How do leisure, travel and tourism organisations promote their products, and what makes promotional material effective?
Marketing and promotion in leisure, travel and tourism: the purpose of promotion, the main methods (advertising, sales promotions, public relations, the internet and social media, and printed material), and how to judge the effectiveness of promotional material.
A CCEA GCSE Leisure, Travel and Tourism guide to marketing and promotion. Covers the purpose of promotion, the main promotional methods (advertising, sales promotions, public relations, the internet and social media, and printed material), and how to analyse the effectiveness of promotional material such as posters and adverts.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to know why leisure, travel and tourism organisations promote their products, the main methods of promotion they use, and how to judge the effectiveness of promotional material such as posters, adverts and social media. CCEA expects you to analyse a piece of promotional material against clear criteria, not just describe it. Examiners reward naming genuine methods with advantages and disadvantages, and making a supported judgement about how well a piece of promotion works.
The purpose of promotion
Promotion is how an organisation tells people about its products and persuades them to buy.
The main methods of promotion
CCEA expects you to know a range of methods and what each is good for.
The strengths and weaknesses of methods
Each method has trade-offs you can use in an evaluation:
- Advertising reaches many people but can be expensive, especially on television.
- Sales promotions boost sales quickly but can cut profit and may attract only bargain-hunters.
- PR is trusted and often free but is harder to control.
- Social media is cheap, wide-reaching and interactive but needs constant updating and can spread negative reviews fast.
- Printed material gives detail to keep but is less flexible and can date quickly.
The best campaigns usually combine methods and match them to the audience and budget.
Judging the effectiveness of promotional material
CCEA often shows you a poster, advert or leaflet and asks how effective it is. Judge it against clear criteria:
- Attention - does it stand out with a strong image and headline?
- Clarity - is the key information (what, where, when, price) clear and readable?
- Audience - does it suit and appeal to the target audience?
- Image - does it create a positive impression of the organisation?
- Call to action - does it tell people how to act (website, phone, booking)?
Worked example: evaluating an advert
A common exam task asks you to evaluate a piece of promotion.
Why this matters
Marketing and promotion are a major part of Unit 2, and CCEA specifically asks you to analyse the effectiveness of promotional material. Being able to name methods with their pros and cons, and to judge a real poster or advert against clear criteria, prepares you for both short and extended questions. It links to target marketing (promotion must reach the right segment), to destinations (places are promoted to attract visitors) and to customer service (good promotion sets expectations that service must meet). In the exam, always evaluate rather than just describe.
Try this
Q1. State the main purpose of promotion. [1 mark]
- Cue. To communicate with customers, raise awareness of a product and persuade people to buy.
Q2. Name three methods of promotion. [3 marks]
- Cue. Any three: advertising, sales promotions, public relations, the internet and social media, printed material.
Q3. Give two things that make a poster effective. [2 marks]
- Cue. Any two: an eye-catching image and headline, clear key information, appeal to the target audience, a positive image, a clear call to action.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA Unit 2 (style)6 marksIdentify three methods of promotion a leisure, travel and tourism organisation could use. For each, give one advantage.Show worked answer →
A recall and understanding question testing AO1 and AO2, worth two marks per method (the method plus an advantage).
Advertising (for example television, radio, posters or online ads) reaches a large audience and builds awareness. Sales promotions (for example discounts, two-for-one offers and loyalty cards) encourage people to buy now and reward repeat custom. Social media and the internet (for example Facebook, Instagram and a website) reach a wide audience cheaply and let the organisation interact with customers.
Other acceptable methods are public relations (free, trusted coverage) and printed material such as brochures and leaflets (detailed information to take away).
The marks are for naming a genuine method and giving a correct advantage of each.
CCEA Unit 2 (style)6 marksA tourist attraction has produced a poster to promote a new event. Explain how you would judge whether the poster is effective.Show worked answer →
An analysis question testing AO3, asking you to evaluate promotional material against clear criteria.
Judge it against the purpose of promotion: does it grab attention with a clear image and bold headline; is the key information (what, where, when and price) clear and easy to read; does it suit and appeal to the target audience; does it include a way to act, such as a website or booking details; and does it create a positive image of the attraction.
Apply the criteria: a strong poster is eye-catching, clear and aimed at the right audience with a clear call to action; a weak one is cluttered, hard to read or aimed at no one in particular.
A strong answer sets out criteria for effectiveness and uses them to make a supported judgement rather than just describing the poster.
Related dot points
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