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Travel Incentives in Promotional Marketing
Holidays remain one of the most popular incentives
when it comes to promotional marketing. Incentive
Today looks at how the best promotions link travel
prizes into a brand's values and messages, whether
it is a simple reward of vouchers or an exotic bespoke
holiday package. The feature will analyse whether
consumers are becoming sceptical or uninterested in
travel promotions because of the conditions attached
to travel arrangements as well as the increasing availability
of budget flights.
1) How the best promotions link travel prizes
into a brand's values and messages.
When running a consumer promotion it is essential
that the brands values are reflected in the prize
on offer, as it acts as an opportunity to reinforce
the brands identity and the compliments the message
it is trying to communicate to it’s audience.
This is one of the reasons why bespoke solutions are
so successful, each brand has it’s own identity
and characteristics which can only be truly reflected
when a product is built specifically for that brand,
trying to put round square pegs through round holes
just doesn’t make any sense.
How can you have any continuity in a brands message
/ identity during a promotion, when the prize on offer
is plucked off the shelf and undoubtedly being used
by other brands – where is the differentiation
?
2) Are consumers becoming sceptical or uninterested
in travel promotions because of the conditions attached
to travel arrangements as well as the increasing availability
of budget flights ?
Human nature dictates that we are all a little cynical
or sceptical at times especially when a perfect stranger
tells you that you’ve won a holiday out of the
blue no strings attached. In addition to which people
don’t always remember entering competitions
especially if it was months previously, hence it’s
easy for alarm bells of timeshares and salesmen to
start ringing out causing an initial scepticism.
This is just one of the many reasons why dealing
with an expert in prize promotions is so necessary.
Having organised hundreds of various holidays for
consumers / prize-winners ranging from weekend breaks
to private islands and VIP celebrity lifestyle experiences
we are in the ideal position to allay an initial fears
they might have and ensure that the promotion runs
smoothly.
When debating the issue of travel restrictions, it
is important that there is a distinction made between
the prize promotions market, which Unmissable specialises
in and the free flights / voucher market. With regard
to prize promotions, it is not uncommon that terms
and conditions will have some exclusion dates, which
will usually cover Christmas, New Year and Bank Holidays,
the problem arises when restriction dates start covering
the summer period, an issue which is magnified if
organising family holidays. With the government and
schools clamping down on parents taking their children
out of school during term time, it is imperative that
travel restrictions on holiday prizes compliment the
lifestyle of the target audience. We would advise
clients to spend less money on the holiday rather
than to reduce their costs by adding draconian restriction
dates. In addition to which we would advise a generous
redemption period to ensure that prize-winners have
a reasonable time in which to book their holiday.
On the whole these types of prizes don’t suffer
from any negative feedback as there is a high degree
of flexibility with the holiday.
The area of potential scepticism in the market surrounds
the ‘free flights’ or discounted flight
/ hotel offers, where there is a necessity for restrictions
which directly impact on the holiday experience. For
example:
- Free Flights – In this instance
the recipient is restricted to maybe one of 3 hotels
between certain dates, in addition to which they
will invariably be on a dinner, bed & breakfast
rate thereby restricting where they can have their
meals.
Whilst initialling sounding extremely attractive
these types of offers have so many restrictions as
to dictate the majority of the winner’s holiday
to them. Consumers are becoming increasingly savvy
to these types of offers and suppliers need to react
to this to ensure that the products they provide remain
of interest to their potential customers.
The development of low cost airlines has meant that
the propensity to travel has increased dramatically
in recent years so consumers who once saw a weekend
break to Reykjavik as a ‘once in a lifetime
trip’ are now looking for something with a far
greater aspirational value. The world is becoming
more accessible for a greater proportion of the population
therefore trying to impress by destination alone is
no longer enough, the pull has to be what they actually
experience when they get to that destination, whether
that is the hotel they are staying in, a restaurant
or an activity. Consumers are no longer impressed
by regurgitated off the shelf products to be found
on high streets across the country and companies are
gaining far more success (ROI) by offering imaginative
and unique prizes, which because they are bespoke,
can complement their specific brand. The development
of low cost airlines and internet hotel booking systems
will undoubtedly have an impact on the travel voucher
market as consumers can benefit from choosing exactly
what they want and thereby tailor make their own holidays
online, at a price which negates the need to take
advantage of a £150 travel voucher. This doesn’t
apply to the prize promotions market as the types
of experiences provided can only be accessed via a
specialist supplier such as Unmissable.
Travel will always be a hugely motivating tool for
consumer promotions - as it remains such an emotive
force - you only have to look at the market to see
how many brands are using different forms of travel
prizes from vouchers to ‘money can’t buy’
experiences to promote their products. The question
is not are consumers becoming uninterested in travel
promotions per se, but what types of travel promotions
provide greater exposure and ROI for the brands ?
The continued rise in experience led holiday prizes
would suggest that consumers are becoming more motivated
by holidays that communicate with their aspirations.
- ENDS -
For further information,
please contact:
Jane Lowen, The Press Office, 01580 764721
jtlowen@aol.com
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