INTRODUCING THE CASE

“ BANYAN TREE ”
vIn the year 1994 founded by “Ho Kwon Ping” ,
a travel enthusiast and former Journalist.
vHo earlier use to manage his family business
competing mainly on cost.
vOne year after the opening, they had to close
their factory.
vHo then realized that a low cost strategy would
be difficult to follow and decided to build a
strong brand to maintain a competitive
advantage.
vThe idea of entering the luxury resorts was
inspired by the gap in hotel industry that
giant chains such as Hilton and Shangri-La
could not fill.
vThere existed a market segment that wanted
private and intimate accomodation without
the expectation of glitzy chain hotels.
vHo saw potential for offering an innovative
niche product that could also bridge the
price gap in this market.
v
 BRAND ORIGIN
vHo came up with the idea of building a resort
comprising individual villas, exotic in
architectural design and positioned as a
romantic and intimate escapade for guests.
vThe brand had its origin from the Banyan Tree
Bay which was a fishing village on Lamma
Island in Hong Kong.
vHo remembered it for its large canopies of the
Banyan Tree resembling the shelter afforded
by Asia’s tropical rainforests and also he
remembered it to be a sanctuary of romance
and intimacy.
THE SERVICE OFFERING
vIndividual villas.
vPrivate pools.
vJacuzzi or spa treatment room.
vConcept of providing “a sense of place” to
reflect and enhance the culture and heritage
of the destination.
vNatural landscape of the surrounding
environment.
vRich local flavor and luxurious feel.
PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT

vResorts were built from scratch using raw

materials as far as possible, and at the same
time minimizing the impact of the
environment.
vVillas in Rainforest constructed around
existing trees.
vFresh water supply obtained by desalination,
and not the underground water-table
disrupting the ecological system in the long
run.
vToiletries provided were nontoxic and
biodegradable.
vTreatment of waste water and recycling of
it for irrigation of resort
v
v
Branding Services
•
• What is a Service?
 “A service is any activity or benefit that one party can
offer to another that is essentially intangible and does
not result in the ownership of anything. Its production
may or may not be tied to a physical product”.
 Kotler and Amstrong (1997, p. 265)
• What is a Brand?
“…….. a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a

combination of them, which is intended to identify

the goods and services of one seller or group of
sellers and to differentiate them from those of their
competitors”
 American Marketing Association
 Steps in Branding Services
•
Role
•
• Architecture

•
Positioning
•
• Development

•
Organisation
•
• Business System
• Role:- Understanding the customer needs and designing
the message.
• Architecture:-Choosing the brand architecture
Ø Single brand:One message common for entire product
range eg:Sony,Gilette
Ø Tiered brand: -Sub-brands benefits from parent brand
image eg:Fanta,Sprite from Coke
Ø Multiple brand:-Various product lines under single brand
eg:Lux,Surf from Unilever
• Positioning:-Communicating the value proposition
• Development:-Using idea promotional strategies
• Organisation:Execution of the strategy( Having a brand
management team)
• Business system:Integrating different levels and systems
Ø
 BRAND ARCHITECTURE

• House of Brands
•
• A Branded House
•
• Sub Brands (under a Master Brand)
•
• Endorsed Brands
•
 Branded House vs. A House of Brands

Taj Malabar ITC Welcome group

Taj Krishna Welcome Hotels
Taj Mahal Palace FortuneHotels
Taj Bengal Welcome Heritage

Tata – The Branded House ITC – A House of Brands

 House of Brands
• House of Brands strategy – each independent stand-alone
brand creates more market impact.
• Eg:ITC Welcome group,Welcome Hotels,Fortune
Hotels,Welcome Heritage
• Allows firms to clearly position brands on their functional
benefits.
Banyan Tree- A House of Brands

Angsana Resorts
Colours of Angsana
Angsana City Club
Angsana spa
Brand Portfolio of Banyan Tree
Banyan Tree Portfolio

Oberoi Spa Endorsed Brands

Portfolio

Angsana Portfolio
(Shadow Endorsed)
 Challenges in Services
Branding
• Intangibility
• Commoditization
• Complexity
• Inconsistency
• Real-Time

Goods Services Services Branding Implications

Tangible Intangible •Service brands cannot be patented

•Service brands cannot be inventoried
•Service brands cannot be readily displayed or
communicated
•Pricing service brands is difficult

Standardised Heterogeneous •Service brands face difficulties delivering on promises

•Service brand quality depends on many

uncontrollable factors

Inseparability Simultaneous •Customers participate in the service brand

production transaction
•Employees may affect the service brand outcome
•Customers may affect one another in the service
brand transaction
•Satisfaction of service brand is influenced by expected
and perceived behaviour of service provider and
customer
• Mass production of service brands is difficult

