Branding In Hospitality Industry

A brand is molded by the action you put in

What thoughts come to your mind when Brand is what you hear? Well, the dictionary meaning of Brand is a certain name of a product. But it seems like every product is being normalized and highly overrated but has certain distinguishing features set by different firms. Our preference for buying an x product from A company could be different from what we buy from the B company. At times, several companies produce X, but it’s the features and the price that gives it a trademark name. That trademark name is what we call Brand. Products may be the same, but every Brand has something different to offer. A brand is the trademark name for the company’s product, but have you ever wondered how that Brand is still alive 20 years down the line or maybe even a century later. Well, much of it is courtesy of the evolving company that helps it sustains, but backed by the process of sustaining it, which is referred to as Branding. Well, Branding is limited to sustaining the name, but a lot of work does go on in the background. The Business needs to break open Branding by tapping into the customers’ confusion and grab the attention of the ideal clientele. The process of Branding goes on to transform first time buyers into a lifelong chain of frequently loyal customers. The branding process directs the company and impacts the lives of the people to the next level. It is a basic marketing aspect that we have to produce what the customers need. There are millions of customers wandering around the place to place for consumption. Suppose a firm does its extreme to provide exquisite service and convert to lifelong fruitful experience. In that case, it is the responsibility of the organization’s marketing team to remind them of the wonderful experience indirectly or directly depending on the scenario and tap into the memory to reignite their cravings. To succeed in this generation, it is necessary for a firm to know the Importance of Branding and know how to use it. Branding has to be non-negotiable. But why is Branding so important to most industries, isn’t the product alone enough to grab the attention? (DeBara, 2020)

In the last 20 years, the Hotel industry has seen a generation of new brands taking birth. By the year 2006, the total number of Hotel Brands numbered up to 285 globally, thereby perplexing the customers with the choice of hotels, but yet lays far more expanded consumption choices, especially when comparing the prices. (UKEssays, 2003)

According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), Brand is a term, Design, symbol, or an amalgamation of all that intends to identify one seller’s goods and services and distinguish it from the others. Having a Concept of Branding is far too significant of an idea or image in marketing, especially for the company to be recognizable by many more people, due to the particular service or product when multiple companies are offering the same service or product. Trademark is a way to protect the Brand name. The Brand is the face and a personality of the organization, which adds an entity to build reputations and inculcate product and service expansion. Like how it benefits other companies, brands are essential for the Hospitality and Tourism industry.

History and Evolution of Branding

History of all Brands

How do successful companies make an impact on customers? Braiding is derived from 350A.D by the word “Brandr,” which means to burn in the language of Ancient Norse. By the 1500s, it came was known as the mark on cattle to imply ownership as a forerunner of the modern Logo. A logo was a powerful sign in that era, but not as powerful now because a logo still needs to carry the weight of the value it provides to the people, or else the Logo remains an artwork, good enough to admire but not cherish. (deBara, 2020)

Today, be it a Brand designed as a Logo, it is defined based on the perceptions some people have about the company. Branding, on the other hand, is the process of cultivating the Brand.

