Trailfinder Brands Marketing - Assignment Example

MAR005-2 Brand: Trailfinders The purpose of this essay is to provide insight to five questions as outlined in the course assignment. Firstly the question will identify what are Trailfinder brand’s target markets and other public groups within the United Kingdom? This particular question will go into specific detail on all of these specific groups. Secondly this paper will illustrate what exactly the brands positioning is and will provide insight as to its brand touchpoints. Thirdly this paper will illustrate the brand’s marketing communications strategy insofar as the paper will highlight an opinion on the degree of creativity as employed by Trailfinders. Fourthly, after all of the information highlighted in the previous sections has been established a new target segment will be proposed and justified, furthermore a brand positioning and campaign slogan will also be presented. Lastly this paper will highlight some newer and potentially less conventional marketing communications approaches that can be utilized in order to support the launching of the new positioning strategy. Question #1- The format that this answer will undertake is to first identify some information about the Trailfinders brand and based on information identified some commonalities of the company target demographic will be presented based on the highlighted information and information will be presented on this demographic. According to the company website (2010) it is the case that Trailfinders is the United Kingdoms largest independent travel company specializing in flights, hotels, package tours, car hire, cruises, rail travel (tickets and part of a travel package), arranging visas, as well as the sale of travel insurance. In an interview with The Mail, Trailfinders owner Mr. Mike Gooley identified that the growth sector for simple flights (For example London to Paris) has been diminishing year over year since the emergence of online flight booking (Barrett, 2008). As such the market that has emerged for Trailfinders is based primarily on vacation packages. Furthermore it was also highlighted that the firm finds its competitive advantage over online retailers in the vacation sector because they are able to save time that consumers have to spend searching the internet ooking for good deals. From this point one could conclude that a great deal of Trailfinders business comes from people who have disposable income but do not have a great deal of time to shop around on the internet for flights. What is important to keep in mind when examining the business model as employed by Trailfinders is the role that niche competitors. In recent decades the travel industry has seen growth in the adventure travel segment and niche providers such as British based companies The Adventure Company, Exodus, and Footloose. Another such Niche travel market that has emerged is Assisted travel companies like British based The Assistance Travel Ltd which specializes in travel arrangements for people needing special assistance like old age pensioners, and disabled individuals. As such one could conclude that the first primary targeted demographic for Trailfinders are people with disposable income, between the ages of 18 and 65 seeking international travel and all of its ancillary functions. Budget conscience interested in package tours are the second demographic and the third targeted group is the business travel market. In terms of information on each individual target group, for business travelers it is the case that the firm targets this group because of the demand for swift service. It is the case that as a company with experience in arranging travel documents, Trailfinders are able to obtain visas for business travelers much quicker than can be obtained by a business professional individually. Secondly this market demands swiftness in terms of obtaining multi-location trips ie. obtaining travel arrangements for a number of different cities in one country. This process can be laborious for an individual who has little knowledge of the geography of a country or its travel procedures. The second major group targeted would be 18-65 year old holiday makers. Whilst it is the case that many people book their holidays online the competitive advantage that Trailfinders holds and why customers choose to use them is because of first hand knowledge. People simply looking for a relaxing vacation may not be privy to special information about a specific travel destination such as frequency of hurricanes, political climate etc. Trailfinders is a preferred choice for a number of holidaymakers because the company is able offer industry expertise/advice to travelers who seek regular and simple vacations. The last demographic that Trailfinders targets are budget conscience consumers. It may be the case that someone can book hotels and flights for a smaller fee than what is on offer from a travel agency however it remains the case that guided tours are significantly cheaper than arranging a similar tour for oneself, owing to economies of scale through group bus rental, hotel rentals, tickets for attractions etc. Question #2- The second answer that this paper will provide is in regards to what exactly is the brands positioning while also providing insight into the brand touchpoints. To illustrate this point first a definition of brand positioning will be given followed by a brief history of the company should be provided giving insight into the transition into the modern brand as we know it today. Secondly this paper will illustrate what exactly the brands positioning is and will provide insight as to its brand touchpoints. Brand positioning for the