Approaches of Marketing in Australia

Describe about Research marketing information, Marketing approaches those have been used by the organization and Plan marketing activities in Australia?

Marketing has been viewed traditionally as a business activity. Business organizations exist to satisfy needs of human, especially material needs. One way to define marketing is from the perspective of business. For instance, marketing has been defined as the ‘delivery of a higher standard of living’.

On the other hand, Barnes et al. (2010) stated that, marketing can be called as a process of exchange. This process involves two parties, buyer and seller. Noted marketing scholar Philip Kotler defines marketing as ‘a societal process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering and freely exchanging products and services of value with others’

Therefore, Barnes et al. (2010) argued that, business approach of marketing is very important. Business oriented definition of marketing has been challenged. As stated by, Bradley et al. (2012) activities of marketing are of wide range. The marketing activities should be viewed from the broader perspective. New activities of marketing include strategic dimension of marketing.

 Brashear et al. (2009) stated that, in modern days, the activities of marketing have been changed for the advancement of technology. With the advancement of internet technology, the activities of marketing have been changed.  The contemporary approaches are as follows:

When running a high-growth business you could well find the amount of attention you can devote to each customer becomes increasingly stretched as your company develops and your client base expands (Cai et al. 2013).

But even when rapid growth places additional strain on the product or services you deliver, it is essential to remain aware of the importance of managing customer relationships (Choi et al. 2012).

Customers expect a high level of service. Regardless of the quality of the product or service you provide, they will not stay loyal to you on a long-term basis unless you treat them properly before, during and after a sale (Desai et al. 2012). 

This type of marketing helps to keep the customers of the business organization informed and satisfied as well as involved with the activities of the organization. Regular interaction with your customers will help build trust and loyalty. If your customers believe that you are communicating with them openly, they will feel their relationship with you is one of mutual trust.

You need to consider how you communicate with your customers, how effectively you respond to their demands and how you gather and act on their feedback. Use technology to develop the relationship you have with your customers. For example, if you have a website, provide a feedback form for customers and post answers to frequently asked questions. With the help of this technique, the particular business organization can be able to know the choice as well as demand and need of the customers. Therefore, an organization should Keep questions brief and specific, and consider using an incentive as an inducement for customers to respond. Organization should avoid overloading customers with such surveys. However, Dyer and Chu (2011) stated that, Benchmarking the surveys for improving the business activities of the organization.  If the same complaints and problems keep occurring, it shows that the organization  are not listening to the potential as well as loyal or new customers of the particular organization.

Effectiveness of Customer relationship marketing

Using the social media, hard-copy or emailing newsletters keep the customers with the touch of the organization. This can be helpful for the developments, new product launches, achievements and awards of the particular organization. This process can also measure the level of performance of the customers (Eastman and Liu, 2012).  

Figure 1: Effectiveness of direct marketing

(Source: Eastman et al. 2010 pp- 80)

As stated by, Eng and Bogaert (2010) Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising which allows businesses and nonprofit organizations to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques that can include cell phone text messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, database marketing, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional letters, targeted television commercials, response-generating newspaper/magazine advertisements, and outdoor advertising.

Direct marketing is an important as well as effective marketing technique. The features of direct marketing are as follows:

Direct marketing is a targeted tactic.  An organization needs to choose the targeted audience by geography and demographics so that the organization can be touched by the potential customers.

Direct marketing is so targeted; therefore the organization spends less time and money blanketing entire markets in order to market the products and services to the customers (Fang et al. 2008).

Most direct marketing techniques are involved with direct mail, includes tangible offers–like coupons–with expiration dates. This provides the targets of the organization with a sense of urgency to respond within a certain period of time, allowing the organization to keep better tabs on the process of campaign and see results faster.

While it can take weeks or months to launch any kind of mass-media campaign, a direct mail campaign can be planned, ordered and executed in just a few business days.  Talk about quick & simple.

As stated by Gallagher et al. (2008) Business to business marketing technique is a type of commerce transaction that exists between businesses, such as those involving a manufacturer and wholesaler, or a wholesaler and a retailer. Business to business refers to business that is conducted between companies, rather than between a company and individual consumers. This is in contrast to business to consumer (B2C) and business to government (B2G). A typical supply chain involves multiple business to business transactions, as companies purchase components and other raw materials for use in its manufacturing processes. The finished product can then be sold to individuals via business to consumer transactions. 

Figure 2: Business to business marketing

(Source: Gauzente and Roy,2012, 80)

Get better results by prioritizing measureable marketing objectives and B2B marketing strategies and using them to identify gaps and opportunities in your plan.  Planning by objectives focuses on the strategies, programs, and tactics needed to deliver.  And measureable objectives make it possible to measure and track your progress, test and compare tactics, and more effectively report your results. 

Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, large or small, retail or B2B. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.

Effectiveness of Direct marketing

Therefore, Goldsmith et al. (2010) stated that, it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.

The objective that an effective brand will achieve, those are as follows:

• The brand helps to deliver the message clearly
• Confirms the credibility of the organization
• Connects the target audiences or consumers emotionally
• Motivates the buyer
• Concretes User Loyalty

As stated by, Analoui and Karami (2009) social media marketing has emerged as one of the most popular points on the technology spectrum. My Space, face book, Twitter, Digg and thousands of blogs and podcasts have made it possible to connect with the customers of the organization as one-on-one basis. Therefore, this medium of marketing has some advantages, those are as follows:

• A business organization can reach the customers that traditional marketing misses. An organization never knows who will direct a friend to its blog, Face book page or social bookmark post, so the potential for reeling in new leads is unlimited.
• An organization can build brand loyalty. Therefore, the organization not only uses the social media, but also uses the social media in order to build the brand. The organization can use it to demonstrate the personality of the organization. It can interact with customers and show them that it cares for the potential as well as loyal and new customers. It therefore helps to build loyalty among the customers. Social media marketing can also boost the image as well as reputation of the organization.  It can also help to build the relationships with the customers.
• Reviewing the feedbacks of the customers of different social media, an organization can learn how to improve the products and services of the entire organization. By encouraging open communication through public comments, the specific organization can learn what it can do to make the process of development of the products and services of the organization.
• An organization can learn more about the potential target audience, not only by their comments but also by studying visitor analytics. This information can prove invaluable when planning other marketing campaigns such as direct-mail postcards
• Social media marketing is cost-efficient in comparison with other marketing methods, even if the organization hires a dedicated team or outsources the social media content needs

The International Hotel Group started the business process with two small boutique style hotels in Melbourne, Australia. This group is owned and financed by a large consortium of international business people and several large investment companies. International Group of hotel therefore uses some new approaches of marketing. This group of hotels therefore uses the digital marketing or the social media marketing. In spite of this technique, this hotel also uses traditional methods of marketing, like advertising, publicity through other medium. However, digital marketing is an emerging trend for this group of hotel. Business to business objectives, branding and digital marketing process have been taken by this group.

On the other hand, Dess and Lumpkin (2009) stated that, the process of digital marketing has been emerged by this organization in order to attract the customers. Digital content marketing process has been taken by this group of hotel. This hotel provides effective content within the digital media with the use of info graphics, whitepapers etc.

The international Hotel Group has significant marketing as well as management team. The development team who manage building contracts and maintenance and the Marketing and Sales team consist a team of 15 culturally capable managers and staffs and the frontline management team. Marketing and Sales staffs are constantly travelling to visit the Hotel Groups and may be seconded to a hotel or country for 6 months in the period leading up to acquisition or compromising of a new hotel.

Therefore, for the last 3 years, this hotel groups had taken some traditional method of marketing, those are effective advertising techniques. Apart from this traditional technique, this group of hotel also has taken part within the trade fair or some sorts of exhibition. This group of hotel therefore had provided effective advertisement among newspaper, television, online medium and various types of journals etc. They also served posters and leaflets for attracting the customers into their hotel within the competitive sector of the market.

Apart from this, the hotel group also promoted their services within the social media. Therefore, it can be stated that this organization used modern approach of marketing.  

marketing plan for the organization:

A marketing plan is a written document that can be thought of as set of decisions about what the company wants to achieve and how it is going to achieve it. Essentially a marketing plan sets a goal that is accompanied with strategy and tactics outlining how that goal will be achieved. In general there are two different kinds of marketing plans; strategic and tactical. Strategic marketing plan is more general and is focused on long-term goals; usually for a minimum three to fiveyear term. It is not as detailed as a tactical marketing plan and it deals more with the external environmental influences and opportunities and less with details of the company’s marketing activities. Tactical marketing plan differs from strategic plan in both timeframe as well as content. Typically it operates within a short timeframe, usually from one year to no longer than three years (Dobson, 2009).

Effectiveness of B2B marketing

When one travels to another city or country, one usually has different needs and demands for the destination one is travelling to. Trying to meet these needs and demands is what comprises the tourism industry. The tourism industry can be divided into main sectors; hospitality, attractions and event, transport, travel organizers and intermediaries and destination organization sectors. All of these sectors can be thought of as range of businesses and organizations involved in delivering the tourism product and the travel experience. Hotels of course are a part of the hospitality sector and as such are major essential supply components of tourism (Drummond et al. 2012). 

