Harnessing social media
Connecting with hospitality and leisure in a digital world

Contents
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Section one: Introduction
Executive summary Active social media consumers A channel of influence The feedback loop

23 Section three: Social media strategy
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1. Expose: shifting the power balance – Carnival Cruises 2. Secure: better return on investment (ROI) from marketing – Lucky Chip 3. Retain: building a community – Malmaison Case studies: KLM and United Airlines

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Section two: The impact on hospitality and leisure
The value of social media The social media opportunity Use of social media Types of social media used Purpose of social media Activities undertaken on social media Popular outputs from social media Sales and influence Marketing budgets Who is responsible for social media? Concerns and issues The future

28 Section four: Social media success
28 Haven Holidays 29 Domino’s Pizza

30 Section five: Key takeaways

This report has been produced by Conlumino for Barclays. All content has been researched, developed and produced by Conlumino at the request of Barclays for the purpose of this report. All charts, data and statistics featured in this report are the product of this research. All rights reserved, April 2013. Conlumino www.conlumino.com neil@conlumino.com T: 020 7936 6655 Research methodology and findings are based on a combination of surveyed retailer views, desktop research and market forecasting. 127 hospitality and leisure companies were surveyed, of varying types and size.

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Section one: Introduction
The internet has revolutionised the way individuals and businesses operate and social media is fast proving its importance as the next evolutionary platform in this virtual landscape.
Commercial potential
Social media has become firmly ingrained in consumers’ daily lives. From browsing the internet to downloading apps in search of recommended bars and restaurants, consumers expect to be able to interact with their favourite brands when they’re out and about, and while many businesses may have initially dismissed social media as a fad, it is proving its commercial potential. Social media is an influential and immediate communication platform, with the power to influence consumer habits and purchasing decisions. The ease and ability for consumers to share their opinions and feedback to a mass digital audience in real time, coupled with a growing expectation to seek and rely on this wealth of publicly available feedback, ultimately transforms purchasing decisions and emphasises the power of social media and the importance for businesses to embrace it.

Tangible opportunity
More than one in ten hospitality and leisure operators currently generate up to half of all their sales through social media channels – at a time when operators are doing everything they can to maintain, if not increase, footfall these channels present a tangible opportunity, and yet there remains an overriding reluctance to embrace them.

Dedicated sector specialist team
Our dedicated sector specialist team is at the forefront of providing support to the Hospitality and Leisure sector. Committed to providing thought leadership and valuable sector opinions, our recent research, presented within this report, explores the importance for the sector of embracing social media. Detailed methodology and findings are based on a combination of surveyed views from companies operating in the sector, desktop research and market forecasting. I hope that you will find this report insightful and that it will help with your strategic thinking going forward.

“Against a backdrop of muted consumer confidence, social media may prove to be a vital channel for operators seeking to differentiate themselves in a competitive industry where consumers can all too easily vote with their feet.”

Mike Saul
Head of Hospitality & Leisure Barclays

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Executive