Contiki Holidays
You Have One Life, One Shot, So Make It Count!
Assessment 1: Major Assignment Group Work: Hung, Jess, Tshala, Rana and Tiffany

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Company Overview ............................................................................................................................... 2 Backstage Pass to Europe ..................................................................................................................... 2 Travel Styles .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Team Contiki ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Make Every Moment Count .................................................................................................................. 3 Getting Around ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Me Time ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Join Us Online........................................................................................................................................ 4 Save With Contiki .............................................................................................................................. 5 Contiki Target Market ....................................................................................................................... 5 Consumer Behaviour Influences ....................................................................................................... 6 Organisational Behaviour.................................................................................................................. 7 External Influences............................................................................................................................ 8 Motive Change .................................................................................................................................. 9 Marketing Strategy ........................................................................................................................... 9 Consumer Decision Making Process ............................................................................................... 10 Evaluation ....................................................................................................................................... 11

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Contiki Holiday - Europe
2 COMPANY OVERVIEW
Contiki Tours is a Travel Corporation operated coach Tour Company operating in Europe, Russia, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand, North and South America and Asia. The travel company was formed in 1962 specifically to create coach trips for 18-35 year olds to include a mix of sight-seeing, free time, culture socializing and adventure. In 1961, New Zealander John Anderson arrived in London to embark on a journey to Europe. He didn’t want to travel alone and he didn’t have a lot of money, so he came up with a plan. He put on a deposit on a mini bus and gathered a group of people to travel with. They spent several weeks exploring Europe together and all had a wonderful time. At the end of the trip, John tried to sell the mini bus but no one wanted to buy it. So in spring 1962 he decided to advertise his Europe trip again. This time, he was able to fit two tips into the summer season and once then Contiki Holidays was born. The first tours were all booked by 19-29 year olds so right from the start Contiki was all about youth travel. No one wants to regret the chance not taken; to sit on the sidelines experiencing the world through our friends’ status updates. Contiki wants to get out there and get people to see it for themselves! Surely there was no Facebook back in 1962. But there was a world that needed exploring! Since the first trip, Contiki has spent 50 years perfecting the art of living with no regrets. There is just so much to discover in Europe and the best part of it all is that the local know-how to experience it backstage in Europe. Escape the tourist traps to eat with the locals. Skip the lines for direct access to Europe’s most popular attractions. Ditch the hotels and spend the night at a 16th Century French Chateau. And make it all that much sweeter by sharing it with you “new” travel mates.

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BACKSTAGE PASS TO EUROPE

Exclusive Access: After 50 years travelling around Europe, no company can provide better access to Europe than Contiki. Like skipping the queues at the Eiffel Tower and the Vatican. Contiki will get you around in style, doing all the hard work and saving your precious time for exploring. Staying connected has never been this easy with the newly launched WIFI coaches and at most of the places you will stay. Exclusive Options: There is always a freedom to explore. It is a very important part of travelling, so Contiki will provide you with loads of free time to discover and create your own adventure. Contiki calls it ME TIME because it’s all about you and choosing your own path. Exclusive Accommodations: Contiki will allow you to stay in some of the most eye-popping accommodation when travelling. Contiki will th either own or have exclusive agreement with sunning properties throughout Europe. Like the 16 century Chateau De Cuix in the south of France, a beautiful beachside resort on the Greek Islands and a magnificent Gasthof in the Austrian Alps. Exclusive Team: Contiki has over 400 team members across Europe, and they are all passionate travelers whose sole focus is making your trip the time of your life. They live and breathe in Europe and have very depth knowledge of every city and every destination.

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Exclusive Food: Contiki loves food. Most of Contiki holidays include dinners feature in the very best most regional cuisines from authentic local restaurants. From sampling the buzz in the local market to finding some of the best food of all time, Contiki has it all covered. Exclusive Inclusions: Contiki will always show you all the best block-busters, but better than that Contiki will get you to know all parts of Europe that only a local friend in that area could show you. These Inclusions can be booked through Contiki.

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TRAVEL STYLES

Going Solo: More than half of Contiki travelers go alone, which means you are guaranteed to link up with other young travelers who are like minded. Contiki does not charge single supplements for solo travelers; they will match you up with a same sex roommate. First Big Trip: At first a European trip must seem a little bit daunting, even if you’ve travelled a lot before. So from the movement you decide to go, Contiki is always there to help. Give us a call, drop us an email, get online and find us on Facebook and Twitter. Contiki will answer all necessary questions and give out a lot of travel advice and or tips.

