Alton towers Galactica

Alton towers’ multi-sensory ride

As mentioned in the previous blog post (VR in Airlines) Virtual reality seems to be growing in the tourism industry. Alton towers introduced its own multi-sensory roller coaster ride the Galactica. This is a great way of Alton towers to gain their customers back after the tragic incident that happened in the summer of 2015.  The roller coaster gives customers a different roller coaster experience where they get to escape into space whilst riding a roller coaster.  This is a great change taking place in the industry and there are probably more developments to come in the future.

References

 Kelion , L. (2016, January 12). Alton Towers to open virtual reality rollercoaster.BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35290384

What motivates trophy hunters?

What motivates trophy hunters?

Africa is with no question rich in natural resources and an amazing wildlife, most impotently “The big five” animals . For many years people have been visiting African destinations to experience the wonderful wildlife and get the best view incompatible to Zoos. The big five animals are going into extinction and there seems to be less and less of them each year, yet people are still poaching them and hunting for them just to get a simple trophy.

Hunting for these animals just for the sake of getting a trophy is unethical, some people would say. Rather than protecting them they are being killed. Some trophy hunters on the other hand feel that hunting for the animals is good for conservation, but in other ways is it not the same as poaching by the legal way? The trophy hunters also go on to argue that the money used to pay for the hunting goes towards the improvements of the environment and local communities, for example in places such as Namibia. African governments could do a lot more to make sure that people are banned from poaching or hunting animals because this could be good for the economy and in preserving wildlife . If these animals go extinct there will be nothing for people to see and the future generations ahead and it could reduce tourist numbers to Africa because there will not have a reason to go anymore. People who hunt or poach for animals should get a punishment for it. In July 2015 the killing of Cecil the lion is Zimbabwe got a media frenzy when an American dentist killed him for a trophy. The story was covered all over the media, the reason why it got so much spark was because Cecil was loved by a lot of people and was part of an Oxford University study. The dentist however was not charged for his actions despite people protesting for his punishment.

Motivators

Status / people want to have a status within their circle of friends

Proof of manhood

Power and masculinity

Need to prove oneself by killing dangerous animals

Social acceptance

Control and power by wealthy man

Thrill element of danger and a thought of achievement, the more money a person has the more they feel the need to prove themselves and to other people

Killing these animals might bring a sense of achievement to these people, but it does not take away the fact that the numbers of these animals are still decreasing each year.  The death of Cecil raised awareness on how much wild life is important for Africa. Finally they need more protection from the authorities.

References

Espley , S. (2015 ). Why the hunting conservation hurts conservation. Retrieved from http://magazine.africageographic.com/weekly/hunting-canned-hunting-trophy-hunting-debate/.

Allison, S. (2015, December 25). Stories of 2015: Man who identified Cecil the lion's killer vows death will not be in vain. The guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/25/cecil-the-lion-zimbabwe-conservation-johnny-rodrigues

The Robot hotel

The Henn’na/ weird hotel

Japan is one of the leading places for technological developments and the Henn na hotel is one of its newest projects. The Henn na hotel is a Japanese hotel that comes with a full service of entirely robots. The reception is run by a dinosaur robot and a humanoid female robot that speaks English and Japanese. Guests are able to check in using a facial recognition technology instead of a standard electronic key and guests can register their faces during check in. leading up to the room a robot is there to carry luggage and escort guests to their Allocated rooms. A giant robot arm is used to lift storage boxes where guests place their items to use as storage (also known as the robot cloak room). Staying at the Henn na hotel can cost up to 9,000 yen (£56) per night which is a bargain for Japanese people. Breakfast and event information is delivered by robots, however people are there to make the beds and check the security system (CCTV).

What does this mean for the future employment of people?

With such developments it means more people are out employment and can be damaging for the economy. Instead of people earning money it is only being used to develop these robots and soo much money goes into fixing them if they were ever to not function. The robots are used to run almost the entire services of the hotel, guests aren’t making any interaction with people. Hideo Sewada the owner of the hotel mentioned that although the robots are not able to make the beds new improvements will be made to make it possible for them to do so, which will only put some of the few bed housekeepers out of jobs. Hideo Sewada could only be using robots for the sake of not having to pay more people. The robots can also be unreliable as they are likely to have manufacture problems. It is likely that in a few years more hotels around the world could result to using robots to reduce costs.  Some of these technological developments however can be used by other hotels, for example facial recognition could be used for security reasons. This leaves the question whether people view the Henn na hotel as more of an amusement park rather than accommodation?, it is a place where children would certainly enjoy themselves. In addition people do not get to experience the full services as that of a normal hotel whilst interacting with humans who will understand them better. 

