CRM programme: initial findings and options

1. CRM programme:initial findings and options 15 November 2005

2. Project objectives • Develop a simple, pragmatic communications framework to deliver a CRM approach for the Wales Tourist Board and its industry partners. • Define roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders within Welsh tourism industry and integrate destination/product activity at WTB • Define customer journey, messaging opportunities, segmentation and value • Outline optimum mix of fulfilment channels, use of existing information, and viewpoint on on/offline development • Set principles and define access to data solution, enabling internal systems and key partners to work better together • Take a stepped approach, allowing different levels of participation

3. Today’s aim • Sharing our initial findings • Interviews with all key partners and WTB • Topline review of existing information sources • Proposing a number of options to move the project forward

4. Key findings and considerations Regional level

5. North Wales RTP • Approach: • Follow WTB offering • Interpretation of role: • Develop product within the region • Extend the season • Strengthen unique sense of place in NW • Co-ordinate local partners & support with funding if activity is in line with regional strategy for area; minimise overlap and fragmentation • Role of RTP within CRM: • Supporting marketing areas (25%) • Delivering key NW pan-regional campaigns (75%) • Stimulating repeat visits at regional or sub-regional level

6. North Wales RTP • Key campaigns: • Regional/brand • NW great breaks • Activities • Adventure NW, using 12 tailor-made deals. Objective is to fulfil demand created at national level • Golf • Co-ordinating areas to use more consistent messaging. Development with local clubs. Awareness building only. Early days

7. Mid Wales RTP • Approach: • Follow/complement WTB strategy • Guide partnership for region • Interpretation of role: • Develop and implement regional tourism strategy • Support and fund businesses to work together to develop and market product • Financial support for TGA and local level if in line with regional strategy for area • Role of RTP within CRM: • Developing regional brand • Promoting packaged products appropriately • Focus on trial and repeat by proactively managing programme of activity

8. Mid Wales RTP • Key campaigns • Regional/brand • Healthy lifestyle campaign • Activities • Cycling/walking newsletter campaign targeting clubs and groups • Golf • No activity to date • Heart of Wales cluster only

9. South West Wales RTP • Approach: • Add value to national WTB campaigns eg. Wild West Wales • Identify gaps in WTB activity and fill with appropriate regional campaigns eg. One big garden • Eradicate duplication of effort eg. only promote shoulder periods • Interpretation of role: • Marketing and HR • Development and investment in product • Industry co-ordination and communication to develop packages and offers within general regional strategy (shoulder season only) • Role of RTP in CRM: • Plugging the gap where WTB is not strong with thematic campaigns for niche audiences • Ensuring budgets stretch further with more all-round activity

10. South West Wales RTP • Key campaigns: • Regional/brand • Regional destination campaign (site/brochure) aimed solely at overseas market • Gardens campaign playing to area strength targeting ‘green welly brigade’ • Cultural campaign playing to area strength • Activities • Wild West Wales – adding value through consortia of providers, including local partners • Golf • No activity to date

11. South East Wales RTP • Approach: • Develop best tourism strategy for region • Support, enhance or fill gaps in WTB national activity • Interpretation of role: • Offer strategic and marketing support to any partner within the region • Develop and market 5 key propositions: luxury short breaks, events, golf, culture/ heritage and business • Role of RTP in CRM: • Convert interest into regional visits • Ensure all partners treated equally and help them take ownership and market responsibly

12. South East Wales RTP • Key campaigns: • Regional/brand • Short breaks campaign under regional banner with complete local authority buy in. Timing Autumn 05, Spring 06. Broad targeting based on drive time. Southern Wales leisure database at R&M. • Activities • None to date • Golf • Greens of Southern Wales. Solus campaign with further activity to come in 2006

13. Key issues and barriers to change • Someone needs to develop programme of communications that regions can buy into • WTB needs to develop framework of communications that regions can manage • Operational guidelines needed • Sensible access to database needed • Lack of skills, budget and resource at local level • Best practice advice required – support and not let go too soon • Sharing of information may be an issue • Can’t compromise own agendas and needs • Customer ownership: “people’s biggest fear is that someone’s going to ‘steal’ their customer” • Shared understanding of the benefits of working broadly • Defining what building a relationship means

