St. Martin Is Recov- Ering from the Havoc That Irma Left Behind

Content.

Introduction Objectives Overview Brand Core Values Current Consumers Perception Target Audience Swot Analysis Appendix References

01. Introduction.

With the arrival of hurricane Irma to the Caribbean several countries and islands in the zone were severely damage by one of the worst natural disasters of the last decade. The Caribbean being one of the most touristic geographic destinations in the world, it is barely ex- pected that tourism is also one of the main incomes of many of this tropical land. Saint Martin or Sint Maarten is one of the unfortunate islands that had to go through this enormous loss.

Now days after a few months, with the support of the French govern- ment, international relief agencies and donations, St. Martin is recovering from the havoc that Irma left behind. Nonetheless it is neces- sary for the entire Caribbean to get tourism back on track as soon as possible. Therefore it is imperative for St. Martin to recognize which is the best way to re- start a conversation with the target audience, and what should be the core message and concept behind it.

02. Objectives.

Among the main objectives of this first stage of the project, is to be able to have a wide comprehension of the marketplace where the product we are trying to advertise stands. In order to do that is important to understand that the are multiple variables that needs to be take into account. In first place there has to be a deep understanding of the brand, the brand values, the strengths and weaknesses of it, how has it communicate with the audience in the past and how does it communicates today. In second place it is essential to interpret what is the current perception the consumers have of the brand; that leading to segmentation of the specific target audience for this up- coming campaign. Finally it is important to get a grasp of how the di- rect and indirect competition are approaching that market segment, so that would provide a solid platform to be able to say something new and unique. 03. Overview Experiencing French and Dutch lifestyles at the same time, St. Martin is the Caribbean island combining both cultures. It is the 37-square-mile island located in the northeast of the Caribbean Sea, and approximately 190 miles east to Puerto Rico. It is located in the center of Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe, and is known as the heart of the Caribbean Sea. It has been divided between French and Netherland since March 23th 1648 after the agreement of the Treaty of Concordia. The two parts as known as Saint-Martin (French side) and Sint-Maarten (Dutch side) has no clear physical border in between. The island is considered as the smallest island divided between two countries with roughly equal population. On this micro island, inhabitants are from over 90 nations, and make the multicultural environment full of fun and excitement.

Neighbouring islands include St Barts, Anguilla, Saba, Statia, among others.

Saint-Martin Sint-Maarten The French side is known as Saint-Martin, The Dutch side of this island, located in the located in the northern part of the island. The southern section, has the more modern and capital city Marigot is located there, as well as urban lifestyle. High-end hotels, luxurious most administrative buildings and services. casinos, popular attraction occupies this side. Experiencing french morning with coffee and Also, 5-star international cuisines specializing croissant, French-style St.Martin lead travelers Indian, Chinese, Greek, Italian, French are widely exposed to natural view of the island. Mountain served here. Get exposed to international and and caves, sea and beaches, on-the-sea and traditional music and dance, Dutch side is the undersea activities are highly featuring. best destination for exciting entertainments. Popular Destinations in St Martin / St Maarten

Marigot Simpson Bay

Philipsburg Grand Case

Terres Basses Oriented Bay Brand Core Values 04.

Saint Martin is an island that stand for its cultural syncretism, three cultures in one, (African, French and Dutch). It is a place that wants to be know for its culture, their friendly locals. They want their culture to be preserved and love to share it with every visitor.

Brands voice: Cheerful, cultured, charming, relaxed. Current Perception. 05.

Currently there is not a very stable perception about St. Martin. Consumers perception of the brand tends to fluctuates from one ex- treme to the other. People rather, love the experience, consider the locals friendly and and the islan a place worth of visiting; or they find it dreadful and very hard to endure, mentioning that the locals are unfriendly and even rude people that do not know how to properly treat the tourism.

Most commonly when people dislike the experience they are left behind with a feeling of not receiving everything that was “promised” to them; and therefore they feel like they could have spend their money somewhere else.

Things to have in mind: In both scenarios, people are eager to share their experience with others, and this could be beneficial or harmful to the island. “The cliché of white sand Caribbean beaches stretching along dazzling, turquoise water is far too accurate. We were tempted to park ourselves on one of the several we sampled, and never leave. But we also knew there was more to discover and things to do in St. Maarten than appears on the surface.”

“This strikes me odd as according to the CIA website on St. Martin 85% of the working population is employed in the service industry. You would think that they would treat their visitors well as their primary industry is tourism.”

“St. Martin - Once is enough!”

