Aulani Marketing Report free essay sample

This marketing research project is developed to benefit the future development of Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, especially focus on green marketing perspective. In this project, the format of marketing plan is followed and it has four main parts. First, a general business description is given, having an overview of Aulani. Second, the internal business environment of Aulani is analyzed, from both fundamental principal of marketing perspective and green marketing perspective. Following is the analysis of Aulani’s external business environment, which can be divided into two parts, general environment and competitor analysis. Finally, SWOT analysis is withdrawn to conclude the previous analysis and two marketing strategies are recommended. I. General Business Description 1. Production Description Opened on August 29, 2011, Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, locates at Ko Olina Resort and Marina in the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It has two main 15-story buildings with 343 hotel rooms and 16 suites plus 460 Disney Vacation Club Villas. We will write a custom essay sample on Aulani Marketing Report or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Besides, there are two full-service restaurants, a buffet eatery, two lounges and two pool-side shacks that serve beverages and Pu Pu platter (an American Chinese Cuisine). The beachfront resorts also include an 8,200 square feet pool complex with two slides, a lazy river and an artificial snorkeling lagoon, a spa encompassed 18,000 square feet, and a 15,000 square feet conference center with around 40,000 square feet of outdoor venues. Other unparalleled amenities are fitness center, Aunty’s Beach House (Kids’ Club) and Painted Sky (Teen Spa). . Vision/mission statement As a part of the Walt Disney Company, Aulani shares the same mission of the company, which is â€Å"to be one of the worlds leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world .    While as for Aulani itself, the aim of it is to convey Hawaiian culture to visitors. This goal of Aulani is suggested by the meaning of â€Å"Aulani†, which means â€Å"messenger of a chief†: one who delivers messages from a higher authority†. II. Analysis of Internal Business Environment 1. Fundamental Principles of Marketing A. Product/Service With the Walt Disney first-rate dedication, Disney Imagineers worked together with Hawaiian locals to create Aulani, made it a perfect and enjoyable vacation destination for family with all ages and different sizes. Guests can celebrate Hawaiian culture, traditions and history from contemporary Hawaiian art featured throughout the Resort, to myriad recreational activities, culinary programs, excursions and more, being immersed in the legends of the island and experiencing the true enchantment of Hawaii. The needs of guests are promised to always be assured by the Disney’s world-famous service, so that guests can be truly relaxing to enjoy time with family. B. Price There are four types of rooms/suites in the two main buildings: Standard Room; Parlor Room; Lei Huhu Suit and Ahu U’la Suite. The price range is from $399 a night for the Standard Room to $2,499 a night for the Ahu U’la Suite. As for Disney Vacation Club Villas, Deluxe Studio, 1-Bedroom Villa, 2-Bedroom Villa and Grand Villa are available for Disney Vacation Club Members. Members pay the accommodation by their Vacation Points. C. Place Avoided squeezing in hundreds of hotels in Waikiki, Aulani chooses to be a part of Ko Olina Resort Community and Marina, which is in the western side of Oahu, 27 miles away from Waikiki and 17 miles from International Airport. Ko Olina is a laid-back community with picturesque natural views and well-rounded recreational amenities, which is one of the premier resort destinations in Hawaii. It not only has sweeping ocean views, picture-postcard white sand beaches and tranquil crystal blue lagoon, but also owns championship golf course, shopping center as well as snorkeling and fishing spots. Aulani is nestled between the lush green mountains and beautiful ocean waters, taken up 21 acres of beachfront property of Ko Olina. D. Promotion As a world’s leading company, Walt Disney Company is a master in terms of promotion. Besides using traditional channel, such as television, newspaper, official websites and radio, to promote, Aulani also makes use of social networking like Facebook and Twitter to create word of mouth momentum. The most impressing way of their promotion is that they welcome bloggers to come to their events and to interview their managers, which is not every company would like to does. The CEO of Walt Disney Company believes that social networking can easily reach people who might be interested in Disney and can get great their feedback immediately. Moreover, according to Lilly Yeatman, Marketing Director for Aulani, the current target markets of Aulani are Mainland United States and Japan, and they have several marketing managers to deal with issues in terms of these two regions. 2. Green Marketing As more and more people are aware of environmental problems which our human being are facing, most people nowadays do shopping with some degree of morality in mind, taking social or environmental issues into consideration as they select from a range of product or services. Therefore, the concept of â€Å"green marketing† or â€Å"sustainable marketing† becomes emerging in the field of marketing. According to the  American Marketing Association, green marketing  is the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe and it incorporates a broad range of activities, including product modification, changes to the production process, packaging changes, as well as modifying advertising. It mainly takes four forms from eco-friendly aspects, which are operational sustainability, green products/services, sustainable marketing and environmental causes. As a resort which is engaged in service industry, Aulani pursues green marketing by adopting operational sustainability and green services. 1. Operational sustainability Operational sustainability basically means business improves sustainability by reducing everyday energy and minimizing pollution using green technologies. In the case of Aulani, the design and construction of its buildings are where reflecting this concept most. Disney architects mainly focus on three aspects: recycle and reuse energy, improve energy efficiency and control air quality. Following are some examples in terms of these three aspects. Recycle and reuse energy + The waste heat from air-conditioning is reused via heat pump technology, which can capture waste heat from air-conditioning chillers and use it as the energy to heat the water running out of hot-water faucets. + The  Aulani construction team successfully recycled more than half of the construction waste materials that were generated on site. Materials that were recycled included concrete, concrete masonry units, wood, metal, steel, aluminum, cardboard and glass, as well as green waste from planting materials. Improve energy efficiency + â€Å"Cool roof† technology reflects the infrared spectrum back into the atmosphere, adjusting the roof temperature by different situation and helping to keep buildings cool. While â€Å" green roofs† above the spa fitness center and the kitchen at â€Å"AMA’AMA† can automatically deflect the