Marketing communications for seaports:

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Marketing communications for seaports A matter
of survival and growth Dr Stephen
Cahoon Department of Maritime Logistics and
Management Australian Maritime College

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Seaports today

• Critical issues
• Survival
• Growth
• Attracting and retaining trade
• Strategic tool?
• Marketing communications

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Overview

• Benefits of managing marketing communications
  strategically and holistically
• Role of marketing communications activities
• Management of servicescapes, physical evidence,
  and image
• Purpose of seaport marketing communications

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Benefits of marketing commns

• Effective communication
• Raise awareness
• Influence attitudes and behaviour
• Customer loyalty
• Positioning of seaport
• Enhancing seaports image
• Objective - increase trade

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Seaport marketing literature

• Influence of general marketing texts
• Lists of promotional activities
• Insufficient for strategic approach
• Information- and service-related activities
• Little discussion
• Personal selling
• Sales promotion

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Methodology

• Commercial Australian seaports
• 30 mainports representing 61 seaports
• Respondents senior managers
• 100 response rate
• Telephone interviews
• 184 items
• Duration 45-105 mins, mean 62 mins

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Over 75 of seaports provide

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Over 50 of seaports provide

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Purposes of seaport marketing communications

• Attracting new customers and informing current
  customers
• Informing and reminding the local community about
  the seaports contribution to the area
• Information sharing with the seaport sector and
  maritime industry

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1. Attracting new customers and informing current
customers

• Communications need to be targeted
• Justification of expenditure
• Advertising
• Questioning benefits of advertising
• Benefits when repositioning

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Promotional tools

• Brochures, newsletters
• TV, radio
• Slogans
• Seaport information handbook
• Website
• Word of mouth communications

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2. Informing and reminding the local community

• Symbiotic relationships
• Need to engage the community
• Newspapers PR and publicity
• Sponsorships
• Community-related funded
• Educating the community
• Getting into their hearts and minds

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3. Information sharing within the industry

• Increasing knowledge within sector
• Attending conferences
• Presenting papers
• In general
• Greater targeting
• Manage holistically and consistently

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Servicescape and image

• Managing servicescape
• Customers, employees and community
• Workplace productivity
• Role of physical evidence
• Stationery, giveaways

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Concluding comments

• Wide range of marketing commns
• Manage strategically and holistically
• Based on market research
• Focused on target markets
• Consistent message
• Further research
• Effectiveness of communications

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• Thank you
• Any questions?