SELF-LEARNING HOME TASK (SLHT)

Subject: Tourism Promotion Grade: 12 Quarter: 1 Week : 5

MELC: Identify and access information sources for current and accurate information on destinations
TLE_HETP9- 12DI-IIa-c-3

Name: __________________________ Section _____________ Date________

School ________________________ District __________________________

Pre test

Determine whether the statement is true or false. Write T for true and F for false on the
space provided.

1. Tourism promotions are buyer-initiated efforts to help identify which products to buy.

2. Not all tourism products may benefit from advertising.

3. Direct marketing seeks to establish a relationship with its existing customer base.

4. Digital marketing is a fast growing marketing tool for tourism products and services
with the growing popularity of travel websites and groupons.

5. Sales promotions offer an inducement or extra premium to make customers wait before
they buy.
CONTENT

A purchase is made by a customer a way a satisfying his needs and/or preferences.

How a marketer promotes his products to appeal to a customers' needs and preferences is
discussed in this lesson. Tourism as a product is a luxury, meeting a customer's need for
rest, relaxation, and leisure. There are different tools that can be used to promote tourism
products and services such as advertising, direct marketing, digital marketing, sales
promotion, and personal selling.

Definition of Promotion

Promotion has been defined as the coordination of all seller-initiated efforts to set
up channels of information and persuasion to sell goods and services or promote an idea
(Belch 2008). All marketing communications techniques seek to inform, create awareness,
attempt to persuade, and reinforce buying behavior of costumers (Shoemaker 2007).
Various strategies are thought of and implemented by the seller to ensure that the tourism
product or service is made known to its possible target market. These strategies seek not
just to inform people but, more importantly, to persuade people to buy the product. The
end-goal of any promotional activity is to close the sale. For example, if you are tasked to
promote a new flight schedule to China, you do not just email everybody on your mailing
list that there is a new flight schedule. Promoting means not only informing your potential
customers, but also communicating the benefits that will help encourage them to book a
flight with you.

Advertising

Advertising is defined as any paid form of non-personal communication about an

organization, product, service, or idea by an identified sponsor (Belch and Belch 2001). It
is mass communication that is paid for (Shoemaker et al. 2007). It can reach the largest
number of prospects very quickly. Advertising covers the various messages consumers
receive from television, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, transit displays, and
even online. Online options include banner advertising, skyscraper ads, pay-per-click, etc.
In the hospitality industry, advertising is viewed as a way to create and maintain awareness
of the company, property, or destination (Shoemaker et al. 2007). However, not all tourism
products and services would benefit from advertising. A careful assessment of one's
resources and objectives needs to be done before deciding on using advertising as a tool
for promotions. Big properties such as franchise or chain hotels and fast-food chains, and
country destinations may benefit from a carefully planned advertising strategy. But small
tourism establishments such as stand-alone or single-unit apartments or apartelles may find
advertising very expensive.

Objectives of Advertising

An advertising objective is a specific communication task to be accomplished with

a specific target audience during a specific period of time (Kotler 2010). Advertising can
be classified based on its objectives to: (1) inform, (2) persuade, and (3) remind.

Informative advertising is used when introducing a new product or to build up primary

demand for the product. Companies employ aggressive tools to ensure that a new product
creates excitement and demand within its target market.

Persuasive advertising is used when competition is stiff. Companies rely on persuasive

advertising to be able to keep its market share.

Reminder advertising is very important for products that have reached the maturity stage.
Products attempt to maintain market position even if it is already top of mind.

Direct Marketing

Direct marketing is an interactive system of marketing that uses one or more

advertising media to affect a measurable response. It seeks to establish continuing
customer relationships with its regular customers. Offers are sent to a customer database of
people who are most able, willing, and ready to buy the product (Kotler 2006). Direct
marketing is a way to directly communicate with your target market (both existing and
prospective customers) to obtain an immediate response and maintain good relationships
(Kotler 2006). Elements of a Direct Marketing Campaign

There are three important elements that should be taken into consideration when
planning a direct marketing campaign. These are (1) the List, (2) the Message, and (3) the
Offer.

