Corporate Social Marketing, Drunken Tourism and Sustainability: The Case of Meliá Hotels International in Magaluf, Spain

Abstract

This case study uses a corporate social marketing perspective to present an example of tourism sustainability promotion. It focuses on the case of Magaluf (Spain), a tourist destination known for its history of drunken tourism and balconing. This case study examines the actions of Meliá Hotels International, in particular the #TheNewMagaluf campaign. The campaign content was analysed. The analysis focused on the message, tone, purpose, graphic design, media and target audience. The impact of the online social marketing campaigns (mainly in terms of online traffic through views on YouTube and social media impact) was also analysed using Hashtagify. These social marketing actions, among others, have enhanced tourism sustainability in Magaluf and have created benefits for both companies and residents. They provide an opportunity to reposition the image of Magaluf.

Appendix: Teaching Notes for the Case

1.1 Synopsis

This case study uses a corporate social marketing perspective to present an example of tourism sustainability promotion. It focuses on the case of Magaluf (Spain), a tourist destination known for its history of drunken tourism and balconing. This case study examines the actions of Meliá Hotels International, in particular the #TheNewMagaluf campaign. The campaign content was analysed. The analysis focused on the message, tone, purpose, graphic design, media and target audience. The impact of the online social marketing campaigns (mainly in terms of online traffic through views on YouTube and social media impact) was also analysed using Hashtagify. These social marketing actions, among others, have enhanced tourism sustainability in Magaluf and have created benefits for both companies and residents. They provide an opportunity to reposition the image of Magaluf.

1.2 Potential Audience and Instructor’s Material

The case study is designed to be used in marketing management both in courses at the MBA and Executive Programme level and in advanced degree level courses. The case study exemplifies corporate social marketing campaigns focused on the promotion of sustainable tourism that use traditional marketing resources such as positioning strategy, branding and marketing communication.

The case study highlights the goal of a social marketing campaign, namely, to create benefits for the community as a whole. Specifically, business and government formed an alliance so that Magaluf could reposition itself as a peaceful, high-quality tourist destination for families, distancing itself from its former image as a destination of drunkenness and disorder. The construction of the new brand of New Magaluf will benefit the community of Magaluf while promoting local tourism growth. The community of Magaluf can coexist in harmony with tourists and local citizens, while local tourism can grow, thanks to the arrival of new visitors with a different socioeconomic and behavioural profile.

1.3 Learning Objectives

General objective: to learn about the role of corporate social marketing in changing tourists’ behaviour for destination sustainability

• Specific objective 1: to learn how corporate social marketing can help build brand equity

• Specific objective 2: to learn how social marketing communication campaigns should be designed on social media

1.4 Time Frame for Class Discussion

This case can be taught in one session of 60–100 minutes. The duration will depend on the number of students participating in the discussion activities and the preparatory work by students before the class.

1.5 Suggested Discussion Questions

• Question 1. This case study shows that conducting corporate social marketing actions is crucial to improve the brand equity of a tourist destination (in this case, Magaluf). How do you think corporate social marketing activities can help build the brand equity of a tourist destination?

• Question 2. This case study shows that the #TheNewMagaluf communication campaign on social media had little impact among the public. How should this type of campaign be designed to be more effective?

• Question 3. Considering the results of the campaign presented in this case study and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector, design a new #TheNewMagaluf communication campaign, assuming that you are the marketing consultant for the Meliá group. Use the Social Media for Behaviour Change (SM4BC) toolkit,¹¹ explained in the previous point, as a starting point to consider the two main recipients of the campaign: (1) tourists with a family profile who seek rest and relaxation and (2) young tourists who visit the destination in search of fun.

1.6 Analysis

Answer to Question 1. This case study shows that conducting corporate social marketing actions is crucial to improve the brand equity of a tourist destination (in this case, Magaluf). How do you think corporate social marketing activities can help build the brand equity of a tourist destination?

Numerous articles explain the role of corporate social marketing in creating brand equity. One of the most important and well-cited articles is by Hoeffler and Keller (2002). They highlight the following six means through which corporate social marketing programmes can help build brand equity:

• 1. Build brand awareness.

• 2. Improve brand image.

• 3. Establish brand credibility.

• 4. Evoke brand feelings.

• 5. Create a sense of brand community.

