GUERRILLA MARKETING FOR IMPROVING PERFORMANCE OF MARKETING OF HOTEL SERVICES IN NIGERIA
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL
GUERRILLA MARKETING FOR IMPROVING PERFORMANCE OF MARKETING OF HOTEL SERVICES IN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
Guerrilla marketing refers to a variety of unique and creative marketing approaches in today’s marketplace conflict. Its primary goal is to achieve a huge impact with a short expenditure by leveraging surprise and diffusion effects. Although the tools are increasingly used by today’s practitioners, there is little scientific discussion regarding the concept.
As a result, this paper describes the evolution, philosophers’ principles, and current understanding of guerrilla marketing among hotel entrepreneurs in Imo State, as an attempt to capture the attention of a large number of consumers at a low cost through the surprise effect and diffusion effect.
The study focuses on how various guerrilla instruments such as internal, ambient, sensory, viral, and buzz marketing attempt to elicit these effects. The paper provides empirical facts to discuss the use of GM principles in a sample of 40 hotels in Imo State.
The findings demonstrate that hotel entrepreneurs deploy guerilla marketing weapons in accordance with literature, but they are not known by some of these academic names.
They all agreed that without resorting to guerilla marketing, they would be unable to compete with larger competitors and navigate Nigeria’s difficult economic climate.
The study proposes Guerrilla Marketing for marketing hotel services in Nigeria. Guerrilla marketing surprises and consequently stands out. It ultimately comes down to one word: “impact”. Guerrilla marketing means impact, which is exactly what today’s business requires.
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study.
Marketing is essentially a form of nonviolent warfare. It is a psychological battle conducted in the minds of clients and consumers. The onslaught of advertising on television and in publications, portraying products of various shapes and sizes,
prices of all kinds, and locations where the products can be obtained, is all available for people to look at, be drawn to, and select from. Hellish, you may say (Ives, 2004).
If marketing is warfare, who and what are we battling with? The war techniques and tools are all covered in the notion of Guerrilla marketing, which is defined by the surprise effect, diffusion impact, and low-cost effect, and operates through buzz marketing, viral marketing, and word-of-mouth marketing.
These mixes make it more appealing and aligned for small and medium-sized business owners to imbibe and use in order to survive the attack of larger established firms (Kotler et al. 2002).
Tell me, what would a marketer do in today’s globalised market, where everything is moving so fast? For example, he faces price-sensitive customers, new competitors, new distribution channels, new communication channels, the internet, wireless commerce, globalised products, deregulation, privatisation, and a slew of other challenges.
Markets are not changing; rather, the technologies that enable them are: e-commerce, e-mail, mobile phones, fax machines, sales and marketing automation, cable TV, and video conferencing.
It is critical that today’s marketers consider these developments and seek ways and strategies to survive (Kotler, Jain & Maesnicee, 2002). To thrive in Imo State’s ever-changing marketing environment, marketers must adapt their approach, and guerrilla marketing is the method that fits these shifting tides.
Guerrilla marketing is a restless marketing strategy that is used when one company is outnumbered by another in terms of resources, market share, and money. The purpose of this study is to review the literature to determine the nature and meanings of the concept,
as well as to investigate the recognition and amount of application among hotel operators in Imo State, Nigeria, and to give recommendations for best practices.
It’s incredible because Guerrilla marketing may take you anywhere in Nigeria, including on your way home from work, in the vehicle, bus, or train, on the streets, strolling or sitting on a café patio, in front of your house, or at important events.
It’s like finding love when you least expect it. When you see a product, you immediately begin to consider it and what you intend to do with it.
The guerrilla marketer thereby gets what he wants (your attention, interest, desire, and action), which leads to a purchase. Guerrilla marketing stands out from other promotional tools because to its surprise effect, and it has become a very popular marketing technique in recent times.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Today, in Imo State, the rate of hotel construction and development is worrying, with no major road or street in Owerri lacking three or four hotels, to say the least. In reality, the two largest factories here are hotels and petrol stations.
