By Amy La Sala
A sense of social responsibility is an important characteristic to possess on personal and professional levels, and now more than ever these values are integral to success in the future. Brandstanding is an important marketing trend related to brand authenticity, equality, inclusivity and social justice. We’ve been following the #Brandstanding trend for a few years now, and each year it’s picked up steam. Over the past few years, major social justice movements have taken place around the county and the world, and have made history. In light of the events of the past year and ongoing unrest and uncertainty, social justice issues have rapidly progressed and gone mainstream. More consumers have urged their favorite companies and brands to openly take a stand for various causes. Hotels especially can benefit from integrating social responsibility into their brand and customer experiences.
From social media posts and trends to providing financial support, customers are passionate about social responsibility and justice causes. While authenticity is essential for brands of all kinds, shifting demographics indicate that for the majority of Millennials and Gen-Z, Brandstanding is expected. These generations wield considerable economic power, and they’re not afraid to put their money where their mouth is. They want to see the brands they support follow suit, or they’ll send them packing and find new ones in alignment with their values.
With demand and occupancies reaching the highest levels since the pandemic began, it’s essential to understand that the social justice movement and social responsibility will affect your marketing and your brand. Nobody needs bad press or boycotts. Social responsibility is a serious consideration that needs to be discussed, carefully planned and addressed.
For savvy hotel operators wanting heads in beds, social justice and responsibility offer expanded marketing opportunities. An example being more hotels and chains developing programs, packages and campaigns that are LGBTQ-friendly, capturing new customer segments with serious discretionary dollars to spend on travel. From a different angle of social justice, hotels in legal cannabis states have cannabis enthusiasts and marijuana tourism to consider, and the trend has increasingly been reflected in the hotel and lodging industry.
Of course, many hotels will be hesitant to jump into these conversations, let alone integrate social responsibilities into the hotel brand identity. When done right and for causes that align with your core values, you’ll quickly see how adopting social responsibility is a great approach to align with target audiences reflected in positive brand awareness, engagement and increased occupancy. However, it will take careful consideration and planning of your internal and external brand messaging before jumping right in.
Identify the Right Causes To Support
Identify causes that truly matter to your company and staff. For those in need of inspiration, check out the core values and go from there! It’s important that companies choose to support causes that they genuinely care about. Customers will quickly pick up on brands that are hopping on a bandwagon, or just picking random causes that they believe will make them look good. In other words, don’t force it. Current and potential clients, employees and competing brands will see right through any superficial motives. Choose causes that align with the industry or have a special meaning to staff and stakeholders.
Start Locally
Supporting the local community is a great way to give back and advocate for causes on a smaller scale. For instance, in response to the ongoing pandemic and economic conditions, many customers push for shopping and supporting local stores, and staycations are rising in popularity. This is a great way to gain local brand awareness and employees may be more excited to get involved in their local community. Hotels can definitely reach out to local organizations, even if they are a nationwide chain. Starting (and even staying) with local approaches is always a good practice and an excellent way to meet potential customers. Incorporating locally-grown foods and cultural elements into your hotel offerings is another attractive benefit for destination travelers.
Set Brand Goals
Set and measure company-wide goals. Encourage staff to participate on a regular basis to support the established social causes. Weekly, monthly, quarterly or even yearly timeframes can have a big impact. Share these goals on social media or create a reminder system to stay accountable and excited. The hotel industry is a 24/7 business, so it can be difficult to truly get outside and participate. However, try to find multiple volunteering options employees can participate in that are flexible and accessible.
Share Your Efforts
Showing how much your organization supports social causes will impress current and future clients or customers, but be careful. It’s okay to leverage social media to gain awareness of your social justice efforts, but there’s a fine line between just right and overdoing it or really stepping in it. Customers will quickly recognize if a brand’s efforts are ingenuine, and even quicker to call you out for it. So, how does a brand properly spread its social justice movement efforts? It’s essential to keep all information shared completely accurate. Additionally, post or share in small doses. Many hotels have a significant amount of followers on social media, so it’s truly essential to keep these kinds of posts positive, engaging and genuine.
In closing, while social justice and responsibility may seem like relatively fresh concepts, they’re not, and consumers are more passionate than ever. If your hotel wants to secure more customers and keep them coming back, focusing on social responsibility is an excellent place to start.
