Brand versus portfolio: Using targeted marketing to drive individually relevant brand strategies

Abstract

This paper considers the complex task of driving engagement with a portfolio of brands, specifically when the ‘right’ brand strategy for one type of customer is not the best strategy for others. The author explores the case of a hospitality company with a portfolio of several brands, and a field experiment in which the company used a novel approach to promotional marketing to drive multiple brand strategies. Evidence suggests that the company was able to improve the perception of one brand within the portfolio, while simultaneously increasing cross-brand trial and utilisation. This paper describes the test-and-learn method created to measure the true influence of the promotion on incremental trial of hotels and brands, and how this approach has been expanded as part of an ongoing role of loyalty marketing to drive brand engagement. An important takeaway is a demonstration that data science and digital marketing can be harnessed to accentuate the role of brands and loyalty rather than to challenge them.