• 6. Gain commitment to the brand.

Considering this theoretical framework, to build the brand equity of Magaluf, it is crucial to generate brand awareness. This aim involves getting tourists and tour operators to recognise the Magaluf brand. They must associate it with its new attributes of being the best destination in the Mediterranean, combining peace and nature, where young people and families can have fun and enjoy responsible leisure activities in a sophisticated, exclusive and high-quality context. They must also define a positioning strategy based on these attributes.

The suggested actions are as follows:

• Advertising campaigns should be carried out through different offline and online media, where the attributes of the destination are presented. Doing so will help the audience associate the name of the destination with images, products and services related to its new attributes. The campaigns must be segmented to target different target audiences (e.g. young segments and the family segment), with a focus on the attributes that are most valued by each group of tourists. Then, the means of communication can be chosen. Likewise, messages that appeal to the emotions and feelings that the destination awakens should be used, especially to elicit feelings of rest, holidays and enjoyment of natural and relaxing environments.

• In the communication and dissemination actions, the image of the brand should be promoted through famous personalities who convey the desired brand image, associating the chosen values, beliefs and lifestyles with the tourist destination. There must be a strong fit between the image of the destination and the selected public personality.

• Tour operators and local government agencies associated with tourism must participate in fairs, conferences and events that share and promote the new image of Magaluf. They must present to the public their renewed offer of tourist services, highlighting the premium services that are now provided.

• Tour operators and local government agencies associated with tourism should sponsor events where responsible and sustainable tourism is promoted, as well as other events (e.g. sports, social and cultural) with values linked to the destination of Magaluf.

• Another proposal is to develop activities, events and actions that respond to the Sustainable Development Goals related to tourism: Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and Goal 14 (Life Below Water). Mail and communication actions should raise the visibility of Magaluf’s commitment to the SDGs.

• Generating brand credibility is essential for Magaluf’s new image to be reliable. Messages must demonstrate Magaluf’s expertise in providing high-quality tourism services and products. Thus, tourism agencies and operators, as well as government agencies related to tourism, should obtain ISO standards for tourism services and exhibit the corresponding certifications. Examples include ISO 21902, ISO 18513 and ISO 18065.

• Social marketing campaigns should be implemented to avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Such campaigns include de-incentivising the excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. Appeals to social norms, self-respect and self-care can persuade people to avoid excessive consumption. Likewise, events, activities and actions that promote healthy fun and rest can be included in the campaigns.

• A sense of community with the Magaluf brand can be created. Digital communication actions can help promote a sense of community by transmitting the values of the tourist destination and associating it with a cause or theme such as care for the environment, health and well-being, healthy fun or others. To define the cause, research should be carried out to identify the profile of tourists who visit the destination to understand the topics and values with which they identify.

Answer to Question 2. This case study shows that the #TheNewMagaluf communication campaign on social media had little impact among the public. How should this type of campaign be designed to be more effective?

The recently published Social Media for Behaviour Change (SM4BC) toolkit is designed for use by anyone who wants to use social media to achieve positive behavioural change. The kit contains nine steps to design a campaign:¹²

• 1. Diagnosis: Know the internal capacity of the organisation to design and implement a campaign. This step involves describing the organisational mission, understanding the current use of social media, analysing whether social media fit with the organisational communication strategy, learning how communication with different stakeholders are coordinated and analysing whether the current approach to social media is effective.

• 2. Set goals and objectives: Define what you want to achieve. It is important to identify the problem, the factors that contribute to the problem and the factors that can be addressed through social media (because not all factors can be solved through the SM4BC process). The plan then goes on to define the communication goals for social media (i.e. how social media activities will contribute to behavioural change).

• 3. Define the priority audience: Decide who we need to reach. Identify what they know about the problem and what factors motivate them to change behaviours. Identify the barriers that inhibit such change. Identify who has the most influence over the priority audience (peer groups, influencers, opinion leaders, etc.). Understand the behaviour of the priority audience on social media (what they use, how, when, for what, etc.).

• 4. Behaviour selection: Define what we want the audience to do to address the problem. List all possible behaviours and then choose priority behaviours.

• 5. Identify behavioural change mechanisms to help generate those changes: Identify and eliminate barriers to behavioural change. Identify and promote the factors that motivate behavioural change. Identify the social factors that influence the adoption of the promoted behaviours.

