📌 Hospitality Highlights: 29nd April 2024
Discover how to tap into the latest hospitality marketing innovations, from Pinterest's Summer Travel trends, to experiential popups, a surge in adventure tourism and more!
I’m Dawn Gribble, your host. I'm an independent hospitality marketing strategist with over 20 years of international experience. Every week, I scan over 10,000 headlines, social posts, forum threads, industry reports, academic studies, and newsletters for actionable insights to boost your brand's impact.
On this Week’s Menu
🚀 Digital Marketing News
📱 Instagram Introduces New Options for Creator Subscriptions
🤖 Meta AI Joins Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger
🔄 Reddit Unveils Mobile UI Updates for Smoother Interaction
💬 WhatsApp Debuts Innovative Chat Filters
📍 The Pinterest Travel Report: Summer 2024
🍽️ Restaurant Marketing News
📈 QSR and Fast Casual Visits Outpaced Full-Service in 2023
🍗 KFC's Saucy Nuggets Dispensary Experience
🛒 Convenience Stores Pose Growing Challenge to Restaurants
🍕 Domino’s Rewards Customers Who Tip Delivery Drivers
🕯 Papa John's Launches Dipable Garlic Butter Candle
🛎️ Hotel and Travel Marketing News
🌄 Surge in Adventure Tourism
✈️ What Travellers Want from Loyalty Programs in 2024
🏡 Airbnb Dominates Search Sentiment Report
💳 Klarna Offers Flexible Payments to Expedia Customers
📽 Sofitel Presents New Brand Campaign: "The Encounter"
☕ Let’s Check In!
🚀 Marketing News
📱 Instagram Introduces New Options for Creator Subscriptions
Instagram now hosts over 2 million creator subscriptions, allowing creators to monetise by offering exclusive content to paying followers. Introduced in 2022, this feature has been enhanced with new insights, including sticker taps and engagement metrics. The platform has also widened the visibility of subscription story teasers to attract non-subscribers. These improvements encourage more creators to use the subscription feature, potentially increasing their earnings. (SMT)
💡 While Instagram Creator Subscriptions aim to empower creators, there's a positive trickle-down effect for hotels and restaurants. The rise of curated media means users trust recommendations from personalities they follow more than generic ads. By partnering with creators who've built a loyal audience, hotels and restaurants can tap into this trust.
Hotels and restaurants should collaborate with premium creators and offer their followers exclusive content like behind-the-scenes glimpses, special menu sneak peeks, or subscriber-only discounts. This fosters a deeper connection with potential customers.
🤖 Meta AI Joins Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger
Meta AI, an open-source AI chatbot, is now integrated into Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp. Currently, the chatbot is not compatible with Threads. Since April 15, users have noticed the chatbot more prominently displayed, and Mark Zuckerberg announced it officially. It's powered by Llama 3, a significant update since last year's Connect event. Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses can also access Meta AI. (CN)
💡 Meta AI is a competitor of ChatGPT. You can use Meta AI to create images, answer questions, and generate text. Meta says this update makes it the "most intelligent AI assistant you can freely use." Visit https://www.meta.ai/ for more information.
🔄 Reddit Unveils Mobile UI Updates for Smoother Interaction
Reddit recently updated its mobile user interface to streamline user interactions and increase participation in subreddit reply streams. These changes were implemented after gathering feedback from the Reddit User Feedback Collective and working with interested Redditors to test early versions and incorporate their suggestions. The updates include faster loading of comments, more accessible access to the comments section, and a new context bar at the top of the comments page, which will help you quickly navigate back to the main post. (RE)
💡 This focus on happy users bodes well for advertisers like hotels and restaurants. Hospitality businesses can use Reddit's targeted reach to access niche communities, but tread carefully! Negative online reviews can be amplified here, and success hinges on offering value and engaging authentically within each unique subreddit community.
💬 WhatsApp Debuts Innovative Chat Filters
WhatsApp has launched a new Chat Filter to help users find their messages more quickly. As WhatsApp is increasingly used for customer service, social selling, and broadcasting, it is essential to navigate messages efficiently. Among the new filters are All, Unread, and Groups. Unread messages are displayed in the Unread filter, while Groups shows all group chats in one place. With these filters, WhatsApp aims to make it easier for users to stay organised and find their important conversations. (WA)
💡 With over 2 billion active users worldwide, WhatsApp has an impressive reach. According to Statista, 140 billion messages are exchanged on WhatsApp daily as of 2023. That equates to 5833 million messages every hour. If you want to drill down into the numbers, that's 97 million messages a minute, equivalent to 1.6 million messages per second.