Non-perishable Perishable •Service brands face challenges to build and sustain

image and reputation to retain customers
•Fluctuating demand can cause problems for branding
services
 Promotional Mix
• Advertisements in high end travel magazines in key
markets
• Public Relations
• Global Marketing programs(Built relationships with travel
editors and writers)
• Online Reservations
• Creating brand ownership among employees
• Participation of guests in environmental conseravation
programs.
• Revitalizing local communities
• Community outreach programs
• Care for the environment
•
 CONCLUSION

“Branding
 plays a special role in service companies because strong
brands increase customers’ trust of the invisible purchase. Strong
brands enable customers to better visualise and understand
intangible products. They reduce customers’ perceived monetary,
social, or safety in buying services, which are difficult to evaluate
prior to purchase. Strong brands are the surrogates when the
company offers no fabric to touch, no trousers to try on, no water
melons or apples to scrutinise, no automobiles to test drive.”
 Berry (2000, p. 128)
 MARKETING MIX OF
BANYAN TREE RESORT .
 MARKETING MIX
vPRODUCT
vPLACE
vPRICE
vPROMOTION
vPROCESS
vPHYSICAL EVIDENCE
vPEOPLE
 PRODUCTS
 DINING
v Dinner of the spirits ( created unique dining concept
of Thai ethnicity)
v Sense of place(enhance the culture and heritage of
destination)
v Sanya rak dinner cruise(experience the ultimate
romantic dinner by experiencing traditional
music).
 SUITS
vTwo bed room villa
vPool villa
vLagoon pool villa
vDeluxe villa
vSpa pool villa
•
•
•
 RESTAURENTS SPECIALITIES
vSaffron(renowned for its creative selection of THAI
cuisine)
vWater count(enjoy ASIAN –AMERICAN buffet
breakfast )
vTre (among the exclusive double pool villa area a
romantic restaurant with peaceful environment)
vLobby bar
•
•
 THEMED PARTIES
v Banyan beach barbeque(night parties beneath the
stars)
v Thai baan nork dinner(full of thai foods and also the
demonstrations how to prepare the thai food)
v Black and gold dinner(sail into a night of style ans
treat yourself to an unforgotable memories by
listening to our own music



 SPA
v Variety of aromatic oil massages.
v Constructed around large Granite boulders and lush
foilage to offer an outdoor spa experience in
complete privacy.
v Face and body treatment using Asian therapies.
v Products are indigenous natural products made from
local herbs.
v Relied mainly on human touch.

•


 GALlery
 Items made by local artisans and included
traditionally woven handmade fabrics, garments,
jewellery, spa accessory and oil massage.
 PRICE
v Prices were based on the variety offered in products.
v Rack rates for Phuketstarted from US $500 and over
to US $2,500 again in Seychelles it ranged from
US $1,200 to US $4,400.
v
 PLACES
THAILAND THAILAND

CHINA UAE
•MOROCCO SEYCHELLES
GREECE JAPAN
AUSTRALIA KUWAIT
INDIA EGYPT
(BANGALORE)
TAIWAN
INDONESIA
MALDIVES
MEXICO
 PROMOTIONS
v Worlds premium resort.
v Worlds extensive spa facilities, elegant architecture
and luxurious abodes.
v Senses in the privacy of your very own sanctum.
v When it was launched marketing communication was
managed by an international ad agency.
v Logo
v Tagline : “Sanctuary for the Senses”
v It promoted as providing romantic and intimate
“smallish” hotel experience rather than luxurious.
v Best available rates
v Early bird advantage
v Best of Banyan Tree
v Romance in Bangkok
v Executive package
v Wedding dreams- Eternity
v Bintan at your doorsteps
v Online exclusive package

 PROCESS
vTraining the employees.
vFreedom to employees.
vGreeting guests.
vRemembering first names.
vCalled back guests.
 PEOPLE
v Receptionists
v Bell boys
v Laundry servicemen
v Butlers
v Room service
v Chauffeurs
v Managers
v Cleaners
v Assistants for guests
v Chefs
v Waiters etc
•
 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
v Architecture
v Furnishing
v Landscape
v Vegetation
v Long tailed boats
v Granite Boulders
v Reading Lights
v Lush Foliage
v

v Air-conditioned buses
v Canteens
v Televisions
v Telephones
v Refrigerators
v Nontoxic and biodegradable toiletries
v Traditional art and handicraft from local artists and
local craftsmen in the Banyan Tree Gallery.

Thank You