• 6. Define a messaging strategy: Decide what should be communicated. This strategy includes communication, content, media, recall strategies, etc.

• 7. Content production plan. Decide how to create content. Define which social media will be used. Decide whether the publications will contain text, images, videos, graphics, etc. Plan the use of the contents.

• 8. Community participation plan: Define how to engage the community, how to interact with the audience on social media, how to track community engagement and how to tailor content for specific audiences.

• 9. Evaluation of results. Establish how we can know if we have been successful. Define metrics to measure the success of the campaign. Identify how to link social media activities to behavioural change. Design a research strategy to collect data to evaluate actions. Apply the results to improve and refine actions.

Based on these steps, the actions by Meliá Hotels International in Magaluf for a new digital communication campaign for #TheNewMagaluf can be specified as follows:

• 1. Diagnosis: Because the initial campaign did not have a major impact, for the new campaign, you must first designate a person who is responsible for the campaign. You must then assemble a work team in charge of implementing the campaign. Perform an internal audit to obtain an internal marketing diagnosis.

• 2. Set goals and objectives: Define what you want to achieve. The problems addressed by the campaign are (1) how to re-position the image of Magaluf by presenting the new attributes and values of the destination and (2) how to change behaviours of excessive alcohol consumption, irresponsibility and balconing. The communication objectives for social media should have measurable, feasible and quantifiable objectives. The main ones should be number of organic visits to the page, number of followers, number of visits, bounce rate, volume of interactions and social traffic.

• 3. Define the priority audience: The priority audience consists of the target tourist segments of the destination of Magaluf. Identify and describe these segments. Previously, you will need to carry out research to answer the following questions: What do they know about the problem? What factors motivate them to change behaviours? What are the barriers that inhibit such change? Who has the most influence over the priority audience? How does the priority audience behave on social media: What do they use, how, when, for what, etc.?

• 4. Behaviour selection: Decide what we want the audience to do to address the problem. Based on the results from step 3, draw up a list of all possible behaviours, and then choose the priority behaviours.

• 5. Identify behavioural change mechanisms to help generate those changes: Identify and eliminate barriers to behavioural change. Identify and promote the factors that motivate behavioural change. Identify the social factors that influence the adoption of the promoted behaviours.

• 6. Define a messaging strategy: Communication, content, media, recall strategies, etc. are included. Include persuasive communication strategies that appeal to social norms, emotions, responsibility and values that can influence the behaviours of the audience.

• 7. Content production plan. Define which social media are going to be used (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc.) taking into account the target audience. Hire a digital marketing specialist to design the publications, which must contain text, images, videos, graphics, etc. Plan the content publication schedule.

• 8. Community participation plan. Design an action plan to get tourists in Magaluf to interact with the brand’s activities on social media. The citizens of Magaluf could also be targeted. It is important to achieve two-way communication and to get users to feel heard and represented in the digital strategy.

• 9. Evaluation of results. Develop metrics to measure the success of the campaign in terms of the social media themselves (interactions, comments, shared messages, etc.). To link social media activity with the behavioural change, the following should be considered: statistics from the local police (number of incidents, complaints, etc. related to excessive alcohol consumption or irresponsible behaviour by tourists), surveys to tourists and tour operators to gather data on the perception of safety, the behaviour of tourists in the destination, satisfaction with the destination, loyalty and recommendations. Apply the results to improve and refine activities.

Answer to Question 3. Considering the results of the campaign presented in this case study and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector, design a new #TheNewMagaluf communication campaign, assuming that you are the marketing consultant for the Meliá group. Use the Social Media Toolkit for Behaviour Change (SM4BC) , explained in the previous point, as a starting point to consider the two main recipients of the campaign: (1) tourists with a family profile who seek rest and relaxation and (2) young tourists who visit the destination in search of fun.

Students should perform desk research to learn about the current situation of the tourist destination in the post-pandemic era and the Meliá hotel chain. Make an overview of the situation.

Subsequently, design differentiated messages for each type of recipient. Emphasise the change of behaviour promoted among young tourists, discouraging excessive alcohol consumption and encouraging behaviour in kee** with the new profile of the destination based on peace, rest and fun without health risks.