1. Designing the company’s logo and developing a brand voice: It is also termed as some o the aspects of Branding. Branding is further augmented by the marketing team’s coordinated efforts with the ad campaign that combines Brand voice and the Logo to imprint the value and the offers of the Brand in people’s minds. Every action you take to develop the shape of the Brand is known as Branding. Branding is important because it keeps the company on their toes and keeps them hunting to outclass its competitors. It’s not that other companies don’t brand their companies, but it’s how you touch the customers’ hearts and lure them to buy your company’s products and services and sustain it for a long period. For example, ITC Hotels of India made an impact from its ad campaigns from the successful sale of FMCG, its packaging, and also reaching out to the whole of India about the Hotel properties and their exquisite deals backed by exotic products and services. By the time ITC started branding its Hotels, it had already made its reputation the best FMCG brand. Even starting new as Hotels, it managed to break the deal. The customers started staying in more ITC Hotels in comparison to other properties like Taj and Oberoi, which were the potential competitors in the Hospitality industry in India. The ITC, before it entered the Hospitality Industry, already gained reputation and trust from people, which induced the customers to the crowd at their Inn and experienced their services. Till now, ITC not only works on sustaining its Brand but also goes above the customers’ expectations.
2. Branding plays a crucial role in building brand recognition: Your brand recognition is increased by the Design of the Logo, which impacts the people, followed by a productive website that details every aspect of the Business categorically on the customers’ preferences. In this era, we may be a click away from accessing our needs, but it is the organization’s job to facilitate it efficiently and allow people to visit your website quite often and make a mark.
3. Brand assets do help: For instance, the coca-cola shape is standing out from the rest of the soft drink bottles. It is a physical asset that initiates you to remember the Brand. Another example is McDonald Golden Arches, it may be digital, but yes, it stands out from the rest about Design. A brand asset is a digital document used for branding purposes, and Brand asset management is a particular part of Digital Asset Management. By preserving your Brand assets and other branding elements, your company gets a distinct style, increasing your brand recognition.
4. Your customers get a consistent Brand experience: We are humans. Most of the Humans are monkey minded and stuck up with work, but simultaneously they are consumers. We all need to consume in our day to day life or once or twice a month. We will keep coming again and again. Some Loyal customers remember the Brand name and don’t feel the need to go to another company. However, yes, competitors are still present, and they too have their own set of customers and marketing strategy to get hold of customers. But you still can’t stop doing what you are meant to do. This is why the Branding Company has to remind them that the process has to be dynamic and consistent. By providing a consistent experience for your customers, either by Website, in person, in an event, or social media accounts, you’re reminding the existing customers what they value you for. The Fresh customers are delighted by the offers and the history the firm is known for. Through Branding, you control the perceptions that people have for your company, and across all brand touchstones, you are also able to ensure that the perception and experience stay consistent.
5. Branding you can trigger your relationship and the connection with the audience and convert them to lifelong loyal customers: A company may have the most exotic and innovative products and services that are helping the people. But the people you impact are Human beings who have a heart, mind, and soul. Getting to the physical aspect will get you some people, but what if you emotionally connect with them? It is that emotional connection that touches people’s hearts and is the turning point of reversing some of those customers’ negative perceptions, thereby transforming them to brand enthusiasts. How do we create that connection with the customers and build in from there on? There are different Brand Strategies like hit the money with your brand voice and take advantage of the color psychology when designing your Logo. For example, Pepsi, the dark sea blue color background, and the font triggers thirst in customers, inducing them to drink their product. Perceptions are already made, thoughts are built, and your action initiates to consume. That is what color psychology does. These are how you emotionally connect quite deep with the audience, thereby creating a sense of Loyalty.

The essential elements of Branding

Essentials of Branding

Branding is necessary, and the efforts are quite rewarding, primarily when you work in the company’s marketing department. Your results are determined by the impact you created and the customers you lured to implement sales and increase revenue. Branding has its Importance, but to implement, it is necessary to know some aspects of Branding. A better brand is a sign of better marketing. A product has limited life cycles, but if you, a firm, manage a Brand well, it does last forever. If you dig in deep and know what your company is as a brand, then marketing it becomes easier. The guidelines of the Brand amalgamated with continuous market research and analysis gives you an upper edge in estimating the best way to sell the products. Is the focus more on traditional marketing like Billboard or radio, or your potential consumer more inclined and attached to viral YouTube videos and filters of Snap chats? Marketing requires a lot of research.

