Why Do Consortia Marketing?
Why isn't joining a consortium enough?
Just joining a consortium is only part one of the process.
Then, there is the need to market yourselves to the agents, both on screen and in person.
Members of consortia are not created equally. The chains have done deals with consortia, have become marketing "partners". And the consortia really push these partners to their agents.
Many consortia make marketing to the agents into a hurdle for us independents. They ensure primary placement to their "partner" chains and give those partners substantially more access to the agents.
So what our marketing is designed to do is to fight back, to carve an image for you, to give you a voice in this consortia dialogue.
The marketing in the consortia is typically composed of:
banner ads on web pages, banner ads on city pages, banner ads on special agent pages, newsletters, e-news blasts, hard print newsletters, pdf distributed newsletters, logos on property pages, photos on property pages, and special price shopping comparison systems.
Through the power of the group, we are able to negotiate a presence in these media and do so cost effectively with all artwork, planning, and administration included in one price. Furthermore, we have access to specially priced "last minutes" deal that normally only the chains would have knowledge of.
Still, more beneficially, we receive free space, we negotiate free e-mails, and logo placements.
One reason that we get these "goodies" for our members is that we are easy to deal with: we do all the artwork thereby not incurring any incremental costs to the consortia.
Overall View of Consortia Marketing Presence
Most of the communication pieces within the consortia are "owned" by the large brands.
Most of the artwork is handled, not by an agency, but by the consortium "artwork" department.
We have been supplying finished artwork: web page, parts, html e-mail, and print. Because the consortia have less work to do for us, we have, so far, been able to get much more copy and photos into the pieces than are "allowed" by the consortium artwork team. Furthermore, we have managed to get some excellent placement in the marketing pieces - by dint of simply giving the consortium completed artwork - making it easy for them.
Of the smaller hotel groups, Warwick is very aggressive across Radius, CWT, and CCRA.
We have caught sight of only one marketing communication piece for any of the marketing partner groups such as Leading, Preferred, and Small Hotels. The piece was a full 2 pages by Leading and was focused entirely on Leading.
There are very few solo hotel properties advertising in the three consortia that we're working with this year - CCRA, CWT, Radius. So far we have seen no repetition or consistency.
The Carino Co-Op group is the only co-op group with a presence and the only one marketing individual properties rather than the "brand".This is a crowded market and the brands are owning it, so it will take some time to heighten awareness for the Co-Op properties. Consistency and repetition is the key as in all advertising. However, our call to action ads with rates and specials do have the ability to "make the phone ring".
:: read more about current 2006 consortia marketing programs
:: read report about the past 2005 programs
Marketing in person to the agents of the Consortia
As all sales people know, the best way to get business is to listen to the client and solve their needs - and to do it one on one.
The same is true for travel agents, your clients.
Nothing helps consortia revenue more than visiting your high producing agents and visting those agents who are giving your comp set their buisiness.
For best practices as to how to about calling on the agents, just give us a call and we'll brainstorm your needs with you and set them against all that we know as the "best" way to go about your own sales presentations.
Both sales presentations and these co-op marketing programs will position your property ahead of your competition.