Marketing Objectives:
Clearly state your marketing goals.
What did your company strive to achieve using this piece or program?Primary marketing objectives and goals for the BWR email redesign were to: - Position Best Western Hotels & Resorts as a leader in the hospitality industry through its contemporary offerings and continuous innovation - Educate today’s modern travelers about Today’s Best Western and its diverse portfolio of unique hotel brands - Support seasonal promotional messaging while driving BWR enrollments and activations - Generate conversation and buzz around the brand’s evolution - Drive brand awareness, consideration and bookings for each of Best Western’s 13 hotel brands - Encourage members to book directly with Best Western to take advantage of their membership perks - Educate travelers about the benefits of BWR membership - Leverage audience interest data and segments to engage with prospective travelers

Target Audience:
Who was/is the target audience?
Characterize the composition, size, and location of your target audience.The target audience for the BWR emails included today’s travelers – a broad term used to describe modern guests who demand more from hospitality brands than ever before, seeking authenticity, elevated amenities and superior service for a variety of budgets and travel occasions. Spanning every demographic, today’s travelers include road warriors, parents planning family vacations, road trippers, millennial adventurers, foodies, fashionistas, global jetsetters and more. Three distinct types of emails were developed, each with different intentions: - Retention emails were developed to entice BWR members and non-members who had not stayed at a Best Western property in the past nine months to book direct on Best Western’s website. - Themed emails visually showcase new Best Western brands and the Today’s Best Western evolution. - Ad hoc emails were also developed around key holidays and brand announcements, including Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and the launch of the BW To Go app.

Research, Planning, and Implementation:
What market research was conducted prior to planning the piece/campaign?The redesigned email template was created to capture an audience that is getting younger and using smaller devices to interact with Best Western. The brand completed three A/B tests and saw an increase in revenue of nearly $50K with the new template. The new template also garnered increased engagement on each type of device including mobile, desktop and tablet. The brand determined it would send emails three times a month to both BWR and non-BWR users. Best Western found personalized messaging resonated more powerfully with users it sought to re-engage. Initially, emails were sent to those who had not stayed with the brand within 9-12 months, inviting them to return. Following lackluster results, the series was reconfigured and deployed to a larger audience on a weekly basis with a personalized message based on the length of inactivity. While open rates and click-to-opens decreased (due to the larger audience), revenue doubled what was previously achieved over seven months.

Message:
What is the key message intended for the piece/campaign?
What differentiates your piece/campaign in the marketplace?In 2019, the “Today’s Best Western” campaign served as the principal messaging pillar across all content, including BWR emails. It communicated the message that today’s Best Western is designed to meet the needs of today’s modern travelers. The extraordinary results of the brand’s transformative journey can be seen through its dynamic portfolio of brands, expanding its presence in key markets and unrivaled industry recognition. The emails also showcased how, as an industry leader in the loyalty space, BWR is preferred above other loyalty programs for successfully reflecting the voice of Best Western’s valued customers. Rich benefits such as points that never expire, fastest way to elite status, fastest way to a free night and instant rewards have earned the brand the loyalty of more than 36 million members. BWR continues to reimagine the hotel loyalty landscape as guest loyalty remains a major focus in the travel sector and a top priority for Best Western.

Results:
How did you measure the effectiveness of your efforts and what direct and tangible results did you achieve? Please be as specific as possible and share the full impact of your efforts in CSR. Understandably, maintenance is another major part of CSR. If you have continued to actively and consistently work on your CSR process; please add those actions to your results description.

Results:
Which of your original goals did you achieve and how?
How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns.As part of the brand’s loyalty strategy, the channel supported Best Western Rewards 49% contribution of brand revenue fiscal year to date in 2019. These results demonstrate that the brand’s spring campaign helped to improve the brand’s overall bottom line while also attracting loyal customers. Additional results include: - 30-50% increase in bookings with the new template, depending on device type - 20% minimum increase in booked revenue, based on the device type - Increase in revenue of nearly $50k with the new template - Increases in engagement across each type of device, including mobile, desktop and tablet

Research, Planning and Implementation
What research was conducted prior to planning the initiative? Describe the step by step efforts to plan and implement the initiative in a way that would allow others to be able to duplicate your efforts. Were their individuals or teams that offered leadership to ensure effectiveness?

Message and Communication
What were your key messages? How did you differentiate your messages? What was the purpose of the communications? How did you communicate your actions to the target audience? What other stakeholders or media did you approach for assistance?

Results and Impact
What results had the greatest impact on your target audience? What results were directly tied to the HSMAI Foundation Mission? Which of your original goals was achieved? Please comment on the process and the outcomes. What measures were used to determine success? How was the data collected? What is the status of the initiative now – will it continue? Was it effective? Will it be used continuously? Will you help others use the initiative to help the industry meet its needs for exceptional talent? How?

Message:
What is the key messages intended for the piece/ campaign?
What differentiates your piece/campaign in the marketplace?
What helped you breakthrough on mobile?

Results:
What original goals did you achieve and how?
How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign?
Entrants should provide quantifiable metrics tied to real business results (eg brand lift, leads, or bookings generated).

Project Analysis:
Please provide a brief background on the project and your efforts to preserve the destination’s natural, cultural and historic heritage.

Objectives and Goals:
What did organization set out to achieve in undertaking this project?

Creativity and Innovation:
What new and innovative ideas did you incorporate in either your method of outreach or in the implementation of the project that you think could inspire others committed to sustainability in the tourism and travel industry?

Communication:
How did you communicate your actions to the public, the media and other key stakeholders and what was the aim of the message?
How did you generate publicity in order to build awareness of, or support corporate values on your sustainability initiatives.

Results:
How did you measure the effectiveness of your efforts and what direct and tangible results did you achieve?

Leadership:
Please list the individual in a leadership role responsible for the project and how would you characterize their commitment to promoting preservation and sustainability best practices in the travel and tourism industry?

Entry TitleBest Western Rewards Email Redesign

DivisionDigital Marketing

Sub-categoryDigital Single Item

CategoryEmail

Classification