The Jolt: Social connections online do matter
Published: May 01, 2009
Hong Kong - Although the industry is yet to discover a solid ROI formula for social media, Langham Hotels has forged ahead to invest in it as it gets people talking about the Big Deal in a way traditional advertising would not and cannot possibly reach.
The project, dubbed The Big Deal, operates on the premise that Hong Kong in particular has much that's exciting to explore - a perfect blend of East meets West.
Brian Koroll, director of electronic marketing & revenue management at Langham Hotels argues marketing through social media creates a word-of-mouth effect for their products and offerings and allows them to talk directly to their customers in a format and arena of their choosing that they're familiar with.
"It gets people talking about the Big Deal in a way traditional advertising would not and cannot possibly reach," he added.
Koroll made the analogy that Web 1.0 was the basic starting point with information being found online with little or no interactivity at the end of the last century.
But in today's age, he said the internet is evolving to web 3.0 where commercial enterprises can put across a message via a social media context.
But how do you measure your investments in social media campaigns?
Koroll said they have a strong ROI which they need to hit in order for them to repeat these efforts.
"It's probably not above the market returns for such a campaign but it remains a commercially sensitive number for us," he added.
The social media campaign developed by Prosperity Research, will run for eight weeks that includes banner ads, CPC and an eDM.
The hotel group has launched a series of YouTube clips in a guerilla-style recording with gritty hand-held vision, which it is hopes will spread virally.
The project, dubbed The Big Deal, operates on the premise that Hong Kong in particular has much that's exciting to explore - a perfect blend of East meets West.
Brian Koroll, director of electronic marketing & revenue management at Langham Hotels argues marketing through social media creates a word-of-mouth effect for their products and offerings and allows them to talk directly to their customers in a format and arena of their choosing that they're familiar with.
"It gets people talking about the Big Deal in a way traditional advertising would not and cannot possibly reach," he added.
Koroll made the analogy that Web 1.0 was the basic starting point with information being found online with little or no interactivity at the end of the last century.
But in today's age, he said the internet is evolving to web 3.0 where commercial enterprises can put across a message via a social media context.
But how do you measure your investments in social media campaigns?
Koroll said they have a strong ROI which they need to hit in order for them to repeat these efforts.
"It's probably not above the market returns for such a campaign but it remains a commercially sensitive number for us," he added.
The social media campaign developed by Prosperity Research, will run for eight weeks that includes banner ads, CPC and an eDM.