Marketing implementation - The final hurdle

Case study 9

Marketing Implementation for the Hospitality Industry The Final Hurdle

Created by Magnify Marketing A customer communications specialist to the leisure and hospitality industry

Hi, at Magnify Marketing we think it’s good to share.

We have years of experience in the hospitality and leisure industry and have overcome many pitfalls along the way.

As industry experts we want to share our learning with you.

We hope you find this and our other case studies of interest and welcome your feedback.

Thanks for reading

Paul

Paul Filler Managing Director Magnify Marketing

Magnify Marketing Ltd 23 Kimberley Court Kimberley Road London NW6 7SL

0207 625 7328 Email paul@magnifymarketing.co.uk Web www.magnifymarketing.co.uk

Case study 9 – Marketing implementation, the final hurdle As is so often the case in our industry, a great deal of thought and effort goes into creating and developing marketing activity.

The success, however, is often won or lost at the final hurdle – implementation.

Until the activity is live in a venue all the effort of the planning means nothing - you may as well have stayed in bed and watched re-runs of Countdown!

This case study highlights the importance of the last few metres of our race and how, by getting it right, you will not only see great response levels but you will improve relationships with your front-line team.

Not that we have anything against Countdown you understand but we think you deserve to see the benefits of that great idea and creative…..

What happens – over simplified to make our point!!

We have our brilliant idea….

We design it beautifully….

We share with others and get buy-in and green light to go….

Its printed, picked and packed….

Out the door for delivery on time…

After all that, activity can be late, diluted or has non compliance issues‌

WHY?

Several reasons actually…

• The person signing for the delivery (often not the manager and on occasion the cleaner!) does not know what they are getting and therefore puts it somewhere safe…never to be seen again!

• Even if the manager is aware the POS is in the building, they are not sure what the content is and when to put it up. Let’s not forget these are busy people and this is often not top of their priority list.

• Big campaigns may be packed in several boxes but unless the Manager is aware of this he isn’t to know that the four boxes he received was actually supposed to be five!

• Venues are receiving deliveries all the time, so even when all the elements of the campaign have been delivered and signed for, it isn’t unusual for boxes to be mislaid within the venue.

• No-one is home! Deliveries can be made when no-one is expecting them and therefore isn’t there to receive it. Delivery companies will do their best to make further attempts but the reality is that deliveries are often returned to the depot.

How often would your marketing activity score this if your implementation was better?

We have therefore adopted some retail principles from the leading operators and applied them within the hospitality industry to ensure our POS has the best chance of being implemented to maximum effect.

These have been developed in partnership with Lonsdale Direct Solutions, a leader in retail print production.

It’s not rocket science, but we have introduced some key principles, as standard, to side step the common causes of campaigns falling at the final hurdle – implementation.

1. Campaign materials are packed in boxes with a campaign summary on the outside. This clearly displays the ‘go-live’ date plus display instructions.

2. All boxes are clearly marked with full details of the shipment. For example, box 1 of 4 containing 100 copies of Big Summer Sale flyer.

3. Each box outer will display an image of the material contained within the box, meaning the box can remain sealed and secure until required.

4. Each box will be sealed with branded tape, therefore clearly differentiating it from other deliveries.

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As soon as the delivery is despatched, the destination venue will receive an email notifying them of the delivery date and content.

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The day the delivery is due to be made, the Manager of the venue will receive a text message to confirm that the delivery will be made that day.

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Exception reports (instances where deliveries were not made) are sent to Marketing personnel within 48 hours.

Following these rules and procedures should ensure that your implementation levels are greatly improved and you get a better return on your marketing investment.

Our Best Advice Here are another few nuggets of wisdom we have gained along the way 

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Where possible, choose a print supplier who can do the majority of work under one roof. It reduces lead times as the work is not being split up and distributed to multiple suppliers across the country – this is a practice often employed by print managers.

Using one print supplier will keep a tighter hold on accuracy and quality.

Using one print supplier will increase the chance of colour consistency across all elements. Ideally your printer should be ISO12647 accredited to minimise colour variation.

Choose a print supplier who offers online ordering – it has changed our lives. Dynamic PDF changes and proofing can make considerable savings in design costs for simple amends. It also results in consolidated billing which will help control costs and reduce paperwork.

Choose a print supplier who has a wide variety of print production equipment, that way you get the optimum print solution for your job, not the solution based on the equipment your supplier has!

Choose a print supplier offering 24 hour and weekend production. This will result in greater flexibility and allow them to react quickly if last minute changes need to be made – which we know they often do!

Magnify Marketing are a customer communications company specialising in the leisure and hospitality industry.

Working with large national chains as well as leading independents, we offer a consultative service that will deliver great results for you.

Lonsdale Direct Solutions are a long established, financially stable print & direct mail company, independently owned and committed to quality.

Lonsdale direct solutions can be contacted via Simon Cole Business Development Manager • Email: simon.cole@lonsdaledirect.co.uk • Web: www.lonsdaledirect.co.uk

This case study has been produced for marketing personnel within the hospitality industry. To find other case studies by Magnify Marketing, visit www.magnifymarketing.co.uk