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TEAM CONTIKI

Imagine a travel buddy who knows Europe inside out – where to eat, play, sleep, party, shop and find authentic local experiences. The Contiki team is more than just walking, talking and guidebooks. They’re life lifelong travelers whose sole passion is to make sure you have the time of your life. And of course it goes without saying that they’re here to take care of you to. The Contiki team will look after the boring stuff, like finding the right hotel, getting across boarders and hauling your luggage, so you can do what you came for – having fun! Our Tour Managers and Drivers are your oracles on all things Europe. They’re extensively trained and travelled. They know Europe inside out and are bursting with jaw-dropping experiences they can’t wait to share. Our exclusive On-site Teams always set up throughout Europe to welcome you home-away from home. All 100 of them live locally and can hook you up with the best things to see off the beaten track. Contiki have been travelling around Europe for 50 years and they have a great network of expert Local Guides who will give you an insight of a unique perspective on all the places you will visit!

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MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT

Europe is Epic! Contiki makes sure you see the best – the blockbusters that will knock your socks off. Better than that Contiki also wants to show you parts of Europe that you probably won’t find without a local friend in the know. It is all included as standard with your backstage pass, so you get incredible value that cannot be matched by anyone else.

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GETTING AROUND

Travelling with Contiki is all about the journey and places we discover. Seeing Europe from all sort of angles, from comfy coaches to included flights, train trips, ferries and boat rides. Travelling on our environmentally friendly coaches is more of a socially event than just a way to get around. You will never be short of mates or friends to hang out with, so chat, recline or chill and listen to your favourite music.

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ME TIME

Travel is all about freedom and discovery. You want to get amongst it, See more, Do more, live more and go home early utterly and completely regret free. Me Time is the last ingredient to that perfect trip. Contiki makes sure that you get all the time you need to see your Europe trip, the way it means to you. It means having the freedom to choose; relaxing at a cosy cafe, heading off to explore that interesting local market down the road or getting a locally guided tour of Rome. Making the most of those personal moments that are unique to is just as important as experiencing the big sights. They’re the most memorable moments that happen you least expect them, when you really connect with the places you will visit and the people you travel with. Contiki’s Backstage Pass to Europe means the team will help you get off the beaten track with the inside word on where to go and what to do. If you really want to make every moment count, our ME TIME optional give you the chance to take your trip to a whole new level with unforgettable experiences, unique to the places you visit.

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JOIN US ONLINE

There are many ways to stay connected with Contiki. Certain tools allow travellers to meet up with the rest of the group before travelling to the destination. Travellers can also register online to pay off their fees using budget payments as part of a family. Travellers can also personalised Contiki e-brochure and choose the tours that they want to compare, share and download to Facebook and Twitter. Travellers can also check in for their tour before they travel to save time, they can also check their important travel itineraries online. Travellers can also review tour and see what past travellers have to say. Travellers can join Contiki on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Contiki also has a new IPHONE app that allow travellers to bring together the photos, videos and updates of everyone travelling on the same tour to create one epic story of their trip. Save every moment and create a real-time timeline of your awesome travels to share with their friends back home. Shout is sponsored by Contiki and Lonely Planet. Another program of Contiki is “The Exchange” program. The exchange will bring together the hottest trend in music, fashion, food, nightlife and so much more from around the globe.

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10 SAVE WITH CONTIKI
Contiki knows that it is very important to earn hard cash to a traveller. Contiki always uses the “Save with Contiki” with each and every of its travellers. This is a part of their company and is very useful in some way,

If a traveller is willing to travel again, they will receive a 5% discount. If a traveller is willing to travel with 2 or more passengers, they can book a tour 7 days or longer and receive $100 off their second tour. If a traveller is willing to book a triple share-room, then Contiki will give a 5% off for the passenger.

If a traveller is booking with their mates, Contiki believes in the principle of “The more the merrier”. 4 or more everyone will save 5%, 7 or more everyone will save 7.5%, 10 or more everyone will save 10% or invite an 11th for free.

