Hershey Entertainment and Resorts has increased its revenue by 17% and room bookings by 10% over the past year, thanks to segmenting direct mail to its existing customers.
The mailings were keyed to spending patterns and guest preferences — such as families booking connecting rooms — on file from previous stays at the Pennsylvania attraction, says Tjibbe Lambers, director of marketing and analytics.
Through digital variable printing techniques, Hershey was able to design and send out several different creative packages.
“If we’re speaking to a family segment, we use photography that shows families together or a mother with kids in a bed,” says Lambers. “Or if you came to the Hotel Hershey and used the spa, the next time around we’ll speak to you about spa packages available in the fall season,” he notes.
The strategy — the outcome of a three-year effort to centralize all Hershey’s customer data into one system, designed by Air Marketing — may be applied to future e-mail prospecting campaigns, notes Lambers.
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