Procedia Economics and Finance 3 ( 2012 ) 182 – 187

2212-6716 © 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Selection and peer review under responsibility of Emerging Markets Queries in Finance and Business local organization.doi: 10.1016/S2212-5671(12)00137-2

Emerging Markets Queries in Finance and Business

and its implications in marketing destination pagesMihail-Cristian Ditoiua,*, Otilia-Elena Platona

aThe Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Piat

Abstract

The recent development of social networking applications and the expansion of their number of users turned them quickly into one of the best channels of communication between companies and consumers. An increasing number of companies started to combine their traditional promotional activities with the online presence on social networks. Theopportunity of establishing permanent two-way contact and creating a varied communication with the consumers usingsocial networks proved to be appropriate in tourism marketing and destination marketing as well. However, in order to manage efficient marketing communications, marketers need to know a series of aspects. One of them is that even though

the implementation of marketing campaigns onthese types of applications should always take into consideration an essential fact: in the case of social networks, the public is the key element. Due to this, implementing a social networking campaign must be creative and perfectly adapted to theenvironment, and it should use the right message and establish a transparent relationship with the consumer. Thus, basedon a consumer research, this article tries to reveal the elements and the criteria that the Romanian consumer considers important when faced with touristic promotional messages, also taking into account their socio-demographic particularities.

© 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the EmergingMarkets Queries in Finance and Business local organization.

Keywords: Social networks; Facebook; users; online communication; destination pages.

1. Introduction

* Corresponding author. Tel.: 004 0760 676 805E-mail address: cristian.ditoiu@mk.ase.ro

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

© 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Selection and peer review under responsibility of Emerging Markets Queries in Finance and Business local organization.

183 Mihail-Cristian Ditoiu and Otilia-Elena Platon / Procedia Economics and Finance 3 ( 2012 ) 182 – 187

Along with the arrival of social networks, marketing has been provided with a new instrument through the

help of which it can be implemented, inasmuch as these social networks allow the existence a simple two-way

brands is continually growing, these social networks enable this transfer of power from the organization to the consumers to take place, although there is a permanent control of the brand by the marketers, in spite of an apparent chaos,

The development of communities around a certain product through the medium of social networks may represent an element of success in destination marketing precisely because in this case the experiences shared by the tourists on the destination page become sources of evaluation for future tourists of that particular place, thus projecting the identity of the destination.

Whereas the making of a destination page on one of these social networks is relatively simple - if one starts from the target public-messages demands profound knowledge of the users and comprehension of the elements that can set off such reactions. This is the reason why the present article tries to identify tourist preferences in terms of the content

ile, and to offer an answer to marketers that allows them to develop successful pages. 2. Conceptual framework

Consumer-generated content is the main concept of social networks. Through the help of this content social networks are developed, and the importance of consumer-generated content is observed in all domains, all the more so in tourism, Akehurst, 2009. As the tourist industry became global, more individual destinations appeared whose experiences are suited for online presentations, Benckendorff and Black, 2000. In the end, consumer generated content could make possible the existence of a user-generated type of branding, Burmann, 2010.

Communication based on user-generated content represented an important support for destination marketing because tourists take into consideration real information about the destination from other tourists, and thus the completion of the official communication is attained according to World Tourism Organization and European Travel Commission, 2009. Online communities, which are developed around destination pages, demand the

for this destination is built, Hyun and Cai, 2009.

Facebook is illustrative of social networks not only through its high number of users, but by means of its geographical diffusion as well. The organization may have a page on this type of social network, which it can

posted on the page can be seen by all the users of the network and not just by those that have chosen to connect themselves to the page of the organization, and thus to become fans. Because a two-way communication is possible, around Facebook pages communities are created, where fans post their own content, interact with each other and discuss with the organization, Threatt, 2009.

-of-

friends on the network, as opposed to the Internet, where the source is unknown, Svensson, 2011. The page of a destination raises the level of acquaintance with that particular place and creates an image

through the influence of the content generated by the tourists in the guise of a narrative, visual and audio form, Munar, 2009 asserted by their reaction to the transmitted brand messages, which is displayed in the form of comments, likes and by sharing the information, Connor, 2011.

