Archive for the ‘Integrated Marketing Communications’ Category
Saturday, December 18th, 2010
Fabulous article by Joe Sharkey in the New York Times earlier this week about how the Waldorf-Astoria had to walk guests, who had confirmed room reservations because a VIP guest arrived from abroad in an emergency.
While walking guests to nearby hotels is a nothing new, especially during peak times when rooms oversell to ensure the highest occupancy rate, it can backfire. In the case of the Waldorf-Astoria, the guests who were bumped were looking forward to staying at that particular hotel as part their NYC experience… and the hotel very simply chose not deliver on that promise.
The article as it was written gives me the impression that the hotel did not handle these guests correctly, and decided who to ”walk” based on what they booked in rate. While that’s probably the best approach in terms of revenue, oddly enough the Waldorf-Astoria did not consider guest loyalty when bumping travelers, something that a hotel of such high caliber would normally consider (unless that’s not true… thoughts anyone??)
Meanwhile, as the hotel believed it can earn more money by walking guests who had apparently booked at a discounted rate to accommodate last minute high-rate travelers, this article in the NY Times most certainly backfired that approach… Guests expect to be treated the same when they check-in whether or not they pay #150 or $400 or $800. In such tough economic times, luxury hotels should keep in mind that while they may afford to walk lower paying guests to earn more revenue for the night, I am not sure they can afford such bad PR.
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Tags: bad hotel pr, hotel rates, luxury hotels, travel nyc, waldorf-astoria new york times article, walking guests
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
Colleagues and I have been talking about this topic a lot in the past couple of years. With Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn to keep alive, along with maintaining relationships with bloggers and tracking the online news environment, how do we measure PR in terms of value in this era?
Like most elements of the integrated marketing communications process, PR should have a strategy that’s initially agreed upon. While PR is a continues process that must allow for changes, tweaks and much flexibility, the ultimate goal should remain in tact. For example, if a PR campaign is employed to handle a crisis on Facebook and Twitter, the goal could be to successfully contain the viral posts with the purpose of diffusing the situation in such a way where brand reputation is restored as quickly as possible.
We used to measure PR in column inches back in the glory days of print. While print is still quite valuable, the online world has opened too many doors for PR pros to ignore as potential opportunities. Aside from calculating online impressions and advertising value, social media PR should also be measured accordingly. Post quality, frequency, and participation also matters. With social media, however, it’s about quality of fans and followers, and not so much the quantity. Again, that depends on your client’s goals and what you decide is the best strategy.
Another key measurement that many colleagues overlook is the wish list. If you and the client come up with a specific list of potential placements, or specific goals achieved on social media, then that should be the ultimate reward for a successful campaign. Or, if you’re handling a crisis, perhaps how quickly your strategy turns things around can be the measurement.
In the end, it’s how you and the client communicate on what PR will mean and how it will be defined in the short and long term. Good measurement and effective results come only after a solid strategy has been put in place along with the proper time to be executed. And in my opinion, equivalent advertising value is not a fair measurement tool for a well placed article that offers third party endorsement of the outlet its featured in!
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Tags: client PR strategy, how to measure pr results, imc, measuring pr, public relations measurement, social media
Posted in Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, social media | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
With Thanksgiving around the corner, aside from few deadlines, not much is going on this week in terms of media. Most topics have been decided on, and reporters - like the rest of us - are looking to shut down for some turkey and family time.
The days before major holidays like Thanksgiving are perfect “catch-up” days, as I like to call them. PR pros take the time to review checklists, update media lists, catch up on old pitches, follow-up, and even spending some time to write their own blog posts!
With 2010 so near a close, it’s amazing to be part of a field that’s ever changing and evolving continuously. I’m planning my post on predictions for 2011, and how PR will play a big role in hotels, travel, and many other industries. I’ll be using some of downtime this week for planning that outline also.