Contiki also offers some great 5 saving tips in order to save for your next travel; 1. Go Vintage - Buy your next outfit at your local charity or op shop. 2. Ride a Bike to Work or Take Public Transportation 3. Cut the Credit - Stick a picture of your next holiday spot on your credit card. When you go to use it next, think twice!! 4. Got Skills - Why not take it to the streets and try busking. 5. Go Back to Basics - Save money on fruit and vegetables and grow your own.

11 CONTIKI TARGET MARKET
Contiki Holidays is considered the top travel company for 18-35 year olds. They have defined this target for the age group who are eager to travel and experience new cultures. The research that they conducted for their campaign helped the company to define their goals, objectives and executions for this target market and their secondary target markets, like parents and young professionals. Their research showed that most college students are interested in traveling internationally, but bus travel is one of their least likely modes of transportation. Since the majority of students surveyed have never heard of Contiki Holidays, they made a strong effort to educate students about the benefits of bus travel through promotional items and special events. After defining the target market for their campaign, every effort was made to convey the proper message to the target market segments this includes both locally and regionally. By positioning Contiki as the premier travel company for the younger age group and informing them about all the benefits of bus travel, they successfully completed the objectives of their campaign and exceeded their own goal. Through extensive research, they identified the strengths of the company and capitalised on them, they saw the opportunities that Contiki could have to improve on their marketing efforts and then they took full advantage of them. Palmetto Communications proudly represents Contiki Holidays in the integrated marketing communications and public relations plan that follows. Strong and growing Contiki Holidays, is now the world’s largest travel company for 18-35 year olds. More than 85,000 travellers have experienced one of the 3,000 Contiki adventured offered by the company each year. Offering more than 100 tours to

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destinations on four continents, not only does the company offer thrilling cultural experiences, but it also employs competitive pricing, which attracts that specific age group. This distinct combination of value, convenience and excitement makes it an ideal product for the 18-35 year old, budget conscious and adventure seeking market. The company Contiki has clearly defined this market, and it is reflected in every aspect of the service they provide, from available online bookings to optional activities on their tours such as bungee jumping, white-water rafting and other adventure travel activities. Contiki’s’ knowledge of its target market also shows in the breakdown of tours they have to offer to different subgroups within the market. Some of these tours include:    Multi-country tours that give first time clients a broad exposure to a large geographical area. Regional tours for travelers who want to experience a particular area in depth. Lifestyle tours, its newest addition which are designed for repeat clients and place more emphasis on the style of travel and special interests rather than on the destination.

While Contiki consistently reiterates its target market, Palmetto communications is confident that there is still a great deal of growth potential for the company. The problem lies in the fact that only a small portion of Contiki’s target is aware of the services that exist, even fewer are fully knowledgeable of the benefits. This is making Contiki suffer from low awareness as a result of little advertising and now enough publicity. This is also due to many college students who prefer to make their own travel arrangements.

12 CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR INFLUENCES
A consumer’s buyer behavior is influenced by four major factors: 1) Cultural-include a consumer’s culture, subculture and social class. These factors are often inherent in our values and decision processes 2) Social-include groups (reference groups, aspirational groups and member groups), family, roles and status. This explains the outside influences of others on our purchase decisions either directly or indirectly 3) Personal-include such variables as age and lifecycle stage, occupation, economic circumstances, lifestyle (activities, interests, opinions and demographics), personality and self-concept. These may explain why our preferences often change as our `situation' changes. 4) Psychological-affecting our purchase decision include motivation (Maslow's hierarchy of needs), perception, learning, beliefs and attitudes These factors cause consumers to develop product and brand preferences. Although many of these factors cannot be directly controlled by marketers, understanding of their impact is essential as marketing mix strategies can be developed to appeal to the preferences of the target market

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Types of consumer buying behaviour are determined by:   Level of Involvement in purchase decision. Importance and intensity of interest in a product in a particular situation. Buyer’s level of involvement determines why he/she is motivated to seek information about a certain products and brands but virtually ignores others.

High involvement purchases--Honda Motorbike, high priced goods, products visible to others, and the higher the risk the higher the involvement. Types of risk: •Personal risk •Social risk •Economic risk Ethical Consideration In most instances, if not all, Contiki will provide a minimum of 6 weeks’ notice to give you ample time to consider our alternative offer in tour departure date, or tours that are fairly similar in duration or itinerary. In the event, alternative offers are not acceptable, Contiki will refund all the deposits or money paid in advance for your tour.

