Young Urban Mix 5,350,296 7.33 15,206 8.04 0.28 110
Base Households US Visitor Analysis 2000-2004
Older Wealthy Couples
PRIZMNE Clusters
Life-stage
Group Social Group
Base Households
%Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 %Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 Index
1 Upper Crust M1 S1 2.21 6.37 288 3 Movers & Shakers Y1 S1 2.29 5.05 220 9 Big Fish, Small Pond M1 T1 2.03 3.76 185 TOTAL 6.53 15.18 232
1) Older Wealthy Couples are predominantly middle-aged and older married couples living in expensive, single-unit homes. There is a somewhat higher than average Asian representation in these households. These comfortable couples tend to be college-educated, often with advanced degrees, and hold white-collar occupations with high incomes. The median household income for this target group is $89,930. Older Wealthy Couples enjoy travel, and are likely to be members of any frequent flyer program. When traveling domestically, they are likely to use Continental Airlines and visit Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont. International travel destinations likely include European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Ireland/UK, France, or Italy. Older Wealthy Couples are also... More Likely to... Less Likely to... Have Household Income $500,000+ Have a Home Valued <$80,000 Have EBI $500,000+ Be an Income Below Poverty Family Have a Home Valued $1,000,000+ Live in a Mobile Home or Trailer Have a Professional School Degree Have No Vehicles in the Household Have 2004 Household Wealth $1,000,000+ Have Only an Elementary School Education Belong to a Country Club Eat at Shakey’s, Whataburger, or Pizza Inn Buy Tennis Equipment Eat at Checker’s, Mazzio’s, or Godfather’s Pizza Cruise on Royal Caribbean Rent or Buy a Music Video Tape Contribute $50+ to PBS a Year Be a Fan of Truck Racing/Pulls Belong to an Arts Association Eat at Sonic, Rally’s, or Captain D’s *EBI: Effective Buying Income. Refers to after-tax income.
Wealthy Midlife Families
PRIZMNE Clusters
Life-stage
Group Social Group
Base Households
%Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 %Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 Index
2 Blue Blood Estates F1 S1 1.40 3.80 270 5 Country Squires F1 T1 2.38 5.07 213 6 Winner's Circle F1 S1 1.48 2.61 177 20 Fast-Track Families F2 T1 0.84 0.94 113 TOTAL 6.10 12.42 204
2) Wealthy Midlife Families are predominantly middle-aged (35-54) married couples with children living in expensive single-unit homes. These affluent households have a slightly higher than average Asian representation. Adults in this group tend to have earned bachelor and graduate degrees and hold a variety of white-collar occupations with high incomes. The median household income for households in this group is $92,915. Wealthy Midlife Families travel regularly and are likely to be members of Delta or USAir’s frequent flyer programs. Their last trip was likely to have been domestic travel for business purposes and they tend to travel by airplane on domestic business trips three or more times a year. Wealthy Midlife Families are also... More Likely to... Less Likely to... Have EBI $500,000+ Live in a Multi-Unit Structure Have Household Income $500,000+ Have a Home Valued <$80,000 Have a Home Valued $400,000-$500,000 Be an Income Below Poverty Family Live in a Home Built 1999 – March 2004 Have EBI <$15,000 Be Employed in the Management of a Company Be a Renter Own a Cross Country Ski Machine Eat at Arthur Treacher or Rally’s Travel Domestically on Continental Airlines Stay at a Motel 6 on Vacation Rent a Vehicle from Hertz or National Buy from HSN/QVC/Other Buy Soccer Equipment Expect to Marry in the Next Year Eat at Roy Rogers Play Any Lottery 1+ Times a Week *EBI: Effective Buying Income. Refers to after-tax income.