A hotel is a place that offers its facilities and services for sale. The services can vary from just one to various combinations that can all be thought of as a part of the total market concept of the hotel. The basic total market concept consists of five elements; those are facilities, service, price and image as well as location.

Location is usually the main element, thus being in the center of the market concept circle, that the visitor takes into account when choosing a hotel. Location places the hotel geographically into a certain area; for example near a particular city or village. And if one wants to go to that specific city one has to choose the hotel within that area. Where the hotel is situated denotes the accessibility and convenience of the location, attractiveness of the surroundings and other factors that the visitor sees as appealing when choosing a hotel. Facilities of a hotel include the bedrooms, restaurants, bars, function and meeting rooms and recreation facilities such as a gym, tennis court and swimming pool. Depending on what kind of hotel is in question the facilities vary in number, type and size. Different visitors have different needs from the hotel and its facilities. The hotel services comprise the availability as well as the quality in which they are provided to the customers in the hotel facilities. A hotel can have services such as 24-hour front desk, concierge and room service. Depending on what kind of hotel is in question the services can vary on how formal or informal they are the degree of personal attention and speed and efficiency (Banker et al. 2011).

The image of the hotel can be defined as how the hotel portrays itself to people and how the people perceive the hotel. The image is a mixture of location, facilities and services the hotel offers and how they market those elements but there are also such factors as the hotel’s name and appearance included. The price comprises the values that are given to the hotel through its location, facilities and image. The price has to indicate all those elements for if they do not or the price is some other way determined wrong it will only result in unhappy customers who feel like they did not get their money’s worth (Badenâ€ÂFuller and M, 2010).  

The products of this hotel can be classified into three products segments. Those are extended products, tangible product and core product. The core product delivers the main benefits that the customer is seeking. In hospitality industry the core product usually is the sleeping accommodations. But as different customers have different needs it is always up to the customer to define what the core product is.

Effectiveness of Branding

A Tangible product consists of all the physical elements that are necessary so that the core product can be delivered to the customer. The tangible product includes product features such as the size and range of facilities, design and quality and service standards. Extended products are composed of intangible elements of the product. Many times it is the intangible elements that make the same class hotels different from each other and they are also the elements these hotels compete with among each other’s (Adner and Kapoor,2010).

Therefore, the Group Hotel has faced many issues in order to deliver the services of the hotel. This company has to deal with when marketing their products and services. Hospitality industry is no exception and for example hotels have to be aware of the many different special characteristics that affect their marketing.

In the hospitality industry and especially in the hotel industry the services are often intangible. This means that the customer cannot experience the service or product in any way prior to it being purchased. For example the customer cannot stay overnight at a hotel and decide in the morning not to pay for the hotel was not exactly to his or her liking. The intangible nature of the products creates difficulties for marketing; customers often find it difficult to assess the quality of the product before having experienced it for real. That is why the customers have to be provided with information that is accurate and truthful but at the same time encourages the customer to choose that specific product or service. At the same time marketing should not raise customer expectations too high for that will only result in failing to deliver customer satisfaction (Freeman, 2010).

As a part of the marketing mix promotion has an essential part in reaching marketing objectives in a hotel. Internal marketing is an extension of that as it recognizes the importance that employees have while encountering customers. Human resource manager of this hotel uses marketing techniques more and more to recruit communicative and motivated employees. It all comes down to delivering service quality in a way that the customer is satisfied. It starts from the marketing of the products prior the customer has even made the decision to make a reservation (Rudd et al. 2008)

Extensive training and development of the employees is involved in the marketing plan of this hotel. If the employees do not have the right attitude towards their work and serving customers they can be the weakening link in the management’s efforts delivering the service quality. This hotel will provide induction training to all new employees in order to provide the knowledge about the standard and regulation as well as culture of this particular organization (Ralston et al. 2011).

Customers appreciate speedy solutions, especially when complaining and do not like having to repeat their complaints to several different employees. Previously, the customers of this hotel had faced immense problem regarding the service oriented problem. A hotel can reward its employees for good work and there are many reward systems in place in larger hotel chains. Employees may receive benefits such as bonuses, tips or meals provided for free of charge. These are tangible benefits that are given to the employees but they can also receive intangible benefit in form of excitement, fun and teamwork that many hospitality employees enjoy (Puranam et al. 2013).

