The use of Web 2.0 as a marketing tool by convention bureaus is a relatively recent ... Facebook to be the most effective in their marketing communications.
The use of Web 2.0 as a marketing tool by European Convention Bureaus Rob Davidson www.miceknowledge.com Mady Keup SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis, France
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Web 2.0 is a term created to encompass recent fundamental changes in the ways in which the Web is used and the new technologies associated with those changes. Our study takes a first step towards achieving an understanding of how European convention bureaus are exploiting, in their marketing communications programmes, the opportunities created by Web 2.0 applications, and how they are measuring the effectiveness of their use of these tools. It highlights the various objectives that convention bureaus have for their use of Web 2.0 and provides evidence suggesting that the effectiveness of these tools is in many cases untested. Earlier studies suggest that DMOs’ (destination marketing organisations’) adoption of Web 2.0 as a marketing tool has been relatively slow, uneven and in some cases not fully competent – even though there is evidence that many meeting planners have positively embraced the Internet and Web 2.0 as powerful new communication and marketing tools in the workplace. The use of Web 2.0 as a marketing tool by convention bureaus is a relatively recent phenomenon. Less than a quarter of the 22 European convention bureaus who participated in our survey had been using Web 2.0 applications in their marketing for more than 2 years. The greatest proportion (41%) had been using these for between 1 and 2 years only. YouTube, followed by Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter were found to be the applications the most commonly used by convention bureaus. Blogs, Flickr and Slideshare featured to a lesser extent in their marketing communications strategies. Those convention bureaus with a longer experience of Web 2.0 use were found to be using a greater number of applications – 4 or more, as against later adopters’ 2 or 3. The same was true for the reported intended use of tools – here those convention bureaus that had used Web 2.0 for over a year professed to be more likely than later adopters to try a variety of social media beyond simply the ‘Big 4’ (YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter). In terms of matching specific Web 2.0 tools to specific marketing objectives, there was ample evidence suggesting that convention bureau marketing managers were familiar with the particular strengths of each tool. Recognition of the distinct powers of Facebook and Twitter in particular was evident. For example, Facebook and Twitter’s power as instant, simple two-way communication forums would explain why, between them both they accounted for 72% of the convention bureaus’ use of Web 2.0 for the purpose of stimulating dialogue about their destinations. The same two tools accounted for 62% of the use of Web 2.0 in connection with convention bureaus’ objective of communicating with their suppliers/members; and 60% for the purpose of monitoring and responding to comments about their destinations. Nine of the 22 convention bureaus in our sample reported finding Facebook to be the most effective in their marketing communications. On the other hand, Linkedin, which offers detailed biographies of registered users, was found to be the single Web 2.0 tool most commonly used by convention bureaus to accomplish their objective of profiling potential clients for sales purposes; and in connection with convention bureaus’ objective of creating awareness and enhancing brand reputation, YouTube emerged as the leading Web 2.0 tool, reflecting that application’s proven effectiveness in connecting the emotions of consumers to individual brands. Regarding the techniques used by convention bureaus to evaluate the performance of their Web 2.0 tools, a variety of quantitative systems of measurement were found to be in use. These ranged from Google Analytics to systems such as Klout, Hootsuite and Tweetdeck, as well as the technique of counting Facebook ‘friends’, Twitter ‘followers’ and
so on. However, a significant proportion of convention bureaus were found to have no system in place for measuring the return on investment from their use of Web 2.0 applications. The most common explanation provided for this was lack of experience with Web 2.0 tools: convention bureaus reported using these too little or too recently to have considered measuring their performance. There was also an element of skepticism concerning the extent to which the quantitative measurement of certain tools (such as the number of viewings on You Tube) was even meaningful. In terms of how convention bureaus’ use of Web 2.0 had evolved over time, it was found that of the 14 convention bureaus that reported using Web 2.0 for longer than one year, 9 said that their use of these tools had changed over time. Five of these explained that the changes were changes in the extent to which their use of Web 2.0 had grown in importance / usefulness / necessity for their work, as measured by the increase in time spent using these tools. Four respondents specified more qualitative changes in their use of Web 2.0. emphasising the growing interactive nature of their involvement with these tools. The participating convention bureaus’ advice for other destination marketing organisations regarding their use of Web 2.0 focused on two principal topics: the importance of proper management of convention bureaus’ use of Web 2.0; and the need to offer relevant content. The management issues included the need to allocate adequate resources to the use of these tools (notably human resources) and the need to have Web 2.0 techniques properly integrated into the marketing plan, with a budget. In terms of content, respondents stressed the need to offer useful, relevant information, and to engage customers in a dialogue, rather than simply broadcasting information aimed at them. In terms of industry perspectives, these results provide a number of important insights for practitioners in the areas of destination marketing, and should assist them in benchmarking their own use of Web 2.0.This study points to the need for European convention bureaus to enhance their current marketing resource allocations and strategies by developing and implementing innovative Web 2.0 strategies for building sustained customer loyalty and competitive advantage.
This was a summary of the following publication: R. Davidson and M. Keup (2014) The use of Web 2.0 as a marketing tool by European convention bureaux. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, Volume 14, Issue 3. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15022250.2014.946232#.VKcLVcqhTIU