Taking into consideration the fact that a social network brand adds the consu ording to, Treadaway and Smith, 2010, and starting from the Facebook pages used in destination marketing, communities

184 Mihail-Cristian Ditoiu and Otilia-Elena Platon / Procedia Economics and Finance 3 ( 2012 ) 182 – 187

can be built that can disseminate positive information about the destination, and . 3. Operational framework

The current study is based on a quantitative research conducted among a group of young Romanian people, with ages ranging from 19 to 35 years old, active members of different social networks that had graduated from university or that were still undergoing university programs at that time.

The data collection method used for this research was the survey and an online self-managed questionnaire was used as a research instrument. The questionnaire consisted of seven closed questions with choice offered answers, three semi-closed questions and three open questions. The introductory section of the questionnaire aimed to reveal the habits of using social networking platforms, the main section of the questionnaire centered on the actual consumer opinions towards destinasocio-demographic characteristics of the respondents.

This research study has an exploratory character, the sample dimension being set at 300 persons. The target group was selected using the non-probability sampling.

The main starting assumption for this research study was that Facebook represents the most illustrative social network in terms of its number of members in Romania. Thus, according to statistics, by mid-July 2012 there were 4.897.040 Facebook users in Romania, Facebrands. From this point of view, three of the

4. Results

The results of the research showed that 91.6% of the persons questioned had at that moment at least one social network membership account. The majority of respondents, 98.5% respectively, declared that they have a Facebook account, followed by a Twitter one, with 16.7% of the answers, LinkedIn, with 13.7%, Hi5 (3%) and Google Plus (1%).

As regards the frequency of social networks use during the week, results show that 97.6% of Romanians access daily their accounts on social networks. For 65% of the respondents the average time spent on the network is of approximately one hour per day. The reasons why Romanians use social networks are mainly to communicate with friends and to socialize (for 65.5% of the respondents), followed by the need to obtain information and references (32.5% of the answers) and in a small degree in order to play games (2%).

As regards the degree of trust that they express towards the information received on social networks, 78% of the people questioned declared that they trust it (the largest percentage, 60.5%, being allotted to a moderate trust), 17.1% expressed their indifference, declaring that they neither trust, nor distrust it, and 4.9% do not trust it.

The source of information in which the respondents place their greatest trust when choosing a holiday destination is represented by expertise sites (32.8% of the answers), followed by travel guide books (23.1%), social networks (21%) and fourth place is held by expertise magazines (18.6%). The answers registered under

(4.4%).

profiles or focusing on tourist destinations reveals that the registered answers can be grouped around a positive opinion in 71.7% of cases, around a negative opinion in a proportion of 21.6%, and 6.7% of the respondents declared that they do not read this type of pages.

As regards negative opinions, these come chiefly as a result of the fact that the pages do not contain detailed information, they rely too little on the conveying of useful content, they can be subjective and one-sided, they do not have credibility, they are not up-to-date and they are also under-developed and under-promoted.

The registered positive opinions emphasized interaction as the main advantage of these pages, the fact that experiences can be directly shared with others lending credibility and complexity to the information. Another

185 Mihail-Cristian Ditoiu and Otilia-Elena Platon / Procedia Economics and Finance 3 ( 2012 ) 182 – 187

advantage of these pages is represented by the presence of a large number of photos and videos that portray the tourist destination. It is important to mention that approximately 6% of the people that expressed their positive opinion mentioned however, the weak attempts in promoting these pages and gave recommendations for their future development.

The information obtained from the research study in the case of the open question referring to the elements a Facebook page must have in order for the people questioned to click the Like button can be listed as follows: 2% of the respondents would not click Like on a destination page; for 33.6% of the respondents the visual aspect is a key element for liking such a page, and the presented photos must be multitudinous, illustrative, new and appealing. An even more complex, and well-organized content, with detailed information, and attractive and diversified offers is desired by approximately 65% of the respondents. The presence of contests or special price offers is important for 8.1% of the participants to the research.

