What is media strategy How does it relate to the creative brief and the overall IMC program?

Executive Summary

This integrated marketing communications plan is presented for Hyatt Centric, a unique hotel brand owned by Hyatt Corporation. This integrated marketing communications plan was created to market Hyatt Centric effectively to the target audience. The plan will show that we have a distinctive, refreshed opportunity to market Hyatt Centric as a trendy and well-respected hotel brand in the travel industry and to boost overall financial results for the brand.

All Good Stories Start with a Single Idea — An Overview of Hyatt

It would be hard to travel in a popular city in 2021 without running into a Hyatt brand hotel. With more than 950 accommodations available worldwide and 20+ segmented brands, Hyatt is one of the world’s leading hoteliers (Hotel Brands & Chains: Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, IHG (Who Owns What?), 2020). Owner Jay Pritzker started the Hyatt brand in Los Angeles in 1957, after noticing a nearby airport hotel had no vacancies (The Hyatt Story, 2020). He recognized the demand available for accommodations as business and personal travel became more popular in the mid-1950s. Mr. Pritzker bought the first Hyatt House in LA and set his sights on expanding hotel lodging near airports (Hotel Brands & Chains: Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, IHG (Who Owns What?), 2020).

Image Courtesy of Fabrizio Bensch — ReutersImage courtesy of the Loyalty Traveler: World of Hyatt BrandsImage courtesy of Our Man in Havana: Hyatt Centric’s main web landing pageLeft: Hyatt Centric official Instagram Page. Right: Influencer @kerifay at Hyatt Centric Times Square

SWOT Analysis

Image Courtesy of HotelManagement.net, 2017
  • Unique, colorful designs and quality accommodations
  • Centralized locations in trendy areas prepared for growth
  • Strong Hyatt marketing support and brand recognition
  • Custom designed per location
  • Implementation of Chief Commercial Officer for executive success
  • Slow to grow marketing strategy
  • Lack of differentiation between other brands
  • Weak offerings of amenities
  • High priced for total offering
  • Mediocre position on the experience curve
  • Lower stock price than competitors
  1. External factors: Hyatt Centric’s opportunities and threats
  • Improved marketing strategy
  • Focus on one key element of the brand
  • Catering to the “staycationer”
  • Introduce personalization to brand build with key audience
  • The rise of home-sharing brands
  • Saturation and competition in hotel market
  • Decrease of global and cross-country travel due to pandemic
  • Rising labor costs

Target Audience

Hyatt Centric’s target audience is defined by the brand’s values of “Discovering Everywhere” and the Modern Explorer segment detailed by Vice President of Brands at Hyatt, Kristine Rose (Hyatt, n.d.). The target audience of this proposal is considered a traveler that is likely interested in trying new places and has the mobility to be able to travel multiple times a year. The target segment for Hyatt Centric brands is defined as someone between the ages of 23–36 with no children and will primarily be traveling for pleasure or a hybrid of pleasure and business.

Target Audience Persona

Campaign Objectives & Strategies

Campaign Objectives

  • Increase the occupancy rate at Hyatt Centric properties by 2% over the next 18 months
  • Improve the RevPAR at Hyatt Centric properties by 1.5% over the next 18 months
  • Generate an increase of 5% brand mentions of Hyatt Centric over the next 18 months
  • Generate a 5% improvement in new bookings with first-time customers in the next 18 months
  • Build a return rate of 6% returning bookings in the next 18 months
  • Improve social engagement by a rate of 10% over an 18 month period
  • Increase customer loyalty and return bookings by 10% in the next 18 months
  • Generate a 15% increase in brand awareness over an 18 month period
  • Associate the Hyatt Centric brand name with luxury travel through earned media, by placing marketing messages that link experiences and exploration with happiness in relevant publications and news sites
  • Leverage a digital-first website and online approach to align Hyatt Centric with relevant accommodations in the global hospitality market
  • Use emotional messaging in creative and sales promotion materials to promote key values of the Hyatt Centric brand to the audience
  • Leverage strategic influencers on social media to increase brand growth and align Hyatt Centric with relevancy in the market
  • Support localized content marketing based on Hyatt Centric new opening locations to increase demand for accommodations in that area
  • Utilize creative and focused advertisements to create demand and exclusivity around the Hyatt Centric brand through relevant travel and leisure content

Creative Brief

Creative Brief Client: Hyatt Centric

Creative Execution — Destination: You

In this creative execution, we’re choosing to focus on the Modern Explorer audience and their connection with the places they want to travel. By shifting the focus in this campaign from the hotel itself (although this is implied in the creative), we’re focusing on the traveler having an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience, supported by Hyatt Centric. The Destination: You creative will carve out a place for the person to be shown in our hottest locations around the world. In this series of digital display advertising, we’ll evoke that our audience will put themselves into the picture and they’re the most exciting part of their travel, and the accommodations and sights are supporting that.

Paid Media Objectives

  • Reach 10% of the F23–36 audience target a minimum of 4 times during the 12-month campaign period
  • Earn a 20% increase in reach during four peak travel seasons within 18 month period
  • Drive 30% increase in site impressions within a 18-month timeline
  • Reach target audience in markets with a Hyatt Centric property a minimum of 4 times during a 12-month period

In the execution stage of the paid media plan, there will be many different key paid media strategies working to further develop the Hyatt Centric brand.

  1. Influencer #1 — Olivia Rink (@oliviarink)
  1. Influencer #2 — Amber Fillerup

Earned Media Plan

Earned Media Objectives

  • Generate 115 press pickups in FY 2021
  • Increase Hyatt Centric brand positive sentiment impressions by 25% within 18 months
  • Increase Hyatt Centric spokesperson inclusion to 8 times within 12 months
  • Build search engine rankings of Hyatt Centric by 30% within 18 months
  1. Press Story on New Location
Image Courtesy of Charlotte Axios, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, 2017
  • Jennifer Thomas, Charlotte Business Journal
  • Jen Wilson, Charlotte Business Journal
  • Nevonne McDaniels, The Wenatchee World
  1. Spokesperson Podcast Interview on Key Benefits
  1. Host Press and Guest Event with Revolve Fashion Brand

Owned Media Plan

Owned Media Objectives

  • Drive 20% more traffic to the website in FY 2021
  • Increase digital following by 15% in a 18-month period
  • Utilize content marketing to drive an increase of 30% traffic to the brand blog in an 18-month period
  • Increase video views from the 22–28 female target market by 30% in FY 2021

Campaign Measurement and Evaluation

Four measurement techniques will be utilized to prove out campaign success metrics and key performance indicators.

Conclusion

To conclude, the strategies and information described in this integrated marketing communications plan creates a comprehensive and actionable integrated marketing communications plan to promote the Hyatt Centric brand. There are far-reaching effects to be had by incorporating the modern marketing techniques detailed in the paid, earned, and owned media outlines.