Young Professionals
PRIZMNE Clusters
Life-stage
Group Social Group
Base Households
%Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 %Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 Index
4 Young Digerati Y2 U1 1.79 5.20 290 8 Executive Suites Y1 S2 1.57 2.07 132 16 Bohemian Mix Y2 U1 2.63 4.66 177 TOTAL 5.99 11.93 199
3) Young Professionals are predominantly younger (<45) singles and couples living in multi-unit housing, often in urban areas. Households in this group are three times as likely as average to be Asian and have a slightly higher than average Hispanic representation. These young, white-collar workers tend to have bachelor and advanced degrees and earn upper-midscale incomes. The median household income for this group is $63,624. Young Professionals are likely to be members of Continental or United Airlines’ frequent flyer programs and travel internationally by railroad. Travel destinations tend to include Asia, Italy, and France. Young Professionals are also... More Likely to... Less Likely to... Use Public Transportation Live in a Mobile Home or Trailer Live in a Structure with 50+ Units Have Farm/Forest/Fishing Occupations Have a Home Valued $750,000-$1,000,000 Have a Home Valued <$100,000 Have Art/Design/Entertainment/Sports/Media Occup. Live in a Boat, RV, or Van Have Legal Occupations Be in the Armed Forces Buy Latin or Jazz Music Use CellularOne for Cell Phone Service Buy a Travel Book Buy from Hardee’s, Golden Corral, or Shoney’s Travel Internationally on Continental Airlines Own a Rifle or Shotgun Have a Liberal Outlook Eat at Arthur Treacher, Papa Gino’s or Ponderosa Exercise at a Club Buy Sporting Goods from a Catalog
Older Upper-mid Mix
PRIZMNE Clusters
Life-stage
Group Social Group
Base Households
%Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 %Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 Index
7 Money & Brains M1 U1 2.93 6.61 226 10 Second City Elite M1 C1 1.56 2.18 140 11 God's Country Y1 T1 1.92 3.19 166 14 New Empty Nests M2 S2 1.46 1.70 117 15 Pools & Patios M2 S2 1.69 1.95 115 26 The Cosmopolitans M2 U1 1.62 1.91 118 TOTAL 11.19 17.55 157
4) Older Upper-mid Mix are predominantly older (45+) singles and couples living in single-unit homes. There is a higher than average Asian representation within these households. They are likely to have bachelor or advanced degrees and are employed in white-collar occupations. The median household income for this group is $71,025. Members of Older Upper-mid Mix are likely to stay at a Hilton on vacation, be a member of Delta’s frequent flyer program, and visit Orbitz.com. Likely travel destinations include Spain/Portugal, Ireland/UK, France, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Airlines for international travel tend to include Continental and Delta. Older Upper-mid Mix are also... More Likely to... Less Likely to... Have Household Income $500,000+ Have a Home Valued <$80,000 Have EBI $500,000+ Live in a Mobile Home or Trailer Have a Home Valued $500,000-$750,000 Be an Income Below Poverty Family Have 2004 Household Wealth $1,000,000+ Have Farm/Forest/Fishing Occupations Have Legal Occupations Live in a Boat, RV, or Van Gamble in Atlantic City Eat at Taco Time, Sonic, or Long John Silver Be a Member of USAir’s Frequent Flyer Program Eat at Hardee’s or Captain D’s Travel Domestically to ME/NH/VT Use CellularOne for Cell Phone Service Belong to a Country Club Eat at Krystal Hamburgers or Godfather’s Pizza Gamble in Lake Tahoe/Reno Eat at a Fast Food Fish Restaurant *EBI: Effective Buying Income. Refers to after-tax income.
Young Urban Mix
PRIZMNE Clusters
Life-stage
Group Social Group
Base Households
%Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 %Comp
US Visitor Analysis
2000-2004 Index
12 Brite Lites, Li'l City Y1 C1 1.99 2.18 109 29 American Dreams F2 U1 2.90 3.37 116 31 Urban Achievers Y2 U2 2.44 2.49 102 TOTAL 7.33 8.04 110
5) Young Urban Mix are predominantly singles and couples under age 45 living in multi-unit housing in urban areas. These young urbanites have a higher than average likelihood of being Asian or Hispanic. They tend to be college educated and are employed in white-collar and sales/office administration occupations with midscale incomes. The median household income for this target group is $49,800. Members of Young Urban Mix tend to eat at a variety of restaurant chains, including Arthur Treacher, Roy Rogers, Boston Market, and Romano’s Macaroni Grill. They are likely to travel domestically on American or United Airlines and belong to Columbia House or a classical music club. Young Urban Mix are also... More Likely to... Less Likely to... Live in a Structure with 20-49 Units Have Farm/Forest/Fishing Occupations Use Public Transportation Live in a Mobile Home or Trailer Commute by Bicycle Have a Home Valued <$40,000 Live in a Household with 2+ Persons, Nonfamily Live in a Boat, RV, or Van Have Art/Design/Entertainment/Sports/Media Occup. Have a Home Valued $1,000,000+ Eat at Carl’s Jr, Papa Gino’s, or Shakey’s Use CellularOne for Cell Phone Service Eat at Del Taco, Bennigan’s, or Round Table Pizza Buy Fishing Equipment Gamble in Las Vegas Buy Garden Supplies by Catalog Go Mountain/Rock Climbing Own a Rifle or Shotgun Play Racquetball Belong to a Veterans Club
Where are the targets?
