Media Relations Strategy · Web viewParents, friends (Howe & Strauss, 2003) Preferred Media: 75...

Media Relations Strategy 2

Executive SummaryThe Mayton Inn is a new, local business in the vibrant and historic downtown Cary, North

Carolina. It is the only luxury boutique hotel in the area but often competes with national hotel chains

like Embassy Suites or other local boutique hotels like the Carolina Inn and the Durham Hotel. The

Mayton Inn has already grabbed the attention of baby boomers and area locals. However, the Mayton

Inn would like to capture national attention of millennials and engaged couples. It is important for the

Mayton Inn to gain the attention of millennials because this audience is overtaking baby boomers as the

largest generation and in spending power in the United States. The hotel needs to gain the attention of

engaged couples not only because many are a part of the millennial generation, but also because the

Mayton Inn does not host as many wedding as their competition.

The Mayton Inn can gain the attention of millennials by promoting their eco-friendly and

environmentally safe practices, as well as, hosting unique events and sponsoring content that shows

downtown Cary as the new hotspot to visit. The organization can appeal to engaged couples by branding

it as the perfect place for an intimate wedding or for romance. Some barriers to success for the Mayton

Inn are unwilling partnerships and increased competition from local competitors. Armed with the right

strategies and tactics, the Mayton Inn can gain attention from millennials and engaged couples.

The cost of executing this plan is $3,170, which includes sponsored social media content, special

guest appearances, event costs and more. The plan will take place from June 2018-November 2018. If

this plan is executed as directed, the Mayton Inn will have gained the attention of millennials and

engaged couples.


Audit/ResearchThe Mayton Inn, located in the Raleigh/Durham area in North Carolina, is downtown Cary’s first

and only luxury boutique hotel. Since the owners, Deanna and Colin Crossman, opened the hotel in

January 2016, the Mayton Inn has maintained its promise to provide comfortable accommodations while

emphasizing the charm of the local area. The Mayton Inn is not the first project for Deanna and Colin.

The couple owns the King’s Daughters Inn in Durham, North Carolina and is looking to expand to Las

Vegas, Nevada. The hotel features art deco and Georgian inspiration, and it is a 15-minute drive from

Research Triangle Park and Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Priding itself on boutique luxury and urban elegance, the Mayton Inn has a total of 45 rooms

unique: 33 rooms, 11 suites, and a cottage, the Waldo Rood House. Every room in the hotel is different;

no two rooms have the same theme. Additionally, the unique cottage that is located on the property can

be used for business travelers or as a bridal suite. The hotel features a library, a bar and restaurant, four

meeting/event spaces, a gym, and a spa.

For the Mayton Inn, engaged couples are their specialty. Since the hotel does not have the same

amount of space as traditional hotels, the Mayton Inn markets the space an intimate experience. Engaged

couples are able to rent out the entire inn and have their wedding and reception at the hotel.

Additionally, the hotel does well among audiences in the 35- to 50-age range. Downtown Cary is

changing and trying to attract younger audiences and the Mayton Inn needs to be ahead of this trend.

Industry + Environment

The hotel industry is expanding and seeing a rise of a niche segment, boutique hotels. Trends

suggest that consumers are starting to consider boutique hotels more than traditional hotels due to the

one-of-a-kind quality of service guests receive. Many of these consumers are younger audiences who are

looking for something unique, but they still want the safety that traditional hotels provide. As a result,


boutique hotels are proving to be steep competition for traditional hotels, especially when broken down

into luxury segments. According to the Highland Group, luxury boutique hotels brought in $86,000 in

revenue while U.S luxury hotels brought in $88,000 in revenue (The Highland Group, 2017). As a result

of the rise in popularity in boutique hotels, larger hotel operators have acquired or have started to roll

out their own boutique hotels.

The downtown Cary area has seen a major redevelopment in recent years and the area is

expected to continue to grow. According to reports, Raleigh’s suburb, Cary, has seen a “1.79 percent

increase in the last 12 months” (Benitez, 2018). However, downtown Raleigh and downtown Durham

are currently the places to be. The area is home to many

high-profile college sports teams, such as NC State

University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Duke University.

