QR Codes helping hotels track advertising effectiveness

In a modern twist to advertising, forward-thinking Dusit International has introduced a smart phone app



that will give readers instant access to more information about the hotel offers they see in the group's



latest advertising campaign and the company's collateral.



The application enables customers to scan Quick Response (QR) codes assigned to ads in magazines and



newspapers. This will allow Dusit International to track interaction with its advertising, to determine the



effectiveness of each medium.



"Today's traveller want their information faster, and are increasingly relying on mobile technologies,



especially smart phones, to bring it to them" said Sam-Erik Ruttmann, Dusit International regional



vice president Middle East. "Hotels cannot ignore the power of mobile technology, as people will use



mobiles more and more to communicate with hotels in the area they need"



QR codes are so called for they offer a "Quick Response" for readers with mobile phones and



membrane-enabled smart phones. All that is needed is for the user to download the QR app on the



smart phone and take a scan of the QR-Code. Code software decoder then transforms the data held



within the QR-Code to a meaningful action for the mobile phone, such as connecting to a website or



bringing up an email address for immediate response.



"QR codes are becoming increasingly attractive to the hospitality industry because they function as a



powerful form of information exchange. Ads are used more actively by users both online and offline,



allowing us to track the interaction and effectiveness of each ad campaign" said Ruttmann.





This initiative has been launched by the Dusit International corporate office and the new ads with the



QR-Codes are already appearing in publications in the Middle East, as well as UK, Europe and Asia


Dusit International has gained more than 60 years experience in the hotel and hospitality field. Founded in 1948 by

Honorary Chairperson, Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, whose first hotel was the Princess on Bangkok's New Road; Dusit has since

acquired a unique portfolio of deluxe hotels, building upon Thai culture and tradition to create a personalised welcome for all guests,

made distinctive under the Dusit brand promise: the delivery of an ‘experience that enlivens the individual spirit no matter what the

journey.’



Dusit International comprises five hotel brands: Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts, Dusit’s second generation dusitD2 hotels & resorts,

Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts, Dusit Devarana Hotels & Resorts, and Dusit Residence Serviced Apartments. It also operates its

own signature Devarana Spa.



THAILAND:



Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts:



dusitD2 hotels & resorts:



Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts:



Dusit Thani Bangkok

Dusit Thani Hua Hin

Dusit Thani Pattaya

Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket

Dusit Island Resort Chiang Rai

Chatrium Suites Bangkok, A Dusit Thani Hotels Partner



dusitD2 chiang mai

dusitD2 baraquda pattaya

B-Lay Tong Resort, Phuket - managed by dusitD2 hotels & resorts



Dusit Princess Srinakarin, Bangkok

Dusit Princess Koh Chang

Dusit Princess Korat

Royal Princess Larn Luang, Bangkok

Royal Princess Chiang Mai

Pathumwan Princess, MBK Centre, Bangkok

Bel-Aire Princess, Sukhumvit, Bangkok

Grand China Princess, Chinatown, Bangkok



OUTSIDE THAILAND:



Philippines:



United Arab Emirates:



Dusit Thani LakeView Cairo



Dusit Thani Manila



Dusit Thani Dubai

Dusit Princess City Centre, Dubai

Dusit Residence Dubai Marina

Pearl Coast Premier Hotel Apartments, Dubai



Corporate PR & Communications Department

The Dusit Thani Building, 946 Rama IV Road, Bangkok 10500, Thailand

Tel: +66 (0) 2200 9999 l Fax: +66 (0) 2636 3547



OPENING SOON:



Saudi Arabia:



United Arab Emirates:



Dusit Thani Dilmunia Bahrain



Dusit Thani Sanya



Dusit Devarana New Delhi

Dusit Devarana Jaipur

Dusit Devarana Rishikesh

Dusit Thani Goa

dusitD2 new delhi



Dusit Thani Jeddah



Dusit Devarana Resort - Phang Nga



Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi

BPG Group celebrates 30 year anniversary at its 17th annual workshop

UAE, Dubai, 23^rd September, 2010: BPG Group (BatesPanGulf), one of the larger marketing solutions groups in the Middle East, celebrated 30 years success at the Company’s 17^th annual workshop held at The Yas Hotel off the Yas Marina F1 Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The Group announcement by Mr. Avi Bhojani, Group CEO of BPG, unveiled the future direction for the BPG Group. The quality driven strategy will see BPG differentiate itself in the market by offering marketing solutions to its clients, with a vision to become the most trusted solutions provider in the region.