In conclusion using robots to run the hotel could only be good for the sake of reducing labor costs and that it is a brand new idea . Whilst On the other hand it is likely to affect more people and put them out of employment as they will no longer be needed. People have to prepare for such changes because they are inevitable, finally could a lot more be done to ensure people do not completely become unneeded ? There has to be a solution for all of this. 

References

Demetriou, D. (2015, July 16). Robot hotel: inside Japan's Henn na Hotel.Telegraph . Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotels/11743467/Robot-hotel-inside-Japans-Henn-na-Hotel.html

Branding

Branding and society today  

Brands are more than just the name and the symbol. They are the key element in the company’s relationship with consumers. According to Kotler et,al, 2014, brands are powerful assets that must be carefully developed. They represent consumer’s perceptions about a product and its performance therefore everything that a product means to the consumer. Brands also end up having their own social classifications, for example Burberry in the UK is associated with people who come from low income households.

Fashion brands

Brands are now seen as an important element in creating an individual identity, a sense of achievement and individuality for consumers (Frost, 2002). Clothes are a great example of how people view brands and just how much they mean to them. Marketers have great ways of reaching out to their target audience, especially teenagers. When children are in school they like to show off their clothes, shoes, bags etc., those who have branded bags such as Michael Kors and Gucci are seen as rich and they are likely to be accepted to groups they are trying to fit into. Although some of these brands are good quality the prices are sometimes too high for example a Gucci bag will cost an average of £400. Although some of the products are not very different from other products/ brands most of the times the names make a difference. Celebrities also play an important role in getting brands get a wider recognition because a famous person’s name is a brand in itself. Kanye West has his own clothing line and most people disapprove of it and some even call it “trash or homeless wear”. However that does not stop some people from purchasing his clothes because of the name and the price, because they contribute to the person having a rise in the social hierarchy and the self-concept (attitudes and perceptions that people have on themselves).  

Brands are what drives society today and no matter how expensive a product is people will not stop buying them because of the name they are associated with. This is a great thing for marketers because they will always find ways to manipulate people to buy these products and they will always have customers who are loyal to those brands.

References

O’Cass, A. & Frost, H. (2002). Status brands: examining the effects of non-product-related brand associations on status and conspicuous consumption. Product and brand management, 11 (2), 67-88. doi: 10.1108/10610420210423455 

Cockyane, D. (2016). Brand Experience. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from unilearn.hud.ac.uk.

VR in Airlines

Airlines and virtual reality

Virtual reality is a cutting-edge technology that allows people to experience products on a virtual level. It is the new way to watch movies and experience another world without having to step out of your comfort zone. Airlines now use virtual reality to create an experience for the customer and to show what a real in-flight service would be like.

Lufthansa used virtual reality to create a virtual holiday experience in 2015’s ITB (International Travel Trade Show in Berlin).  The virtual travel and flight experience started from inside a Boeing 747 Aircraft. Passengers would sit inside a rounded ball chair, wearing a custom painted Oculus Rift DK2 headset, whilst holding a Sony PlayStation motion controller to interact with the virtual experience. The virtual experience finished with the participant sitting on a beautiful beach with a virtual post card in hand, when the experience finished they were given a physical post card. Lufthansa’s virtual holiday demo showed off their on board services in a virtual environment and it is a great way to stand out in terms of branding purposes. Qantas also paired up with Samsung to start offering the VR Gear to first class passengers on long haul flights the airline became the first to offer virtual reality entertainment in-flight. The virtual reality headset became available inside Qantas’ first class lounges in mid- February and on select A380 flights between Australia and Los Angeles in the first-class cabin in March.  Qantas sees VR as a new way to showcase the airline’s destinations and services to passengers.  British Airways also had a campaign which covered the city centres in Milan, Paris and Frankfurt, it allowed European customers to test out the technology by riding a bucking bronco in Texas , ice skating in New York’s Bryant park and a walk down in Californian board walk.

Virtual reality is a great way for Airlines to market their products in addition, customers get to experience on-board services before they get on board the aircraft and before they reach their destination. Virtual reality is experiential marketing in its own way, as it creates a live and fun experience for the customer.

Bibliography

Ads of the world. (2014). British Airways: Virtual reality USA. Retrieved from http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/British_airways_virtual_reality_USA.

