Technology may be a powerful tool but only if it is used to execute fundamental marketing techniques—such as knowing your customer. The

following Success Stories show how a variety of marketers took a close look at who their customers are—or which customers might have been

underserved —then employed technological tools to make it all work.

HSMAI MAR KETI NG R EVI EW / / / INSPIRING MARKETING

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[HARVEY CHIPKIN]

HSMAI Marketing Review / / / March 2012 INSPIRING MARKETING 2

While one hotel brand Was probably getting a piece of an important niche market organically, they set out to make themselves far more familiar to that niche.

THE COMPANY: Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott.

THE SITUATION: About to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012, Fairfield Inn & Suites was looking for a way to build awareness of its brand attributes (e.g., free WiFi, free breakfast, 670 locations, Marriott endorsement) to position this brand as the lodging choice for boomer parents.

THE SOLUTION: Working with its New York agency, LDPR, the brand launched “Check in at Fairfield Inn & Suites, Check out College Campuses.” The brand executives knew that many of the hotels were located near college campuses and have been welcoming parents and their children for some time. To add additional power to the idea, Fairfield collaborated with The Princeton Review, a college preparation and tutoring company. An online survey revealed that most parents (65 percent) were planning college visits with their children and 21 percent of these respondents said they expected to make three to four trips to campuses. Using this data, Fairfield created press materials for traditional outlets and digital media platforms, and coordinated Satellite and Internet Media Tours starring TV dad Alan Thicke (Growing Pains). To round out the program, Fairfield developed a travel package, which included a free copy of The Princeton Re-view’s Portable Guidance Counselor. Guests also received a $25 Smart Bucks coupon and a tip sheet from The Princeton Review about getting the most out of the college campus visit. An added bonus for the program was a Fairfield Inn giveaway that offered five lucky parents $2,000 each to help offset college expenses.. THE RESULTS: The program generated great buzz for the brand both internally and externally. Bill Marriott blogged about it and the response at property level was so positive that Marriott is considering expanding the program in 2012.

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}The program generated great buzz

for the brand both internally and externally.

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HSMAI Marketing Review / / / March 2012 INSPIRING MARKETING 3

While fashion press is not a typical audience for hotel companies, one luxury brand sought to enhance that fashion association.

THE COMPANY: Dorchester Hotel Collection, a global group of luxury hotels.

THE SITUATION: The company wanted to promote the Dorchester Col-lection Fashion Prize initiative in North America—the first fashion award from a luxury hospitality company supporting up-and-coming designers. The ultimate goal was to launch a series of media events where the Collection has hotels and to increase visibility for the overall brand, which has a strong fashion history, among consumer, fashion, trade and online outlets. Hawkins International PR was tasked with, among other things, educating fashion press about the brand initia-tive.

THE SOLUTION: Dorchester Collection partnered with the reality TV program, “America’s Next Top Model,” to film the grand finale event in Los Angeles at The Beverly Hills Hotel, a Dorchester Collection hotel. Only two weeks were allotted to coordinate logistics and plan a media event, all within the strict guidelines and restrictions of this pro-gram. To build buzz for that finale, HIPR executed a series of events in New York and Los Angeles for top-tier media: the debut of the initia-tive in North America; the announcement of the short-listed design-ers competing for the Prize; and the grand finale event with portions filmed for an upcoming episode of “America’s Next Top Model.” In addition, HIPR:

Z Leveraged partnerships with “America’s Next Top Model,” Domaine Chandon, Baccarat, Rolls Royce and other luxury brands to generate brand alignment and awareness.

Z Created and distributed several press releases throughout the year to create awareness and excitement leading up to the final event.

Z Managed the Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize Facebook page throughout 2011 to grow and maintain a following for events throughout the year as well as news from the judges and short list.

THE RESULTS: There were 224,000,000 media impressions within a short time. Coverage included WWD, Style.com, Los Angeles Times, HarpersBazaar.com, HuffingtonPost.com, NBC New York’s Thread Blog, DailyFrontRow.com, Fashionista.com, FLARE, Forbes.com, Glam.com, HauteLiving.com, Observer.com, Vogue.com. Over a seven- month span, HIPR increased Facebook fans by 60% and achieved a 449% increase in activity on the page.