The firm needs to know how to mix and match the tactics without any significant risks and losses. By consistently taking consulting advice from the brand guide, your emphasis should be inclined towards effective tactics. It is also essential to prioritize your tactics: how you can target customers in batches and the descending order of preferences. Likewise, you can reach out to as many people as possible. (DeBara, 2020)

1. Branding is, having our Mission Statement and Brand Values: The Mission statement and the value for the Brand lay the foundation of Branding. Your mission should be synonymous with the Brain of operations. If there is a mission statement, it familiarizes the customers to know what it stands for and gravitates the employees of the company to base their efforts on around that. For Instance, Hilton Hotels have their vision statement, which goes like, “To fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.” That is the root of the company, which has been the family heirloom throughout generations ever since Hilton started its Business. Hilton gained prominence in the world by its professional and fruitful service, brilliant infrastructure, and much more to make it stand out. They managed to go by the mission statement, but it is the employees who are shaped based on the mission statement to provide such service. A brand may be just digital, but the efforts to make it stand out can never be excluded. The company’s vision is its heart that gives you a motivational image of what you would pursue in the long term. (Hilton, 2020).
2. Brand Guidelines is another element that needs daily scrutinization: The mission and the vision statement comprise the pillars of the organization. The brand strategy encircles everything in between. The Brand guidelines comprise a tangible document that reflects and supports your business goals, which in turn differentiates you from the competitors, resonates with customers, and provides an arrangement for making decisions and accelerating the ideas for future marketing campaigns. The guidelines also come with Branding’s stylistic elements, incorporating a color palette, brand voice outline, and fonts. For instance, there are 4.5 Billion sports fans all over the glove, where 3.5 Billion alone is a huge fan of Soccer. Nike Football is a sub-brand of Nike. It is a soccer brand. Nike has gained the t=attraction of so many sports geeks because they try to emphasize Branding and also went to the extent of giving Football equipment its Brand. The title page is what the audience is introduced to a theme, where the letters are all-cap words against the backdrop of exuberant football players. These players are embracing the passion and thrill of winning. The content itself is written in such an unapologetic manner, which is fascinating for vulnerable sports geek. If you go deep into the content, instead of following the brand identity guide or the rules of Design, they follow the commandments of Design. The statements fulfill the commandments of Design by making the content too big and expressive and follow the color palette called Gritty and Ruthless. The brand guidelines vary from company to company, and in some companies, they even abolish the actual Branding term and make it their own so that they can go by the perception of what the Brand aims to give. If it’s sports, most young, athletic, and passionate ones are most likely to be their clientele. This is why they change some terms and embrace the youth style of promoting their Brand, with a touch of Sports and enthusiasm. It is effortless for most sports brands to connect with customers too emotionally. (Press, 2020)
3. Logo is arguably the face of your company. The Design of the Logo does need some investment in time and money, and it is the most important aspect of the company. When you design the company, the artist needs to be thorough with what the company is all about, and he has to be properly guided with regards to what it delivers to the public that will grab the attention in one go. One has to be with the designer and incorporate thoughts and imaginations in him, and the customers should perceive them as the Brand that will be cherished indefinitely. To teach a design strategy, one must give you the driving force to imagine and implement. For example, Hilton Hotels and Resorts. The world-renowned Multi-Millionaire Hospitality Company can never have a forgettable Logo. Along with its reputation of providing Warmth in its service, Hilton Hotes has a history of changing 20 logos in the last 90 years? With more than 570 hotels across 80 countries. Though the Logo has changed 20 times, they still have managed to keep some blue elements in their emblem, and the prominent H character has the highlight of the Hilton Symbols. Finally, for the 20th time, Hilton created a refreshed version of the Logo by collaborating with contracted graphics Design Company, who created the new font. Horton states that the new Hilton Emblem is neat and sophisticated. The small cartouche that is the “H” letter brings out the name, and the words Hotels and Resorts are in upper case letters. To augment to Design, they still decided to stick to Blue, a slightly altered shade to make the color less bright. The job was still not done, but also made some changes in the characters where they replaced the capital “I” with the “i” that has a dot on top, and the middle t has been lowered. Hilton was aware of the prominence the previous Logos gave but now made a different move to make the name a bit more vivid, simple, and pleasant to the eyes. They didn’t have to work too hard, having such a reputation, but the Logo meant quite personal to the company. It’s like changing the cherry on the topping of the cake. (Admin, 2019)
4. Website is a key branding step: If you design the Website which is easily usable, accessible, and an eye-catcher, then it’s true that your company website will have many viewers. The Website has to be engaging and also reflect the Brand. Well, it’s always best to hire a Brand guide and select the best web design elements.
5. Additional assets do support your company: Although some companies don’t need it. Still, they try every mode to reach out to the customers. The process of Branding must be ongoing, and the additional assets can also help you target some customers. Additional assets in the form of business cards, packaging of the product, and flyers are crucial for the company (Space, 2020).Make sure the unique and Business needs and even develop branding assets on that basis. For Instance, Every Hotel Manager, starting from the Front Office Manager, Duty manager to the company’s owner, has their Business card, with their name, designation, and most importantly, the brand name’s trademark. Providing a mere business card is not enough. The material quality of the Business car must be at least imperishable and a good texture. Even small detailed aspects do make a difference in having a lifelong customer. It is vital to remember that Branding is necessary to make a mark in people’s minds and a reminder of who they are. It is an action-oriented process to exist in the competitive market. Well, the task to implement something whose main motive is to keep the Brand alive does need a lot of personnel, planning, and assets that need good cultivation. Apart from that, the Brand needs to be empowered. Instead of hearing stories from others, the company’s important person has to speak up for the Brand. For Instance, Empowering a Brand needs an issue or awareness. You can’t merely shout out to people to choose your Brand over others. This is why JW Marriott Hotels and Resorts, for the first time, campaigned to empower Women of the World. The Middle East and the Gulf States Women Business leaders were gathered for a three-day celebration to honor the new iconic Hotel and discuss Women as the Dynamic forces of Change. Such campaigns organized by top-notch brands like JW Marriott are examples of how you can empower your Brand. Branding, be it industry or non-industry-oriented people, is the most discussed topic all over the world. Be it any niche or any product or service you wish to buy. It has been authorized by Brand. The Brand does become the most frequent topic to talk about and debate. A company will be at an advantage provided it has a strong Brand Image. (Resorts, 2018)