Over three days, the workshop brought side-by-side eminent industry professionals and BPG Group’s 220 team members and associates from 11 different countries. Joined by BPG Group Chairman Mr. Abdulla Majed Al Ghurair and prominent industry speakers including, Mr. John O’Keeffe, Worldwide Creative Director of WPP, Mr. Paul Bell, CEO of Bell Pottinger Group, Mr. Toby Hoare, CEO, JWT Europe, CEO, Team HSBC for WPP and BPG Board Member, Mr. Kelly Clark, Global CEO of Maxus Worldwide, Mr. Kenny Powar CEO Blue Interactive, Mr. Ozgur Aksugur, Global COO, Blue Interactive, Singapore, and Mr. Christian Schroeder, CEO of Lambie-Nairn.

  

Held between September 15^th and 17^th, 2010, the 17^th annual workshop, themed ‘BPG Pitstop 2010’ enabled BPG team members, to come together to learn, immerse in workshop challenges and reconnect. One of the most thought provoking challenges issued was the syndicated case study, where after just 30 hours, groups of team members, from cross functional disciplines and across geographies, were tasked to conceptualise, research, brand and pitch an integrated solutions plan to an eminent jury including Mr. Ahmed Al Hashmi, Chief Commercial Officer, India, Etisalat, Mr. Eric Kerboriou, Marketing Director, Nawras, Oman, Mr. Mikkel Vinter, CEO & Founder Friendi Group, Mr. Kenny Powar CEO Blue Interactive and Mr. Christian Schroeder, CEO of Lambie-Nairn.      

Talking about the BPG Group vision for the future and the off-site challenges, Mr. Avi Bhojani, Group CEO of BPG commented; “The last 30 years has been an important journey for the BPG Group. Consciously adapting our offering to meet the changing market as enabled BPG to differentiate itself and remain a head of the times. If you don’t know what the problem is, you don’t know what the solution is. That’s why at ‘BPG Pitstop 2010’ we announced the move away from services to providing marketing solutions for our clients. I genuinely did not think that we could raise the bar higher following last years event, but the BPG team proved me wrong. I am extremely proud of our BPG team members. Through the accomplishments, commitment and passion of our people BPG has reached this milestone and come together in a workshop in a truly outstanding way. I am continuously grateful for the many years of support and guidance by Mr. Addulla Majed Al Ghurair, Chairman of the BPG Group, and his unwavering commitment to the BPG Group.”      

In his speech, Mr. Paul Bell, chief executive of the Bell Pottinger Group, spoke of the strong working partnership between Bell Pottinger and the BPG Group and said, “The trust that has developed between BPG and Bell Pottinger in the course of our six and a half year relationship is remarkable." Mr. Bell also noted that the technology revolution had transferred enormous power to consumers and voters, and put individuals at the centre of communication. This had introduced major changes in the way opinion is formed, and that among communications disciplines, public relations and digital content generation had come strongly to the foreground in reputation management.

Speaking at the offsite, Mr. Toby Hoare said: “I am always happy to return to BPG. The vision, leadership, team and professionalism of the group have never waivered in 30 years, and, although I have my day job at JWT and managing Team HSBC for WPP, returning to BPG is always a valuable and insightful pleasure.”   

Mercator Wins Gold Advertising Award

Dubai, U.A.E., March 2nd, 2009 - The Emirates Group’s Dubai-based business technology provider Mercator was presented with a prestigious Gold Award at the recent Air Transport World 2009 Advertising Awards in Washington DC, USA. Now in their 35th year, the AdAwards are one of the airline industry’s most coveted accolades, with all categories judged by Air Transport World readers worldwide including airline industry decision makers such as CEOs and Chairmen, participating online.The winning Mercator campaign was devised with the aim of raising awareness of the breadth of Mercator’s portfolio and to emphasise the division’s drive to deliver business technology solutions that simplify processes and deliver returns on investment for their clients. Mercator wanted to highlight the successful delivery of their new cargo business technologies that are fully IATA e-freight compliant and which offer a paperless environment, giving enhanced operational visibility. The campaign also touched on their fast-growing revenue accounting outsourcing business, which reduces costs and improves cash flow for Mercator’s clients. It is also a reflection of the state-of-the-art airport technologies deployed in Emirates' Terminal Three at Dubai International Airport, already proven to improve passenger experience.