Best Group Marketing Campaign

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2004 winner: Hilton UK & Ireland

"The judges praised the group for hitting all its objectives and exceeding its target within just seven months from launch" Last year's judging panel took very little time to choose the winner of the Best Group Marketing Campaign Catey. The unanimous verdict was that Hilton UK & Ireland's Family Breaks campaign demonstrated an excellent understanding of the target market, clear objectives and quantifiable results. Hilton launched the campaign in May 2003 to improve its standing in the family market after extensive research had shown that, despite being the fastest-growing segment in the short breaks market, no one chain "owned" the market or even offered a genuine product aimed solely at family guests. The campaign had five main objectives: - To develop the most comprehensive suite of features benefits and offers aimed specifically at the family market. - To launch simultaneously across 50 hotels. - To exploit third-party partnerships. - To create a measurable £1m-plus earning revenue stream within a year. - To reposition Hilton as brand leader in the UK family short breaks market. The judges praised the group for hitting all its objectives and exceeding its target of generating more than £1m of traceable room revenue within just seven months from launch. By making good use of relationships with third parties such as Sony and toy retailer Hamleys, Hilton managed to keep costs down to £150,000 on marketing and a further £50,000 on product spend. A further benefit was the 49% increase in mailable family addresses on its customer database, boosting the chance of repeat business. As well as its impressive results, Hilton was praised for the quality of the materials used in its campaign, based around a cast of "funky and contemporary" cartoon characters under the name Planet Hilton. The judges also applauded the group for providing different offerings for different age groups of children. Nominations are now being sought for this year's Best Group Marketing Campaign Catey. The judges will be looking for the most enterprising and effective campaign run by a hospitality business over the previous 12 months. Competition for the category will be fierce, as it is open to all sectors of the hospitality industry. But if your business has run an effective campaign over the past 12 months and you feel able to follow in the footsteps of last year's winner, Hilton UK & Ireland, we want to hear from you. To enter, download and fill in the nomination form, and accompany your entry with a supporting statement. Deadline for submissions is Thursday 25 March, and judging takes place on 20 April at the Grosvenor House hotel, London. Judges' criteria - Businesses enter themselves for the Best Group Marketing Campaign award rather than being put forward by a third party. - To qualify, the business must be a group organisation operating more than one unit under central control but whose units are separated geographically. - Entries can be for a single unit in a group, the group as a whole, or any part of it. Don't forget All nominations in this category MUST be accompanied by a supporting statement.