As we embark on a new decade, hospitality marketing has shifted and become far more personalized and intuitive. It seems like with every scroll, social media knows you need a make a reservation for your birthday dinner, are thirsty for some exotic craft cocktail from a hip new bar that opened, or perhaps that you’re craving a chicken sandwich.
If it feels like you’re being stalked by the restaurant gods, you’re not wrong.
As we drift into 2020, hospitality marketing is being driven by personalization, shareable experiences, and the power of the online personality. I swear we’re not talking about your feisty bestie who enjoys ranting on social media. We’re talking about hospitality marketing.
Hospitality marketing has evolved, and the main drivers are the following three trends. So, let’s take a closer look.
- Personalization: Restaurants are now having a conversation with their customers, and they’re leveraging this information to increase sales. Restaurants are using technology to collect data by creating guest profiles through apps, point of sale systems, and loyalty programs. Once a restaurant can decipher what their customers want, they can introduce new products, loyalty programs, or implement special limited time offers.
- Shareable experiences: This is the age of sharing! Some share too little and some share too much, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that customers share and share the ideally positive experience they have in a restaurant. For some solo diners, restaurant staff will go above and beyond to make sure the experience was phenomenal because, after all, when dining alone you’re never really alone—you’re scrolling away on social media, sharing.
- Online personality: When did the war of the chicken sandwich become a thing? When did your favorite gourmet comfort food take on a rock-and-roll attitude that teetered on kind of bitchy? Does it matter? They got your attention. Personifying a brand is branding 101, and consumers love feeling like they’re being spoken to directly and made part of the conversation. So, start a conversation and have some fun with it. Does anyone remember the Grey Poupon mustard commercials with the stuffy British dude? You do, and that means it worked.
When it comes to hospitality marketing in 2020, innovation is key. Setting a tone and stage for your hospitality company that’s backed by a brand personality anchored in experience is fundamental and an easy way to make a splash.
If your company is looking to make splash and doesn’t know where to start, don’t worry. We’ve got your back. Studio Brand would love to create shareable experiences for your brand courtesy of our sassy team. (Okay, maybe not by courtesy. But we’re sure our billings team can work something out.)