In the case of the information referring to the elements a post on a destination Facebook page must have in order for the respondents to click the Share button, these can be grouped as follows: 2.3 % of the respondents declared that they would never Share a post on Facebook, regardless of its content. Out of the 97.7% remaining respondents, 22.interested in the posts, the latter must be special, they must surprise them by bringing something new or they must captivate their attention from a visual point of view. Moreover, the idea of innovation, creativity, remarkable, and impressive was specified in 32.5% of the registered answers. The focus on visual elements, such as illustrative, unique photos, and destination presentation videos was notably mentioned by only 4% of the respondents. In 21.1% of the answers emphasis was placed on the content of the post, which should present complete, useful, relevant, real, and objective information about that particular tourist destination. Displaying gainful offers, promotions or contests would convince 3.1% of the respondents to Share a post. Approximately 2% of the people questioned indicated humour as being the element that could make them Share a post. The analysis also shows that 9% of the respondents indicated that the respective post should refer to a destination the user already knows, has visited, is pleased with and wishes to recommend it to his network friends, or should refer to a destination he wishes to visit in the future or to one, which corresponds to his vacation plans.

From a socio-demographic point of view, y 77.8% women and 22.2% men. The age of the people questioned ranged from 19 to 24 years old in the case of 90.8% of them, from 25 to 30 years old in the case of 5% of them and over 31 years old in the case of 4.2%. 88% of them came from urban residences and 12% from rural ones, and as region of residence 38% indicated Bucharest, 25.6% Muntenia, 16% Moldova, 9.2% Oltenia, 5.2% Dobrogea, 4.4% Transilvania, 0. -

5. Discussion

Seeing that 98.5% of the people questioned declared that they have a Facebook account, the initial assumption that Facebook is the most illustrative social network in Romania in terms of the total number of users is confirmed and therefore a more detailed analysis centered around tourist destination pages implemented on this network is justified.

a practical analysis of the activity of six Facebook pages with tourist profiles was briefly done. This analysis may demonstrate easier that the data obtained before are relevant and important.

fans can send relevant photos and videos and make comments. This page joined Facebook on the 18th of August 2009. pleci din România on august 23, 2010 and is a page which directly allows fans to post content on it.

273 de

186 Mihail-Cristian Ditoiu and Otilia-Elena Platon / Procedia Economics and Finance 3 ( 2012 ) 182 – 187

a small difference taking into consideration the one year start the first page holds on Facebook. The analysis of their activity in the period between the 1st of January and the 30th of June 2012 shows that the percentage of fans variation is +0.02% in the case of the page

+0.România and the engagement rate was 1.32%, and 25.62%. The sucRomâniafact that this page depends constantly on the sharing of new photos and on diversification. Correlating this aspect with the 33.6% percentage of the respondents participating in the research for which the visual aspect is a key element, it is demonstrated that a content based on appealing photos may lead to a rise in the number of fans a page has.

România in the same period of time. The number of fan posts for each page was 0, and 4419 respectively, and the total number of Likes for the posts on the pages was 34.208, and 346.876 respectively. Interaction, mentioned as a key element by the Romanians participating in this research, is again an essential

273 de by posting information on it and by directly

sharing their impressions and experiences to others. The analysis can be conducted in the case of two travel agencies as well, Genius Travel and Eximtur. The

first one joined Facebook on the 3rd of June 2010, and the second one on the 16th of February 2010. The statistical data registered for the period between the 1st of January and the 30th of June 2012 for the two pages reveal that their total number of fans had reached 35.457 people for the Genius Travel page and 21.693 people for Eximtur. The percentage of fans variation was +1.17% for the first page and 0% for the second. The engagement rate was 5.33%, and 21% respectively. Although the number of fans the page Eximtur did not rise during the research, the existing fans had a greater level of engagement towards the activity on the page. This

is most of the times a question addressed to the fans, making them post comments, or engagement by posting thematic photos directly on the page. The page does not however generate a content

on the presentation of complete information and travel offers to various destinations, presenting numerous photos, details regarding lodging, and transportation possibilities, the recreation area and special price offers. These elements can be correlated with the results of the current research which indicated that approximately 65% of the respondents want a content that is more complex, well organized, with detailed information,

has in

Another analysis is tholiday recommendations, narratives, useful information and pjoined Facebook on the 27th th of December 2010. Regarding their number of fans, the first registered (at the end of the analysed period January 1-June 30, 2012) 64.358 people, and the second 13.965 people. The percentage of fans variation was 0.07% in the case of the

and the engagement rate was 11.02% and 1.3% respectively. In terms of the total number of posts made by the administrators of the Tfan posts, the first page registered a number of 612 posts, and the second Ghiduri Towes its greater success to the fact that, although both pages are based more on the sharing of photos, this page posts small descriptions alongside various photos, and the promoted destinations are more divers.

