Hospitality Field Experience Unplugged: Jakub Dobies on How Digital Strategies Shape Marketing
As the anticipation builds for the upcoming Best Stay Event in November, we are honored to present one of our keynote speakers, Jakub Dobies, the Director of Digital Field Marketing for Eastern Europe at Marriott.
In the ever-changing landscape of hotel marketing, staying ahead of the curve demands a combination of insightful strategy and hands-on experience. With a wealth of knowledge and a deep understanding of the digital domain, Jakub has played a pivotal role in driving Marriott's success in the digital realm. From leveraging cutting-edge technologies to crafting compelling campaigns, his journey is an inspiring narrative of excellence in hospitality marketing.
In this exclusive interview, we dive deep into Jakubs’ expertise, seeking insights into his personal experiences, thoughts on the future of AI in digital strategies, and the essential skills that will define the future of digital marketers.
Jakub, as the Director of Digital Field Marketing, you have extensive experience in the digital world of hospitality. Could you share a personal story or a memorable moment that highlights the impact of digital strategies on the success of a hotel marketing campaign?
Understanding your customers and tailoring offer towards their needs. I am a typical bleisure traveller (business + leisure), what I am looking for is bed & breakfast with access to club lounge, but without the need to pay extra for a bigger or higher category room with a couch and extra TV that I’m not going to use. We’ve put it together as a package, let it be found online and it exceeded expectations.
Among the various digital campaigns that Marriott has implemented, could you share one of your favorite campaigns and explain what made it particularly special or successful? What were the key elements or strategies that contributed to its impact?
It’s probably going to be Sheraton brand’s “Go Beyond” campaign that celebrated brand’s 80th anniversary. It was a multi-channel integrated global plan primarily centered around digital platforms.
The brand's strategy aimed to combine creative elements with specific media channels, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to advertising. For instance, content created for YouTube was tailored explicitly for YouTube viewers, ensuring a targeted and personalized experience for that specific audience. The campaign encompassed various channels, including TV, out-of-home, print, and digital media, with a continuous stream of fresh content being released across these platforms.
There were multiple campaigns that Marriott run and is running that are absolutely best in class but this one stays close to my heart as it really addressed the service aspect but also refreshed a positive brand sentiment in certain countries.
With the rise of automation and AI, the role of a digital marketer is also evolving. What are the essential skills that future digital marketers need to possess to stay ahead in this ever-changing landscape? Are there any particular skills that you have found to be particularly valuable in your carer?
I would say that it depends on the scale. If we’re talking about a single property digital marketer then I would go for curiosity around new tools available in the market and testing, prompt engineering, and using AI as creative assistance for content development.
On a corporate level, a digital marketer should be able to identify revenue-generating streams that can be supercharged with AI tools at scale, and by tools I mean systems that one shouldn’t skimp on.
Digital marketing is such a broad subject that it’s difficult to be an expert in all tactics it involves. The skill that I consider useful is to find shortcuts to ways in which you can speak to various subject matter experts in a proficient manner.
In order to talk to developers I learned HTML & CSS, and in order to speak to agencies I learned how not to fall into their traps, for paid advertising it is truly understanding what is the money being spent on and keeping accountability, for SEO I took courses. I can then feel competent enough to speak as equal with subject matter experts and so should everyone.
The most important skill however is to “assume they don’t understand any of your jargon at all times”.
As a keynote speaker at the upcoming Best Stay Event in Zagreb, you will be discussing the importance of field experience in shaping successful hotel marketing strategies. Can you share a personal anecdote or insight from one of your journeys that illustrates an example of a good or bad field experience when it comes to digital marketing in the hospitality industry?
Being in the field means having eyes around your head and seeing things that others may not see. It means talking to staff, watching guests, monitoring competitors, and finding uniquely unique selling points about a property.You’d be surprised how many little uniquely unique selling points can be found without mentioning good location or comfortable beds, finding those is always a fantastic field experience.
One time I challenged the hotel team to tell me what makes their hotel SPA unique, as there were a handful of other similar products in the market nearby. After listing all the “regular” things and understanding that 1 square meter more of a treatment room size is really not something to brag about, they were forced to dig deeper.
Turns out, which in hindsight may seem obvious, that what made this particular hotel SPA unique, was the fact that it had the biggest share of locals as patrons. If locals come to you, then your credibility skyrockets. This was the starting point to position the SPA in our marketing communications accordingly.
The Best Stay Event in November at Zonar Zagreb promises to be a captivating journey through the realm of hospitality innovation and inspiration, and Jakub Dobies' keynote address will undoubtedly be one of the event’s highlights.
So, fasten your seatbelts and join us in this exciting adventure as we set the stage for an insightful dialogue with one of the most remarkable minds in the digital marketing landscape.