Marketing Communications in Tourism - Essay Example

?Introduction According to McCabe (2009, p.117), “The marketing function is one of the most important in the organisation, because it is through the marketing strategy and its communications that the organisation and its services are positioned in the minds of potential consumers.” As such, this analysis seeks to critically evaluate the effectiveness of marketing communication strategies used by whl.travel in its campaign to promote sustainable tourism through promoting local communities, culture and the environment across different destinations especially in the developing world. Research has shown that the travel and tourism industry is mainly dominated by big organisations which are often concerned about satisfying the needs of the rich and affluent travellers. These big players in this industry often overlook the importance of cultures especially in developing countries whereby the local people will end up not benefiting from the gains generated by the tourism industry. In this regard, the critical theory is applicable to the noble cause of whl.travel’s campaign in promoting sustainable tourism through empowering the local communities to take a leading role in building the tourism industry in their respective communities. The goal of critical theory in tourism is to empower the members of the local communities to be the main actors in promoting the tourism industry (Tribe, 2008). Indeed, it is the duty of every business to ensure that they achieve their profit goals but there is also need to create a fine balance between their activities and the need to safeguard the interests of the culture of the local people in communities they will be operating in. Thus, the cultural environment is made up of institutions and other forces that affect a society’s values, perceptions, preferences and behaviours (Kotler and Armstrong, 2004). Usually people grow up in a particular society that shapes their basic beliefs and values and they absorb the worldview that defines their relationships with others. Therefore, different cultural characteristics affect the marketing decision making process of a particular organisation that operates directly within the community. For instance, people have different views about themselves, others, organisations, society, nature as well as the universe (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). It is therefore imperative for the organisations operating in the tourism industry to adopt the environmental perspective. This is “a management perspective in which the firm takes aggressive actions to affect the public and forces in its marketing environment rather than simply watching and reacting to them.” (Kotler and Armstrong, 2004, p.132) Evaluation of Marketing Communications by whl.travel In order to evaluate the marketing communications used by whl.travel, it is important to give a historical background of the organisation in order to gain a clear understanding of the whole concept. According to its official website (2011), “the WHL Group is a private company incorporated in Hong Kong and is owned and operated by a team from Australia, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, Switzerland, Syria, USA, Vietnam and Zambia.” Whl.travel launched its campaign after realising that it was important to incorporate the cultural values of local people in emerging tourist markets especially in the developing world. The strategy it uses is unique in that the booking site for all tourist facilities in the areas it is operating in are owned and operated by the local people. The major aim of this strategy is to empower the local people to have control of the tourism industry while at the same time promoting their local culture and environment through sustainable practices. Culture exchange is promoted and there are various marketing communication strategies used to achieve this initiative. A company’s marketing communication mix is also called the promotion mix and it is defined as “a concept of marketing communication planning that recognises the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communication disciplines such as advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, direct marketing, public relations and sponsorship.” (Cant, 2000, p.285) These communication tools are integrated and the organisation in question uses the integrated marketing communications (IMC) model. This is the concept under which the company carefully integrates and coordinates its many communication channels to deliver a clear, consistent and compelling message about the organisation and its products (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). The diagram below illustrates the IMC model used by whl.travel. Fig 1 Integrated marketing communications The internet is the main medium used in the marketing communication process. Whl.travel uses a colourful and specially designed website where all the information about products and services offered can be easily accessed. The information ranges from the organisation’s background, accommodation, tours and activities, sustainable tourism and there is a provision that allows the organisation to communicate with different stakeholders. Bookings can be done online and face to face interaction is also used by the organisation to communicate with different stakeholders in its operations particularly in local destinations. The organisation also uses other forms of media such as newspapers in different areas it will be operating for publicity. For instance, in countries like South Africa and Kenya which are tourist hubs in Africa, the organisation uses local newspapers to advertise the services offered and other upcoming events. The selection of media used is carefully designed to target the local communities in particular which comprise the market segment of the organisation. In terms of print media, community newspapers are used especially in South Africa. However, in this campaign, more emphasis is on the use of the internet since the other objective of the campaign is to promote the use of electronic services by the local people in conducting business given that it can reach wide coverage and business can be conducted with relative ease despite the geographical location of the customers and the actual location of the organisation. The internet has revolutionised the way people conduct business and the campaign is also meant to promote the implementation of e-commerce in developing regions since it makes it easier for people in different regions to access