Over a seven-month span,

HIPR increased Facebook fans by 60%

and achieved a 449% increase

in activity on the page.

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HSMAI Marketing Review / / / March 2012 INSPIRING MARKETING 4

Guests EpicMix accounts gained a 15 percent

adoption rate—resulting in 275,000 social posts

on Facebook and Twitter, and more than 35 million

social impressions.

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skiers love to ski, of course, but they also like to share their skiing accomplishments—and photos— With their friends and families. one snoW destination made that a lot easier and more exciting.

THE DESTINATION: Vail Resorts, which operates mountain resorts on mountains in Colorado, California, Nevada and Wyoming.

THE SITUATION: Last year, Vail Resorts introduced EpicMix, a tech-nologically advanced system that tracked vertical feet and days skied—a well as social gaming—by rewarding skiers with digital pins for special accomplishments, all posted on the dedicated EpicMix website. Skiers did not have to check in but simply had to opt in or out of the program to enable radio frequency (RF)-enabled passes or tickets. The ski area wanted to broaden that initiative and make it more compatible with social media. This catered to an audience that might have been missed last year—destination guests who tell their ski stories through photos, said Stacey Pool, marketing director for EpicMix.

THE SOLUTION: This season, EpicMix has added photos to the platform to create EpicMix Photo. Guests are now able to take their own photos or get their photos taken and combine them with their vertical feet, digital pins, and memories of other special moments of their visit through EpicMix platform, which is unique to Vail Resorts. Skiers are able to share photos on Facebook and Twitter for free. Once guests get their RF-enabled pass or lift ticket they can simply log on to www.epicmixphoto.com and activate their accounts and download the free mobile app for smart phones.

THE RESULTS: In 2010 nearly 100,000 guests activated their EpicMix accounts, a 15 percent adoption rate—resulting in 275,000 social posts on Facebook and Twitter, and more than 35 million social impressions. The resorts expect those numbers to soar with the addition of photos. Also, there has been extensive coverage in travel and ski publications. “This will not only be good for resorts,” said Pool, “but will be great for the industry. We want to build advocates when it comes to skiing and snowboarding.”

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HSMAI Marketing Review / / / March 2012 INSPIRING MARKETING 5

girlfriend getaWays have become a promotional staple—but one destination which has not had a high-profile in the market decided to tap into it.

THE DESTINATION: Sevierville, Tennessee in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains (Dolly Parton’s hometown).

THE SITUATION: Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the country with 10 to 11 million annual visitors. There are numerous tourist towns surrounding the Smokys in both East Tennessee and Western North Carolina competing for those tourists and Sevierville wanted to do something distinctive.

THE SOLUTION: While Sevierville has always tried to identify new and unique ways to attract visitors, this year—with the help of Ackermann PR Vice President Rick Laney—the City of Sevierville launched a nationwide search for an “amazing and inspiring woman” who would be featured in Sevierville’s nation-al television and print advertising campaign. Also, the winner earned a trip for herself and three close friends to Sevierville, including high-end shopping, meals, zip lining, spa treatments and more. The “Great Girlfriends Getaway” drew more than 600 nominations coast to coast from women nominating their friends.

RESULTS: The City of Sevierville received considerable attention from both traditional and online media in promoting the national search for an amazing and inspiring woman (resulting in a significant increase in nominations). Once the winner was selected, city representatives traveled to Arlington, Texas (hometown of the winner) and surprised her at her home with the help of her friends. The surprise was also captured by the media. While the winner and her friends were on their grand prize trip to Sevierville, the tourism office shot television and print advertisements that will become part of the city’s 2012 national advertising campaign, further spreading the news about its vacation product and its appeal to the girlfriends market.

With a career spanning almost 30 years, HARVEY CHIPKIN, a well known and highly regarded travel industry writer, is a regular contributor to the HSMAI Marketing Review and to a number of trade and consumer magazines. He has been twice selected as the recipient of the American Hotel & Lodging Associa-tion’s Pearson Award for Excellence in Journalism.

The “Great Girlfriends Getaway”

drew more than 600 nominations

coast to coast from women nominating

their friends.

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