14. Conclusions • Need to ensure meaningful role that sits within their regional tourism strategy framework • Need to create sense of ownership • Need to maximise use of resources – staff and budget

15. Key findings and considerations Local level

16. Targeting, audiences and seasonality • Targeting • Shared targeting strategy with WTB (broad, niche): • Exceptions (Rhyl & Prestatyn, Ceredigion) impact on solus activity • Audiences • Sole focus on new: rely on trade/destination to stimulate repeat • Main focus on new: lack of budget hampers focus on repeat, but seen as key future objective • Equal split: • Focus on repeat: • Seasonality • Lengthen and flatten • Extend into shoulders • Exceptions: day visitors and different patterns

17. Marketing activity • Solus marketing • Awareness: press • Events: shows and exhibition programmes • Response: primarily brochure distribution • BRA, Carrier Direct, Riviera Media, Paul Raybold, WTB co-ordinated campaigns • Database marketing: • Varied activity – own databases, 3rd party databases, future plans • Email marketing

18. Print/fulfilment and measurement • Print/fulfilment – strong divide: • Importance of print/fulfilment – key objective • Embracing electronic channels – decline in traditional print • Entire range of print/fulfilment: • Niche, activities, visitor guides, area brochures • Measurement – range of KPIs • Brochure distribution • Occupany/visitor footfall (STEAM) • ROI and satisfaction levels (in pipeline) • CPR and conversion • Lack of tracking

19. Relationship with RTP/WTB • Varied levels of buy-in to regional activity • If areas disagree with regional approach/strategy unable to access support budget • Strategic funding on key projects eg to develop new product print or promote shoulder activity • Buy into thematic campaigns • Lack of clarity as to RTP role and remit • Strained relationship in a number of cases • Majority of areas buy into WTB campaigns (destinations or activities) • Exceptions due to lack of budget and alternative targeting strategy (Cardiff, Ceredigion and Rhyl) • Relationship with WTB generally positive

20. Issues and barriers to change • Constant budget overstretch • Lack of expertise and resource at local level • Loss of control and ability to be pro-active • Too prescriptive “don’t pigeon-hole people into areas or regions” • Parochial attitudes • Apathy and no appetite to change formula that works • Proving that things are fair and equal • Ownership of visitor data “I wouldn’t want to poach someone from somebody else’s area”

21. Conclusions • Need clear shared vision that everyone can buy into meaningfully • Need to handle cross-selling of leads/areas/activities carefully

22. Key findings and considerations National level

23. WTB destinations • Key role for CRM • Highlight activity which can drive more value from customers or fill a current gap in communications • Issues • No sense to multiple tiers beneath national level, need for a common approach but based on customer insight (local/regional level) • Little definition and direction from WTB on key RTP activity and measurement • Confusion as to what activity local partners should be buying into • Duplication of time, effort and resource eg brochures • Interpretation of role and best method of delivery

24. WTB destinations • Considerations • Simple framework not over-reliant on partners • Cascading expertise from national level • Role for RTP • Developing ongoing dialogue by pulling together content for delivery through RTP • Focus on communicating to database solely • Provide support (budget and staff) • Embracing new technology • Flexible, emarketing solution • Interactive, dynamic elements online

25. WTB activities • Key role for CRM: • Driving value and yield management • Issues • National campaigns far removed from ground level product: • More structured relationship with operators required • Lead management and fulfilment process: • Confidence in follow up at local level • Different regional partners at different stages – appropriate fulfilment • Duplication in campaign buy in: • Local/regional and regional/national • Existence of multiple databases

26. WTB activities • Considerations • Strong recommendations that RTPs buy into national campaigns rather than run separate campaigns targeting similar audiences • Role of the RTPs • Different stages of development – uninterested, pulling groups together, programme of activity, fully engaged • Possible strategic support role – developing relationships with product providers • Operating guidelines • Clear responsibilities at each stage of journey – owner, content, co-ordinating, measurement

