After appointing a new marketing leader and a new agency partner in DDB Canada, Vancouver’s Rocky Mountaineer has adopted a new train of thought for its longstanding marketing practices.
The luxury train travel company, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, recently appointed Monique Gomel as its vice-president of marketing and communications. It is her first role in the travel/tourism sector, having previously worked as VP of marketing for the restaurant chain Earls.
Her career also includes stints as global marketing director with videogame company Electronic Arts – where she led the worldwide launch of EA Sports Active, its first foray into the fitness segment – as well as L’Oreal Paris and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare.
Her hire coincides with the June appointment of DDB Canada’s Vancouver office, following a multi-agency review. DDB is Rocky Mountaineer’s first ever full-service agency partner, while sister Omnicom agency OMD Canada has also been tapped to oversee the company’s media investment.
Gomel’s purview includes a shift in marketing strategy that places an emphasis on what she called “multi-mix” media strategy. While Rocky Mountaineer will continue to utilize newspaper advertising, which has traditionally been the backbone of its marketing efforts, it also plans to add TV and digital to its marketing mix.
“We know we have a great brand and a great story, so really what we’re looking to do now is find new ways of crafting that story in more of an emotive way,” said Gomel, noting that Rocky Mountaineer also plans to leverage the insights garnered through both its in-house analytics team and its various social channels in future marketing. Rocky Mountaineer was named to Marketing‘s Marketer of the Year shortlist in 2013 for maintaining its position as a luxury experience during rough economic times when competitors were slashing budgets and consumers were holding tightly to their purse strings.
Rocky Mountainer currently has more than 2,500 followers on Instagram, nearly 10,000 on Twitter and more than 330,000 on Facebook, while its YouTube channel has just over 6,000 subscribers.
It uses its various social channels to communicate with past guests to determine how happy they were with their trip. The company has an average net promoter score of 71, which Gomel said is well above world-class range, while it boasts more than 2,200 five-star reviews on Trip Advisor. Approximately 30% of the company’s business arrives via referrals.
While repeat customers represent what Gomel called a “fairly small” part of Rocky Mountaineer’s overall business, she said its high customer satisfaction scores and a wide variety of routes – which take in Lake Louise, Banff, Jasper, Seattle and Whistler – means it is an aspect of the business that could be further developed in the future.
Gomel said the privately held company would also continue to rely heavily on PR, calling earned media a “huge focus.” Content marketing is another avenue the company is keen to explore further, she added.
While Rocky Mountaineer is beginning to attract more 40-something customers, Gomel said marketing would continue to cater primarily to its core 50+ audience. “We still see huge opportunities with our core audience,” she said.
The average Rocky Mountaineer customer is married with a higher than average household income. The average duration of a Rocky Mountaineer trip is 18 days (trips often include a cruise component, according to the company), with customers spending an average of $2,500.
The new marketing will focus on different aspects of the Rocky Mountaineer business. While previous marketing has focused extensively on the scenery and the on-train experience, Gomel said a new campaign debuting in November will emphasize Rocky Mountaineer’s food and beverage and its high level of customer service.
The company also plans to place considerable emphasis on the shared connection between the up to 700 passengers on its five routes through Vancouver, Seattle and the Rocky Mountains. “It’s a wonderful thing to see people sharing this experience on the train together, and I think that’s an opportunity for us,” said Gomel.
Gomel said a new website launching early next year would also present the Rocky Mountaineer experience in a “more emotive” manner, inspiring prospective passengers with high-quality photos and videos.
Marketing will continue to be heavily directed towards the international customers that make up much of Rocky Mountaineer’s customer base. More than one third (36%) of its business comes from Australia, while the U.K. accounts for approximately 26% of its business and the U.S. 25%.
While Canada accounts for a relatively small percentage of Rocky Mountaineer’s overall business, Gomel said Canadians will “definitely be a target” for the company in its future marketing. She said Ontario represents a particular area of focus, since much of its population matches the demographic of the Rocky Mountaineer’s core customer.
Gomel said the company has “huge aspirations” towards creating an iconic global brand. “We really see marketing as being a huge catalyst in that growth,” she said.
