BUSINESS TRAVELERS TARGET INVESTIGATION
CHALLENGE
OPPORTUNITY
Build a target audience using Simmons data for a hotel chain that is considering increasing amenities for business travelers. Bring the target to life and explain what media they consume in a way that would excite a creative team. Make recommendations based on what you find.
According to Mintel, the hotels least affected by the economic downturn were those in the upscale and upper-upscale range. Upper-upscale hotels include Marriott, Westin, Hilton, Embassy Suites and Wyndham Hotels. These hotels cater to their guests with the latest amenities. Upscale hotels include Doubletree, Crowne Plaza and the Hyatt. Competition is fierce among these hotels, who must distinguish themselves from the similarity of their rivals.
courtyard by marriott
doubletree
hyatt
hilton garden inn
sheraton
crowne plaza
BACKGROUND Before beginning this assignment, we conducted research into the travel industry. As one of the hardest-hit industries of the current economic crisis, we were surprised to find that business travel has only suffered slightly compared with other reasons to travel. The hotel industry recognizes these trends, and as a result, instead of developing new promotions to appeal to families and tourists, they are investing in upgrading their amenities to enhance the experience of the business traveler.
Since these hotels are the least affected financially and have already begun making improvements to appeal to business travelers, we decided to focus solely on them. We specifically chose upscale hotels because there exists the greatest opportunity to capitalize on that market.
TARGET INVESTIGATION DEFINING THE TARGET
FIVE-POINT INVESTIGATION
We gathered more information on business travelers who stay at these upscale hotels to find out what sets them apart. Through Simmons research, we learned that the greater the salary, the more likely a our target was to travel for business. We also found that those who travel more frequently are far more likely to be male, and to take advantage of hotel amenities. Our target is composed of men ages 30 to 59 with an income of at least $75,000, who travel for business at least 3 times per year.
Based on what we learned, we were able to explain our target through an in-depth look into their lifestyle, attitudes, and behaviors: the five-point target investigation.
wallet dive
laptop snoop
planner search
lifestyle cues
intercepted voicemail
WALLET DIVE Luckily, we were able to get our hands on a briefcase from one representative member of our target. We uncovered his wallet to learn more about his identity. From his driver’s license we learned his name is Marshall Boyd, he’s in his mid-40’s and he lives in the Southwest. He seems to dress conservatively. The family picture reveals that he is married with two kids. He carries two credit cards: American Express Corporate and MasterCard Platinum, so it’s safe to say he’s affluent. His work identification card shows he is a Regional Manager for EDS, a technology services company that employs hundreds. Just as we suspected, he’s working at a Fortune 500 company.
LAPTOP SNOOP We can see from his laptop that he prefers a PC, and Dell seems to be the brand he prefers. The laptop looks worn, most likely because he spends so much time on it, especially with the long hours he puts in. The sticky notes attached suggest what must be on his mind: there’s a note to call the babysitter and a reminder about a Budget Meeting on Saturday. He’s shaping up to be a workaholic after all. There’s also a note for airline and car reservations, so it seems that he’s making his reservations online.
PLANNER SEARCH
LIFESTYLE CUES
Fortunately, our target is organized, so we were able to glean more information about him from the clues in his planner. Below are some of the highlights from his upcoming week.
We took a look at what he’s reading and snacking on during his leisure time. Here’s a quick peek:
Monday: Flying out on United (Flight 214), checking in at the hotel and after a debriefing, he’ll be networking at a cocktail hour. Tuesday: After a meeting and a conference call, he’s headed to lunch at Le Débussey and checking his stocks online. He also made several notes to follow up with his co-worker Kevin. He plans to watch North American Fisherman on the Versus network later that evening. Wednesday: He has a pitch and a conference call. He set a reminder to pay his bills online and catch the Arizona game at the hotel bar with Sean. Thursday: After seminars all morning, he’s off to a business lunch at Akido then meeting with clients for the rest of the afternoon. He plans to watch Shootout on the History Channel later on. Friday: Flying back home on United (Flight 654) just in time for his daughter’s soccer game. Saturday: Budget meeting. Who could forget? Sunday: Fly fishing with Jim and Mark.