Meanwhile, I am thankful for a 2010 that will end on a very positive note. Thankful for being my own boss for nearly six years. Thankful for smart and genuine colleagues, who are a pleasure to work with as we rejoice in each other’s successes and pull through tough times . Thankful for the ability to appreciate the simplest of things. Most of all I’m thankful for a four year old who already loves writing and looking forward to doing homework!
Happy Thanksgiving
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Tags: hotel pr, pr checklist, pr downtime, pr predictions 2011, productive pr, thankful, thanksgiving 2010
Posted in Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, social media | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
About eight years ago we saw a few small hotel bloggers make their debut online, talking about properties, where to stay, amenities to rave about, room categories to avoid and so forth. A great example of a hotel blog that started hyperlocal in Boston and grew enormously in the past decade is friend Mark Johnson’s HotelChatter.
Between then and today, there are myriads of bloggers on the internet writing up anything from favorite hotel roundups, and top 10 destinations, to exposing bed bug infested hotels and other popular topics relating to the travel industry. As PR people we already know there are some bloggers that have impeccable ethics, and others not so much. It’s up to us to decide who to pitch to.
Without assigning blame to anyone, how do you pitch bloggers in the new decade? Earlier on, it was easy because bloggers did not have the prestige they have today. These days, bloggers are well respected writers, often times editors of high-end publications that are no longer in business. Many senior level writers have left magazines and newspapers to start their own blog and online presense.
The travel/hotel blog boom is still going strong. Pitching bloggers is getting harder. Crafting a clever angle is more important than ever. Establishing relationships with the bloggers takes more time now than it used to. It’s all online too, you have to follow them on Twitter, comment of their FB posts and show interest in their content. It’s a new process that PR people have to embrace when pitching bloggers for hospitality clients (and all clients, for that matter).
One thing is relatively unique for writers and bloggers in the travel and hospitality industry: they don’t leave it! So, happy pitching!
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Tags: bed bugs, bloggers and pr people, hospitality social media, hotel pr, hotels and bloggers, how to pitch bloggers, Media Relations, pitching in 2010, travel bloggers, travel pr
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »
Monday, October 25th, 2010
On a very recent jaunt up to Boston, I met with colleague Ann Manion, the Principal of Hotel Advantage. Ann is a true hospitality professional, who has set out to help hotels realize the important role the Internet plays when it comes to online reputation management.
Hardly anyone fills out those traditional feedback forms when staying in a hotel anymore. The past decade has marked the popularity of the ever fickle TripAdvisor index, that has gotten GMs and hoteliers around the world glued to their computer screens and/or smartphones just to keep tabs on the property’s weekly rating.
What do you do when a horrific review hits? How does it affect your overall reputation online? With sites like TripAdvisor, Ann suggests responding to poor reviews only and making your response clear and to the point as quickly as possible.
She also suggested something daring: link your TripAdvisor reviews to your website. Yes, let potential guests read the good and the bad and let them decide. The worst you can do is try to hide negative reviews. The Internet is written in digital ink and between Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and citizen journalism on the web, hardly anything is hidden. Linking your reviews to your site makes sense when hotel staff is trained to properly respond to them. How quickly and the manner in which you respond is a huge factor in online reputation.
No one expects to read 100% perfect reviews - that would be fake and unnatural in the world of hotels - especially luxury hotels. But, hoteliers can create a strong message that is built into review sites and social media, indicating their constant preoccupation for providing the best possible experience for the guest. Read the related New York Times article about the topic.
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Tags: boutique hotels and social media, luxury hotels, online reputation management, pr and hotel reputation, social media and hotels, social media reviews, tripadvisor reviews
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
I was at client meeting today and among other things, we touched on the pros and cons of traditional print placements. While traditional is inevitably moving towards the all-digital, all-viral, all-social era, my client and I pondered on why we still love reading print.
Sure, there’s the argument of the tangible “leafing through” a magazine at the airport, on the train or waiting at the doctor’s office. But, there’s more to it, there’s an exclusivity about reading the Sunday paper or your favorite magazine even though you can have 24 access to it online. For example, I know when I sit down to read TIME I will be focusing on reading and digesting that pub’s information only. And I look forward to that.