Branding in a Global Hospitality Industry

Brand is the face of the Hotel

In the external environment, Brand saves the company’s time and leaves it to the guests to decide what Hotel to stay in. Branding in Hospitality and Tourism is mostly about emotional connection. Referring to a famous quote, it’s not about the service you provide, but also how you make them feel. Brands help a company produce more market share, thereby giving the organization a higher return on investment. Branding helps to build customer loyalty and these are most evident in the Tourism and Hospitality industry.

For instance, you go on a tour with a local tour operator; they give a brief description of the place you are about to visit. Most of the tour operators may be relatively mundane with the tasks they perform, but some do it for the love and passion for their job. Such tour guides will not only take you on tour but an adventure or a roller coaster, you name it. They are positively remembered by the tourists, inducing them to visit the location only to experience a soulful Journey. When Hotels sells goods and services, it is only suitable for amusement . It differs from other products; tourists cannot test the goods before they purchase. The industry is not a short-term consumption, and guests will understand and take Hotel staying a bit more seriously because they are geographically bound to a particular place, culture, and destination environment. (UKEssays, 2003)

Being intangible, its tourist experience could get perished but replenished a lot many times. Every Hotel is like a product, and people have a plethora of options to choose from and choose the hotel product. The destination is quite vital while on Holidays or any Business meeting, which can happen when many guests are aware of Hotel Branding. The Hotels are classified based on Grade or the stars they receive from the government. Higher star ratings mean more luxury.