purpose of this essay will focus on how the Trailfinders brand is position in relation to its competitors brands. Trailfinders has an illustrious 36+ year history in the travel market offering a breadth of products and services but the hallmark of this organization is its reluctance to shift its business model to accommodate internet retail. When utilizing the perceptual map as espoused by tutor2u.com (2010) one finds that from the comments listed above the company tries to position themselves in the place of high quality/low price to high quality/high price segment. Several of the online travel retailers such as lastminute.com or expedia.com focus on inexpensive last minute deals with very little if no interaction with sales professionals. One of the interesting differentiation touchpoints that Trailfinders is that according to Clark (2005) the company does not allow online purchasing of its product offerings. All point of sale must be completed on the telephone or in person. As such it can be argued that the company tries to offer a higher degree of service insofar as it tries to promote, no hidden fees as well as a higher degree of personalized service through personal contact in the sales cycle. It is the case that by increasing the degree of interaction between the customer and the travel sales professionals one can conclude that the company is trying to up-sell the customer in terms of added value service. An example of this would be giving alternative travel options in terms of price point and destination. Secondly there is the aspect of Trailfinders independent nature. A major direct competitor of Trailfinders is Thomas Cook, which is an organization that has much of the same product offerings as Trailfinders but has also branched out into a number of different business ventures such as owning its own airlines. As Thomas Cook is a publicly licensed company it is the case that much of their travel itineraries must be connected to resorts and hotels with whom the company has a special relationship. By contrast Trailfinders is able to position themselves as an independent travel expert and as such they can offer travel deals through whatever airline, hotel, resort, Bus Company, insurance company that provides the highest level of service to its customers. Question #3- In order to answer this question this paper will illustrate some of the marketing communication methods as utilized by Trailfinders in regards to advertising, direct marketing, sales, online marketing and public relations. Secondly this answer will provide insight as to how effective these methods are. Lastly this answer will provide an opinion as to the degree of creativity as utilized by Trailfinders marketing communications. Because of the nature of the company one could argue that the company offers a mixed marketing communications method (Berkowitz et al. 2000). As far as direct marketing is concerned, the company employs this method by nature of customers signing up for company newsletters. As such the company can directly communicate with their customers on upcoming promotions though their email safe sender lists. The benefit to this method is that there are no mixed messages and by nature of people signing up there is no negative repercussions from unwanted solicitation. In terms of the online marketing that Trailfinders employs it is the case that the company promotes their services online through their website and by email alerts. This is an effective method insofar as the benefit to this promotional method is the relative ease that customers have in engaging the company product message, as most people can access the information right from the convenience of their home. As highlighted earlier, it is the case that the company does not offer internet based point of sale, however that is not to say that the company does not offer a great deal of their services online. Upon examination of the company website one finds that the company has a number of regional brochures (Africa, USA & Canada etc) advising customers on a number of different travel packages as well as prices. Secondly it is the case that the company offers directly on its website additional “Special Offers” which are separated regionally and adjusted seasonally to accommodate changing public interest. In terms of sales, as highlighted earlier customers must engage an actual person when purchasing a product from Trailfinders. As such they directly engage sales professionals who can promote additional products and services. An example of this is a person interested in purchasing an all inclusive trip, the direct sales people can advice on other ancillary products (Such as insurance) that the customer would not have otherwise seen value in. The benefit to this promotional method is that communications are personalized and objection handling can be much better as solutions can be instantly offered by the sales professional. The drawback to this marketing communications method is consistency. It is the case that some sales professionals are simply much better than others and it is difficult to predict the customer care experience that every customer can experience by nature of the complications that can arise in the travel industry. As far as traditional advertising goes, the company has experimented with a number of different sources such as radio, television, print media etc. over the years. The strength of this method is that it helps reach a wide audience however a significant drawback of this is that the message may be lost amongst a high quantity of advertisements. However it is still the case that the company has some targeted advertising in newspapers and trade magazines specifically in