“Delightful place with friendly people” 06. Target Audience VALS Profiles St. Martin’s current target audience are men and women from ages 50 to 60s who are looking for and exclusive romantic getaway experience. They are educated and sophisticated people, who have a high income and that is why they are okay with spending their money in this kind of experiences because they see them as a reward of their hard work. The majority of them are retired and enjoy the cultural background of the island, the natural outdoor activities that gives them a sense of adventure, but also the comfort that the hotels and beaches have to offer that represents the leisure they are looking for at the end of the day.

Innovators are our main profile because this is the current consumer of the island. They have the resource to easily afford this kind of vacation, they enjoy comfort and luxury but also have a wide variety of interests and activities and they are comfortable with experimenting new things. Therefore St. Martin is a perfect vacation destination for them, because although is very well known for its beautiful beaches and luxury hotels, it also steps out of the caribbean island cliche because of the cultural syncretism.

Characteristic. Are confident enough to experiment // Make the highest number of financial transactions// Are skeptical about advertising// Have international exposure// Are most receptive to new ideas and technologies// Have the widest variety of interests and activities. St. Martin has been trying to widen his target audience. Since some time ago they have been trying to appeal to a younger crowd and they sort of achieve it with an electronic music festival, the SXM music festival. But it brought a lot of tension among the locals because they were not sure if it really expressed the character and culture of the island. For this reason, although we will try to address to a younger crowd we will like to do it through the charming features the island already has. That is why experiencers are our secondary audience. Experiencers are entice to the sense of adventure, they are all about experimenting, they are younger, enthusiastic and im- pulsive audience. They are very sociable and spontaneous, and they love outdoor activities. St. Martin has such a widen history, culture, and activities to do, that it has the potential to become one of the favourites romantic getaway for experiencers as well.

Married couple celebrating anniversary // Honeymoon // Young Couples

Characteristic. Things to have in mind// Want everything// Are first in and first out of trend adoption// Go against the current mainstream// Love physical activity (are sensation seeking)// See themselves as very sociable// Have a heightened sense of visual stimulation. “The island is trying to appeal to a younger crowd because the majority of those coming here are in their 50s and 60s” The BBC Travel Show 07. Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Strenghts Weaknesses

-Mixing French, Dutch, African cultures and lifestyles -Reserved local people -Exclusive and romantic destination for special events such -Higher in price than other Caribbean islands as honeymoons and anniversaries -Little and confusing travel information provided on the -Best international cuisines among all Caribbean islands official websites from both French and Dutch sides -Easy travel to the No.1 ranked beach among all Caribbean -Slowly recovering from hurricane islands -Little transportation options and expensive on rental cars - Having white beaches and rainforest-like landscapes, caves and wildlife -Varieties of on-the-sea sports and undersea activities -Wide range of hotels, resorts, and casinos -Free port of tax-free shopping

Opportunities Threats

-Hosting events like the music festival to attract younger -Damages from the hurricane generation -Tourism policy changes -Be more open and friendly to tourists -Harsh relationship between both sides -Be more active on social media and official website -Combining and unifying tourism information from French and Dutch sides -More transportation/ rental car options -seize the multi cultural aspect of the island 08. Stategic Grid St. Martin Atmosphere Enviroment Culture To Do’s

St.Martins is an eco-friendly the destination St. Martin is an exclusive and cultural St. Martin has the mix of 3 cultures St. Martin has white beaches and destination that is well known as the for nature lovers, offering varieties of mountain, outdoor activities and aquatic including French, Dutch and African, rainforest-like landscapes, caves and gastronomic capital of the Caribbean. and this reflects along every cultural wildlife. It offers a wide range of on- Market It is also a great destination for sports, such as hiking or biking through city center to natural landscapes. Anguilla, the aspect of the Island especially in the the-sea sports and undersea activities. a romantic get away filled with cuisine, architecuture and language. excitments and culture diversities. neightbor Island ranked as the #1 beach in the caribbean is close to visit.

Other Caribbean islands such as Other Caribbean islands such as All other Caribbean islands such as Cancun, Puerto Rico, or St. Lucia that Other Caribbean islands such as Cancun, Aruba and Jamaica that have a Domenican Republic, Cancunn that P. Competiton have notable cultures, and can offer the Cancun, Domenincan Republic that very cultural appealing to the crowd. offer the same activities. same luxury and relaxing environment. offers eco-friendly activities

The amenities of St, Martin are luxury While experiencing the comfort, the St. Martin is a cultural attraction, no St. Martin is not just an other caribbean Advertising and pluri-cultural, and it designs to island offers all the natural and outdoor other island can claim, the fact of being cliche. It breaks the mold with its give the travelers the best experience. activities. divided between three cultures gives excitment and culture. Objectives St. Martin is the perfect spot for an the island all its character and charm. exciting romantic getaway.

