Marketing Plan -Adelaide Hills - Literature review Example

MARKETING PLAN – ADELAIDE HILLS Market segmentation As Dolnicar (2008) indicates, “Every tourist is different... likes to engage in different entertainment facilities and complains about different aspects of their vacation” (p. 129). Through market segmentation however, a destination such as Adelaide Hills (A-Hills) is able to identify the needs presented by different tourist groups and hence cater for the same in a manner that enhances the destination’s competitive advantage. In the A-Hills context, the following market segments are specifically relevant: i. Geographic segment: Geographically, A-Hills is a favourite of local day-trippers. However, being close to the airport (barely 45 minutes from the airport), A-Hills can also target international tourists especially from the American, Asian and European continents. As such, A-Hills would have two geographic segments to attend to, namely local (Australian) tourists who are mostly day trippers and international tourists. The major local tourism target will be day trippers who can visit (but not spend the night) in A-Hills, but will also target other local tourists from the larger Australian region who can just like the target international tourists, use the accommodation facilities available in A-Hills during their visit. ii. Demographic segments: According to Tawari (2009), demographic characteristics include the age, sex, income, education levels and family lifecycles of people in a targeted market. Considering the tourist package (wines, conservation parks, walking trails, the national Motor Museum and the annual Medieval Fair and English Ale festival), the main demographic segment for targeting will be the over 30 years old tourists, both male and female (mostly couples), who are already settled in life, and looking for new experiences in life. Tourists over 60 years have more time to travel, are more likely to spend more, and are more likely to stay in A-Hills for several days. Couples and/or single parents wishing to take their children on a day’s outing will also be a target of A-Hills tourism marketing, especially considering the proximity of the destination to Adelaide, and its family-friendly nature. The Big Rocking House, the Gumeracha toy factory, and the Hahndorf puppet shop are just among the many family-friendly destinations that tourists can make use of. Groups of young people with no family commitments will also be targeted, especially with an encouragement to explore nature, the food, the wines, the indoor and outdoor adventure, and the culture as illustrated in the different tourist attractions and events in A-Hills. iii. Psychographic segment: The primary psychographics to be considered by A-Hills as indicated by Kolb (2006) include the values, social class and lifestyles of the tourists. As a hilly region with a lot of nature and culture to offer, A-Hills will target nature-lovers with flexible lifestyles (i.e. those who can spend a considerable amount of time exploring nature), and those who can spare a part of their income to expend on such explorations. To day trippers especially, the quaint villages, bustling towns, cool-climate wines, meals made from fresh produce, the walking/riding trains, and the shopping precincts all make for a good package for the nature loving, food/wine-interested, and culture-loving tourist who has some spare income to spend. Product focus – Positioning According to Moutinho (2000), positioning a tourism product needs to be done using a method that is motivating, focused and memorable. Considering A-Hills’ wealth in natural resources, culture and modern attractions such as shopping malls and the toy factory, the phrase “Captivating nature, rich culture and new world charm” will be used. The phrase is crafted to be a reflection of the qualities in A-Hills that make the destination unique. Combined, the three phrases, (i.e. ‘captivating nature’, ‘rich culture’ and ‘new world charm’) will indicate to the targeted audiences the combination of factors that make A-Hills such a unique tourism destination. The positioning is arguably focused towards informing potential tourists of what to expect when visiting A-Hills, and is also memorable considering the combination of factors promised about the destination. The motivating aspect of the phrase will be derived by the promise of diversity contained in the nature, culture and modern charm as indicated in the phrase. The phrase is further crafted to make the A-Hills tourism destination stand out from other competing destinations in and out of Australia. As Moutinho (2000) points out, positioning a product successfully can only happen if there is differentiation between the subject product and its competitors. The phrase is also supposed to enhance the growth of A-Hills tourism by offering the different products (i.e. culture, nature, and modern tourist offerings such as toy shops) to targeted consumers. Ideally, the tourist who seeks multiple experiences will find the described destination unique especially since the message creates an aura of A-Hills having distinctive tourism products. As Moutinho (2000) notes, product positioning needs to be crafted in a manner that does not alienate existing customers even as it brings in new customers. The above quoted message is therefore meant to not only bring in new visitors to A-Hills, but also inform existing