Situation
This superior Bay area event planning service with specialty yachts for dining and business entertaining on the Bay was overshadowed by a larger competitor offering similar services. With limited resources, they had made no prior investment in advertising or brand building communications to promote their service and define why it should be considered over others. The recent purchase of a new flagship yacht and improvements to their existing fleet created the incentive to define the brand and invest in a market outreach effort. Market research we conducted revealed that corporate event planners had very specialized needs for flexibility, attention to detail, intimacy and customization for their particular event. While these prospects were overburdened with many responsibilities, concerns about the impression they created for their guests from an event and having their expectations fulfilled was of primary importance in selecting a resource for event planning and execution.

Objectives
Develop PMY’s brand promise for Corporate Event Planners and Incentive Mgmt companies. Create high level of trial for the core event management business.
Develop sustained, repeat business while introducing additional value-added services. Generate awareness, create brand preference, and promote inquiry and evaluation for PMY through an integrated communications campaign.

Strategy
Define and differentiate PMY’s superior service offering with a compelling, consistent brand position, identity and personality that they could own in the marketplace. Establish PMY events as the leading Bay area event planning resource that delivers “on the Bay” business entertaining expertise, exceptional cuisine, tailored services and decades of experience for planning, managing and executing an event on one of their custom yachts. Target corporate Bay area event planners and business management responsible for hosting events and conducting business entertaining with an integrated communications campaign. Focus messaging on PMY’s superior fleet and cuisine, Bay area expertise and one of a kind customized services for tailoring each event to meet a customers needs. Drive all inquiries and prospects to the web to evaluate the service and request a proposal.

Results
The campaign delivered a 100% increase in corporate event booking in first year. And the percentage of customers from outside the Bay area market increased over 62%. Brand awareness was significantly raised as a result of the communications campaign and PR. A few competitors attempted to emulate the focused communications effort with their own campaigns recognizing the success of PMY’s campaign.