Hilton just introduced a new hotel brand in its Elevated Essentials group of hospitality offerings. The Elevated Essentials category comprises Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton and the latest entry, Spark by Hilton. The overarching description of the Elevated Essentials group is “Signature amenities and services in all the places you want to be.”
Which is better for the brand? Asking users to pay for individual services? Or asking users to buy a bundle of services? There is a lot behavioral psychology involved in this choice that affects brand perceptions. There are inherent risks whichever approach a brand employs.
Marketing is about creating value. Marketing creates value for customers, for employees, for shareholders, and for the community. At its core, marketing begins with creating value for customers. If there is no value for customers, there can be no value for other stakeholders. Customer-perceived value is marketing’s connective tissue crossing geography and time.
Price hikes are par for the course these days. Brands from Nestlé (maker of Kit Kat, Nespresso) Unilever (maker of Dove Soap, Ben & Jerry’s, Hellmann’s), Procter & Gamble (maker of Tide, Swiffer), Mondelez, and Reckitt Benckiser (maker of Air Wick, Lysol and Durex condoms) are raising prices.
Wars always have casualties, but may not always have a winner. This also goes for business wars, particularly when successive price cuts have companies selling below cost.
