2 minute read
MARKETING
At a time when she was considered too young to be a hotel receptionist, Clare Bushby started her lifetime career in hospitality as a chambermaid and waitress, becoming marketing manager of The Palace Hotel in Torquay by the time she was 26. Clare had her lightbulb moment to set up Clockwork Marketing in 1992, providing marketing support for hospitality businesses across the UK. She was fascinated by data and believed the hotels weren’t exploiting the power of their property management systems to boost their bookings. Clare says: “My early experiences were working in family owned and resort hotels where there were set times for dinner, with formal ‘jacket and tie’ dress codes. “Back then there were a lot of manual booking systems, huge charts, pencils, and rubbers – and it wasn’t long before the early property management systems were in use. I used to find it surprising how many properties didn’t really know what they had, or how to make the most of the data, the new systems provided. “The biggest asset a business has, beyond the property is its customers (and the staff too). The foundation of our work was to understand who the customers were, building a better relationship with them, and identifying new customers. “These insights came from the guest data held in their booking systems. Not only could we communicate with their existing customers, but also undertake some pretty clever work to reach look alike guests.” The growth of Clockwork Marketing has paralleled the growth in datadriven, evaluation-based marketing and the company celebrates its 30th anniversary in July. But Clockwork isn’t just about data; its creative marketing campaigns appeal to guests’ emotional and impulsive desires and their need for travel. Taking three decades of marketing knowledge online, Clockwork recently launched, GuestNet, for smaller hospitality businesses to learn marketing using bitesize videos and create their own guest-focused websites, to boost bookings.
30 years hospitality insiders
Clockwork Marketing is celebrating its 30-year anniversary as a hospitality marketing specialist. Founder, Clare Bushby, talks about tourism changes over the years and what the future holds for the region.
THE FUTURE OF TOURISM
Clockwork has evolved with the times over last 30 years and continues to look ahead. Clare continues: “People now are concerned about the welfare of our planet in a way unseen before. But, travel has a large carbon footprint and social media aestheticism is causing overtourism in beauty spots around the globe including the South West. “As we move into a new era, we must begin to think of hospitality differently. Luxury and price alone will not entice tomorrow’s guests. They will expect a reciprocation of their green values. Hotels need to evolve. “Clockwork has taken a small step supporting the Devon Wildlife Trust, helping to preserve the wildlife and nature in our region. But looking beyond this to the future, the business wants to support regenerative tourism projects, enhancing communities and ecological health and encourage others to do the same.” Clockwork Marketing is a specialist hotel and hospitality marketing agency that understands hospitality businesses in a way only insiders can with 30 years working in the sector.