How can I reach them?
Likely Media Usage Habits by Target Group 1. Older Wealthy Couples
Classical Radio All News Radio All Sports Radio Newspaper, Business/Finance Section Yellow Pgs for Landscape/Garden/Tree Svc News/Talk Radio
2. Wealthy Midlife Families Yellow Pgs for Building/Construction Supply Yellow Pgs for Electricians Yellow Pgs for Furniture Stores Yellow Pgs for Landscape/Garden/Tree Svc Newspaper, Business/Finance Section Yellow Pgs for Auto Dealer/Sales
3. Young Professionals Source for TV Program Info, Internet Watch VH1 Jazz Radio Alternative Radio Watch BET Watch BBCAmerica
4. Older Upper-mid Mix Yellow Pgs for Travel Agents Alternative Radio Classical Radio All Sports Radio MOR/Nostalgia/Big Band Radio All News Radio
5. Young Urban Mix Source for TV Program Info, Radio Alternative Radio Urban Contemporary Radio Spanish Radio Use Online Svc for Listen to Internet Radio Radio, NBA Regular Season
How can I reach Them? Magazines Television Programs
1. Older Wealthy Couples Washington Post, Daily & Sunday The West Wing Wall Street Journal, Daily US Open, Men’s Tennis Fortune Ed Architectural Digest CNBC, Kudlow & Cramer Business Week CNBC, Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street
2. Wealthy Midlife Families Traditional Home Celebrity Mole Wall Street Journal, Daily MSNBC, MSNBC Live with Lester Holt Food & Wine FOX News, Fox Report w/Shepard Smith Money CNBC, Kudlow & Cramer SmartMoney People’s Choice Awards
3. Young Professionals New York Times, Daily & Sunday Access Hollywood (S) Fortune Travel, Travel Channel Secrets Los Angeles Times, Daily & Sunday VH1, VH1 All Access Scientific American MTV, Road Rules Washington Post, Daily MTV, Sorority Life
4. Older Upper-mid Mix The New Yorker Kennedy Center Honors Scientific American CNBC, Closing Bell Fortune CNN, Lou Dobbs Moneyline New York Times, Daily & Sunday NHL Playoffs/Finals Money CNBC, Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street
5. Young Urban Mix Los Angeles Times, Daily & Sunday Nick at Nite, Family Ties Chicago Tribune, Daily Soul Train Music Awards Vanity Fair BET, Rap City Elle Grammy Awards GQ Malcolm in the Middle
Why segmentation
• Segmentation and target marketing are central to our marketing strategy– Different customer groups require the correct
marketing mix to suit their individual needs– NTAs operate on a limited budget which has
to serve all major markets and therefore targeting ensures an effective allocation of resources in areas with a high potential for conversion
Product
• The effectiveness of planning the marketing mix depends as much on the ability to select the right target markets as on devising a product which will generate high levels of satisfaction.
• Tourist have to believe that the product offers high value.
• There should be continuous monitoring of product via exit surveys
Product • The BTA consistently monitors the
competition to ensure that our services are amenities being offered are consistent with market norms and encourage the local suppliers to enhance their products to reflect this.
• Research will also develop strategies to lift the quality of products and services being offered on island and raising the national standards.
– ZAGAT– AAA
• Monitor the quality of all the components of the product and provide feedback to suppliers falling below the standards.
• Duty free sector• Cleanliness drive
Brand Image• In order to effectively
sell and promote a country we need to understand the consumers perception of the destination and determine what points of differentiation set the island apart from the competition
• Conducting brand audits starting with the perceptions of current customers
• Barbados for example trades on Friendliness, safety and security
• The island that works.
