Question

Case study: Hawaiian Sights

After nine months in operation, Hawaiian Sights was struggling to solicit support from tour operators. Despite earlier comments from many that this type of tour was needed and should sell without any problems, sales success had been elusive. As a walking tour, Hawaiian Sights covered the least explored areas of "Olde Honolulu" ordinarily bypassed by tour buses: (1) the Civic and Historical Center, (2) downtown Honolulu, and (3) Chinatown. The tour allowed tourists to mingle and make friends with Hawaii's "real" people-away from Waikiki-and was viewed as an oral historical excursion. Tours began with an escort/guido meeting clients at a predetermined location in Waikiki. The group would board the city bus and disembark (twenty minutes later) in front of the state capital building. The narration continued for the next four hours. The group spent one hour for lunch and shopping on Fort Street Mall and ro- turned to Waikiki on the city bus. The idea for Hawalian Sights occurred to Evelyn Wako when she noticed that conventional city tours ignored the most important part of Hawaiis its people. The majority of tourists rode through Honolulu, viewing the city through bus windows. Evelyn felt that if tourists really wanted to learn about Hawaii, they had to get off those buses. Evelyn knew that walking tours were successful in Europe, so why not Hawaii? The concept of a tour that forced customers to take the city bus and to walk was so different that operators of travel desks and travel agencies gave Hawaiian Sights little encouragement or cooperation. They also said that the original com- mission structure of 20 percent on a $20 (retail price) item did not produce enough revenue to interest them. Lunch was not included, but clients could eat at any of the restaurants or food concessions around the Fort Street Mall area. Tourists were encouraged to eat with the "natives" on benches in the tree- shaded mall. They could get to meet Hawaiians, observe life in Hawaii, feed the birds, or just be alone to shop in stores that were less expensive than those in Waikiki. During each tour the escorts would board city buses with their groups at the Historical Center. Prior to boarding, the group was given a short briefing as to what would transpire. They were informed that more than 70 percent of Hawaii's population was "non-Caucasian." The tourists observed how the bus would change from a touristy one into a local bus the farther it moved away from Waikiki. The unusual nature of Hawaiian Sights enabled it to be included in the tour brochures of several tour operators and two airlines. With sales lower than expected, Evelyn was searching for ways to advertise her tours. She felt that one way might be to distribute brochures to tourists on the street. She was thinking of hiring girls dressed in grass skirts to act as salesgirls. This was sure to bring some negative reaction from certain segments of the Hawaiian population. Evelyn knew that the hotel travel desks remained a key sales tool. Operators of one desk were negative from the beginning. They felt that their clientole were too upscale to ride the city bus. Tourists who had taken the Hawaiian Sights walking tour rated it far superior to conventional bus tours. Hawaiian Sights offered a "satisfaction guaranteed or money back guarantee, and so far no customer had expressed dissatisfaction. Despite this, Evelyn had not yet found a way to attract sufficient numbers of tourists to make the new business profitable.

Answer the following questions using evidence from the case.

1. How would Hawaiian Sights best use digital media to promote its business?

2. How would they use digital analytics to measure the effectiveness of their activities?

3. How would they use digital media for potential customers aware of the services they offer, but who have limited engagement with the product?

Answer 1

1. Target tourists interested in authentic experiences through engaging videos, social media, and paid advertising.

2. Track website traffic, social media engagement, and paid advertising performance for optimization.

3. Targeted content marketing, social media engagement, and retargeting to address potential customer concerns and interests.

1:

Target audience: Focus on tourists interested in authentic experiences.

Content strategy:

Create engaging videos and photos showcasing the tour route, guides, and interactions with locals.

Post informative blog articles about the historical and cultural significance of each location.

Utilize social media platforms like digital platform to reach a wider audience.

Collaborate with local influencers and bloggers for promotion.

Paid advertising:

Run targeted ads on social media and search engines based on demographics and interests.

Partner with travel websites and blogs to display advertisements.

2:

Website analytics:

Track website traffic sources, user engagement metrics (time spent, pages visited), and conversion rates to identify effective marketing channels.

Analyze booking data to understand peak seasons and most popular tour options.

Social media analytics:

Monitor metrics like reach, impressions, engagement (likes, comments, shares), and click-through rates to assess content performance.

Use social media listening tools to track mentions and sentiment analysis to understand customer feedback.

Paid advertising analytics:

Track impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost-per-acquisition to measure the effectiveness of paid campaigns.

Analyze campaign performance across different platforms and demographics for optimization.

3:

Content marketing:

Develop targeted email campaigns with exclusive offers and promotions.

Create blog series focusing on specific interests of potential customers, like history, food, or culture.

Offer free downloadable content like maps, itineraries, or historical guides.

Social media engagement:

Respond to inquiries and comments promptly and professionally.

Run contests and giveaways to generate excitement and encourage participation.

Use social media polls and Q&A sessions to address potential customer concerns and gather feedback.

Retargeting:

Utilize retargeting campaigns on social media and display advertising to reach customers who previously interacted with the brand but didn't book a tour.

Tailor retargeting ads to specific segments based on their past browsing behavior and interests.