Last month, FIVE opened a new resort in JBR to add to its growing portfolio of hotels and resorts. Campaign Middle East editor Justin Harper spoke to Ahmad Kheir, Director of Digital Marketing & eCommerce at FIVE Hotels and Resorts to find out more.
How did the marketing approach for the new JBR resort differ from previous hotel launches?
FIVE recognises the significance of creating engaging content with the right messaging and employing disruptive, innovative strategies to capture attention and drive conversion.The digital marketing strategy for FIVE LUXE took on an evolved approach by leveraging past, and current, insights from our wider brand, and loyal customer, database. The team focused on ‘look-alike’ audiences and used remarketing ads, targeting the well-established FIVE-centric brand base, in order to enhance robust engagement.
You tailor marketing strategies to each location – how was this executed for JBR?
Marketing strategies were meticulously designed to align with the hotel’s unique attributes. FIVE LUXE sets itself apart with singular suites such as the After Party Suite, Incredible Suite with XL Pool and Come Play Spa Suite. It makes an distinctive and elevated offering for the local and international diaspora of discerning luxury lifestyle travellers.
Does the new hotel cater to a slightly different target market?
The target market shows nuanced differences. While there is some clearly defined overlap with other FIVE Hotels and Resorts, the emphasis on specific interests such as resorts in JBR and private pools varies, signalling substantial interest from source markets such as the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Germany, as well as within the UAE, for our latest FIVE icon.
Tell us about your social media approach
With Millennials and Gen Z as our primary consumer base, social media is a critical marketing tool in reaching and engaging this audience. It is an essential part of how guests discover FIVE and get a glimpse into the experience, thereby making it one of our most important promotional channels.
The signature ‘Vibe at FIVE’ and ‘Instagrammable Moments’ drives and fosters genuine word-of-mouth and user-generated content (UGC) from guests, influencers, and content creator, which in turn is promoted to further drive organic community engagement.
How do you work with influencers?
As a digital-first brand, influencers are an integral part of our digital marketing strategy. For the launch of FIVE LUXE, we strategically partnered with high-reach, performance driven influencers that align with our brand positioning and target demographic to authentically convey the launch. Including influencers in the marketing mix boosted and amplified reach, engagement and lent credibility to the marketing strategy, heightening anticipation for the opening.
And your results?
In April, the FIVE LUXE website saw a significant increase in user visits, totaling 298,000 (+56 per cent compared to the previous month). This surge in traffic resulted in 497,000 total views (+67 per cent) and a total of 2.2 million events counted (+ 40 per cent) on the website.