These areas feature an assortment of activities that

includes entertainment and nightlife. As a result of the

variety of activities available, these two hubs attract a

great deal of attention both locally and nationally. This

seemingly creates a disconnect between the downtown

Cary area and the audiences the Mayton Inn needs to

attract to be competitive.

Competition

The top competitors for the Mayton Inn are Embassy Suites in Cary, the Carolina Inn, and the

Durham Hotel. The Embassy Suites competes for business travelers while the Carolina Inn competes for

bridal traffic. The Embassy Suites is not characterized as luxurious, but the hotel does carry credibility at

a higher level than the Mayton Inn. On the other hand, the Carolina Inn has a long history of hosting


weddings. The hotel has wedding planning staff and impressive room for a wedding or reception at any

size. The Carolina Inn also speaks to the same couples that the Mayton Inn needs to attract, ones who

are looking for something classic and timeless. The hotel hosts an annual wedding showcase and really

utilizes its location to attract engaged couples. The Durham Hotel dominates the downtown Durham

area and national media. The hotel has been featured in GQ, Vogue, Elle, the Washington Post, the New

York Times, and more. Many articles that feature the Durham Hotel mention Durham being a hot spot

and positions the Durham Hotel as iconic. Despite the Mayton Inn hiring a public relations agency to

handle its national communications, the hotel has not seen the widespread success and national

recognition like the Durham Hotel.

Social Media + Website Analytics

The Mayton Inn has almost 3,000 likes on Facebook, 600 followers on Twitter, and

approximately 1,500 followers on Instagram. The hotel does well when it comes to hosting events,

garnering moderate success with RSVP responses on Facebook. Additionally, the Mayton Inn does well

with website searches, resulting in it being the highest-ranking source of website traffic. However, the

hotel only has a domain authority of 35 out of 100. Domain authority is a ranking system that

determines how popular a website is. The Mayton Inn can improve its ranking by garnering more

backlinks from high-ranked websites.

Current Media Relations Strategy

The Mayton Inn does not have an official media relations strategy. The public relations agency

that the hotel hired to handle its national communications has failed to establish the Mayton Inn in high-

profile publications, especially online. This could be due to the lack of organization in effectively

pitching to organizations. However, the hotel heavily focuses on events for promotion, such as

Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, Yoga on the Terrace, and Family-style Fridays. Even though these


events garner moderate success, they tend to bring in more local traffic than national traffic. Therefore,

many national audiences may not be aware of what the hotel has to offer.

Reputation

The Mayton Inn is well-received by its guests and the local community. Guests find the hotel and

the local area charming and fresh. Downtown Cary is smaller compared to major cities in North

Carolina, therefore, the Mayton Inn has become a local gem. However, the local area is blooming with

entertainment and nightlife with an independent art house theater, a coffee shop, a brand new park, and a

local beer garden. Despite ranking high in search results for boutique hotels in Raleigh, the Mayton Inn

struggles with national recognition.


Situation Analysis

Where the Mayton Inn is:

The Mayton Inn is currently a destination for an intimate gathering. However, it also sports fun

local activities and a Great Gatsby feeling. The hotel fits perfectly with the historic yet modern feeling

of the downtown Cary area and provides a high-quality and unique experience for its guests.

Nonetheless, outside of the hotel’s surroundings, not many people know about this gorgeous property

and the local area.

Where the Mayton Inn would like to go:

The Mayton Inn would like to become known in the national media and use the local area to be

seen as the place to be. The hotel wants to be able to utilize their brand as their credibility like larger

hotel operators, such as Hilton or Marriott. Although the Mayton Inn is independently owned, the hotel

would like to utilize the success of its owners to improve its national recognition.


GoalTo increase national publicity surrounding the Mayton Inn and position the Mayton Inn as the go-to

place to stay in the Cary, North Carolina area.

ObjectivesIncrease earned media by 20 percent by the end of August 2018 to communicate the Mayton Inn

as the perfect place to stay in the summer.

Increase Millennial interactions on the Mayton Inn’s social media by 25 percent by the end of

November 2018

Increase earned media in bridal publications by 15 percent by the end of November 2018.


