© 2011, Educational Institute Chapter 8 Advertising to the Meeting Planner Convention Management and Service Eighth Edition (478TXT or 478CIN)

© 2011, Educational Institute 1 Competencies for Advertising to the Meeting Planner 1.Describe how hospitality companies use print media and technology to advertise. 2.Identify the purpose and types of collateral materials hospitality companies use in advertising. 3.Explain how to conduct a direct mail campaign. 4.Summarize the process of planning an advertising strategy. 5.Describe how public relations and publicity can help a property reach meeting planners.

© 2011, Educational Institute 2 Why Advertise? Supplements your direct sales efforts Reaches a vast audience Can be targeted to specific market segments Demonstrates your competitiveness and allows planners to compare features and benefits Begins the process of building interest and desire for your property

© 2011, Educational Institute 3 Advantages of Print Advertising Color print Good reproduction Magazines have a long reading life and can be shared with others Easy to focus on target markets

© 2011, Educational Institute 4 The AIDA Principle Attention To attract attention, make your ad stand out from the rest. Interest To interest the reader, text should be specific and concise. Desire To build desire, present features as benefits and show how your property is different from others. Action To facilitate action, include a way for readers to contact you.

© 2011, Educational Institute 5 Elements of Ad Design Color—creates stimulation and has eye-catching “stopping power” Photos—communicate realism White space—use freely, avoid cluttered look Text—should support the headline Position on the page—eye tends to be drawn to upper part of right-hand page Size—depends on budget Frequency (single shot versus campaign)—generally requires several exposures to get response

© 2011, Educational Institute 6 Headline Illustration Copy Logo Headline Illustration Copy Logo

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10 Technology and Advertising The Internet Property websites Social media Fax transmissions

© 2011, Educational Institute 11 Internet Advertising Growing in popularity Websites can include text, graphics, audio, video, and interaction with users Properties can make their own websites, link them to meeting-related websites (e.g., CVB websites), and/or advertise on other sites likely to be visited by targeted segments Properties can be listed in the electronic directories of travel service firms You must drive traffic to your website to be effective (continued)

© 2011, Educational Institute 12 Internet Advertising Allows advertising -Inexpensive -Fast -Best to use “permission marketing” (create an opt-in form on your website -Can be used to nurture customer relations via newsletters (relationship marketing) Banner ads are the dominant form of advertising on the web Properties can be listed in the electronic directories of travel-related firms (continued)

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© 2011, Educational Institute 15 Social Media Online Networking Communities LinkedIn Twitter Face Book

© 2011, Educational Institute 16 Advertising is widely used by meeting planners to send requests for proposals (RFPs) and to communicate with vendors is fast and inexpensive, but like any media program, it must be carefully planned Best to use “permission marketing,” whereby planners opt-in to receive mailings Can be used to nurture customer relations via ed newsletters yields a greater customer response than direct mail and is an effective lead-qualifying tool

© 2011, Educational Institute 17 Collateral Material Differences from Other Advertising Materials Directed specifically at decision-maker Brochures usually provide more details than ads do Types Convention brochures Video brochures CD-ROMs Others: postcards, fliers, maps, menus, tent cards, newsletters, etc.

© 2011, Educational Institute 18 Convention Brochures Purpose and Characteristics Inform the decision-maker Give the planner enough information to begin planning Information must be detailed, clear, concise, and pertinent Include it in a meeting planner’s kit To develop one, get ideas from competitors

© 2011, Educational Institute 19 Video Brochures and DVDs Video Brochures Very versatile and effective Can show the property at different times of the year Captures service aspect Can show a variety of meeting setups Usually 4 to 6 minutes long Use a professional firm for development (continued)

© 2011, Educational Institute 20 Video Brochures and DVDs DVDs’ Advantages over Video Brochures Can store more information More durable Cannot be erased by magnetic fields Easily and inexpensively reproduced and mailed DVD Development Use a professional firm Reuse website material to save on development costs (continued)

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© 2011, Educational Institute 22 Direct Mail—Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Flexible—can be used to screen prospects, follow up on advertising leads, and make printed sales presentations High volume possible Easily cost-controlled, easily tested and measured Cheaper than print or broadcast advertising Can be targeted to the most promising prospects Personal and can be designed for prospect involvement and action (continued)

© 2011, Educational Institute 23 Direct Mail—Advantages and Disadvantages Disadvantages Increasing postage and production costs Low interest (seen as junk mail) Costly and time-consuming to maintain mailing lists (continued)

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© 2011, Educational Institute 26 Planning Direct-Mail Campaigns Planning a Campaign and Forming Lists Lead sources: internal records, directories and publications, circulation lists, convention bureaus Plan follow-up strategy Develop a general list of all prospects and a preferred list of screened prospects and past customers Campaigns are more effective than one-time mailings (continued)

© 2011, Educational Institute 27 Planning Direct-Mail Campaigns Contents Sales letters, surveys, postcards, and visual aids Keep sales letters personal—they are the most important part of the mailing First letter should be an attention-getter Next letters should creatively build on first letter’s theme (continued)

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© 2011, Educational Institute 30 Elements of an Advertising Strategy Factors to Consider Marketing plan Budget Target market(s) Choice of media Reach Frequency Timing: continuous, pulsing, or flighting Consistency (continued)

© 2011, Educational Institute 31 Elements of an Advertising Strategy Tips Use a media chart Plan your follow-up strategy Monitor and evaluate your plan Special Options Exchange trade advertising Cooperative advertising, strategic partnerships Advertising agencies (continued)

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© 2011, Educational Institute 34 Advertising Agencies Many convention-oriented hotels hire advertising agencies for creative design, ad production, media placement, and research. Agency must work within the hotel’s marketing plan and become the hotel’s marketing partner.

© 2011, Educational Institute 35 Public Relations and Publicity Public Relations (PR) Communicate favorable information about property to create positive image Plan PR and implement it properly May use internal PR staff or external firm, or both Often involves community outreach—donations of surplus products to charities or schools, for example (continued)

© 2011, Educational Institute 36 Public Relations and Publicity Publicity Gratuitous mention of property in media Communicating with media: finished pieces and press releases Press kits—news releases, fact sheets, photographs, news clippings, and other materials designed to give the news media background information about a property (continued)