Kimpton: When “Marketing to Women” Serves Men (Well)
If ever there were an example of how true, women-focused customer experience development and marketing efforts could also resonate with men, it might just be Kimpton Hotels. Long considered a pioneer and best practice example in the field of marketing to women, specifically, this chain is now a mass market success story (even in bad economic times) – as evidenced in a recent New York Times article by Elizabeth Olson on general hotel chain customer loyalty (no gender about it):
Kimpton offers specially prepared dinners for its most frequent guests, including one recently in Manhattan for top-tier female travelers. The chain has also introduced weekend trips like the one in October for its most frequent travelers and their spouses, in Oregon’s wine country. The wine-tasting getaway came with meals made by Kimpton chefs, and a balloon ride over the vineyards.
Paul Seus, a management consultant from Chicago who attended the Oregon weekend with his wife, Amy, said Kimpton’s special treatment cemented his loyalty.
“Kimpton called me and asked me if I would like to do something special,” Mr. Seus said.
“I’ve traveled my whole career, and I used to stay, well, wherever,” he said. “Now I’ll only stay somewhere else if I can’t find one of their hotels.”
As Olson’s piece shows, a lot of other hotel chains are now serving the higher standards they learned about by doing female consumer research. Two things worth noting:
1) Being guided and inspired by women does NOT have to mean the result is pink, girly and alienating (if not horrifying) for men.
2) Today’s men are starting to “get it,” in that they are more aware that women’s higher standards raise the bar for the service they (men) receive as well. So, of course, men are noticing and learning to expect such treatment too.
What does this mean for your industry?
Look out “marketing to women” laggards, now you risk losing the guys too.