Target AudiencesThe two target audiences for the Mayton Inn are millennials and engaged couples. These two

audiences were chosen because the Mayton Inn has been unable to successfully connect with them. It is

important for the Mayton Inn to connect with these audiences because millennials are the biggest

generation and are about to overtake baby boomers as the largest generation in the United States. The

Mayton Inn needs to connect with engaged couples because they do not host as many weddings as they

would like to. These target audiences will help achieve the objectives listed above.

Key Public 1: Millennials

For the purposes of this strategy, the Mayton Inn needs to target millennials who are avid leisure

travelers and millennials who care about sustainability. This target audience comes from a variety of

backgrounds and economic statuses. Additionally, members of this key public cares about social issues

and are extremely active on social media. Typically, millennials are very much in favor of change and

are expected to shake up the boutique hotel industry.

Demographics:

People that were born between 1981-2000 (Howe & Strauss, 2003)

43 percent of millennials are not white (Patel, 2015)

25 percent of millennials speak a language other than English at home (Patel, 2015)

Psychographics:

Grade point averages are rising (Howe & Strauss, 2003)

Average income in the U.S. is $35,000 (Elkins, 2015)

Average income for millennial women in the U.S. is $31,069 (Elkins, 2015)


Motivating Self-Interests:

Consider success to be sampling a rich array of life experiences; including culture,

travel, innovation, sustainability, and the environment (Millennial Marketing, n.d.)

Want travel to align with mobile and social media (Gavel International, 2017)

Want new experience that they can brag about (Gavel International, 2017)

Select travel based on if it is earth-friendly (Gavel International, 2017)

Want luxury to be a part of their travel experience (Gavel International, 2017)

Influencers:

Parents, friends (Howe & Strauss, 2003)

Preferred Media:

Prefer to be reached through their devices like smartphones or

tablets (Economy, 2015)

85 percent of millennials own smartphones (Patel, 2015)

Use online communication whenever possible (Riot, 2017)

Target millennials on social media (Sterling, 2014)

96 percent of female millennials are smartphone users (EMarketer,

2014)

90 percent of female millennials are active on social networks

(EMarketer, 2014)

Objectives They Will Accomplish:

They will help accomplish objectives 1 and 2.


Key Public 2: Engaged Couples

For the purposes of this media relations strategy, engaged couples are actively looking for a

wedding venue or somewhere that exudes romance. Engaged couples are typically getting married older

than former generations and really value financial stability. Members of this target audience typically

have a bachelor’s degree and sometimes even additional graduate degrees or certificates. Engaged

couples look for a space that is going to match what they want for their special day and they are not

afraid to put in a bit more money to have their vision met.

Demographics:

Average age of bride is 28 years old (Marketwired, 2014)

Average age of groom is 29 years old (Marketwired, 2014)

Prime ages for getting married is 25-34 (Fry, 2014)

Mostly the college educated are getting married (Fry, 2014)

Psychographics:

Brides are savvy, budget conscious, and somewhat entitled (Hurd, 2015)

Same-Sex marriage is legal (Hurd, 2015)

Grooms are more involved in the wedding planning (Hurd, 2015)

Longer Engagements (Marketwired, 2014)

May already have kids together (Marketwired, 2014)

Average Cost of Receptions is $12, 343, which is 43 percent of the budget

(Marketwired, 2014)

Average length of engagement is 14.7 months (Marketwired, 2014)

15 percent of weddings are in May (becoming the biggest month to get married)

(Marketwired, 2014)


Motivating Self-Interests:

Important to be able to have personalized wedding (Marketwired, 2014)

Many couples are paying for their own weddings (Marketwired, 2014)

Affordable wedding (Hurd, 2015)

Influencers:

Parents, friends (Howe & Strauss, 2003)

Preferred Media:

75 percent of brides used social media to connect with brands while wedding

planning (Marketwired, 2014)

67 percent of brides use Pinterest, it is the most used social media platform for

wedding planning (Marketwired, 2014)

Objectives They Will Accomplish:

They will help accomplish objectives 1 and 3.


Key MessagesMillennials

Primary Message: Feel like you’re helping the environment as you book a stay at the Mayton Inn.

Secondary: The Mayton Inn has a rainwater cistern that reduces the hotel’s water needs.