27. WTB golf • Key role for CRM: • Communicate more frequently and deliver more relevantly with golf visitors • Issues: • Difficulty putting together packages at club level – varying levels of facilities and relationship • Different regions are at different development stages • Few clusters developed to date • Heart of Wales, Cool Golf and Golf in Wales established – have used data for solus campaigns • Snowdonia and Golf on Gower to come

28. WTB golf • Considerations • WTB primary role to run national consumer campaigns and facilitate regional buy in • Role of RTPs • Support and facilitate packages through offers/relationships on the ground • Work alongside clusters and expand together • Co-ordinate local areas

29. Moving towards a more integrated approach

30. Understanding the key issues • Who owns the customer relationship and who should ‘look after’ customer data? • How do we ensure that strategies are complementary rather than duplicate time & effort? • Who should be marketing to visitors at which point in the journey? • How frequently should we be talking to people? • And in whose name? • How can we measure the impact of the activity?

31. Understanding the tasks • Handraising/driving interest • raising awareness and stimulating interest in Wales by promoting activities, areas and holiday types at relevant time of the year eg. getting someone to request a brochure • Converting interest to visit • creating current trip individuals by promoting relevant activity, region, holiday type at relevant time of year eg. sending out brochures and other relevant information • Creating/retaining repeat visitors • sending local destinations/activities/special interest information to individuals who’ve visited previously eg. message ‘do more when you visit next time’ • Building loyalty and creating advocacy • ‘Spread the word’ using recommend a friend activity • Build communities of interest through online visitor forums

32. Current approach

33. Feedback on roles and responsibilities within the customer journey • WTB – clear handraising role, carried out successfully to date • RTP – mixed reaction, suggested roles: • Stimulate conversion and trial; support for local partners - ‘invisible’ to consumer; develop product packages; no role • Local partners – mixed reaction, suggested roles: • Deliver destination information; mix of trial and repeat; some retention within right framework • Other – private sector and trade to deliver repeat and loyalty: • Best practice initiatives – ambassador activity

34. What are everybody’s objectives? National (WTB) Encouraging visitors to choose Wales over other destinations eg. Cornwall Reinforcing national role – Wales over other destinations Regional (RTP) or Encouraging Wales visitors to choose one particular region Marketing areas Delivering relevant information about activities, events and the local destination

35. A number of different approaches • Co-ordinated approach • Task-based • Option 1 • Option 2 • Option 3

36. Co-ordinated approach • Tasks are shared by WTB, RTP and Marketing area but we avoid wastage, duplication and consumer confusion by: • Marketing at different times of the year • Marketing to different audiences and different catchment areas • Marketing complementary activities Co-operation and shared planning Centrally co-ordinated calendar

37. The co-ordinated approach WTB MA MA leads Marketing areas RTP RTP leads leads MA MA leads WTB

38. Task-based approach • WTB, RTP and marketing areas all allocated different tasks within the customer journey • Clear definition of roles • 3 different options • Passing and referring of leads between WTB, RTP and marketing areas Shared planning and shared objectives Clear roles and responsibilities at each stage

39. The task-based approach 1 Handraise/ drive interest Convert interest to visit Create/retain repeat visitor Build loyalty and create advocacy WTB RTP Marketing area WTB

40. The task-based approach 2 Handraise/ drive interest Convert interest to visit Create/retain repeat visitor Build loyalty and create advocacy WTB WTB on behalf of Marketing area Marketing area WTB

41. The task-based approach 3 Handraise/ drive interest Convert interest to visit Create/retain repeat visitor Build loyalty and create advocacy WTB WTB on behalf of RTP Marketing area WTB

42. Is there a combined approach? • Defined and co-ordinated by WTB to drive value or fill gap • Strategic planning at national level with regional buy-in • Simple feedback loop for monitoring with appropriate set of KPIs

43. Considerations • Clear set of guidelines: • Visual: • Common brand guidelines • Creative templates for use by local agencies/Wales roster • Content: • Example content • Messaging advice • Operational: • Process advice • Data protection guidelines • Feedback loop