📍 The Pinterest Travel Report: Summer 2024
Pinterest's latest trends report shows an increase in interest in adventure activities, with searches up 45% compared to last year, reflecting the desire for excitement, nature, and a break from routine. The top trending adventure travel activities include luxury safaris, scuba diving, photography, mountaineering, and trekking. Along with this, there has been a growing interest in "quiet life travel," with searches for "quiet places" and "calm places" increasing by 50% and 42% respectively. (PI)
💡 Pinterest has a large (mainly female) audience that uses the platform to search for culinary and travel inspiration. Data from the platform confirms a strong correlation between food and travel planning on Pinterest. By posting pins on the platform, you can build backlinks to your website. Create boards that speak to your customer segments, e.g. foodies, dog lovers, hikers, etc.
🍽️ Restaurant News
📈 QSR and Fast Casual Visits Outpaced Full-Service in 2023
A new whitepaper from Placer.ai shows that QSRs and fast casuals have experienced year-over-year increases in visits every quarter since Q1 2023, while full-service chains' growth has slowed down. QSRs have benefited from the speed of service, invested in expedited service, and leveraged the marketing calendar to drive visits. The heavy presence of chicken concepts has also worked in their favour. Nevertheless, the industry is moving towards lowering pricing to sustain higher traffic levels. (NRN)
💡 I’m writing a deep dive into Chicken concepts; here’s a sneak peek at some of the trends
🍗 KFC's Saucy Nuggets Dispensary Experience
On April 20th, KFC offered L.A. residents the chance to try their new Saucy Nuggets, available in five different flavours, at the KFC Saucy Nuggets Dispensary (as an alternative to Cannabis). The new nuggets, launched nationwide on April 1, come in Honey Sriracha, Korean BBQ, Sticky Chicky Sweet 'n Sour, Nashville Hot, and Georgia Gold flavours. KFC invited the public to visit the Dispensary and discover their preferred nugget flavour with the help of KFC's "sauce-perts." (RB)
💡 The global condiment market is growing, driven by increasing demand for ethnic cuisines and convenience foods, so this is a smart move from KFC. Pop-up restaurants can be an effective way for restaurants to show off their creativity, generate hype, test new menu items, and connect with customers. Get involved with social media trends and holidays to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity.
🛒 Convenience Stores Pose Growing Challenge to Restaurants
The convenience store sector is evolving, shifting towards expansive foodservice programs to rival traditional restaurants. Highlighted by Joe Pawlak of Technomic at the Restaurant Leadership Conference, notable examples include a large, two-story QuikTrip in Fort Worth, Texas, focusing on prepared foods, and Buc-ee's, known for its massive stores and wide food service selection. This marks a significant evolution in convenience store offerings. (RBO)
💡 To combat the threat convenience stores and supermarkets pose to restaurants, use your marketing channels to showcase your experience, ambience, and service and differentiate yourself from grab-and-go options.
Promotions and loyalty programs that focus on value can help combat the price-driven nature of grocery store meals.
Create targeted campaigns for each customer segment to educate viewers on how you cater to dietary and accessibility needs.
🍕 Domino’s Rewards Customers Who Tip Delivery Drivers
Domino's Pizza has announced a new promotion called "You Tip, We Tip" starting on April 29th. Customers who tip their delivery drivers $3 or more will receive a $3 coupon for their next order. The coupon is only valid for one week, encouraging customers to order from Domino's every week. This offer is only available through Domino's direct ordering channels. It is an extension of a previous customer tipping program introduced in January 2022, which offered discounts to take-away customers.
💡 This campaign is a good idea because it incentivises customers to tip delivery drivers while promoting repeat business. It should enhance customer satisfaction and build loyalty by acknowledging and rewarding tipping behaviour if successfully executed.
On the downside, this could increase pressure on delivery drivers to earn tips and reduce overall order value if customers aim for the minimum tip. Loyalty programs with tiered rewards or points systems could be a more sustainable strategy for repeat customers.
🕯 Papa John's Launches Dip-able Garlic Butter Candle
Papa Johns has recently launched a new product to delight garlic lovers. In celebration of National Garlic Day, the company created limited-edition Garlic Butter Candles made with their signature Special Garlic Dip. These candles are available online and bring "a new level of flavour and ambience to any pizza night." Inspired by the popular butter candle trend, the melted "wax" becomes a delicious creamy dip to enjoy with your pizza. (JO)
💡 This quirky campaign creates buzz and shows brand personality, but replicating it might be tricky. For broader appeal, restaurants could consider twists on existing menu items or playful social media campaigns.