13 ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Contiki is a company that started up influenced on John Anderson's idea of wanting to travel, but not to travel alone. After embarking on his idea, a year later in 1962, Contiki tours was created. As the world has changed, so has Contiki. The company have not had any major changes in what its overall idea was from the start, but have branched out into a bigger and better company altogether. Contiki manages to keep the youth interested in the company and one of the reasons have been by branching out and collaborating with famous YouTubers. In February 2012, Contiki announced a Global Partnership with YouTube celebrity Nadine Sykora, where she uploaded videos on her Contiki adventures. They have also partnered up with 13 YouTubers on a Roadtrip around Europe. They have continued developing innovative ideas to stay updated in technology in order to keep customers interested in what Contiki has to offer. While Contiki has an audience that is mainly in between 18-35, they do what they can in order to keep that their main targeted audience. Contiki has joined forces with many different events giving them opportunities for people to win a chance to tour with Contiki. The company also connects online with the younger demographic by having interactive online games, which is a big innovative idea from the company. They interact with customers by having competitions constantly being run, by Contiki itself, or with events that they collaborate with. Contiki manages to keep the company a success to the youth. With the online department they have placed off a section for the community where they can be able to interact with each other; there are constant Contiki online meet ups, which are a private online chat room for people who travelling on the same tour, where they are able to discuss anything they want about the trip. There are also discussion boards and review pages where people can share their experiences with Contiki. Contiki also has 'The Exchange' for the online department, which is constantly updated on what the latest trends are on food, fashion, music and night life etc. all around the world. Along the years, Contiki has also added more destinations into specific tours, which has been a success for the business by expanding the locations of where the tours travel to.

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14 EXTERNAL INFLUENCES
Contiki is a main attraction towards the younger audience. The selection of tours available are suitable towards the expenses of a younger budget, which attracts many youthful souls. Many younger people seem to fantasise about going to another country, and experiencing new cultures and regardless of which tour is to be selected, Contiki uses “Save with Contiki” in order to satisfy the customer base. They acknowledge the fact that travelling is expensive, so in order for a customer to maintain an exciting travel lifestyle, they apply special deals which then allow the customers to save money while continuing to travel with Contiki. By applying specials, deals, or anything that allows the audience to understand they are saving money, is a big value that customers look for when deciding to travel. With the years of experience that Contiki has had, is another plus that is able to attract people to want to be travelling with them. While keeping the brand affordable, having special deals and having the experience of travel is a major plus that allows customers to gain interest and fight out other competitors in the travel market. If a Contiki customer is travelling around with the tours, posting photos online, or even talking about it to their family and friends on what an enjoyable experience they've had, could be quite inspiring for somebody else to get the urge to go and travel. Social media and peers can be a big influence on creating an image in someone mind to want to experience something great they see or hear about. Sometimes people spontaneously make decisions, and sometimes they plan it through and through, but if somebody they know is speaking in a positive manner about a holiday that was an amazing, yet affordable experience, what is there to doubt that they won't even take experiencing Contiki tours into consideration. If people are constantly bragging about what a good time they've had, or how amazing Europe is due to Contiki tours, they're helping promote Contiki tours just by word of mouth. Word of mouth is such an incredible factor when it comes to increasing customer base, just as well as it works with social media; when people see things that are somehow interesting or appealing, there is no doubt they will take a look or read about what it is they're showing or writing about. When the audience see people rave about something, it gains an interest to them, and if it were to be somebody that had always wanted to travel, but could never really afford it, they would see the fact that Contiki is affordable for travelling and could play a big factor into making a decision for them. Word of mouth can play a big role by having a Contiki customer from many years ago mention it to somebody that has a current interest with travelling in the near future, but is unknown of what company to go with. Everything in today's generation is influenced by what other people think, social media and technology; if top reviews are posted on websites, it can play a big part on what someone's final decision is.

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15 MOTIVE CHANGE
Need/motive change: Making Contiki tours more flexible to customers- for people that want the safety and security of a Contiki tour but with the option to adventure outside the guidelines.

