Monday, February 27, 2012

What Steve Heyer CEO Has to Say on Selling Experiences

Steve Heyer CEO is a strong believer in the concept of constant adaptation in the industry in reaction to changing times. Such did he advocate ten years ago, and now people marvel to see how right he was. Heyer spoke of these matters famously in a conference some years past that was attended by many representatives of the marketing and advertising industries.

The man occupies a top position in Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Heyer was already in this seat when he began to expound on his original message to marketers in 2003. He stated that his aim for the company was to have it market the experiences that could be had in the hotels instead of the quarters themselves.

Experiences are the products to Heyer, not the rooms. Memorable experiences, in other words, would be the products. This is a complete change in perspective and approach, although the product and services did not change at all.

Another of the points he made was that businesses had to face a powerful trend towards customization in goods and services. This exactly is today’s most observable trend across corporations and industries. This is most patent in digital products.

The latest developments have also spelled difficulty for people in entertainment. For example, musicians saw a sharp decline in profits following the rise of MP3 distribution sites. Almost instantly, people were getting on board the pirate ship, so to speak.

Heyer remarked on the horrific drop in revenue for singers, songwriters, and producers during this period. In his 2003 speech, the CEO turned to music executives and reminded them of the changing ways of producing and reproducing music due to the empowerment of consumers. He also addressed TV executives and warned them to prepare and adapt to “the changing media consumption habits of younger generations”.

To him, the postmodern cultural product was what made sense, where consumers bought because they wanted the culture. According to Heyer, he intends to provide a unique and enjoyable experience for consumers. Heyer's intent, obviously, is to market something that is even more in demand than lodging in the present culture: an experience.

The company has called in a rather unorthodox business associate: a famous lingerie brand known all over the world for its couture lingerie fashion shows. The Victoria's Secret shows command a good bit of attention, and only select guests of the hotels are allowed. This is a clear example of marketing an experience.

Heyer has also spoken out against slapping on brands in films. He calls the practice a “contextless” insertion of brand logos into movies or TV programs. He doubted that such appearances would actually bring up sales in any way.

Steve Heyer CEO is someone who knows what he is doing: he even used to be chief of Coca Cola, one of the biggest businesses in the world. It is from that time that we may take an example of what he means by properly contextualized brand "cameos". Heyer set Coke glasses on the judging table of a famous talent show on television.


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