Venues offering unique experiences and food innovation could consider creating their own butter candles to differentiate themselves and attract customers.
🛎️ Hotel and Travel News
🌄 Surge in Adventure Tourism
Travellers are choosing unique activities aligned with their interests, as per GetYourGuide's latest consumer spending data. Bookings to lesser-known destinations like Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and Hoi An, Vietnam, are rising. Popular tours include the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and kayaking through the El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico. The "Explorer," a new type of traveller who values experiences over material possessions, is driving growth in the experience economy. (GY)
💡 Create blog posts, press releases, social media content, and videos showcasing activities near your hotel. Think kayaking trips, mountain biking trails, or local festivals. Promote features like on-site bike rentals, guided hikes, or sunrise yoga sessions that cater to the adventurous spirit. Optimise content for search terms like "adventure travel," "unique experiences," or specific activities near your location. This increases discoverability for travellers actively seeking adventure.
✈️ What Travellers Want from Loyalty Programs in 2024
The loyalty landscape is becoming more competitive, with consumers actively participating in an average of over 16 loyalty programs. Global Hotel Alliance's report, "What Travelers Want Most From Loyalty Programs," investigated travellers' preferences and how loyalty programs influence their decisions. Kristi Gole, executive vice president of strategy at GHA, said, "Time and time again, we hear it's most important just to get the basics right; members value guest recognition. The core value proposition of recognising loyal members at every touchpoint, proactively delivering on the in-hotel perks they're entitled to with their status, and having a seamless experience at the hotel is essential." (SK)
💡 With travellers juggling over 16 loyalty programs, hotels must offer unique value propositions. Think room upgrades tailored to interests, for example, ocean view for surfers or express check-in for busy travellers.
While free nights are valuable, consider offering exclusive experiences like cooking classes with the chef or VIP access to local events. Cater rewards to the "Experiences over Possessions" trend.
A loyalty program that feels special motivates repeat business and discourages travellers from switching hotels.
🏡 Airbnb Dominates Search Sentiment Report
In a recent analysis of advertisers by Captify, Airbnb topped the search sentiment charts. Managing search volume consistently and effectively is essential to maintaining positive customer sentiment and fostering brand loyalty. The study found a correlation between long-term brand perception and sentiment, highlighting the importance of consistency over time. In light of Airbnb's switch from search to brand marketing, other advertisers might want to consider similar strategies. (SEL)
💡 Hotels can learn from Airbnb's success by prioritising consistent, positive search sentiment. Focus on maintaining a strong online presence with positive reviews and engaging content, and amplify these with reposts and boosts. Invest in search engine optimisation (SEO) to ensure high visibility for positive mentions of your venue.
Building a consistent brand identity through messaging and visuals across all platforms will solidify a positive perception in travellers' minds. To do this, you need a solid strategy - contact me if you need help creating one.
💳 Klarna Offers Flexible Payments to Expedia Customers
Klarna and Expedia Group have expanded their partnership in the US to offer flexible payment options to American customers. Following successful European launches, including the UK, Germany, Sweden, and Finland, travellers can now book flights and stay through Expedia and Klarna sites using Klarna's interest-free Pay Now or Pay in 4 options. According to Erin Jaeger, Head of North America at Klarna, this collaboration will enhance the booking experience and provide both adventure and affordability for travellers. (TV)
💡 Flexible payment options could be a game-changer for hotel direct bookings. Offering interest-free instalments like "Pay Later" on hotel websites might incentivise customers who are hesitant to pay large sums upfront. This could significantly increase conversions and boost direct sales.
However, hotels need to consider the potential downsides. If customers don't manage payments responsibly, they might overextend themselves financially.
📽 Sofitel Presents New Brand Campaign: "The Encounter"
"The Encounter" is the new brand campaign from Sofitel, featuring brand ambassadors Gillian Anderson and Dali Benssalah. The campaign portrays the idea of exploration and cultural fusion, set against the lively backdrop of Mexico City and showcases the intersecting lives of two celebrities from diverse backgrounds who celebrate the spirit of freedom and cultural exchange. Sofitel aims to communicate its commitment to nurturing connections between cultures and preserving local heritage, reflecting its core values of authenticity and hospitality. (TD)
💡 Sofitel's campaign taps into modern travel trends. This focus on connection and celebrating local heritage aligns with the "Explorer" travel style gaining traction, by showcasing cultural exchange, Sofitel positions itself as a facilitator for these enriching journeys.
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