The List contains all the names and contact information of your target market. This list
should be accurate, updated, and narrowed down based on the characteristics of the market
who would most likely be interested in your product offering. This list may also be
referred to as your database. A good list that contains your prime prospects can contribute
greatly to the success of your direct marketing campaign. A bad list will only be a waste of
your time and money. Marketers estimate that a prospective customer has very limited
attention span. It will only take a few seconds for one to make a judgment on whether to
continue reading your message or to proceed to doing other things. Copywriters exert a lot
of effort to ensure that they are able to capture the prospective customer's attention enough
for the customer to read through the details of the product's offer. It is important then to
customize and personalize the message. It takes a lot of skill to make the message simple
and interesting so as to make it easy for the prospect to learn more about the product and
the offer. The Offer should be interesting and worth it for the prospective customer to
consider making a purchase. It should move the prospective client into action. Making the
offer not available to other clients and available for a limited time only will help make the
offer more appealing.

Measures of Success

One of the advantages of direct marketing as a promotional tool is its measurability.

A properly executed direct marketing campaign may be measured in several ways,
namely: a. the number of inquiries generated, b. the ratio of conversions or purchases
realized from inquiries generated, and C. its communication impact.

Digital Marketing

Used in this book to cover computer-mediated communication that includes the

use of the internet for social media, company websites, travel websites, group buying sites,
and online auctions. Digital marketing campaigns are marketing campaigns that employ a
combination of all the aforementioned tools using online platform.

Social Media

Wikipedia defines social media as participatory inline media where news, photos,
videos, and podcast are made public visa social media websites through submission. Social
media is a great way to influence a crowd by listening to what they say online.
 Table 6.1 Top 10 most visited websites in the Philippines
Rank Website
1 Facebook
2 Google.com
3 Google.com.ph
4 Youtube
5 Yahoo
6 Blogspot
7 wikipedia
8 Twitter
9 Olx
10 Wordpress

Company Websites

Independent tourism operators can set their own websites that features their
products, services, and rates that potential customers may access at their convenience. A
good website should have useful and relevant information, easy to use, has artistic design,
and simple. It should be marketed to prospective customers so they will access the site.

Travel Websites

A travel website is consolidator of different travel products. It bring together a varied

range of travel so that potential customers can just go to site. The customers can compare
rates, features, and facilities of different establishments. It also contains reviews and
comments made by customers who have availed themselves of the products and services.

Examples of popular travel websites tourist’s use include Tripadvisor, Yahoo!

Travel, Expedia, and Travelocity. These sites help you compare rates of different hotels or
resorts in a specific area. They show comments and ratings of those who have stayed in the
establishment, as well as the availability of rooms on your specified travel dates.

Group buying sites,

Popularly known as groupons, facilitate discount seeking, bargain hunting, and

new product discoveries. Many of these sites offer huge discounts ranging from 30% to
90% for consumers for a variety of products. There is a wide range of products and
services available in these sites that include restaurant meals, spa/massage/facial
treatments, hotel rooms, tour packages inclusive of airfare, hotel accommodations, meals,
etc. These sites have grown in number. The most popular and credible among these
include Living Ensogo, Groupon, Metro Deal, Deal Grocer, and CashCash Pinoy.

Digital marketing is projected to grow at a fast pace with the growth of technology
and the decreasing cost of gadgets and Internet access. Most travellers who prefer to create
their own personal trips rely mostly on the digital world for information and decision-
making.

Sales Promotion

Sales promotion is a direct inducement that offers an extra value or incentive for the
product to the sales force, distributors, or the ultimate consumer with the primary objective
of creating an immediate sale (Belch and Belch 2007). It consists of short-term incentives
to encourage the purchase or sale of a product or service (Kotler 2010). The growth of
sales promotions was mainly due to the increase in promotional sensitivity of consumers,
declining brand loyalty, and rise in competition. Consumers nowadays no longer stick to
just one brand. They look at different alternatives and purchase the one that offers the
greatest value for their money. Take, for example, promo fares of airlines. Passengers no
longer maintain loyalty with one brand but buy from the airline that offers the best rates.

It involves a variety of techniques that serve to accelerate purchase of products or

services. Some of these promotional tools include:

Samples

Samples are offers of a trial amount of a product. Some samples are free; others
charge a small amount to offset its cost while inducing product trial. Sampling can also be
made to influential decision makers such as company executives and sales people in the
belief that trial will improve product knowledge, which will eventually lead to a sale.
Familiarization tours and giving out of product gift certificates induce trial of the product
in the hope that decision makers will be encouraged to purchase in bulk for their
companies.