Therefore, this hotel will provide all activities of marketing through cost effective channel of distribution. The most cost effective distribution channel is “direct to customer” where the hotel communicates with the customer directly with no intermediaries. It is most effective when the customer makes the booking directly at the hotel’s front desk. The internet has also brought new direct ways to be in contact with the customers. This hotel has its own websites where customers can make reservations directly to the hotel via the website. This chain of hotel has Computerized Reservation System where the customer can call or go to their website and make a reservation to any of the chain’s hotels anywhere in the world (Peng et al. 2009).  

Another cost effective distribution channel that bigger hotel chains can use is “referral network” which means that the hotels within the same chain market each others. There can be for example brochure racks in the hotel reception or hotel directories in the rooms. The objective is that all of these brochures market the other hotels within the same chain or hotel group. This hotel has also aimed to take this distribution channel for marketing the services of the hotel.

On the other hand, this hotel also aims to take the advantage of direct marketing in order to maintain effective relation with the customers. This direct marketing technique also helps to build effective activities of marketing with the customers of the organization. The internet has both provided a direct channel between the customers and companies as well as increased the choice of different channels through which a travel booking can be made. The internet is getting larger part in direct marketing but at the same time new online intermediaries have emerged offering services similar to those of the traditional tour agents and operator (Parnell, 2013).

This hotel therefore has aimed to use different distribution channels. Benefits of using different distribution channels are that the company can more effectively reach their customer and they also provide convenient global access point for customers. Also it is more and more common when a booking is made that the customer has to pay for the accommodation immediately before arrival. This is an effective way to make advance sales, which is important when selling perishable products such as hotel rooms (Oestreicher-Singer et al. 2013). 

Relationship marketing: Customer contact and accommodation data: Start collecting and observing more detailed information on the customers’ contact information as well as accommodation data; how many times a particular guest has stayed in the hotel X, had he/she any preferences in regards to the room or could this customer be considered to be a loyal customer. Feedback: Go through all the feedback immediately as it arrives; the feedback forms from the rooms, face to face with customers and feedback that comes through the hotel’s own WebPages. Assign each feedback to the guest who wrote it and evaluate whether it is necessary to contact the customer. Make sure all the employees have the necessary knowledge and authorization to react to negative feedback right away or as soon as possible. Answer also to all improvement suggestions and positive feedback for example by email.

Develop a loyal customer-program. It does not necessarily require a membership card, only a well-done system where to follow the customers and how many times they have stayed at the hotel. Maybe give them some bonuses or some kind of other benefits for their loyal customer ship. Gather and maintain a list of items or other bonuses that the loyal customer can receive; discount on the room rate, better room type, chocolates/free beverages / other items delivered to the room before arrival (Li et al. 2010).  

Plan and develop different kinds of marketing campaigns and offers. They can be derived for example from the different seasons or holidays. They can be directed to specific customer group, for example a special loyal customer-month or during summertime special campaign for sport groups. Market these campaigns on the hotel’s WebPages. Create and develop new campaigns on monthly bases.

Have mandatory staff meetings to keep the employees up dated on the hotel’s marketing objectives and upcoming marketing actions. Give clear instructions and authorization so that the employees are aware of their duties and what they are allowed to do in different customer related situations. Maybe even have a written blueprint ready for the situations (Klein and Rai,2009).

1. Related work activity of marketing plan.

2. Marketing activity: The marketing activity includes the promotional activity, advertising activity etc. This hotel has made the plan to promote the hotel and services of this hotel by effective use of advertising within different medium. This hotel also has taken the promotional activity through various types of activities.

3. Budget activity: The budget for the promotional activity is as follows:

The overall sum of expenditures made by consumers of a product or set of products within some time-frame and economic region. A marketing analyst working for a manufacturing business might look at overall recent sales figures within product categories relevant to their company’s product line to assess how confident consumers are in spending within the present economic environment.

According to the analysis, the hotel should change the traditional marketing plan of extensive advertising activity. The hotel group should emphasize on the digital marketing techniques. The technique of digital marketing is very cost effective.

The only need for the development of the marketing activities is the change of digital activities of marketing. Digital marketing activities of this organization should be measured regularly. Measurement is what makes marketing a science, rather than a superstition. For many business owners, marketing is a superfluous expense—something to spend money on only when the budget is flexible enough to accommodate it.

Total visits of the customers, new sessions, channel specific traffic, bounce rate, total conversions, customer retention rate, customer value, projected return on investment have to be reviewed by the organization.

iii. Human resources for the activity: Human resources will be utilized for these activities. Advertisement copy writer, visualizer, poster man, printer, type setters and supervisors, event managers are essential for completing the activities.

Technical support for the activity: for creating advertisement and promoting the advertisement technical support is essential. Therefore, printing process demands a large group of technical support for delivering the activities of marketing.

