Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

 
 

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2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition 
177
Table 3
Comparison of the Advertising Channel Usage and Perceived Usefulness 
CVBs Meeting 
Planners 
Channel 
Advertising Effects 
Frequency (%) 
Mean 
Frequency (%) 
Mean 
Chi-
square 
t 
Use of Trade Magazines 
183 (75.0) 
152 (67.9) 
2.93 
Awareness 
3.44 
3.11 
3.37** 
Positive 
image 
3.51 
3.17 
3.66** 
Request 
information 
3.03 
3.13 
-0.97 
Reminding 
3.51 
3.64 
-1.50 
Use of Consumer Magazines 
203 (83.5) 
70 (31.4) 
130.34** 
Awareness 
3.88 3.11
7.22** 
Positive 
image 
3.91 
3.05 
8.32** 
Request 
information 
3.68 
2.92 
6.40** 
Reminding 
3.79 
3.34 
4.19** 
Use of Portal Websites 
66 (27.2) 
78 (35.3) 
3.58* 
Awareness 
3.62 
2.91 
4.38** 
Positive 
image 
3.39 
3.14 
1.52 
Request 
information 
3.37 
3.19 
1.08 
Reminding 
3.33 
2.94 
2.52* 
Use of CVB Websites 
219 (90.9) 
190 (86.4) 
2.36 
Awareness 
4.26 
3.09 
12.46** 
Positive 
image 
4.41 
3.90 
7.29** 
Request 
information 
4.15 
3.51 
7.22** 
Reminding 
4.12 
3.35 
8.21** 
Use of Collateral/Brochures 
231 (95.1) 
149 (67.7) 
58.64** 
Awareness 
4.06 
3.01 
11.34** 
Positive 
image 
4.26 
3.51 
8.78** 
Request 
information 
3.76 
3.35 
4.16** 
Reminding 
3.97 
3.50 
5.14** 
Use of Newspapers 
148 (61.7) 
22 (9.8) 
134.15** 
Awareness 
3.65 
2.39 
7.60** 
Positive 
image 
3.63 
2.51 
6.38** 
Request 
information 
3.50 
2.49 
5.38** 
Reminding 
3.72 
2.60 
6.89** 
Use of TV 
84 (35.0) 
30 (13.5) 
28.65** 
Awareness 
4.00 
2.68 
6.61** 
Positive 
image 
4.21 
2.41 
9.89** 
Request 
information 
3.58 
2.51 
5.08** 
Reminding 
4.01 
2.80 
6.23** 
Use of Radio 
94 (39.0) 
4 (1.8) 
95.00** 
Awareness 
3.70 1.59
8.81** 
Positive 
image 
3.47 
1.47 
8.88** 
Request 
information 
3.17 
1.53 
6.07** 
Reminding 
3.74 
1.56 
10.14** 
Use of Personal Sales/WOM 
228 (95.4) 
219 (99.5) 
7.74* 
Awareness 
4.42 
4.03 
5.40** 
Positive 
image 
4.41 
3.98 
5.63** 
Request 
information 
4.28 
4.02 
3.26** 
Reminding 
4.35 
3.99 
4.77** 
Measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale: Not very useful (1), extremely useful (5). 
*p<0.05, **p <0.01 
In order to examine the relationships between advertising channels and effects, correspondence analysis 
was employed to examine the underlying relationships between advertising channels and perceived advertising 
effects for both groups. The results of this analysis are visualized in Figure 1. Based on the CVB respondents’ 

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2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition 
178
perspective, consumer magazines had a strong linkage to delivering “detailed information” and generating “request 
information.” Personal sales and word of mouth and trade magazines appeared to be more closely related to creating 
a “positive image of destination.” It was notable that the results for the other advertising channels included in the 
study (i.e., Internet, newspapers, TV and radio) were not clearly related to any of the various advertising effect 
measures.
Figure 1
Correspondence Analysis of Advertising Channels and Effects for CVBs 
For the meeting planner group, the correspondence map was somewhat different than for the CVB 
respondents. As shown in Figure 2, personal sales and word of mouth had strong linkages to “request information,” 
obtaining “detailed information,” and “awareness of destinations.” Similar to CVBs, trade magazines were closely 
related to creating a “positive image of destination.”
Figure 2 
Correspondence Analysis of Advertising Channels and Effects for Meeting Planners
 