infrared spectrum and provide natural shade. The elevators in Aulani use nearly one-third less energy than traditional elevators and they don’t require petroleum-based lubricants, based on fossil fuels. Moreover, the emergency stairwells have energy-saving lighting technology, with a bi-level emergency lighting that keeps stairwells illuminated with minimum code lighting at all times. Only when a person enters the stairwell, sensors activate and the lighting level w ill increase. Control air quality + â€Å"Demand ventilation† is used as a technique is spaces such as ballrooms and meeting rooms to minitor the air quality. This technique measures the carbon dioxide being emitted from spaces when large numbers of guests gather, which means air can be customized for the number of people in the room. + Furthermore, indoor air quality standards of Aulani have been established for the resort by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers. B. Green Product/Service Besides operational sustainability, green product/service is the other main aspects of green marketing which are implemented by Aulani. Green product/service is defined as â€Å"Companies producing products can do many things to improve the green factor of their offerings. † Being a resort in the service industry, Aulani makes its service green mainly by promoting concept and creating sustainable programme or activities for guest. Promoting concept Using â€Å"big H, little d† as their promotion concept, Aulani respects Hawaiian culture fits into Hawaiian style rather than brings in tons of Disney fancy stuffs. Unlike other Disney theme Parks, Aulani here in Hawaii tries not to be â€Å"an island of an island†. You even can hardly find Disney characters when you are have fun here, because Disney imagineers work with cultural consultants and community leaders as well as with local artists and designers, and they try to make here to be real magical Polynesian villages, so that guests could have an authentic Hawaiian experience to celebrate Hawaii’s living culture. This promotion concept is evident to benefit for the fragile culture of Hawai’i. The value of respecting the land and culture is surely sustainable for passing Hawaii culture from generation to generation and the culture may spread it to other places in the world by Aulani’s guests. Sustainable programs or activities There are many sustainable programs and activities which Aulani’s guests can participate in conservation. Joe Rohde,  vice president and executive designer for Walt Disney Imagineering, said that the purpose of creating sustainable programs and activities for guests is that the hope to enlighten and entertain, and also raise awareness about the importance of supporting conservation in Hawaii, at home and globally where the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund is supporting projects. The most impressed one may be steeping into muddy taro field and helping harvest the taro with community volunteers. A green taro field is located at the entry of Aulani, which is maintained by some community volunteers. Taro is a heart of soul of Hawaiian culture, by having the true experience of taro farming and being told the traditional Hawaiian stories, guest will have a better understand of Hawaiian culture. Another incredible spots which guests can enjoy are Rainbow Reef Snorkel Lagoon and the Makai Preserve, which share nature up close with guests. Aulani makes them home to the graceful hihimanu brown stingrays and other colorful creatures of the sea. Moreover, Aulani has a resort-wide recycling program for guests and workers to participate. The recycling items include cardboard, aluminum, paper and plastic, as well as food waste, electronics, batteries, and light bulbs. III. Analysis of External Business Environment 1. General Environment A. Economics According to the report which is issued by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization  on 4th November, 2011, Hawaii’s economics is in pause mode. The general economic trend continues to slowdown through the recovery process with heightened external risks. Stagnant labor market, absent construction and limited income growth are considered having evident problems, although in some respects Hawaii’s economics is healthier than the United States as a whole. However, it forecasts that the trend of Hawaii’s economic recovery process will turn out to be positive as moving into 2012. In this report, it also mentions that United States’ economic conditions remained suffering and consumer confidence and spending is still anemic. Moreover, being the number one income of Hawaii, tourism sector also has suffered this year, from the Japanese earth quake, higher energy prices, and deteriorating US consumer confidence. The data released by the Department of Business, Economics and Tourism in Hawaii shows that the growth rate of tourism sector in the second quarters of 2011 is lower than previous quarters. The total number of visitors arriving by air to Hawaii increases only by 0. 5 percent in the second quarter, with the number of domestic visitors grows by 1. percent while the number of international visitors decreases by 2. 2 percent. Although the total number of international visitors decreases in the second quarter, the strong point for tourism this year is that the number of visitors who come from countries other than US and Japan is soaring and these visitors makes up 18 percent of the tourism market in this year through September. Scheduled airline seats from Australia, South Korea, and Canada are up 28 per cent, 78 percent and 6. 6 percent respectively. B. Culture Although experiencing the history of Euro/American colonialism, Hawaii retains its unique culture of their authentic Polynesian ancestors. Aloha, Onaha are two core cultural values among Hawaiian, which are considered persistent and are passed from generation to generation. Aloha is the most famous cultural value in Hawaii, which represents affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. It is the coordination of mind and heart within every Hawaiian, bringing every Hawaiian to the self. It encourages everyone to think and emote good feelings to others. The Aloha spirits make Hawaii a place with friendly, nice and giving people. Ohana, which means family, is the most important value in Hawaiian culture. It is defined as a group of related people who share nearly everything, from land and food to children and status. This group of people is not necessarily related by blood, they can be anyone who shares a common sense of aloha. Hawaiians embraces Ohana as the basic unit of society and the best form of human expression. They believe that everyone has a responsibility to use their talents to benefit the entire ohana. 2. Competitor Analysis There are other three main resorts at Ko Olina, which are JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa, Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club timeshare resort, and the Beach Villas at Ko Olina condominium resort. Among of these competitors, JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa is considered as the most competitive one, since it has the longest history and highest reputation. Following is a table showing the comparison of Aulani and JW Marriott Ihilani. , which shows that the overall scale as well as the variability of amenities and programs of Aulani cannot match for JW Marriott Ihilani. |