If you ask how Hotels are rated, then yes, there are many aspects to include, where the primary criteria are the number of amenities one Hotel can offer. The standards are determined based on Food and Beverage, the entertainment, the infrastructure, view, and variety of rooms, fitness centers, spas, easy access, and most importantly, the location plays a critical role. At times, the 4 Star hotel of a site can be equivalent to a commercial establishment’s 5 Star property. It’s a matter of perspectives, and there are so many factors that determine this situation. The maximum number of stars a hotel can receive is 5. Based on the ratings, the Guests can get an overall idea of the Hotel and service facility when making a decision. For Instance, Hilton Hotel is a 5 Star Hotel, and it is also a Brand name. Tourists come and give their evaluation of the Hilton Hotel. When they did like everything about it, they rated it worth the experience and can’t wait for the next visit. After this, the Hotel gets a reputation and tends to open more branches worldwide and spread the legacy. Hotels impress the guests worldwide, and customers trust Hilton and prefer it as their ideal destination to stay. Branding is the root of the firm. Yes, some people work, but Branding reflects their service. Branding allows the company to be on the world stage, and people do have their eyes on them. (UKEssays, 2003)

Executing the Branding process of Hospitality

In the 21st century, it is obvious that brands are a significant point for creating values in most companies. In this world of opportunities, there are millions of Brands in the form of companies, restaurants, hotels. Some of the brands stand out, whereas the rest are stuck in the middle trying to make a name and are climbing the ladder as high as they can, but not touch the big shots of the industry world. To build a good brand, one must come with a very exquisite brand name.

A right name can direct you to a good start. Once you convert an idea into a product or service, you may be happy for some time, but you still need to hold your horses and think of a nice name or at least the right name. Having the right name is equivalent to having the right product. A bad name can also signify a bad product, no matter how good the product is inside out, but the name has made your product lose its and the firm’s impression, thereby leading to a loss. Remember, you have to be flexible with the public and go by their needs. The world is everyone’s Oyster, not only yours. At least a good name could be sufficient for your firm to get a good number of customers. The brand name comes in the form of letters or words, and companies struggle to get the rights click.

A successful Brand is something that is easily pronounced or easy to remember and recognize. For example, ITC, which started as a Tobacco company, was also successful in selling FMCGs and other consumer goods. ITC had also started its Hotel. Though, entering a bit late yet became competitive because of its reputation in other modes. Moreover, the brand name was just a mere three letters backed by a Golden Tilted font, making it more lavish and enticing. Hilton is another example, which is quite easy to remember. It’s like the name of a person, and in reality, it is named after Conrad Hilton, the founder of the company. Some people may have trouble, but others remember for its stay, contribution in some campaigns, or maybe just a pretty logo. Who knows, everyone has their pattern of memory. Websites or ads do give a reminder. A catchy name or at least a single word names are worth remembering. We hear quite a lot of people saying, Make it short and crisp. This is where companies have to get their act right. Building a brand, as mentioned before, helps the employees gravitate towards, and they also understand how impactful their contribution can be for the Brand. (UKEssays, 2003)

In the Hospitality Industry, the employee needs to be face to face with the guest. The process of Branding is not limited to Marketing, but the staff and is the ambassadors of the Hotel. They are the reason why the company functions, 24 hours and seven days a week. Employees go to the extent of being at their service and giving a more than just home feeling or Warmth experience that Hilton is known for. Proper management of the staff ad organization backed by the order and quality of service sets Hilton apart from the rest of the hospitality Brands.

Although there are successful brands other than Hilton, the secret to a successful brand is mastering what you are good at by consistently doing what you do and find an organized way of doing it to accentuate a service of brilliance. Doing your task dynamically and changing yourself for the better shapes your personality and the Brand you represent. Customers should feel like it’s their home. Many companies need to alter their policies and regularly train their staff. Every good Hotel follows the protocol of training and alertness, but the sincerity of implementing those policies or rituals is the secret behind Hotels’ success. The reputed Hotels of the world will not only do a deep briefing on what needs to be done, but also how to get it done, in the right way and also quick. The process that happens inside the Hotel with regards to service, punctuality and relationship with guests also builds a positive brand. Branding works on reminding people about the Brand, but the staff of the Hotel works on keeping the promises, the Brand gives to the customers before they entered the hotels, which reflects on the reviews and ratings provided by so many customers.