16 MARKETING STRATEGY
1. Customise your Contiki trip. Contiki trips are traditionally pre-arranged into the locations, amount of days spent at each location, level of accommodation (hotels to hostels) and the overall time period spent on a trip. Contiki offer a wide range of tour choices but all trips are set up with the time periods being non-negotiable (not including end of trip extensions). A key reason that customers chose to travel with Contiki is for the safety and security that Contiki are well known for, which persuades them away from doing a free-range trip. Many people taking part in a tour are first time travellers and will have limited prior knowledge of the locations which means they do not know which locations they may enjoy more than others. While on tour these people might decide that they want an extended time period at one of the places that they have stopped over but the Contiki has only set up for them to spend one or two nights there. Instead of that person either leaving the tour to remain in a location, or having to come back on a completely separate trip, a fantastic new option would be to allow customized trips. These custom trips could be arranged by commencing the tours as they normally are, but while there if a customer decided that they would like to stay in an area, they could remain, and then continue the rest of that tour within missing any locations, with the next bus that comes through. During popular stages of the year where the busses are frequent this strategy could be easily implemented. It would benefit customers by allowing them flexibility on their journeys while allowing them to remain in the Contiki approved safe areas. Instead of them choosing an alternate travelling option. It also means the customers don’t have to miss out on locations or need to use a difficult method to rearrange their trip. Contiki would not have any problems implementing this strategy as the customer would pay their own extra nights accommodation (figured out specifically with the hotel) and all the tour host would need to do is find out when the next tour coming through a location is and negotiate with the customer what their best option is, alert the next available group if an extra customer was going to be joining them, and inform the customer of the meeting time and place to continue the tour. If well organized and implemented, Contiki would gain an increased market of adventurous customers and groups, and earn an increasingly positive reputation.

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17 CONSUMER DECISION MAKING PROCESS
Travelling is a luxury that most people only have limited time and money to do few times in their life, which means that they are very specific and picky about what they are choosing to do. Need recognition The first step for the customer is deciding that they are going to travel to Europe. They have recognized their “need” or choice to travel. For customers with prior knowledge of travel they may realize that the best option to fit their needs is travelling with Contiki. With the “Customised trip” strategy a wider variety of people would consider Contiki one of their better and most flexible options. Search for information: Prior to travelling, most customers go to their local travel agent/s and collect brochures, speak to a consultant, look up prices online and make a vague plan outlining their ideal trip. After collecting a range of information they usually sit down with the travel agent they feel will be most beneficial to them and draft a plan of their travel. They then find out any special prices or deals or events taking place as well as any weather info and more thorough information regarding tours as well as further questions answered. The Contiki Customise trip travel option may be summarized to the customer if they fit the target age and the locations they want to visit are included. Evaluation of alternatives: Customers are highly unlikely to settle for the first trip and price quote they are summarized, they are more likely to travel around looking for a range of alternatives that suit them or their budget better. Many factors would be evaluated to contribute to the final decision. Contiki customise trip may be summarized to the customer and they would then decide whether it suits the time, locations, accommodation, atmosphere and price of what they are aiming for in their travels. It could be a more appealing alternative to some people than just doing an individual trip where they catch just arrive in Europe and decide from there. As the Contiki trip is customizable it would be highly alluring option if it matches the customers general criteria, it may also be cheaper than their other options. Choice: The final decision would come down to specific factors for each customer for example the total cost may be a deciding factor. If the customer where to choose the customizable Contiki Europe tour it would most likely be related to the cost, their age, valuing safety, desiring to be social and its “party” reputation. The Customise strategy would also contribute as people would rather not be locked down into any decisions, and would like to know that if something is not as expected, it is changeable. Regardless, people wouldn’t decide not to chose Contiki because it is “too flexible” so it only increases the likelihood of Contiki being a costumers ideal choice.

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18 EVALUATION
At the conclusion of the Customise Contiki tour the customer would have taken notice of whether the tour was what they expected. If it was a cheaper option and they were well informed of the specifics of what would happen on their journey they are less likely to criticize. Customers would look at whether the information they were given was accurate, whether the tour included everything that they were expecting, whether the people they were with (including the tour guide) were nice and included them. Aside from any personal factors, customers are likely to either recommended or complain based on whether the image they had created mentally, matched their experience. When it comes to customers who had customized their trip they would also be looking at how easily their changes were implemented, whether they felt the timing of their breaks and extra time asked for was enough, punctuality of the busses/travel, any extra costs (how much extra it came too) and whether they felt the time they had spent was worthy. At this point they would have made a decision whether the costs of the trip were worth their values and experiences (Value= what you get- what you give). They would then recommend the tour, complain about the tour and know whether they would be willing to travel with Contiki again.

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