How can WOM be incorporated into your current marketing strategies to gain more bang for your bucks? Today, and for the next several postings, I am going to talk about some great ideas that could have benefited by the addition of WOM strategies... or in our words - being WOM-EnabledTM. Today, lets look at Haagan Dazs' sponsorship of a hotel room.
The Hotel Triton, part of the Kimpton Hotel chain is unique in its boundry pushing marketing strategies. With Celebrity Suite themed hotel rooms and a green friendly program, the Eco-Floor - its should come as no surprise that Triton reached out to Sponsorship to differentiate one of its rooms. According to Marketing Daily, the hotel installed in one room, a custom-designed ice cream cabinet filled with Haagen-Dazs pints, including its new Reserve line. Guests eat as much as they like, for free. The room's decor was influenced by Haagen-Dazs’ other ice-cream flavors through the use of scented candles (chocolate, vanilla and dulce de leche), a headboard shaped like the Haagen-Dazs cartouche, a waffle-textured bedspread and plush Haagen-Dazs branded bathrobes. Smartly, the hotel decided to incorporate a Cause element in the program as well. A portion of the suite’s income is donated to the non-profit Delancey Street Foundation. Additionally, the hotel sells Haagen-Dazs bathrobes and ice cream-scented candles, with all sales donated to the charity. From a marketing to women's perspective this program has a lot to offer - they are leading with a product that women love (ice cream), they have added a scent element to the marketing mix to leverage women's keenly sensitive sense of smell to stir up memories and create an emotional bond with her favorite Haagan Dazs ice cream and they have incorporated a Cause they the customer can feel good about supporting. So how could this sponsorship have been WOM enabled?
First, Kimpton has a program specifically designed for women - Women in Touch. Women and ice cream are a natural pairing, but this program did not focus on the female vacationer or the female business traveler - both huge buyers and influencers in travel purchases. The Women in Touch program already supports the Dress for Success program - a strong Cause that is truly aligned with business women. WOM tactics that expand upon this program would have made logical, economic and Branding sense.
Second, Kimpton's Getaway package is a perfect vehicle to create a unique WOM experience for one very special female segment -the mom-to-be. Pregnancy and ice-cream - well its like apple pie and ice cream! What better treat for a soon-to-be mom than a special Getaway Package with her best friends and all the ice-cream they can eat! Imagine holding a special ribbon cutting ceremony for the Haagen Dazs room, on location with local moms' taking part in a "create your own ice-cream concoction' - the winner getting a free girls weekend away and years worth of Haagan Dazs ice cream. Talk about a reason to spread the word!
So before you finalize your new marketing plans ask yourself how WOM strategies could help expand your share of the customers voice.
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