Marketing Strategy
Marketing Plan 2012/13 Summary
TSE’s Marketing Plan for 2012/13 responds to the shift change in public funding and the increased role of commercial partners to fund activity. In the run up to the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games is a critical time to create a major uplift in the promotion of the South East.
The key opportunities arising are:
- Building on the ‘staycation’ phenomenon in the independent and group markets that has resulted from the economic recession and the increase in costs of holidaying abroad.
- Opportunities presented by the build up to the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games and other global sporting events.
- Increased interest by international PR due to key events such as the Diamond Jubilee, Titanic Century and Dickens bicentenary.
The Marketing Plan for 2012/13 brings together all these opportunities and programmes under the umbrella branding ‘The Beautiful South’ to deliver integrated, innovative and high impact marketing campaigns across the full spectrum of media – supported by online information and public relations activity.
The Plan will aim to strengthen relationships with key partners such as Visit England, London and Partners and Visit Britain in order to achieve the greatest return on investment.
The underlying core principles of the Marketing Strategy are: Sustainability, Quality, Innovation and Partnership.
The key parts of the Plan are:
- Domestic Marketing Campaign aimed at the leisure market primarily targeting Ark Leisure segments; Primary – Cosmopolitans, Discoverers, and High Streets; Secondary - Functionals and Traditionals. Introduction of Discoverers as a primary market.
- Domestic Group and Travel Trade activities building on the success of TSE’s exhibitions programme and trade relationships.
- Overseas campaigns aimed at consumer and trade in Near Europe and Asia Pacific.
- Website and Data Management development is at the core of TSE’s marketing activity.
- Public Relations- the role of PR in the marketing mix is increasingly important as the 2012 Games draw closer, both domestically and in international markets.
- Monitoring and Evaluation will be undertaken for all campaigns, both online and offline, reflecting the activity within the campaign.
PR
The role of PR in the marketing mix is increasingly important as the 2012 Games draws closer, both domestically and in international markets. TSE will ensure ‘The Beautiful South’ brand is optimised by taking a more coordinated approach to PR across domestic, international and group travel, providing central resources and collateral such as moving imagery. We will also work with external regional parties, e.g. the Cultural Olympiad Coordinator, to ensure key messages for the South East are incorporated. There is an increasing importance of online PR and seasonal content, which will be agreed with the online team to provide relevant search optimised data. TSEt will also deliver high profile opportunities for partners to engage with, for example, a London Media launch and radio PR.