Secondary: Each room at the Mayton Inn has an energy management system.

Primary Message: Leisure travelers need to book a room at the Mayton Inn and experience the newest

and hottest spot in downtown Cary.

Secondary: Downtown Cary has tons of nightlife activities that is perfect for local fun.

Secondary: The Mayton Inn always has events that unique and exciting.

Engaged Couples

Primary Message: Pop champagne and experience romance at the Mayton Inn.

Secondary: Couples can enjoy all of the intimate spaces and events at the Mayton Inn.

Secondary: The Mayton Inn provides a romance package for wedding anniversaries,

honeymoon’s, and special occasions.

Primary Message: Engaged couples in search of an intimate wedding ceremony and reception should

look no further as the Mayton Inn is the perfect place to book their special day.

Secondary: Engaged couples can book all 45 rooms at the Mayton Inn for their special day.


Secondary: Because of the size of the event spaces, the Mayton Inn offers an intimate

experience.


Strategy Roadmap


Strategies & TacticsKey Public: Millennials

Strategy 1:

Position the Mayton Inn as a luxury hotel that is earth-friendly and environmentally friendly.

Tactic 1

What: Create a weekly Instagram story about how the Mayton Inn works to be eco-friendly.

(Objective 2)

Tactic 2

What: Publish and Promote a Facebook campaign that targets millennials that like to travel that

positions the Mayton Inn as a place to stay that is earth-friendly and environmentally-friendly.

(Objective 2)

Tactic 3

What: Pitch a story to Why Wait to See the World, an online travel magazine for millennials,

about how the Mayton Inn works to be eco-friendly. (Objective 1)

Strategy 2:

Frame the Mayton Inn as the must-stay boutique hotel by leveraging the hotel’s space and nightlife in

the downtown Cary area.


Tactic 1

What: Create a sponsored post for Vogue on how downtown Cary is the newest hot spot in

North Carolina. (Objective 1)

Tactic 2

What: Host a Great Gatsby themed escape room at the Mayton Inn and promote the event via

social media. (Objective 2)

Tactic 3

What: Host a pop-up meet-and-greet with recent bachelor contestant and local celebrity, Jenna

Cooper. (Objective 2)


Key Public: Engaged Couples

Strategy 1:

Establish the Mayton Inn as an intimate and affordable place to hold weddings.

Tactic 1

What: Pitch a story to Intimate Weddings Blog about having an intimate wedding at the Mayton

Inn. (Objective 3)

Tactic 2

What: Host a weekly live chat on Facebook about having your wedding at the Mayton Inn. Be

able to present innovative ideas, give a behind the scenes look or answer questions. (Objective 2)

Tactic 3

What: Pitch a story to Wedding Style Magazine, according to Cision it has a monthly readership

of 400,000, which is high for a bridal magazine, about Mayton Inn and how it is a intimate

wedding destination. (Objective 3)

Strategy 2:

Position the Mayton Inn as the perfect place for romance.


Tactic 1

What: For a limited time, engaged couples can pay for a one-night stay at the Mayton Inn by

completing the conjoined twin challenge. (Objective 2)

Tactic 2

What: Invite Town & Country Weddings to the Mayton Inn to write about a lucky couple’s

wedding day. (Objective 3)

Tactic 3

What: Send a press release to the Knot Magazine to inform them of the Mayton Inn’s bridal

open house. (Objective 3)


Timeline


Resources (including budget)


Success Metrics

Objective Metrics & Evaluation Tools

Increase earned media by 20 percent by the end of August 2018 to communicate the Mayton Inn as the perfect place to stay in the summer.

Conduct baseline measurements at the beginning of the media relations strategy.

Using website analytics, record inbound traffic stats from website referrals.

Setup a Google Alert for the “Mayton Inn” at the beginning of media relations strategy. Record the number of articles generated about the Mayton Inn and the general sentiment of the article(s).

Compose all information in monthly evaluation document to monitor success.

Increase Millennial interactions on the Mayton Inn’s social media by 25 percent by the end of November 2018.


Gather monthly social sentiment about the Mayton Inn and draw insights.

Record weekly Instagram stats, especially impressions, reach, and demographics.

Record monthly Twitter mentions and follower count.