Now, let’s say if the staff no matter how brilliant they are in Knowledge, but does not do the basic thing, likes greeting the guest or being proactive and insisting to give a helping hand and worse than this can be forgetting the name or delivering the wrong order to the table. To err is human, but guests may dislike it and get a bad impression about the Hotel. Yes, Knowledge needs mastery, but being alert too needs an equivalent focus. A slight mistake can also reduce one or half a star of your Hotel. All the standards and the order of the service need to be followed and implemented, with a touch of your own. So the staff must be aware of the company they are working for and how precious is a brand directly proportional to the reputation of the Hotel. The HR department should be highly prioritized to help employees and provide a full insight about the Brand. HR initiates the training process and plays an intermediary between the employees and the managers. The HR should strengthen their employees’ mechanism and appreciate the work that they did. Once a customer was looking forward to appreciating the efforts but did not have a section of compliments, only a compliant section. In that section, he specifically bolded one of the staff’s names, and uppercased the letters, and appreciated being swift and catering extra to his services at no extra cost. The HR at the briefing approached the managers and asked them to give a kudos to that customer, courtesy which our Brand could retain its name. The employee was rewarded and applauded by the managers for their splendid effort to go out of the comfort zone to help the guest. He was having a bad day, and the start to it was something that made him feel a lot better to work. It is important to complement employees and recognize their hard work. The little things do give them an incentive to accomplish more for the Hotel.

Conclusion

Hilton Hotels and Resorts Logo in 2010

In this era, the market has become way more hyper-competitive, and Branding is a massive priority for the company of all sizes and shapes. The purpose of Branding is to establish a differentiated and meaningful presence that will increase the ability of the organization to entice and retain loyal customers and improve its Market Place maneuverability. Every Brand of a Hotel is daily working on being stand out in a crowded market place.

Branding cannot be two-faced. Branding is like a weapon to lure customers, but if you are not honest with what you provide on the billboards or magazines, your Hotel can lose reputation overnight, which took years to build. For example, Four Seasons was pouring beautiful words about their Brand in magazines, newspapers, and advertisements, and people already knowing the property and what it stands for did approve of living with it. What shocked the couple was that the face of the Hotel does not seem to be receiving or welcoming. The doorman was not available, and the Hotel had one swimming pool that was never like the one in the advertisements. The couple was gutted by the experience and regretted the money and time wasted on an atrocious property. The revenue may have gone down a little, but yes, to work on the reputation; the company must also ensure the product and service they are about to offer. A brand is known for helping facilities differentiate from the competitive state to establish their preference of the customer.

There is a lot of ease of imitating services in contrast to the manufactured goods that make it the most effective tool for the Hotel Industry. Branding is the most splendid approach to follow the preference strategy. Customers usually prefer reputable brands over universal products to reduce their search cost and risk (UKEssays, 2003).

As discovered by APQC, the advantage of the Brand is built on common interests to increase the Loyalty of the customer and provide different products and services. Branding’s other benefits are establishing price premiums, enticing customers, creating awareness, and enhancing the long-term value of Brand assets. In the Hospitality and Tourism industry, Brand does guide you in making effective decisions, and also, based on reviews can enable you to choose among the hotels. Brand also brings a lot of benefits to the Hotel. To build a good company, it is essential to know the best way to set the brand up. Make that a primary goal. It’s all about how. The more you question, the deeper you go and explore better ways to reach. Branding is not fixed or structured. You are allowed to expand the Horizon at any cost as long as you are increasing customers. The more customers are living at your Hotel, the more revenue you are likely to generate. Branding also initiates strategy, and Branding needs effective management. Once the Brand earns a reputation in the market, it will be easy for the company to expand its property. When the news of expansion is at an all time high, it gets the crowd to be super excited and curious about the opening of the new Hotel. The world likes to experience something new, and the Hotel and Tourism Industry is at its all-time boom indefinitely. It all comes down to Branding. You are creating the customer’s needs or reigniting the requirements that they never thought of, and that is the magic of Branding. (UKEssays, 2003)

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