Marketing Abroad; Ibiza

Exclusive clubs, bright lights, sunset parties and beautiful beaches sum up the summer season in Ibiza. Celebrities, socialites and holidaymakers flock to its sandy shores to see and be seen at the island’s fashionable party scene, which has successfully marketed itself as the hottest destination for clubbers and party lovers seeking the sunshine. With such a niche audience and the abundance of business, marketing has become a major part of Ibiza life and has led to even bigger business and a massive tourist industry.

At GEM MEDIA we strongly believe in the mantra of work hard, play hard and MD, Gemma, lives up to this by regularly jetting over to join the exclusive party crowd. Combining a love for a good time and strong eye for marketing, the tips and tricks from this immensely popular commercial hotspot did not go amiss.

First and foremost, the businesses here know their audience. In the main party towns of San Antonio and Playa Den Bossa, the drinks offers, high-end beachside bars and poolside events are constantly buzzing with the party high, where one bar event leads in to the other.

Ibiza has priced itself out of the ‘cheap’ holiday destination and when visiting, you expect to pay more. Knowing this, clubs and bars hike prices up whilst providing the service and style to go with it, making holidaymakers believe that they are getting exactly what they’re paying for.

How?

Firstly, the tiered pricing structure, which offers a lower priced ticket but less inclusions – for example getting to the club earlier than the rest (of course in Ibiza, this would only amount to a much larger drinks bill). This tactic is simple yet very effective in encouraging buyers to make the decision towards a more expensive option, and believe they are choosing to do this. Ultimately, people (and especially Ibiza revellers) would rather pay more for the entire package than ‘cheapen’ for half the benefits.

The service and style goes the extra mile to give prime ticket holders that exclusive feel, along with boasting rights. At some beach bars you will see lavish beds, even dancing podium girls for the more voyeuristic among the throng of holiday goers and, of course, special celebrity guests are regular occurrence.

Which brings us to the most successful marketing trick in the trade, Celebrities.

Celebrity endorsement is huge in Ibiza, with popular Radio station such as Radio 1, Kiss FM and Capital extra all having, and creating, a massive presence there. These stations use mass email marketing to their extensive following of listeners, including the Ibiza rocks fanbase, about their endorsed events at the venue. Celebrity endorsement is a big winner when it comes to marketing and publicity, not only in Ibiza but also throughout the commercial world. Take Craig David, 2016’s big Ibiza celebrity hype. The singer has now turned PR pro following his gig there and has heavily promoted himself back in to the public eye – predominantly through social media. He films himself on Instagram, providing followers with a story that they can follow and responds to fans on twitter, sparking up conversation and creating a connection. This is service, and publicity, at it’s finest!

Although celebrity endorsement is at the top of the list when it comes to marketing in Ibiza, we also noticed a number of other successful marketing tactics working in the background, such as the role of the promoter. Swimsuit clad reps wander down the beach approaching every group individually. By building a rapport and offering special ‘discounts’ with wristbands, we are made to feel included in to the Ibiza scene. These wristbands are more than just an entry ticket, as for the club they offer statistics of where the party crowd is coming from and what the most successful marketing tool has been – whether rep, hotel or online, for example.

Event photography is another winner. Providing professional event photography creates a more exclusive feel for guests. It also means post-party event searches and huge online presence, as guests will be showing off professional photos across the web. Uploading these photos on the business social media pages also helps to consistently build brand following and keep people up to date with what’s coming next. In this highly social age, you can be sure that the majority of customers and party revellers will be snapping away and uploading stylish pictures to Instagram, Facebook and snapchat – after all, Ibiza is the place to see and be seen year after year.