This becomes a worry that must be investigated to determine the survival and competitive strategies that have improved their performance, attracting many more investors to this burgeoning tourism refuge. There are too many hotels in Imo State, and more are being developed.
Furthermore, Guerrilla marketing is required because large corporations are downsizing, decentralising, relaxing government regulations on SMEs, affordable technology, and a desire among many paid employees to be independent of paid employment;
people all over the world are flocking to small businesses in record numbers. Opportunities are around, but who has the foresight and strategies to recognise and seize them?
According to Levinson (2006), small firms are failing in historic numbers because they do not grasp traditional marketing. Guerrilla marketing has been proven effective for small firms all around the world. It works because it is simple to grasp, easy to implement, and extremely inexpensive.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
To assess the level of understanding and use of GM principles among hotel operators in Imo State.
To understand more about the phenomenon (GM) and the intersection of its principles in increasing the performance of hotel service marketing.
iii. Contribute to the improvement of marketing ideas and practices by drawing on study findings.
1.4 Research Questions.
The concept of Guerrilla marketing, principles, and development led to the following questions about hotel service marketing in order to extract replies to solve the study problems:
Do Imo State hotel operators understand guerilla marketing, its qualities, and whether it is referred to by this or another name? Does it have another name among practitioners?
To what extent have they applied the concepts through the instruments?
In what conditions did they use guerrilla marketing?
What differentiates guerrilla marketing from traditional marketing strategies? Are they complementary or opposed?
Does guerrilla marketing have a future in Nigerian marketing practices?
The above questions and responses will help the investigator carry out the aims and purpose that inspired the investigation, as indicated in this question: Is guerrilla marketing required for the successful promotion of hotel services?
Other studies (in the United States, Iran, Turkey, and Sweden, for example) found positive results. This study aims to objectively confirm or refute previously observed findings in other countries in order to contribute to existing knowledge.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The significance of this study is important for marketers, entrepreneurs, and scholars since it demonstrates that acquiring techniques and tactics for getting more with less is what Guerrilla Marketing (GM) is all about.
The report emphasises that General Motors concentrates on low-cost creative marketing techniques. Strategies that leave such a lasting impression on clients that they will always call back when they need assistance. This involves time, effort, and inspiration, not money. Profits, not sales numbers, are the primary metric of success.
The emphasis is on keeping current consumers rather than obtaining new ones. Guerrilla marketing entails unorthodox approaches such as intercept encounters in public places, product giveaways on the street,
public relations stunts, or any other unconventional marketing methods designed to get maximum results with least resources. Essentially, GM demonstrates that “small is beautiful” since small size is an advantage when adopting the methods.
The researcher also emphasised that marketers should be constantly creative in devising unconventional methods of promotion, and that they should use their professional and personal contacts to examine their businesses and products, looking for sources of publicity that are inexpensive or even free.
1.6 Scope.
The study focuses on hotels in Imo State, which has 270 registered hotels (http://www.hotellisting.com.imostate.ng). This study used a sample of these registered members; those who were not registered or registered after the data was gathered were excluded.
Its primary goal is to determine the extent to which the phenomena is used by hotel operators to improve the performance of their service marketing.
1.7 Limitations.
This analysis is limited to small and medium-sized hotels in Imo State; micro and big scales are excluded. In this study, perfection is measured in terms of the investigator’s knowledge and research skills.
The analysed questionnaire and interviews were those that were directly responded, and the findings drawn are confined to the respondents’ responses in relation to their knowledge of the phenomenon under inquiry.
Each respondent answered based on his or her comprehension, and in some circumstances, the investigator had to analyse and adjust the appropriateness of their responses.
This study employed a mixed research approach to ensure reliability and validity expectations, but it is also practically and suitably applicable in today’s marketplace competition,
since it deals with a growing phenomenon that is difficult to assess. Nonetheless, minor human errors may be unforeseeable; in such cases, the author assumes responsibility.
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic