Archive for September, 2010

Spirit airlines should make PR a priority

Friday, September 24th, 2010

Have you flown Spirit airlines?  If so, do you recall the experience you have with the airline’s customer service?  I have not flown them yet, but plan on doing so to see for myself.  Meanwhile, this article on Gadling.com is very convincing as it talks about the importance of engaging strategic PR to improving Customer Service - which appears to be directly affecting revenue.

Spirit has been in the news before about poor customer service, and the negative publicity is impacting investor relations.  After a horrible two-year stretch of the economic downturn, from oil spill distasters to deflecting horrific ad campaigns (namely Spirit’s campaign to fly to FL during the oil spill) and poor customer service, PR is seen again as a mandatory communications vehicle - and not as fluff. 

Whoever said any publicity is good publicity, coined a catchy phrase for drawing negative attention.  In most cases, like in Spirit’s for instance, it isn’t working out well.

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Posted in Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, social media | No Comments »

Geo-social marketing and hotels. Does it work?

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

When Foursquare, Gowalla and the like started becoming popular we explored the idea of the geo-social concept working well with hotels and restaurants, particularly because they are physical locations, where people can gather and let others know where they are.  Safety concerns and territorial feelings aside (no, it’s not cool to be the Mayor of a hotel suite’s bathroom, I don’t care if it’s the executive suite), hoteliers have not only caught up with social media, but they are constantly thinking ahead to digital networking, which is encouraging as the economy picks up again.

If mobile marketing is the way to go, how it can it work efficiently?   Just read the story on HotelChatter and see what Four Seasons and Gowalla are doing.  They have a promotion running that offers an incentive to guests after they check-in to places that Four Seasons concierges recommend:  they earn hotel credits and can use them up on property.  It’s a clever concept because it adds value to the stay vs. offering a lower rate or a discount.  So, I vote yes!  One concern though: safety.  Hotels will have to figure that out.

Foursquare and Gowalla will be tapping into more hotel chains soon I think, and by early 2011 (which equates to nearly a decade in social media years) geo-social promotions will be commonplace in the hospitality industry and, hopefully, well streamlined.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

Retail salespeople who use PR effectively

Sunday, September 5th, 2010

Being in my early thirties I am a huge fan of The Body Shop.  Having grown up in Greece, there wasn’t a birthday party that went by without giving or receiving a gift from the socially responsible cosmetics retailer.

So, occasionally I reminisce by walking into the Body Shop to browse the beautifully packaged products that look and smell differently now, but somehow still feel oddly familiar.  The store I went into today wasn’t too busy and a chatty sales lady came up to me asking if I needed help.  I nodded in appreciation while quickly replying that I was just looking.  I had not yet finished my sentence when her face lit up and said full of excitement, “You should try our skin line!  It was number one in the Palm Beach Post this month!!” 

Naturally, she sounded passionate about the PR placement, which made her comment worth noting in my very biased-towards-PR mind as I left the store moments later, and after unsuccessfully searching for my favorite lip pencil.  Undoubtedly, the lady used that placement in the Palm Beach Post as an effective way to sell the company’s specific product line, and I wonder how well it worked for the FL shops, since the Palm Beach Post is the top newspaper in the county. 

In any case, it was great to know that organizations are still valuing strategic PR while fully capitalizing on its unique ability to influence public opinion and enhance brand awareness.

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Posted in Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, social media | No Comments »