different information they may need as well as to book for different services online. Classification of images and messages used The organisation uses captivating images and words in the advertisements for its services. For instance, its website is colourfully decorated with pictures depicting different cultural artefacts that characterise the local people in different destinations where the organisation operates. (See appendices 1, 2 and 3. The images used for different countries are so captivating to the extent that potential travellers will be attracted and this is likely to influence them to visit these destinations to have first experience with the different cultures in across the globe. The main idea behind the use of these colourful pictures is that the organisation wants to prove a point that culture in the whole world is not homogenous. Culture tourism is another industry emerging during the contemporary period where travellers may be interested in experiencing the culture of other people especially in developing countries. Culture exchange will be promoted whereby people from different parts of the globe can learn the cultural values of the other people which enhances mutual understanding among them. The organisation also uses text messages to appeal to the interests of the customers. Text messages are important in that they help the stakeholders to get the information they want about a particular service or product offered. The theory of communication states that the sender communicates the message to the receiver who in turn decodes the meaning of that message (McQuail, 2000). Given that the readers of the message are not passive consumers of information, text messages are helpful in communication given that they will give the communicator the power to tailor his message in the best way he thinks may have a positive impact on the targeted consumers. In this case, it can be noted that whl.travel uses a strategy of using simplified messages for better understanding by the majority of the targeted audiences who may not be highly educated by virtue of their cultural backgrounds. Evaluation of the campaign objectives Whl.travel seeks to fulfil two broad objectives namely: To promote local sustainable tourism and to empower the members of the local communities to be the masters of their destiny in as far as the tourism industry is concerned. The campaign is strategically meant to raise awareness among the members of the local communities that they can immensely benefit from the tourism facilities in their areas through sustainable practices in protecting the environment. The other objective of the campaign is to empower the members of the local community to be in charge of the tourism industry in a bid to promote growth and development in their respective areas. These broad objectives of the campaign are targeted at the local people to take a leading role in building this industry which is still developing in many parts of the developing countries across the whole globe. The main objectives of the communication campaign are mainly concerned with promoting behaviour change with regards to the way the members of the local communities perceive the tourism industry and this also comprehend the objectives of the communication mix. For instance, the internet is widely used within the field of tourism to reach consumers and is regarded as the major influence affecting the future of the tourism industry (George, 2008). In this particular case, the internet is used as a powerful direct marketing medium for advertising of the services offered by the organisation. Basically, the main objective of advertising in this case is to raise awareness among the stakeholders involved about the variety of services offered by the organisation in conjunction with franchisees based in the local communities. Advertising is also meant to stimulate interest among the potential travellers to use the facilities offered by the organisation when choosing their destinations. On the other hand, the goal of personal selling in this campaign is to build primary demand for the products and services offered by whl.travel in conjunction with its franchises. It can be seen that communication is tailored in a way that is meant to appeal to a wide range of customers especially at grassroots levels. It can be seen that this particular type of service offered by this organisation is relatively still new in the emerging tourist markets hence the need to effectively use direct interaction between the tourist operators and the potential customers. Public relations is another effective communication tool that is used by whl.travel in its endeavour to create mutual relationship with all the stakeholders in a bid to promote local and sustainable tourism. The main objective of this strategy is to try to create loyal customers through providing them with relevant and accurate information about the services offered. It can be noted that whl.travel uses the combined effect of all tools of the communication mix in a bid to achieve its broad objectives mentioned above. Analysis of the messages conveyed The text messages used by the organisation in advertising its services are specially designed to show the main objective of the campaign. For instance, under the heading ‘Your local connection,’ the following statement is inserted: “A unique feature of the WHL network is that each destination booking site is owned and operated by locals. You deal directly with local people in the destination you are travelling to and unlike other global booking sites, the people you book with will be there when you get there. ...they care about their local community, about their culture and about the local environment.” This statement is carefully designed to fulfil the main objectives of the campaign which shows that the organisation is concerned about empowering the members of the society to be the masters of their destiny in as far as the tourism industry is concerned. Analysis of the extent to which whl.travel has achieved its objectives To a greater extent, it can be noted that whl.travel has managed to achieve its broad objectives. A close analysis of the organisation’s website shows that there is a hive of activities taking place which bears testimony that the organisation is fully functional and its efforts are directed towards the attainment of the goals set. For instance, the website is updated on a daily basis and it also highlights forthcoming events which show that the organisation is managing to keep pace with the developments taking place in