 
The two correspondence analyses indicated that the relationship between advertising channels and effects 
varied between the CVB respondents and meeting planners (H4 was supported). There were, however, some 
common relationships between the two. First, trade magazines had a strong linkage to creating a “positive image” of 
1.0 
0.0 
-1.0 
-2.0 
-3.0 
-
0.5 
0.0 
-0.5 
-1.0 
Reminding
Request
info
Detailed info 
Positive image 
Awareness
Personal
sales
Brochures
CVBWeb
Portal Web
Consumer M 
Trade M
1.0 
2.0 
1.5 
-1.5 
-2.0 
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
-0.5
-1.0
-2.0 
1.0
0.0
-1.0 
Personal Sales
Radio 
TV
Newspapers
Brochures
CVB Web
Consumer M
Trade M
Reminding
Detailed Info
Request info
Positive Image
Awareness
2.0
Portal Web
-1.5

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2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition 
179
the destination. Apart from trade and consumer magazines, and personal sales/WOM, all other channels did not have 
any strong relationships with advertising effects for both groups. 
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 
It was shown that there are clear channel discrepancies between CVB respondents and meeting planners in 
term of preferences, and usage of communication and advertising channels. The broad parameters laid out in this 
study have important implications especially for CVB marketing activities. CVBs’ main advertising channels 
(magazines, brochures, and TV) were different from those of meeting planners (personal sales/word of mouth and 
CVB Websites). This should be a critical finding for CVBs who want to attract meeting planners to their 
destinations. Although not all CVBs advertising channels are aimed at meeting planners, they are still one of the 
main target markets; about 40 percent of the CVB respondents considered meeting planners as their main target 
market. This misconception of the usefulness of specific advertising channels may lead to problems with marketing 
strategies, advertising budget allocations, and advertising effectiveness. CVBs should consider modifying their 
marketing and advertising strategies relative to meeting planners.
The most influential advertising channel for meeting planners was personal sales and word of mouth. This 
is very plausible when considering Information Richness Theory (Daft et al., 1986). As a buyer in charge of group 
consumption, meeting planners are more likely to rely on rich media such as face-to-face or telephone 
communications. For Internet marketing, this finding also supplies a very valuable idea. CVBs may achieve greater 
advertising effectiveness by promoting online word-of-mouth communications through virtual communities. Virtual 
communities are regarded as one of the most effective business models in the information age and the rise of virtual 
communities in online networks has provided great opportunities for business organizations (Armstrong and Hagel, 
1996). In the hospitality and tourism literature, it is also reported that virtual communities provide organizations 
with a more effective method for communicating what their products and destinations are all about (Wang, Yu, and 
Fesenmaier, 2002). Within the IT era, the emerging challenge for CVBs is how to brand their destination images, 
and produce more trusted messages to get the attention of travelers and travel intermediaries while competing with a 
myriad of other CVB Websites. With the recognition of the experiential nature of tourism, it is clear that virtual 
communities will provide a substantial foundation with which to foster communication among and between travelers 
and the industry.
In regard to the relationship between advertising channels and advertising effects, the results of this study 
provided valuable insights into understanding the nature and impact of hospitality and tourism advertising. First, the 
results indicated that there is a strong linkage between advertising channels and advertising effects. The findings 
confirmed the results of previous studies indicating that the role of advertising is not limited to stimulating visits to a 
destination; rather, it includes exposing the destination to potential travelers, creating a positive image of the 
destination, and stimulating a preference for the destination that eventually leads to actual visits (Bendizen, 1993; 
Bojanic, 1991; Weilbacher, 2003). Second, there was a difference between CVB respondents and meeting planners 
in terms of their perception of advertising channels. CVB respondents perceived consumer magazines as “detailed 
information” and arousing “request information.” Personal sales and word of mouth and trade magazines were more 
associated with creating a “positive image of destination.” In case of meeting planners, personal sales and word of 
mouth had a strong linkage to “request information,” obtaining “detailed information,” and “awareness of 
destinations,” whereas trade magazines were closely associated with having a “positive image of destination.” 
Practically, these findings should provide CVBs with pointers for designing more effective advertising strategies, 
and particularly for better alignment of advertising channels to the aims of their advertising campaign for meeting 
planners.
In all, this study provides some insights to hospitality and tourism research by providing theoretical and 
practical contributions supporting the all hypotheses. First, this study provides extensive view of organizational 
theory and thoughts about channel adaptation research in hospitality and tourism. Second, marketers on both sides 
should be able to allocate their marketing and advertising budgets more appropriately by understanding differences 
in channel preferences. Based on the results, it is expected that CVBs and meeting planners should now better 
understand each other’s channel preference and usage, and more effective communications and marketing strategies 
should be possible. 
REFERENCES 
Ames, B.C. and Hlaracek, J.D. (1984). 
Managerial marketing for industrial firms
. New York: Random House
Business Division.

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