Crafting the Offer: Products
Learning Outcomes
Products are much more than just the physical items or services you buy — they are complex bundles of value designed to meet your needs. In this chapter, we dive into the fascinating world of products and explore how organizations create offers that truly connect with their audiences. From understanding the different layers of a product to building strong brands, we will learn about the strategies that lead to successful new product development.
Imagine walking into a luxurious hotel room, enjoying a gourmet meal at a famous restaurant, or booking an adventure tour in the stunning Canadian Rockies. Each of these experiences is a thoughtfully crafted product, designed to meet specific consumer needs and leave a lasting impression. We will look at frameworks like the 8 Ps of services marketing and the servicescape model to see how businesses create value for their customers.
This chapter shows how successful brands combine a deep understanding of products, excellent service, and effective customer experience management to deliver unforgettable experiences. We will explore how companies build lasting relationships with customers through smart product design, strong branding, and excellent service.
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
- Understand and Classify Products: Define what makes up a product, including physical goods, services, and experiences. Use models like the levels of a product and types of consumer products to classify them.
- Explain Branding Concepts: Describe how branding works in marketing, including brand identity elements, brand equity components, and how strong branding affects consumer perception and business success.
- Understand Packaging’s Role in Marketing: Discuss how packaging shapes consumer perceptions and enhances brand messaging.
- Describe Popular New Product Development and Adoption Models: Understand various models and frameworks that guide new product development and adoption.
- Apply Services Marketing Frameworks: Use the 8 Ps of services marketing, servicescape model, and Lovelock’s service categories to analyze and improve service offerings in tourism and hospitality contexts.
- Evaluate Service Quality: Apply frameworks like the services marketing triangle, service profit chain, gap model, and RATER framework to assess and enhance service delivery.
- Implement Service Management Strategies: Develop strategies for managing differentiation, quality, physical evidence, employee performance, capacity, and customer relationships in service organizations.
- Apply Customer Experience Management (CEM): Design and deliver positive customer interactions across all touchpoints throughout the customer journey while ensuring consistent service quality.
Opening Thoughts
G Adventures: Crafting the Offer in Travel
G Adventures, a pioneering Canadian adventure travel company, exemplifies how understanding, developing, and branding unique products can create a powerful and differentiated market presence[1][2].
Understanding Products: G Adventures offers adventure travel experiences that meet the core need for exploration, relaxation, and personal growth. Their product can be classified as a shopping product due to its higher price point and the extensive research consumers undertake before booking, but it also has elements of a specialty product due to its unique, eco-friendly focus. The tangible product includes the itinerary, accommodations, and guided tours, while the augmented product encompasses customer service, emergency support, and sustainability initiatives. The promised product includes the personal transformation and memories that travelers take home with them.
Branding: G Adventures has built a strong brand identity around responsible travel, community involvement, and unique experiences. Their “G for Good” program, which supports local communities, contributes to brand equity by creating positive associations with social responsibility, environmental conservation, and cultural immersion. Their logo, color scheme, and the “Bring On the World” tagline are visual and emotional cues that resonate with their target market.
New Product Development: The company continuously innovates by introducing new itineraries, enhancing existing ones, and creating partnerships with local operators. For example, their “National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures” product line was developed in collaboration with National Geographic, combining adventure travel with educational content, demonstrating a strategic approach to product development that aligns with customer interests and brand values.
Packaging: While G Adventures’ packaging is primarily digital, it plays a crucial role in marketing. Their website, brochures, and promotional materials are designed to convey the adventure, authenticity, and sustainability of their offerings, influencing consumer perceptions and enhancing the brand’s message.
Service and Experience Products: G Adventures’ focus is on service and experience products, which are characterized by intangibility, inseparability, variability, and perishability. They differentiate their services through local guide expertise, personalized experiences, and a commitment to sustainability, creating memorable and unique travel experiences.
Customer Experience Management (CEM): G Adventures employs CEM strategies to ensure every touchpoint with the customer is aligned with their brand promise. From the booking process to post-trip follow-ups, they strive for seamless experiences that foster loyalty and satisfaction, with initiatives like flexible booking options and personalized travel experiences.
Strategic Marketing Insights: By integrating product understanding, branding, new product development, packaging, and CEM, G Adventures has crafted a marketing strategy that not only meets consumer needs but also aligns with their organizational goals of promoting sustainable and transformative travel experiences. Their success lies in creating a holistic brand experience that resonates with their target audience, ensuring long-term loyalty and advocacy.
Chapter Topics
- Understanding Products
- Branding
- New Product Development
- Packaging
- Service and Experience Products
- Customer Experience Management
- Parkinson, B. (2024, May 13). Canadian travel hall of fame 2024 profiles: Bruce Poon Tip – changing the world, one small group at a time. TravelPulse Canada. https://www.travelpulse.ca/news/people/canadian-travel-hall-of-fame-2024-profiles-bruce-poon-tip ↵
- Robinson, J. K. (2022, January 21). G adventures connects travelers to local communities on a deeper level. Afar. https://www.afar.com/magazine/g-adventures-connects-travelers-to-local-communities ↵
