Evolving Marketing Environment

Executive Summary

This report discusses how marketing communications changed and developed in the past decades, and at the same time identifies some of the most recent and influential marketing communication trends. Additionally the author evaluates how the hospitality industry is pursuing the social media marketing trend, suggests recommendations and solutions for the hospitality professionals to adapt to the changing marketing environment.

Table of Contents

1. Background 5

2. Main Body 5

3. Recommendations and Solutions 7

References: 8

1. Background

Marketing is an ever evolving, developing and changing concept driven by the political, environmental and social factors, customer demand and latest technological developments. This report will discuss the marketing communication mix evolution over the past fifty years. Most of the changes and developments were influenced by the rapid development of information and media technology, which presented the marketing professionals with new tools and opportunities to reach to the customer. Most recent marketing communication trends and tools include societal marketing and corporate social responsibility marketing, mobile marketing and social media marketing. Social media marketing requires special attention as it has significant implications for the hospitality business, real life examples, and raises the need for recommendations of practical implementation for the hospitality professionals.

2. Main Body

Marketing communications is the “promotion” P of the 7 P’s of the marketing mix. The traditional marketing communications in turn has its mix which consists of the following elements: “personal communications, advertising, sales promotions, publicity and public relations, instructional materials, and corporate design” as identified by Lovelock and Wirtz (2010). Yet the past several decades brought a shift of traditional mix to information and communication technology driven...