Coupons

Coupons are certificates that offer buyers savings when they purchase specific
products. It is used to stimulate sales of a mature product, as well as promote trial of a new
product. This tool should be used carefully to avoid a price/coupon war that detracts
consumers from the intrinsic value of the product or service. Too much price discounting
may give the impression that margins are unreasonably high to begin with, resulting to
consumers declining to buy at original selling price in the future.

Packages
 Packages involve putting together a set of complementing products to come up
with one bundle at a special price. If the products are sold separately, the total cost will be
more expensive. This helps in increasing per capita revenue and selling products that may
otherwise be unsold. A value meal in fast food chains is an example of a package wherein
the meal includes burger, French fries, and drinks. This induces consumers to purchase
more than what they actually need because of the cost savings that the package offers
when compared to the price of purchasing each item sold separately.

Premiums

Premiums are goods offered either for free or at a low cost to provide incentive for
consumers to buy a product. Some establishments create novelty items that may be
brought home as a symbol of the product bought such as a mug for the coffee drank. An
example of a premium is a room upgrade in a hotel. Some hotels train their reservation
agents and front desk clerks to recommend a room upgrade for a minimal cost.

Patronage Rewards

Patronage rewards are rewards in the form of cash or items of value that may be
redeemed for regular purchases made. These kinds of programs create more frequency of
purchase, positive word-of-mouth, and possibly larger purchases. Starbucks year-end
planner promotion is a classic example of patronage rewards. The planner can be claimed
after having purchased 16 or so types of drinks in Starbucks within a specified period of
time.

Point of Purchase

Point of purchase promotion includes displays and promotions that take place at the
point of sale. Some hotels display brochures of other hotel properties at the lobby or front
desk. Some souvenir items are positioned near the cashier for easy, random, and impulse
purchases.

Contests and Games

Contests and games give consumers a chance to win something such as a trip or
cash upon purchase of products and services. Raffle entries are given to consumers based
on total amount of consumption, which is then raffled off for a prize.

Personal Selling

Personal selling refers to individualized selling to key accounts. Selling

techniques are customized based on the needs of the specific customers. Key accounts
management techniques are used to effectively sell tourism products and services to
individual and institutional accounts through face-to-face selling, telemarketing, and other
ways.
 These promotional strategies have been effectively used by tourism establishments
to create awareness and interest, and encourage purchase among prospective customers. A
good product will remain unsold if promotional strategies are not used to help sell tourism
products and services. A wise use of these strategies will definitely help increase
awareness of the product, which will lead to more sales.

Post-Test

Multiple Choice. Choose the letter that best completes the sentence.

1. Promotion is defined as ____ efforts to set-up channels of information and persuasion

a. seller-initiated b. buyer-initiated

C. government-initiated d. agent-initiated

2. The end-goal of any promotional activity is a. inform the customers to ________.

a. inform the customers b. open the sale

C. close the sale d. persuade the customer

3. Advertising seeks to inform, persuade, and ______ the customers

a. convince b. remind C. excite d. encourage

4. Sales promotion seeks to solicit a/an _____ responses from the customers

a. excited b. immediate C. delayed d. limited

5. The elements of a direct marketing campaign includes the following:

a. list, message, offer b. list, address, offer

C. names, address, gift d. list, offer, gift

6. Digital marketing covers computer- mediated communication. Which of the following is

not digital marketing?

a. social media b. travel websites

C. company websites d. telemarketing

7. Social media is a/an ________online media where news, photos, videos, and podcasts
are made public.

a. unique b. participatory C. strategic d. creative

8. ________is not a travel website

a. Tripadvisor b. Expedia C. Travelocity d.

WordPress

9. _________is a direct inducement that offers extra value or incentive to encourage

immediate sales.

a. advertising b. sales promotion c. digital marketing d. direct

marketing

10. Which of the following is not a sales promotion tool?

a. point of purchase b. coupons

c. patronage rewards d. door-to-door sales

References: Cooper, Chris et al (2008). Tourism principles and practice 4th ed. England:
Pearson Education Limited.

Prepared by: BLESSILA C. LOPEZ

Subject Teacher