the travel sections. The benefit to this method of promotion is that it effectively targets people who are already interested in reading about a travel offers. The downside to this method of promotion is the transparency of the product offerings. For example it can be the case that the company offers a luxury all inclusive vacation to Bermuda for one price while a competitor offers the same vacation for a lower price. Lastly there is the case of public relations. As mentioned earlier, the company is independent and as such they are not required to provide any shareholders messages, or corporate communications. However should the need arise the company can utilize all of their pre-existing communication methods (Advertising etc.) to reach their customers should the need arise. As highlighted in Clark (2005) one of the benefits of having a personal sales process is that should problems arise there is a direct person to contact, citing the example of the 36,000 Trailfinders customers who were affected by the 9/11 attacks and were contacted within seven days by the company. In terms of creativity employed by the firm it is the case that much of the methods of promotion can be considered very traditional and as such are not very creative. However it can be argued that the company has become creative by simply using a traditional method of point of sale. Most of the company’s competitors have switch to online retail or mixed online/personal point of sale but it could be argued that this represents a method of differentiation that the company has utilized that brings about a greater degree of communication between vendor and customer. Question #4- To effectively answer this question the answer will first provide a product offering gap that Trailfinders does not currently accommodate. Building on this gap a potential brand positioning campaign will be presented and a new potential slogan will be given. According to Heyniger (2005) the adventure travel industry and eco travel industry and heritage travel industry has seen consistent growth for the last several years. Building on this point it would appear that a number of niche travel packages have emerged in the last decade, a trend that has not been matched by Traifinders. One of the great advantages that Trailfinders have is their brand recognition, and trust that they have in the industry. Presently, when niche travelers must go to unknown travel agents to accommodate their needs it sends a clear message that they want to go on these vacations regardless of whether or not Trailfinders offers it. As such Trailfinders should put together a plethora of new travel packages to accommodate this growing trend in the travel market. Although it is the case that the company offers customized vacations it is the case that the company has not really ventured into these markets with the exception of offering African safari’s. Special consideration must be given to three different business model modifications. Firstly it is the case that new insurance requirements should be put together for the purpose of adventure and special needs travelers (As they may carry a higher degree of risk). Secondly new advertising materials must be created to advertise the new specialty tours. Thirdly the company must begin research into more trusted vendors (Hotel, tour, bus rental). By ensuring that the company puts a focus on meeting all customers needs they in essence ensure that their business is a one stop shop for all travelers, not just those looking for package holidays. In terms of a brand positioning campaign, not much on the existing model would have to be modified. The company can maintain its method for point of sale, it can maintain its internet promotions, it can keep its existing product lines however its existing advertising should also include the niche packages. For example in trade publications and print media, the company should place advertisements tailored to the target demographic. For adventure travelers advertisements should be loud and expressive, for special needs holiday makers ease and convenience should be emphasized. As far as an advertising slogan is concerned it should summarize the custom nature of the vacation, as well as the ability to accommodate all needs. “Adventure made to suit your needs.” This message promotes the idea that anybody can have their perfect vacation, whether that is kayaking on rapids on the Amazon, or a wheelchair accessible vacation in Italy. The message can be promoted through the company’s existing advertising channels and is not a far stretch from the company’s existing slogan “The Travel Experts.” References Barrett, F. (January, 2008) Interview with Mike Gooley. DailyMail.co.uk [online] Full interview available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5hm8UtvvOk Accessed on January 7th, 2010. Berkowitz, E., Crane, F., Kerin, R., Hartley, S., Rudelius, W. & Andrus, D. (2000) Marketing.McGraw-Hill Ryerson. 4th Canadian Edition. Clark, A. (July, 2005) Obsessive Trailblazer. The Guardian [online] Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2005/jul/16/travelnews.travel Accessed on January, 7th 2010. Heyniger, C. (2005) Adventure Travel industry Growth Statistics: A compilation of secondary research. Xola Consulting. [online] Available at http://www.xolaconsulting.com/Adventure%20Travel%20Industry%20Growth%20Statsv2.pdf. Accessed on January 7th 2010. Trailfinders Company Website (2010) Homepage. [online] Available at http://www.trailfinders.com/ Accessed on January 7th, 2010. Turor2u.com (2010) Brands –Brand Positioning [online] Available at http://tutor2u.net/business/marketing/brands_positioning.asp Accessed on January 7th 2010. Read More