Accor uses an integrated marketing strategy that includes diverse platforms that maximize exposure. According to Damnjanović, Lončarić, and Dlačić (2020), Accor leverages the value of paid media, including “Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn” to sell its brand (p. 240). Its other paid digital marketing tools are brand sponsorships, such as the Australian Open, sponsored search advertising (Google Adwords), and partnerships with review sites – Trip Advisor and Trivago. Its unpaid media options include customer mentions, recommendations, or social media posts on travel experiences. In this case, Accor has no control over the content or how the brand is represented. Its owned media include websites (all.accor.com and brand.com), the Accor application, web partnerships (OTAs and restaurants), free magazines, and newspapers availed through its app.
Omnichannel marketing gives a seamless shopping experience through brick-and-mortar retailing augmented by internet content. Some elements of this multichannel sales approach useful to Accor include integrated channels – website and Accor app for booking and in-app room services – and touch-and-feel aspects of offline shopping are merged with digital content by, for example, photos on Pinterest (Brynjolfsson, Hu, & Rahman, 2013). Another characteristic is social selling through recommendations and reviews. It is also data-driven (Accor’s guest online feedback platform) to understand customer interactions, including hotel visits, for targeted ads.
Accor can combine traditional marketing tools with digital sales approaches to maximize exposure. Channels such as TV, radio, and free travel magazines can help acquire customers and draw them to digital platforms. Incorporating its brands into TV ads featuring digital influencers or celebrities with a large following on Instagram is one way Accor can increase consumer social engagement and sales (Wharton University of Pennsylvania, 2017). Additionally, an omnichannel approach will entail a pull strategy for viewers seeing ads or sponsored events, such as the Australian Open, on traditional media and a push tactic once they connect to Accor’s social media and website.
References
Brynjolfsson, E., Hu, J., & Rahman, M. S. (2013). Competing in the age of omnichannel retailing. MIT Sloan Management Review, 54(4), 22-29.
Damnjanović, V., Lončarić, D., & Dlačić, J. (2020). Digital marketing strategy for Accor Hotels: Shaping the future of hospitality. Tourism and Hospitality Management, 26(1), 233-244.
The Wharton University of Pennsylvania. (2017). A new marketing royalty: Why digital influencers are on the rise.Web.