The document provides an executive summary and marketing plan for the Virgin Hotels Chicago. It summarizes that the hotel aims to provide an exclusive and customized experience for millennial travelers and locals. The marketing plan outlines strategies to increase brand awareness through public transportation advertising, host events to appeal to millennials, and promote the Lucy hotel app. The key selling idea is presented as "The Only Virgin You Will Ever Need" to create an ultimate experience through technology and style.

1. Guysheena Gibson
Lena Foote
Archer Huang
Terry Smith
IMC 480 - Spring 2016

2. "Because We All Love Lucy, Right?"

3. Executive Summary
● Travellers document their vacations via Social Media
○ (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat)
● Want guests to experience a world-class lodging and dining experience at an
affordable price.
● Exclusivity
○ Virgin Hotels Chicago - 1st and only thus far
● Capitalize on the chic and fashionable ambiance that makes guests feel like
they are not working, but right at home.
○ Treat guests like close friends, not just visitors
○ Customized experience

4. Market Analysis
● Current customers include Millennials and business travelers.
● Potential customers include business and leisure travelers and local residents
who are not familiar with the hotel or nightlife that Virgin Hotels Chicago has
to offer.

5. Competition Analysis
● Virgin Hotels Chicago considers other local boutique hotels and big chain
hotels in the River North district to be their primary competition.
● Virgin Hotels Chicago also considers local River North bars, clubs and
restaurants to be their secondary competitors.

6. SWOT
Strengths
● Strength of the Virgin brand name.
● Flexibility in fees, snacks, and check-in/out
times, no added fees.
● “Female” target-driven.
● Exclusive to Chicago can spark curiosity for future
guests, party-planners, happy-hour goers.
Weaknesses
● Too niche, target audience not broad enough.
● Virgin is not known for their hotels, so it has yet
to establish themselves in the hospitality
business, regardless of their brand equity in the
travel industry.
● Brand is known, and so grand that it may make target
audience intimidated by an assumed expense.
Opportunities
● Capitalize on lifestyle/boutique-like hotels in
Chicago.
● Establishing a social media presence and
personality.
● Food and Beverage entities having their own
identities.
● Patented Bed, “Lucy” mobile app.
Threats
● Over-saturation of hotels in Chicago.
● Perception of Chicago being a violent city turning
off future guests.
● Other boutique hotels.
● Possible tax on hotels in Chicago.

7. Target Audience Demographics
● Primary - Young Professionals (Millennials)
○ 24-35 years old
○ College-educated
○ Single; No kids
○ Disposable Income
● Secondary - “Seasoned/Empty-Nesters”
○ 41-50 years old
○ Established in their careers
○ Kids have moved out or in college
○ Disposable Income

8. Molly Hayward, 26
● Single
● No children
● Marketing Assistant
● Loves to take weekend trips
● Recent MBA grad
● “City Girl”

9. James McHall, 28
● Law Degree - U of Chicago
● Shy Guy
● No Social Media Accounts
● Social Pressure from family and friends

10. Jaslene Rodriguez, 30
● Event Planner
● 1st-generation college grad
● Hails from Austin, TX
● Fell in Love with Chicago
● Travels for her job
● Social Media Fanatic with a large following
● Loves to “Check-In”

11. Dominic Choi, 35
● Store Manager of Apple Store
● Married with 5-year-old son
● Ideal Manager
● Freelance DJ
● Passionate about Music

12. Mark and Michelle Silverstein
Ages: 47 and 45
● Both HS English Teachers
● Twin daughters - in graduate school
● Suburban living, but moving to West Loop
● “Empty-Nesters”
● New to City Life

13. Target Insights
● Passionate about Travelling
o “YOLO” (You Only Live Once)
o “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out)
 66% of Millennials - Travel huge aspect of their lives (PhoCusWright)
● Technology Rules Social Interactions
o Competing with other people’s “Highlight Reel”
o Give their followers a peek into their social lives
● Exclusivity

14. Marketing Communication Objectives
1. Increase the number of people that use the Lucy application by 50%
2. Make Cerise and The Commons Club the preferred spots for nightlife among
30% of adults 21-30 year olds over the next year.
3. Increase the amount of traffic to Miss Ricky’s by 40% over the next six
months.
4. Establish a social media presence and personality on Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram.
a. This would require monitoring social media pages on a regular basis and
using tools such as Alexa and Keynote to measure the increase in social
media traffic.
30% growth of likes on Facebook(10,465 -> 13,465)
50% growth of followers on Twitter (5,021 -> 7,500)
30% growth of followers on Instagram(9118 -> 12,000).

15. Marketing Strategies
Promote Virgin Hotels
Chicago’s brand awareness
with the public transportation
Attract many of the tourist
groups that visit Chicago.

16. Marketing Strategies
Create a nightlife
experience that will
appeal to
Millennials by
hosting events.
Promote the Lucy
app and get more
visitors to
download the app
during their stay at
the hotel.

17. Marketing Strategies
Create a stronger social media presence for the Virgin Hotels Chicago.

18. Key Selling Idea
“The Only Virgin You Will Ever Need”
● Create the Ultimate “Virgin” Experience for Guests through Technology
o Making the “Lucy” app like an actual social network.
 “Lucy and Ricky are at The Virgin Hotels Chicago...but it’s not what you think!”
o Creating discourse around the Virgin Hotels Chicago - “Have you Cerised?” Create a contest
for visitors to take pictures of themselves “#Cerising” and share on social media accounts with
the possible hashtag, “#HowWeCeriseInChicago, #ChicagosVirgin, #HaveYouMetLucy

19. ● Simply Stylish
● Neutral Slogan
● “Give it a try”
● Open thinking

20. WHAT WILL THE AUDIENCES THINK?

21. Media
Online Outdoor Radio Events
Search Engine
Optimization
Billboards WGCI, V103,
Kiss FM, B96
2017 NFL Draft
Web Banners CTA
Bus/Train
Pandora Chicago Black Women’s Expo
Cost Per Click
Taxi Cabs
Spotify Public Relations
Social Media,
Facebook,
Instagram,
SnapChat
YouTube
Bloggers
Live Virgin
Hotels
signature
windy city
bull on
Michigan
ave.
IheartRadio The Chicago Architecture
Tour

22. Social Media Post Instagram will be used as a
medium of visionary for the
Virgin Hotels Chicago
Brand. The tone of voice
that will be used will be
consistent with the other
social media outlets, but
Instagram will have a slight
twist; it will be more focused
on challenging our followers
to come visit the edgy stylish
hotel.
SnapChat only
gives you 15
seconds to
broadcast, we will
have our own IATA
location for the
Virgin Hotel
Chicago. snap.
This will make the
Virgin Brand viable
on this medium.
Twitter,establishing
a tone of voice of
edgy, but still
appropriate, trying
to drive customers
into the hotel and
the Cerise rooftop.
Twitter will be
utilized to connect
with the Millennials
and business
travelers.

23. Media Calendar

24. Media Calendar

25. Campaign Budget

26. Campaign Budget
Channel Budget
Online $9,000
Outdoor $3,200
Radio $5,768
Events $8,000

27. Conclusion
● Cerise will be the premier location for Chicago’s nightlife in the River North
area
● The Virgin Hotels Chicago presence on social will be impeccable and will
have an established tone and voice across all platforms.
● These campaign strategies will increase the visitors here at the Virgin hotels
also increase the the Lucy app downloads by 15%
“Remember Everyone Loves Lucy”

28. Questions????
Thank You!!!