A savvy PR firm can stretch your budget by creating successful partnerships with compatible consumer products or venues. Travel PR that engages in relationship marketing can boost the profile of an airline, hotel, or cruise line on a modest budget. Luxury travel products often benefit the most, by pairing with consumer products in categories like fashion and beauty, where budgets are likely to be generous.
The cost of a cross promotion can be minimal or next to nothing if your PR team has the know-how and the connections to make it happen.
First, state your objectives and stake out your partners. Position the promotion as beneficial to your prospective partner.
Designers, Dining, and Decadence: Partnerships with Happy Endings
The iconic Burberry trench coat was a perfect match for a British airline seeking to launch a new Business Class. We paired the two, offering a Burberry trench to Business Class travelers booking roundtrip between New York and London during a specific period of time, requiring enrollment in the airline’s new executive club, and offering an invitation to a VIP off-hours visit to a Burberry store.
The Orient-Express luxury train brought its chef to New York’s trendsetting Bloomingdale’s Le Tren Bleu restaurant, whose Art Deco décor matched that of the 1920’s train. We invited press to dine there as our guests, and did a joint PR campaign that brought in shoppers and boosted the restaurant’s revenues while promoting the train’s menu.
We packaged a trip to Spain with airline tickets from national carrier, a stay at La Bobadilla, five-star resort in Andalucia, and a two-day excursion on the luxury train The Andalusian Express. Bloomingdale’s promoted the trip in their fall catalogue, which was mailed to six million Bloomies credit card holders.
We worked with Christian Dior’s marketing team to produce a fashion shoot aboard a luxury train, which the fashion house promoted in their catalogue
For a British leather goods company, we created a charitable tie-in with Avon Breast Cancer Crusade and a top young designer.
How about a fundraising partnership with a leading NYC ballet company and the Orient-Express that raised more than $50,000 for the cultural institution and promoted a first-time skiing itinerary through the Alps.
Keeping Costs in Check
In many of these case studies, the cost to the travel product was virtually nothing out of pocket. The time spent by the travel PR firm was covered by the budget, and in the instances of a travel product, some in-kind product giveaway was required. But that is par for the course for airlines, hotels, restaurants, cruise lines, and luxury rail seeking to extend attract media attention and extend their reach to new markets.
A creative PR team will seek partnerships with compatible products, that market to the same segment. These make the most sense, and that are likely to work because both parties will gain market share and publicity.
Your team will need to be sensitive to the partner’s identity, being careful to pay close attention to a brand’s positioning and never departing from the party line. Their job is still to put your product first, but they need to be willing and able to work in a true collaborative effort.
You can come away with a wider profile, increased bookings, and enhanced reputation. But unlike promotions you undertook yourself, you gain a relationship that can produce benefits in years to come.