Travelers 30 - 50s looking for a relaxing/ Travelers looking for adventurous Travelers that besides comfort and Travelers love exploring and enjoy Target comfort and luxury, as well as cultural experience while enjoying relaxing relaxation, are also looking for cultural outdoor activities. Audience and exciting destination to spend time vacation. activities and experinces. with their partners.

Around the whole Island, st martins Travelers can experience and book any Travelers are able to experience two Everything on the island gives St. offers a wide-range of hotels for kind of outdoor activities. A wide-range completely different cultures without Martin the possibility to step out of the anyone, which allows travelers to of tours is offering for any type of having to travel further. The cultures Caribbean cliche. Visitors can literally Position choose the one that fits their needs budget. are expressed in the language, food, have numerous different experiences the most. Also, the blend of the three architecture and people. in the same place. prominent cultures of the island makes St. Martin vibrant and makes it appealing to people.

Tone Exclusive, flirty, charming, fun, exiting. Adventurous, fun. Inviting, cultured, charming. Adventurous, fun.

St. Martin is a stop for most Caribbean St. Martin is known as the gastronomic St. Martin has the access the No.1 ranked Others cruiselines. capital of the caribbean. beach among all Caribbean islands and the best international cuisines among all Caribbean islands 09. Competition St. Martin. British Virgin Islands.

#6 in Best Caribbean Beaches #2 in Best Caribbean Beaches #8 in Best Places to Visit in the Caribbean #1 in Best Places to Visit in the Caribbean #8 in Best Caribbean Honeymoons #3 in Best Caribbean Honeymoons

US Virgin Islands. St. Lucia.

#4 in Best Caribbean Beaches #8 in Best Caribbean Beaches #5 in Best Places to Visit in the Caribbean #3 in Best Places to Visit in the Caribbean #2 in Best Caribbean Honeymoons #1 in Best Caribbean Honeymoons St. Martin Current Communication.

St. Martins current communication is divided, it really does not have any type of cohesive approach between one another. It lacks of concept and depth, they are currently just showing a lot of information without really thinking what they want to say. Competitors Communication.

In comparison we can see how some of the islands competitor handle their communication towards the audience and it seems like each one of them are trying to find their own voice, tone and style in their communications. In comparison we can see how some of the islands competitor handle their communication towards the audience and it seems like each one of them are trying to find their own voice, tone and style in their communications. Each one of them has a logo or establish brand identity, high quality photography, and hierarchy and information design. Bahamas.

Jamaica.

Aruba. Possible Brand Promise

10.

-How can we assure the customer will receive everything that was promised to him? So that way people knows what they can expect from the island? - How can we make St. Martin and Sint Maarten to have one voice with two different tones. A plate of food with two different flavours. One song two different rhythms. Appendix 11.

Interview to target audience. 1. What are the things you enjoy doing for leisure? 2. How often do you plan a vacation by yourself or with your emotional partener? 3. When searching for a romantic getaway destination what are the main things you seek? 4. Have you ever been to any islands in the caribbean? If yes which ones and what did you like or dislike from every experience? 5. What is the most impoertant thing for you if you are booking a trip to any Caribbean island? 6. Have you ever heard of Saint Martin? If yes what have you heard? 6. Which do you think it’s the best destination for honeymoon? 7. Please briefly describe what features would your perfect romantic vacation will have? Interview to travel agencies.

1. What is the current target audience of St. Martin or the caribbean in general? Age? Social group? Lifestyle? 2. Whom do people go there with and how long people spend there on average? 3. What is the perception of St. Martin before and after the hurricane? 4. Do you think that St. Martin is the market lead among all caribbean islands? 5. Which are the peak seasons of the year? Any idea why? 6. Do people usually go there for vacation or for special events such as wedding? Or others? 7. How did the hurricanes affected tourism and how is it recovering from that? 8. What would be reasons for people choosing to go to St. Martin before and after hurricane? 9. If describing St. Martin in 3 words, what would that be? 10. Which is the most visited island in the caribbean and why? Bibliography References. 12.

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/09/photos-from-saint-martin-after-hurricane-irma/539103/ http://www.stmartinisland.org/destination-st-martin/geogra- phy-st-martin.html http://www.stmartinisland.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Martin https://www.st-maarten.com/ http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/macron-promises-re- build-island-devastated-irma-170913080657843.html http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/ article173733956.html https://www.trisportsxm.com/tours.html https://www.lonelyplanet.com/caribbean/travel-tips-and-articles/caribbean-travel-after-irma-and-maria-essential-information/40625c8c- 8a11-5710-a052-1479d27689fc https://travel.usnews.com/St_Martin/ https://travel.usnews.com/rankings/best-caribbean-honeymoons/ Video References. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_wO3-WilBM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYpUIGt9HLE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jGXgf38FGc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWx-bRIMne4