Commercial hospitality consumption as a live marketing commmunication system

Abstract

This paper presents a marketing perspective that may have considerable relevance within niche markets that are served by hotels positioned at the top end of the market, with distinctive lifestyle products. It considers the extent to which such products can be effectively positioned through semiotic marketing strategies. Emergent strategies are presented in a model of a live market communication system. It is proposed that this represents a reorientation in focus of positioning strategies from product and transaction, to cultural criteria and sensory differentiation. Justification is presented on the basis that while core hotel products and services and their functionality are easily duplicated, semiotics, aesthetics and their lifestyle associations are more difficult to mimic. The application of this reorientation is illustrated through the examples provided as an extraordinary collection of highly individual hotels. These products have been deliberately defined to align to conceptions of self‐image, selling a set of symbolically defined features that are prototypical of a certain lifestyle.

Assessing Advertising in a Hierarchical Decision Model

“…The variable "advertising influence" is generally positive and significant -with the exception of the "Attractions model"; thus, it is concluded that destination advertising positively affects the decision to purchase services at the destination, thereby supporting Hypothesis H.1b which is in line with Gillespie and Morrison (2001). Although the parameter of "advertising influence" in the "Attractions model" is not significantly different from zero, it does have a significant standard deviation (just like the other five models).…”

Differentiated effect of advertising: Joint vs. separate consumption

“…In general, this study indicates that the influence of advertising is positive for the decisions to visit and to purchase: for the visit decision, the variable "advertising influence" is positive and significant, meaning that advertising exerts a positive influence on the decision to visit a destination, in line with Woodside (1990). For the purchase decision, the variable "advertising influence" is positive and significant, thus advertising positively affects the decision to purchase services at the destination, in line with Gillespie and Morrison (2001).…”

Fashionable hospitality: A natural symbiosis for Hong Kong's tourism industry?

“…Conceptually, the resulting conglomerate product of a hotel and retail co-brand is bound to be different from that of a hotel and restaurant co-brand. Although hospitality products such as luxury hotels are considered to serve consumers' snob appeal within the context of 'conspicuous consumption' (Veblen, 1934), 'advanced capitalism' (Gabriel and Lang, 1998), and 'experiential materialism' (Gillespie and Morrison, 2001), the core product of a hotel, at any level, is room and bed, serving, in essence, the safety and security needs of consumers. Addition of a restaurant to a hotel, namely, addition of food to room and bed takes the conglomerate product further down in the hierarchy of needs, reaching one of the most basic human needs, need for food.…”

“…New lifestyles created through these factors have witnessed substantial changes in consumer behavior including the purpose of consumption; acquiring material goods has replaced acquiring the daily necessities (Featherstone, 1991;Shields, 1992;Timothy, 2005;Timothy and Butler, 1995). Consumption, nowadays, is considered as an indicator of an individual's position and strength among others in the society, as an expression of a person's personality, character, lifestyle, desires, preferences, perceptions and images (Corrigan, 1997;Gillespie and Morrison, 2001). This value laden meaning of consumption has taken the underlying goal of consumption away from the basics, the functionality or substance of the consumed goods and services, towards rather abstract and symbolic values geared with product intangibles that help consumers showcase their sociocultural status, roles, and prestige (Corrigan, 1997;Dann, 1998;Gillespie and Morrison, 2001;Morrison et al, 1999).…”