At the same time, I never read TIME.com because I simply do not wish to be distracted by links and pop ups that interrupt my reading. Knowing that I can instantly search for a million things that I find interesting on the publication’s site is tempting, but not something I seek out when reading certain magazines.
At the same time, I love logging on to www.nytimes.com, but hardly ever read the tangible version of the paper anymore. NYTimes is a rich source of info that’s constantly updated, and that’s what I look for when sharing information on my social networks.
The odd thing is that I do recycle and believe in not wasting paper. However, there are times when I crave those 20-30 minutes of quiet reading time like the old days, when digesting information was more important than skimming it and virally sharing it before moving onto the next link.
I believe that both print and online placements have strengths and weaknesses. Online placements (especially via social media) tend to have a much broader impact in a short period of time. The question is, how much does that info sticks with you in the long run?
On the other hand, we are humans and tend to assign value in tangible things - old clippings, front page collectibles, cutting out recipes (I still do that!) and even saving articles for loved ones. With print pubs, we tend to assign more value in article we spend 15 minutes reading when we would probably just skim its online equivalent, simply because we get far more distracted interacting virtually.
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Tags: interactive marketing, Media Relations, online publications, PR, print placements, print versus online, the future of publishing, the value of print
Posted in Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, social media | 1 Comment »
Monday, October 4th, 2010
Did that capture your attention? Don’t hold your breath too long!
So, it seems the quote I submitted for the heck of it via the HARO last year made Mary Cantando’s cut - apparently after looking through 5,000 submissions, no less- for her in 2011 Woman’s Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar. Mary is the Growth Expert of The Woman’s Advantage, which right away sounded to me like a Tim Robbins equivalent for women aspiring to business success, and according to her site, Mary helps inspire women in business via a line of information products, workbooks and CDs. In any case, her calendar provides advice for women from successful women in a fortune cookie sound-byte for each day of the year. I believe my quote comes up on March 29, ironically a day after my birthday, but don’t ask me what it was - buy the calendar.
Actually, the reason for this blog post is not about about my unbelievably inspiring quote in a business calendar, but rather the PR around it. I received a press release template from Mary Cantando for me to go ahead and issue this release to the media on behalf of my business so that I can spread this wonderful news. The press release was so well organized, it even had the two items that were newsworthy already highlighted for me so that I didn’t have to spend the time figuring it out. I just read the release 10 minutes ago, and I can’t remember what those two items were though, even though I was urged to send this out mid-week (generally true for pitching) and to as many outlets as possible (ahem).
I can’t remember the last time I used a boilerplate press release to issue any piece of news - especially since the popularity of social networks took over publishing. I think I used these releases for AAA Diamond announcements for my hotel clients, etc., some years ago. I know we’re supposed to make news out of every little thing these days, but perhaps this blog post may end up having more PR value than blind-blasting a press release out to 30-40 writers, who couldn’t care less about my quote in a calendar, regardless of how inspiring it may be.
All of this goes back to making news newsworthy. It also makes me feel good as a PR person. Although publishing has changed so much so quickly, maybe PR people can still help in the process of determining what is newsworthy enough to present to the media… and what is not. (Of course, this only applies to really good PR people, for which I don’t mind taking a little bit of credit… ok…I know, yawn…)
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Tags: determining newsworthy stories, editors and press releases, filtering news, good pr practice, news and editors, newsworthy items, pr and news, the woman's advantage
Posted in Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, social media | 1 Comment »
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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Tags: making pr a priority, oil spill, poor pr tactics, pr crises, public relations and social media, spirit airlines pr and publicity
Posted in Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, social media | No Comments »
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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Tags: geo-social marketing, gowalla hotels, hotel pr 2010, hotels foursquare, mobile hotel marketing, social media marketing
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »
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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Tags: body shop pr, effective pr, palm beach post, retail pr, sales and pr, social responsibility pr, the body shop
Posted in Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, social media | No Comments »