INTERCEPTED VOICEMAIL With access to his Motorola phone, which seems to be his brand of choice, we listened in on a few of his voicemail messages. Take a listen to the MP3 track to hear for yourself.
TARGET FACT SHEET WALLET DIVE
PLANNER INVESTIGATION
Demographics 85% of our target is white 87% of our target is married 50% have kids; of those who have kids, the average is 2
TV networks watched CNN (Index: 180) ESPN (Index: 201) History Channel (Index: 165) Versus Network (Index: 212)
Income Our target is affluent; 75% of them have a HHI above $100,000 They likely use American Express Corporate (Index: 924) and MasterCard Platinum (Index: 173) credit cards Geography Our target skews South and Southwest, according to Nielsen Mid-Atlantic (Index: 124) Employment Likely to work in the information industry (Index: 423) Likely to serve as a Department Branch or Office Manager (Index: 294) 17% work for Fortune 500 companies (Index: 264) Likely to work at a company with 1,000+ employees
LAPTOP SNOOP 46% of our target owns a Dell PC (Index: 302) 80% work more than 40 hours a week; those who work more than 50 hours per week are more than 4 times as likely to travel 52% more likely to consider themselves workaholics 59% made airline, car or hotel reservations online in the last 30 days (Index: 256) 50% used online banking in the last 30 days (Index: 186) 29% traded stocks online in the last 30 days (Index: 312)
Activities Fly fishing (Index: 192) Golf (Index: 258) Hunting (Index: 163) Camping (Index: 144)
59% enjoy eating foreign foods (Index: 130) 22% travel using United Airlines (Index: 405) 76% more likely to have lunch with co-workers
LIFESTYLE CUES Magazines Business Week (Index: 256) Consumer Reports (Index: 188) Maxim (Index: 198) Golf Digest (Index: 335) Sports Illustrated (Index: 220) USA Today (Index: 252) Wall Street Journal (Index: 268)
Snack foods Altoids (Index: 149) Snyder’s of Hanover (Index: 171) Scotch whisky (Index: 302) Johnny Walker Black (Index: 293)
59% enjoy eating foreign foods (Index: 130) 22% travel using United Airlines (Index: 405) 76% more likely to have lunch with co-workers
INTERCEPTED VOICEMAIL 94% of our target owns a cell phone; 24% own a Motorola Attitude statements I believe real men don’t cry (Index: 140) I like control over people and resources (Index: 160) I feel secure financially (Index: 145)
RECOMMENDATIONS CONNECTIVITY Free 24-hour Wi-Fi internet. Our target spends extensive amounts of time online, for researching information, entertainment, and shopping, so his internet access should not be limited to certain hours, certain areas, and he should not have to pay for it. Secure remote printing. Help our target with last-minute documents he might need to print.
ENTERTAINMENT Flat-screen, high-def TVs. We know our target likes sports. He appreciates being able to see whether the ball was in or out, where the receiver’s feet landed, and these TVs would make all the difference to him.
RE-ENERGIZE Three-meal restaurants with bars. Our target’s work schedule can be unpredictable at times. He needs to be able to grab a bite and refuel when necessary. This would provide more options for our target to eat when it’s convenient for him. 24-hour market in the lobby. This would allow our target can pick up some late-night munchies without resorting to ordering room service.
REWARDS WORKSPACE Ergonomic workspace. Our target works long hours. He would be more comfortable with an oversized desk and an ergonomic chair. Business lounge. Not everyone likes to be confined to their room to do work. A business lounge would provide an additional area to work, away from other hotel guests so he can clear his mind.
Customer loyalty rewards. Upgrading his airline seat from business to first-class, or bumping him up to a bigger room with a nicer view, as a reward for loyalty will no doubt result it appreciation and repeat visits. For this, the hotel chain needs to work in conjunction with specific airlines to offer its guests special perks. Since vacancies on planes and in hotels are frequent and unpredictable, both should be more than willing to work together to not only help each other out but also our target.