By Steve Dunne, executive chairman of travel marketing agency Brighter Group
I love the big brand hotel chains. I always have done. And while that is probably an “uncool’ thing to say, it is what it is.
Like many people in our industry I spend a huge amount of time travelling, and I stay in many hotels. I have my favourites, and yes, they are the big brand names.
I love seeing their familiar logo in exotic far-flung places. I like the assurance of knowing that there is a certain standard I can expect, wherever I am.
I like being a member of their loyalty clubs and the brand knowing I like stay on a high floor or have an extra bottle of water in my room.
But, you can go off things. You can fall out of love with brands.
Like most of us, I opened my email inbox today to a large number and wide array of messages. Many were business related but many were spam.
This is something that all of us in this digital age are of course more than familiar with. With a roll of our eyes we press the delete button and get on with our day.
However today was a little different. Today I started to look closely at the collection of unsolicited offers, deals and newsletters clogging up my system and my heart sunk as I noticed the large number of famous hotel brand names occupying my inbox.
Clearly, somewhere along the line, I have inadvertently given out my e-mail address, probably upon the request of the charming receptionist as I check-in.
And a few days later it begins. I’m a valued customer; here are some inspirational ideas, I need a well-deserved break, I’m missing out on some unbelievable offer – the avalanche has begun. And it doesn’t stop.
And, I regret to say that the worst culprits are, yes, my favourite big brand global hotel chains. I won’t name them but rest assured there are some big players among whom dispatching spam emails is endemic.
I’ve started looking for the unsubscribe button on these spurious e-mails, but so far with little luck. It must be there, but it’s well hidden.
In the old days, before digital – let’s call it the analogue age – direct marketers said that a 1% response rate to a direct mail campaign was a great result. Clearly the digital marketers of the hotels chains feel the same.
But this is a digital age. And spam is deemed by many to be inappropriate, intrusive and disrespectful.
For me though it’s the damage to my relationship with these brands that this insatiable desire to email me daily (in one brand’s case three times a day) is doing that should worry them.
I know the brands exist. I use them regularly and I admire them very much. But I don’t want to be contacted every day of my life. I don’t want to be sold to when I’m not looking to buy.
I don’t need to be inspired and the best feedback I can give you is my repeat business so stop asking me to fill out questionnaires.
Relationship marketing is a fine balance. Touch me occasionally and with the right message for me and I’ll love you. Bombard me with everything and anything through some automated system and I’ll fall out of love with you rapidly.
Alas, for many of my favourite hotel brands I’m afraid the love affair is almost over.