The entire analysis of the activity of these 6 pages was based on the data provided by Facebrands Pro, a service monitoring Facebook pages in Romania which offers complete analytics for Fan Pages.

187 Mihail-Cristian Ditoiu and Otilia-Elena Platon / Procedia Economics and Finance 3 ( 2012 ) 182 – 187

6. Conclusions

young people, up to the age of 24 years old in general, who usually use Facebook in order to keep in touch with their friends and acquaintances and to receive daily news. In what concerns the domain of tourism, Romanian users display openness and they welcome the existence of such pages that promote this field with the help of Facebook. The main elements on which the administrators of such pages should concentrate are not the promoting of discounts or attractive offers, as it may be thought, but first of all the creation of a more complex content, that is based on detailed information about the destination and that is accompanied by illustrative and appealing photos, secondly, the stimulation of the direct interaction between the users, and lastly, but not least, that the page be constantly updated with new information.

The research should continue in finding a complete user profile and tracing his actions, in order to analyse the difference between the desired behaviour and the real facts.

Destinations that seek for gaining awareness between young people should have a Facebook page (or another social network page, depending on the network where the target is situated). This is one of the easiest ways to know your target and really connect with them. The only problem for marketers remains in generating buzz content or into dragging the tourist in sharing his recent experiences on the destination page. The visual aspect of the page and the quality and relevance of the content is not really a problem, because the solution for marketers is to analyse in real time the numbers provided by Facebook Insights for example: likes, shares and comments. References Akehurst, G., 2009. User generated content: the use of blogs for tourism organisations and tourism consumers. Service Business, 3(1), p. 51-61. Benckendorff, P. J., Black, N. L., 2000. Destination Marketing on the Internet: A case study of Australian Regional Tourism Authorities. The Journal of Tourism Studies, 11(1), p. 19. Burmann, C., 2010. A call for - , Journal of Brand Management, XVIII(1), p.1-4 World Tourism Organization & European Travel Commission, 2009. User-generated Content and Social Networking: Threat or Opportunity. In: Handbook on Tourism Destination Branding. Madrid: World Tourism Organization and European Travel Commission, p. 73-77. Hyun, M. Y., Cai, L. A., 2009. A Model of Virtual Destination Branding. In: L. A. Cai, W. C. Gartner & A. M. Munar, eds. Tourism Branding: Communities in Action. Bradford: Emerald Group Publishing, p. 37-50. Threatt, S. R., 2009. Facebook and the Ideal Social Marketplace: A Study of hte Marketing Benefits of Social Media Practices, California: Univeristy of Southern California, p. 35. Svensson, A., 2011. Facebook - The Social Newspaper that Never Sleeps A [Online], Available at: http://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/26249/1/gupea_2077_26249_1.pdf, [Accessed 10 December 2011]. Munar, A. M., 2009. Tourist Created Content: Rethinking Destination Branding. Macao, Institute For Tourism Studies, p. 319. Connor, P. O., 2011. An Analysis of the Use of Facebook by International Hotel Chains, International CHRIE Conference - Refereed Track. Treadaway, C., Smith, M., 2010. Facebook marketing: an hour a day. 1st ed. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, p. 53.

-C., -F., 2011. Aspects Regarding the Facebook User in Romania as a Potential Destination Image-Vector. Annals s, 11(4), p. 98.

Facebrands, 2012. Date demografice Facebook Romania, [Online], Available at: http://www.facebrands.ro/demografice.html, [Accessed 15 July 2012] Facebrands Pro, 2012. FB Insights, Available at: http://pro.facebrands.ro.