The digitization of the hospitality industry it is a tangible reality. The persuasion generated by marketing campaigns, the loudspeaker that the social networks and search engine positioning like Google have become powerful tools to attract customers.
An example of this is the revolution of the TikTok social network, which is the one that has experienced the greatest growth in recent years in Spain. In this sense, and according to a report from the end of 2022 by the US marketing agency MGH, 38% of users who have seen a video of a restaurant on TikTok have visited it afterwards or have ordered their food. In the case of the millennial generation (born between 1981 and 1996), the figure grows to 53%.
Thus, the strength of social networks and technologies is clearly a powerful instrument to count on in order to gain a competitive advantage and disseminate to the target audience the different value propositions offered by the hospitality industry. As a macro trend in which digital marketing and, consequently, digitization in the industry have become, HIP 2023 He addressed the issues that arise around this topic, such as how to increase profits with content campaigns, influencers or “storytelling”, or through digital tools such as ChatGPT or Blockchain.
The power of the image to stimulate sales
72% of TikTok users in the United States have ordered food at a catering establishment thanks to finding it “appetizing” in the video, according to the MGH study. A fundamental characteristic that can be extrapolated to other markets worldwide, such as Spain, and that is currently being seen in cases such as those of influencers Alex Chia (2.5 million followers on TikTok), Cocina con Coqui ( 3.4 million followers on TikTok and revelation creator award in lifestyle 2022 according to the platform), or Cocina del Pirata (2.3 million followers on TikTok and reference creator award in lifestyle 2022 according to the platform). All of them have in common their commitment to short videos, with a very careful staging and the sample of appetizing food that the user wishes to eat.
Koldo Royo, Michelin Star Chef with almost a million followers on TikTok, Fabián León, founder of The Food Media and Masterchef finalist (159 thousand followers on Instagram), David Montero, head chef at Rice Paella (58 thousand followers on Instagram ) or Lara Guerrero, CEO of Pepina Pastel (65.2 thousand followers on Instagram), are some of the experts who explained at HIP the keys to creating highly visually attractive quality content through which to go viral and accelerate business .
Likewise, Silvia Timón and Silvia Sánchez, Co-founders of Thinknovate, a spin-off of elBullifoundation dedicated to innovation, shared the role of each social network in order to know how to choose which one to be in depending on each business model and strategy. Regarding the hotel sector, Víctor Mayans, marketing director of Artiem Hotels, and Jorge Álvarez Diéguez, director of Hotel Gran Bilbao, shared their experience in the use of video, text and design to captivate their clients.