Virtual Reality Reporter. (2015). Lufthansa takes you on a virtual reality. Retrieved from https://virtualrealityreporter.com/lufthansa-airline-takes-visitors-on-a-virtual-journey/.

Operant conditioning & tourism

Operant conditioning in tourism

Operant conditioning was first introduced by B.F Skinner. His views were that although we do have a mind it was simply more productive to study observable behavior rather than the internal mental events. He stated that behavior which is reinforced tends to be repeated and that behavior which is not reinforced tends to die out. In 1948 Skinner experimented on animals and placed them in a box (Later nicknamed the Skinner box).

Positive reinforcement

In his experiment Skinner found that positive reinforcement worked by placing a hungry rat in a box. The box contained a lever which dropped food every time the rat accidentally knocked it over. After a few times of being in a box the rat learned to drop the lever. The consequence of receiving food every time they pressed the lever insured that they would repeatedly press it. Positive reinforcement strengthens a behavior by providing a consequence that is rewarding for the individual.

Negative reinforcement

On the other hand negative reinforcement strengthens behavior because it ends a negative experience. A way in which Skinner showed negative reinforcement worked was by placing a rat in the box once again. He subjected it to an unpleasant electric current which made it uncomfortable. Whenever the rat moved about the box it would accidentally knock the lever and every time it did so the electric current would switch off. Each time the rats were placed in the box they learned to go straight to the current and switch it off. The consequence of escaping the electric current ensured that they would repeat the action each time.

In the Tourism industry

Operant conditioning happens all the time in the industry, it’s a way of companies to compensate customers and reward them for using their services. Various companies in the tourism industry have various ways of rewarding loyal customers. British airways have a rewards system which ranges from the Blue exclusive club, Bronze, Silver and Gold membership. Each time a customer flies with them they get a chance to add points each of their exclusive clubs have different benefits for the consumer. Consumers get attracted to such schemes it’s a good way to draw customers in. Virgin Atlantic also offers air miles for frequent flyers.  Negative reinforcement on the other hand happens the other way round, for example an airline delaying a flight or losing a passenger’s bag, the company would have to find a way to compensate the customer for example rewarding them with a free flight or compensating them back a certain percentage of money to get them into the next earliest flight. The companies mentioned above are not the only ones who do this a few examples include, Starbucks, Subway, and royal Caribbean (Crown & anchor society). In conclusion this is a good marketing scheme for companies lastly it is a good way to enforce customer loyalty. 

References

http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/tiers-and-benefits/lifetime-tier-points

McLeod, S. (2007). Skinner - Operant Conditioning. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html.

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en/flying-club/spend-miles/reward-flights/reward-seats.html

Video examples of Operant conditioning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt4N9GSBoMI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA

Rihanna named the most marketable celebrity

Rihanna Named Most Marketable Celebrity

Most people may know Rihanna for her catchy songs however, on the 13^th of January she was named the most marketable celebrity in the world, according to the NPD Group (Global information Provider).  According to NPD celebrities a considered to be a strong endorsement opportunity for a brand if the fans are at least 50 percent more likely to use the brand. Rihanna’s current endorsements include, Jeep, puma and Samsung. These brands are widely known and have a large market. Rihanna’s index score is 3.7 times stronger than brand endorsement opportunities as the average big name celebrity. Her scores are higher than those of Angelina Jolie and Beyoncé.

Rihanna has a huge line of fragrances and has done endorsements for brands such as Armani, Budweiser and Nivea. The companies are using great marketing strategies to reach out to their target audience. It is more likely that most young people, especially teenagers will buy these brands because their idol is advertising it and sales will  increase in addition they will also get new customers. Using a famous person for an advert campaign increases product knowledge. The influence of the media is also what gets word out. Some people will buy these brands because of social acceptance. The way in which we present ourselves in front of other people is important to us; for example buying puma shoes because our friends have got them.

According to (marketing-schools.org) 15% of all advertisements in the USA feature a famous person. The disadvantage of using a celebrity marketing is the cost that comes with securing a partnership with them. The most expensive celebrity advertising is through TV. Pepsi are a successful brand and they have always used celebrities for their adverts to attract more consumers.

Using celebrities to reach out to a wider audience is a good marketing strategy for companies, because this mean they will increase their revenue, the brand will then be known world-wide. However the disadvantages of high costs do sometimes affect small companies less the big companies. People who follow famous people will not look at the cost of the product nevertheless all they will want is to say that they have it too. In a world obsessed with celebrity culture celebrity Marketing is not such a bad idea, in addition tourism organisations should also start using this marketing strategy to get people to  visit their destinations.