Price
• Extremely challenging for a destination marketing organization as they do not control any inventory
• We cannot tell a supplier to sell his product at any specific price even if its priced above where it should be.
What do we do with Price• Develop structured or informal relationships with travel trade
partners who have a ready supply of data available• They supply relevant market intelligence regarding the pace of
bookings and what is being offered in the market i.e value for money • Conduct scans of the market as well as economic conditions to
determine what national efforts need to be undertaken and what would constitute a compelling offer.
• Several of these initiatives have been instituted within recent years within the region. However, there is a function for researchers to determine the success rate as well as the ROI. The use of E/D cards as well as Exit surveys extremely important in these evaluations
• In order to determine this we have to determine the correct timing for the offer i.e the booking cycles of the consumer.
• In determining the offer we calculate the return on investment to ensure its feasibility and benefits to the country.
Advertising & Promotion
• Consistently conduct research to monitor our advertising and PR efforts in all markets
• Consistently ‘word of mouth’ ranks very high as a PR vehicle for Barbados. Suggesting the need to ensure that the product is correct.
• In recent years, use of the internet has been very important trend for Barbados.
• Traditional media have been diminishing in effectiveness
• Have therefore reoriented our communications efforts to reflect the changing environment
Testing of Concepts
• Before launching any campaign it is tested either through focus groups or more recently we have embraced the new technologies to test our concepts to ensure that the message is most effectively communicated
Distribution
• Again simple questions on the exit survey can provide useful insights into the distribution channels
USA BOOKING CHANNELS
TOUR OPER. WEBSITE
6%
TRAVEL AGENCY WEBSITE
2%
HOTEL RESERV. WEBSITE
7%
HOTEL RESERV.14%
TOUR OPERATOR6%
ONLINE AGENCY35%
TRAVEL AGENCY30%
Website Customer tracking• Enhanced Tracking - The Internet offers an unparalleled ability
to track and monitor customers. Each time a visitor accesses our website they provide us with extensive information including how they arrived at the website (e.g., via a search engine) and what they did when on the website (e.g., what products were investigated).
• This information is being used in the redevelopment of our new site and to provide information on interest of the consumer so that the relevant content is added to the website
• Research Tools – A large number of Internet services have added options for conducting research. These include the ubiquitous search engines, tools for conducting online surveys, and access to large databases containing previous research studies (i.e., secondary research).
Forecasting
• Tourism is a highly perishable commodity. A room or airline seat not sold today cannot be sold tomorrow
• This highlights the need for accurate forecasting as it has implications for jobs and the general health of the economy as tourism is the main engine of growth for many islands within the region
• Countries can be proactive in devising strategies in the event of fall off in business.
• The data from the E/D cards is useful as well as information from travel partners
Forecasting
• The BTA reported this to the government for planning purposes.
• This has resulted in a US$15 million fund being established to aid properties and attractions in distress due to the economic fallout
• This will minimize job losses and to try to prevent any major downturn in the economy from the tourism sector as it is heavily tied to the other sectors of the economy
Rationale for Events
• In order to maximize the marketing spend it is felt that events with significant television coverage can provide a destination with advertising and promotional opportunities which we could not have otherwise afforded.
• The combined effect of a number of these events in the right segments can raise the destination profile.
• Finally, the additional visitation for the events can boost the immediate needs of the industry.
Evaluation of Proposal
• The evaluation of all proposals should be conducted based on the information sources available
• This should be done with a ROI on these events in mind.– Must provide a minimum return of 20:1 to be a
viable option– Coverage of the event must be significant
band in line with the image and profile of Barbados.
Event Evaluation
• Focus testing and surveys of participants to help with future events
ICC World Cup
• Delivered in numbers for the island surpassing the ROI required
• Significant coverage but in areas where the number of tourist not significant to barbados
Other Events
• At this time not viable as the profile of clients not necessarily Barbados clients
Conclusion
• Destination marketing and planning for the Barbados Tourism Authority involves interaction with various publics from the both from the supply side and the demand side and protecting their interest.
• It is imperative that the relevant information to make sound decisions is available and that actions are taken in the most cost effective way to the benefit of Barbados as a whole.
QUESTIONS
