Final Exam

EXERCISE 1 - ISSUU

Open publication - Free publishing - More hotel

EXERCISE 2 - DIGITAL IQ

- What is the relationship between Digital IQ and revenue growth? Digital IQ is how smartly a company uses digital technologies for example to improve their visibility, create a contact with their customers, launch special events or offers... a good Digital IQ attracts customers, and help limit the use of traditional medias that are more expensive. That is why it can help improving revenue growth.

- What does Digital IQ measure, why is it important to the hotel industry?

Digital IQ is an assessment of how well companies understand the value of technology and weave it into the fabric of their organization. Growing your Digital IQ entails more than merely adopting the latest tools or having a large IT budget—it is about integrating technology into the way a company plans, innovates, measures results, interacts with customers, and ultimately creates value.

It is very important in the hotel industry because this sector has a lot of competition, and similar products too. So Digital IQ is very useful to differentiate from the competition, create a special relationship with the customer and a strong brand image.

- List 2 hotels/hotel companies in the top 10 of L2’s digital IQ.  Compare + explain the differences in the digital tactics used by the 2 examples you have selected.

Four Seasons and Marriott

Four seasons like the category leaders in many L2 studies, benefits from acting as a fast follower rather than a bleeding-edge trendsetter. One of only nine brands in the Index providing links to TripAdvisor, Four Seasons takes integration one step further by incorporating curated reviews on property pages. The brand’s social media presence is absolutely consistent across its 80 properties’ Facebook pages and Twitter feeds, with a strong commitment to customer service and local character on each. Four Seasons has also done a fantastic job at utilizing emerging platforms with Pinterest and Instagram pages that set industry standards.

Marriot is successfully using scale to their advantage, especially regarding booking functionality. It used to be known for its conservatism, and is now taking greater risks such as its recent LGBT promotions.

EXERCISE 3 - CUSTOMER DISCOVERY PATH - MINI CASE STUDY 

Online ex 3 from raphie91

EXERCISE 4 - SOLOMO

- What is R4 - give/create  an example

R4 means 

Right people

Right activities

Right places

Right time

For example the Heineken digital wall

- What 5 elements are needed for a successful SoLoMo - feel free to add more

• Start with the audience, not the technology: novelty has a limited window of value, but real benefits keep people coming back for more. Identify what people actually care about, and build the technology around that.

• Sharing must be about audience benefit: if you want people to publicly endorse your brand, make sure you offer them something compelling in return for their endorsement. The question to ask yourself is, ‘What’s in it for them?’, and not just ‘What’s in it for my brand?’

• Add value through utility: no-one will turn down a discount, but people will go out of their way to get additional benefits. Offer people what they really need, not just a cheaper version of what they already know they want.

• Keep it simple: this is the critical rule if you want widespread adoption. The number one reason for poor SoLoMo performance is asking people to do too much; any more than ’2 steps to benefit’, and you’ll lose the vast majority of potential participants.

• Build relationships, not spectacle: 97% off a full-day spa package is great, but people’s attention is quickly diverted when tomorrow’s deal offers 98% off a meal at that Michelin-star restaurant. The real value in SoLoMo lies in connecting with people, exchanging mutual value, and building relationships over time.

EXERCISE 5 - NEW SEO

- What is the new definition of SEO and how does it relate to customer discovery path?

Search engines no longer deliver just ten results on their search engine result pages (SERPs). They pull from various databases, including news, video, real-time, image, local search engines, shopping engines, blogs, etc. utilizing a process referred to as Universal Search. SEO needs to reflect the times. Thus, the need for SEO’s new definition.

Search engine optimization should be just that, search engine optimization. SEO should apply to the entire realm of organic or natural search which is the majority of the left side of the search engine result pages. You’ve invested in your business’ online marketing assets - websites, social media interactions, videos, press releases, images or shopping feeds. Can they be found in the search engines?

All marketing is specially crafted to enhance visibility; SEO is another way of making your online assets and interactions as visible as possible to your targeted customers. If your product or service is seen in more than one place, you will be more easily found. Online marketing now involves many entities, such as YouTube, blogs, social media such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. Your businesses’ participation in them can lead to more opportunities for being found in the search engines by your targeted customers.  In fact, by participating in these various entities, links are created which can become the base-level of a link-building strategy.

SEO is part of any strong marketing effort. It should be approached holistically, involving all of your online marketing opportunities. While technical aspects exist, there are many strategies that can be implemented. Search engine optimization just makes it easier for your targeted customers to find you. It’s marketing.