Record monthly Facebook reach, follower count, engagement, and page views.



Increase earned media in bridal publications by 15 percent by the end of November 2018.


Using website analytics, record inbound traffic stats from website referrals.



*The Mayton Inn should compose a full report at the end of the campaign.


Conclusion

The Mayton Inn sets itself apart from other hotels in the industry. Being in competition with

other hotels in North Carolina such as Embassy Suites, the Carolina Inn, and the Durham Hotel, the

Mayton Inn must position itself as the ideal place to say in the Cary area to more than just local

travelers.

This strategic media relations plan has outlined, in great detail, information and steps to appeal to

millennials and engaged couples. This plan is not to inform the Mayton Inn’s media team of how to

change characteristics of the hotel that makes it unique, but will instead provide a clear and concise plan

of the direction in which the hotel needs to move forward in order to adapt to the changes in its

surroundings from a communications standpoint. Over the course of five months and with a fairly

reasonable budget, the Mayton Inn can maintain its current reputation in its local area for being the

luxurious and intimate choice of stay for engaged couples, but stay current with the trends of the city by

attracting more guests who fit into the millennial-aged generation.

The absence of a media relations strategy can mean that the Mayton Inn has missed the

opportunity to engage and attract consumers, especially millennials and engaged couples, at the national

level, rather than limiting itself to the local area. If this strategy is followed correctly, the Mayton Inn

has the opportunity to become widely known across the nation and pull in more national traffic.


References

Benitez, G. (2018, February 18). Mayor: 2018 will be one of the most transformative periods in

Carys history. Retrieved from http://www.wral.com/mayor-2018-will-be-one-of-the-most-

transformative-periods-in-cary-s-history-/17352619/

Economy, P. (2015, September 24). 9 Powerful Tips for Communicating Better With

Millennials. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/9-powerful-tips-for

communicating-better-with-millennials.html

Elkins, K. (2015, April 07). Here's how much money millennials are earning in each state.

Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/the-average-salary-of-millennials-2015-3

EMarketer. (2014, September 11). How to Reach US Female Millennials-It's Not Easy.

Retrieved from https://www.emarketer.com/Article/How-Reach-US-Female

MillennialsIts-Not-Easy/1011182

Fry, R. (2014, February 06). New census data show more Americans are tying the knot, but

mostly it's the college-educated. Retrieved from

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/02/06/new-census-data-show-more-americans-are-

tying-the-knot-but-mostly-its-the-college-educated/

Gavel International. (2017, May 02). 9 Travel Experiences that Motivate Millennials. Retrieved

from http://www.gavelintl.com/9-travel-experiences-that-millennials-love/


The Highland Group. The Boutique Hotel Report 2017. Retrieved from

https://www.hotellawyer.com/files/the_boutique_hotel_report_2017.pdf

Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2003). Millennials Go to College: Characteristics of the Millennial

Generation. Retrieved from https://students.rice.edu/images/students/AADV/OWee

k2008AADVResources/Characteristics%20of%20the%20Millenial%20Generation.pdf

Hurd, S. (2015, September 01). The Changing Face of Wedding Demographics. Retrieved from

http://www.vowsmagazine.com/changing-wedding-demographics

Marketwired. (2014, July 10). BRIDES Reveals Trends of Engaged American Couples With

American Wedding Study. Retrieved from http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/brides-

reveals-trends-of-engaged-american-couples-with-american-wedding-study-1928460.htm

Millennial Marketing. (n.d.). The Bucket List: What Motivates Millennials? Retrieved from

http://www.millennialmarketing.com/2010/05/the-bucket-list-what-motivates-millennials/

Patel, S. (2015, May 18). 3 Essential Tips for Marketing to Millennials. Retrieved from

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/246199

Riot. (2017, February 21). Mind The Gap! Bridge the Gap Between Baby Boomers and

Millennials in the Workplace. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@RiotChat/mind-the

Gap-bridge-the-gap-between-baby-boomers-and-millennials-in-the-workplace

9b89e69359c7


Sterling, G. (2014, July 15). Survey: Best Way To Reach Millennials Is On Social Media.

Retrieved from http://marketingland.com/survey-best-way-reach-millennials-social

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