the industry. On the other hand, it can be seen that the organisation works in conjunction with different partners towards the achievement of its cause. It has a link with a variety of service providers such as hotels as well as transport operators, travellers and the members of the franchises. It can also be seen that all the bookings are done by the members of the communities and they are responsible for the day to day operations of the organisation. WHL for instance has a fair and non discriminatory policy in terms of employment opportunities given that it employs the local people to manage and operate all the activities involved in this industry. From this assertion, it can be authoritatively said the whl.travel has so far managed to achieve its objectives to a greater extent. A close analysis of the images as well as texts used by whl.travel shows that the organisation has managed to achieve its objectives. The message strategy used by the organisation shows that it is designed to appeal to the stakeholders to think or react to the products and services offered by the company in a certain way. This strategy is effective given that the organisation has first identified the needs of the people concerned and the advertisements are executed in such a way that fits different lifestyles in different places. Kotler & Armstrong (2004) suggest that for the text and images to be truly cutting edge, advertising must do more than just capture attention. The advertisements especially images used by this organisation show that they are meant to stimulate interest among travellers as well as the locals since they are presented in different angles which depict varied lifestyles in different regions which is a major tourist attraction whenever culture is concerned. Analysis of the messages conveyed The messages are portrayed in a way that is meant to invoke positive feelings among the stakeholders. True to its objectives, whl.travel uses cultural artefacts as the basis for its communication campaign through advertising. The images depict different aspects of culture in developing regions such that the targeted audiences are given the opportunity to weigh the benefits that can be derived from the campaign. The initiative is not only meant to generate revenue from tourist operations but to raise awareness on the need to protect the environment. The concept of sustainability posits to the effect that there is need to create a fine balance between the needs of the people and the environment for the benefit of the future generations as well. The life of the human beings is wholly dependent on the environment hence the great need to protect it. Appeal of the messages The messages and images are designed in a way that is meant to appeal to all the stakeholders concerned. The locals in particular are given the autonomy to be in control of the tourism industry in their communities which can empower them economically. On the other hand, they are encouraged to protect their environment as well as their culture. All these factors are very important as it can be seen that the local communities will stand better chances to benefit from this initiative. The locals are also encouraged to view tourism just like any other industry which can generate revenue which in turn can positively improve their welfare. The messages as well as the images are also meant to appeal to the interests of the travellers to discover new cultures from other regions. The eye catching images used are meant to attract the attention of the tourists in particular. Through the use of this strategy, it is expected the local people in the communities in which the organisation operates are likely to act positively to the campaign since they will benefit from the initiative. They are empowered economically and they are also given the opportunity to implement measures that are meant to protect their culture as well as their environment which is an advantage to them. The travellers are also likely to positively react since they will be anticipating to get nice hospitality in different destinations which is the essence of tourism. Conclusion Over and above, it can be noted that the marketing function is one of the most important in the organisation, because it is through the marketing strategy and its communications that the organisation and its services are positioned in the minds of potential consumers. A close analysis of the campaign to promote local and sustainable tourism by whl.travel shows that the organisation uses an integrated approach to marketing communication and mainly relies on the internet to convey its messages to the travellers as well as the local communities. It has been noted that the strategy used by the organisation is very effective since the messages are portrayed in a positive way that is meant to appeal to the feelings as well as the interests of the stakeholders. The organisation uses eye catching images in an attempt to create positive behaviour change towards sustainable tourism among the stakeholders concerned. Emphasis is put on the need to protect the environment in a sustainable manner since the life of the people is dependent on it. The text messages are also designed in a way that that is easy to understand and the objective is clearly presented. To a greater extent, it can be said that the organisation has managed to achieve its objectives through the use of cutting edge images and texts. Bibliography Bennett, JA 1997, Managing tourism services, JLVan Schaik, Pretoria. Bennett JA & Strydom JW 2001, Introduction to Marketing, Juta, CT. Cant, MC 2000, Marketing Management, 4th Edition, JUTA, CT. Carsterns J & Lucouw P 2004, E-Commerce in practice,. Corals Publishers, CT. George, R 2008, Marketing tourism, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press: CT. Kotler, P & Armstrong G 2004, Principles of Marketing, 10th Edition, Pearson Education International, NJ. Kotler, P 1999, Kotler on Marketing: How to create, win and dominate Markets, Free Press, London. McCabe, S 2009, Marketing Communications in Tourism & Hospitality, Butterworth-Heinemann. McQuail, D 2000, Mass communication theory, Sage Publications: London. Strydom, J 2004, Marketing, 3rd Edition, JUTA , CT. Tribe, J 2008, ‘Tourism,’ A critical Business Journal of Travel research, 2008, 46, 245, Sage. WHL (official website), viewed 25 March, 2011, http://www.whl.travel/about_us Appendix1 Picture showing traditional dress of people in Kenya Appendix 2 Picture showing facial decorations in Vanuatu Appendix 3 Traditional life of Swazi people Read More