GLOBAL UPDATE : MARKETING
VIDEOconnects
Brands and independents increasingly use highly produced or Web 2.0 videos to build image and establish an emotional connection .
By Jeff Weinstein , editor in chief
The magic word hoteliers want to hear from guests is “ affinity ,” and building it with today ’ s consumers is not easy with all the media messages and choices bombarding them at every turn . So with a prediction that video will represent 90 % of all online consumption by 2013 , forwardthinking independent hoteliers and brand operators are creating more sophisticated videos — even films — to reshape their image , make an emotional connection and build business .
Some videos and films are created with big budgets , while others are produced on a shoestring . Either way , marketers seem to think video is worth the gamble — even if its bottom-line worth is often hard to measure .
New brands simply trying to gain eyeballs see clever videos as a great way to cut through the clutter . Take , for example , the new Bloomrooms brand , Delhi , which is using offbeat video as its first touchpoint for everyone from potential leisure guests to corporate clients . “ This has really allowed us to simplify our approach to selling the brand and maintaining a consistent message ,” says Tom Welbury , bloomrooms ’ director of marketing and strategy . “ In a place like India , where there is so much noise and confusion , it is really helping us engage with people . As a start-up not looking to spend ridiculous dollars , we managed to pull something together that ticked all the boxes and didn ’ t break the bank .”
In celebration of its 10th anniversary , Le Saint-Sulpice Hôtel Montréal in May presented La Valise , a 15-minute film about four characters and one valise entering the hotel . The film about “ obsession , ambition and beauty ” was produced by a new media company for about US $ 45,000 , according to Alexandre Tessier , the hotel ’ s sales and marketing director . And coincidence or not , hotel sales the month following the film ’ s debut were the best ever , Tessier adds .
“ It was more a notoriety campaign ,
10 HOTELS September 2012 www . hotelsmag . com