Expected outcomes from marketing activities:

Therefore, the outcomes of marketing activities are as follows:

• Analyzing barriers and drivers (social, economical and technical) for the market uptake of transport research within Australia
• Monitoring and assessing progress of industrial research in the transport sector through mapping of existing competencies in the EU-27, particularly highlighting the role of the SMEs in order to integrate their innovation potential
• Assessing research-funding instruments available
• Analyzing barriers and weak players in the field of RTD as applied to SMEs in the transport sectors
• Encouraging SMEs and smaller RTD actors to get involved in RTD programmes by training and educating them.
• Short report on the changes of the marketing plan:

According to the analysis, the hotel should change the traditional marketing plan of extensive advertising activity. The hotel group should emphasize on the digital marketing techniques. The technique of digital marketing is very cost effective.

Creating a checklist:

• What is the purpose or purposes of promoting the group?
• Who will you reach? Why?
• What will you say about your group?
• What images will you use to help you communicate the message you want? And do you have authorisation to use these images?
• How will you reach your audience? What methods will you use?
• How will you make sure that your people are ready to use the methods you have chosen? Will you need to provide training?
• Do you understand the interests of people in the media who might promote your group? What sort of stories do they want?
• Have you cultivated contacts in the media? Are these at the right level?  Could trustees help to build more contacts?
• What events or occasions are coming up which could provide promotional opportunities?
• Have you drawn up a schedule of major events in your promotions year?
• Who is responsible for promotion?
• How will you judge the success of your promotion?
• Do you have good systems of communication about promoting the group?
• Have you got the involvement and commitment of the whole group?

A good marketing plan is a blueprint for marketing your products and services, and is a step-by-step guide to delivering your business’s marketing strategy. It is a practical, detailed document that sets clear, realistic and measurable activities (Kim et al. 2013).  

• A marketing plan often includes deadlines, budgets and staff allocations, and can help you to:
• identify specific marketing activities and budgets
• set and meet marketing objectives
• bring a marketing strategy to life.

Marketing plans are cyclical and ongoing. The process of developing and implementing your marketing should be woven into your business practice. At any one time, your business might be undertaking one or more of these 4 processes:

• developing your marketing plan
• implementing strategies in your plan
• evaluating whether the strategies are contributing to your overall marketing goals
• refining your marketing plan

1. Identifying the problems:

There are so many problems for those many business companies fail to implement the marketing plan effectively. Those are as follows:

Failure to get and maintain the necessary commitment to the plan

Failure to control the plan

Failure to mitigate the other risks to the plan

Failure to adapt the plan to shock events

The issues also include Poor executive and management support, poor execution of the plan and poor business response to change.

1. Communicating with the people:

This can be done with effective strategic communication with the people are involved in this job of implementing the marketing activities. When we are communicating strategy, we are communicating change. The key for communicating strategy is to be able to align the extent and scope of the change and the approaches of implementation with the values and principles outlined in the related policy documents. The communicating medium should include quality of marketing activity, response from the target market, and feedback ad statistics on the marketing activity in relation to the products and services, changes to the marketing based implementation corrections or improvements during the planned activity time (Dyson, 2010).

Common mistakes in the implementation phase include no ownership (from managerial staff and/or employees), a lack of reliable communication, a plan that is non-specific and insubstantial, or a plan that is overly thorough and involves too many tasks. Companies often set forth a plan and implement it without a clear manner of tracking its progress. In these cases, the organization will meet to address the progress of the implementation only annually, which leads to passivity. Also, employees who are not held accountable for their role in the implementation can lead to a faltering plan, as can an employee who is ready to make positive changes but lacks the authority to do so. The implementation phase requires close monitoring; the organization that does not watch itself closely will miss cues that indicate necessary modifications (Fifeld, 2012).

Sales figure:

The overall sum of expenditures made by consumers of a product or set of products within some time-frame and economic region. A marketing analyst working for a manufacturing business might look at overall recent sales figures within product categories relevant to their company’s product line to assess how confident consumers are in spending within the present economic environment.

According to the analysis, the hotel should change the traditional marketing plan of extensive advertising activity. The hotel group should emphasize on the digital marketing techniques. The technique of digital marketing is very cost effective.

The only need for the development of the marketing activities is the change of digital activities of marketing. Digital marketing activities of this organization should be measured regularly. Measurement is what makes marketing a science, rather than a superstition. For many business owners, marketing is a superfluous expense—something to spend money on only when the budget is flexible enough to accommodate it.

Total visits of the customers, new sessions, channel specific traffic, bounce rate, total conversions, customer retention rate, customer value, projected return on investment have to be reviewed by the organization.

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