customers, who may not know of the availability of other tourist offerings, of their existence. Marketing communication plan Marketing communication provides information to the target audience in a manner that encourages a positive and/or buying response. A-Hills will use a two-pronged approach in its marketing communication plan which will be done in both advertising and public relations. Advertising Advertising A-Hills as a tourism destination will be done in both the local (Australian) media and select international media (especially in tourist-rich areas in Europe, North America and Asia). To reduce the budgetary spending that would otherwise go to placing advertisements on different media channels both locally and abroad, channels with the most viewed audiences will be used. In the international market for example, A-Hills will use the Cable News Network (CNN) based on its ability to attract audiences across the world. In Australia, the most watched TV channel will be identified and advertisements placed therein. A-Hills will also place advertisements in magazines that have a wide audience among targeted tourist populations. Websites that are often frequented by international and domestic tourists will also be targeted with advertisements by A-Hills. The latter has the potential of making the advertisements obvious to millions of potential tourists who visit such websites in search of interesting destinations. In all, A-Hills will use a combination of TV advertisements, magazine advertisements, and website advertisements to reach its targeted audiences in both the local and global markets. While any of the mediums can be used in isolation, A-Hills’ decision to use the blend of the three as indicated above is informed by the need to have a maximum impact, which is measurable through increased tourist numbers into the destination. The proposed budget for advertising will be as follows: Item Duration Unit cost Total cost 30 seconds advert on CNN 3 times a week for 2 months (i.e. 24 advertisements) $1000 $24, 000 30 seconds advert on a local TV station Daily for 2 months at prime time $250 $15,000 Magazine advertisements on 4 identified magazines Monthly for 6 months $250 $6,000 Website advertisements in four identified websites Monthly for 6 months $150 $3,600 Total estimated advertising budget $48,600 During the designing of the above advertising plan, several considerations were made, which include costs, clout (i.e. the number of people that would be reached with the advertisements), and control (i.e. the flexibility of the medium especially in relation to A-Hills’ ability to adjust messages to suit specific audiences as the advertising campaign progresses). Public relations As indicated by Ceylan (2007), public relations practices improve understanding between operators and their targeted public. Additionally, PR is an essential part of marketing in tourism because it helps an organisation build its images through the media, word of mouth, and the perceptions created among the targeted audiences. Collectively, PR has an essential role in shaping attitudes among tourists, regulators and other publics about a destination. Public relations will be carried out on a continuous basis by A-Hills through inviting the media to newsworthy events that will reflect positively on the destination. During the annual Medieval Fair and English Ale festival for example, A-Hills will invite the international media, especially reporters in cultural-related media segments, and by so doing, the events (and A-Hills in general) will most likely get publicity from the consequent coverage. A-Hills will also organise a media event where local and international media personalities will be invited to participate in a fully sponsored tour. In the tour, A-Hills will reveal all features that the destination has to offer. A-Hills also plans to be at the forefront of championing sustainable tourism and will hold an annual event in which sustainable tourism practices will be championed and reiterated. The media will be informed of the annual events and it is hoped that they (the media) will create the needful publicity to make the event a success. In addition to the media, which will be targeted using press releases, A-Hills will also publish factsheets which will be furnished to media houses through press kits. Additionally, A-Hills will set up a dedicated website, which will not only serve as a platform to showcase the pictures and positive feedbacks that A-Hills has, but will also serve as a channel for crisis management through effective communication. A-Hills will also take upon itself to invite “special” customers, e.g. well known actors, presidents, and/or other dignitaries who would boost the destination’s image both locally and internationally. References Ceylan, M 2007, Public relations as a tool of tourism marketing, GRIN Publishing, Munich. Dolnicar, S 2008, ‘Market segmentation in tourism’, In Woodside, A. G. & Martin, D (eds), Tourism management: Analysis, behaviour, and strategy, CAB International, Cambridge, pp. 129-150. Kolb, B M 2006, ‘Psychographic segmentation: from tourism marketing for cities and towns: using branding and events to attract tourists’, HIS GlobalSpec, viewed March 30, 2013, Moutinho, L 2000, Strategic management in tourism, CABI, Cambridge. Tawari, R 2009, Tourism management: Managing for change, Global India Publications, New Delhi, India. Read More