The Wentworth Club
"THE important thing with a winningmarketing entry," commented one judge, "is that there must be nothing ‘ho hum' about it."
And the Wentworth Club's beautifully presented entry for the Best Independent Marketing Campaign award was not at all "ho hum".
Entered by marketing director Zdenka Beck, the campaign had clear-cut objectives. It had to generate business for the new function facilities in the redeveloped clubhouse at Virginia Water in Surrey, develop membership and promote a range of own-brand merchandise.
In a very close contest, the Wentworth Club came out top with the judges for the "faultless presentation" of the successful way it gathered members for its club and promoted its goods.
The Wentworth's market had already been clearly identified: it consists of the AB socio-economic groups, commercial and financial institutions, professionals and locals within a 10-mile radius.
The marketing team built a plan that perfectly complemented this target market. A brochure was commissioned which became the backbone of the campaign, emphasising the club as a venue for sports, seminars conferences, weddings and other functions.
But the plan centred on a personal approach; 472 personal presentations were made to prospective members, in-house and at their offices. A total of 12 business breakfasts for secretaries of local companies were held, with personal telephone follow-up.
Individual invitations were given to 200 guests for the opening evening of Swiss Food Week (held with and sponsored by Swissair and Grand Hotel Regina, from Grindelwald, Switzerland) to encourage interest from Swiss companies in the UK.
Special staff training ran alongside these programmes to ensure product familiarisation with the new facilities, and help identify and close a sale.
But the club was aware that parallel streams of marketing were taking place. An aggressive marketing style was needed to promote the new facilities and gain more members, but at the same time it was recognised that "the discerning membership would resent the intrusion of outsiders". So great care had to be taken to include existing members. A series of "sell-out" events during 1994 helped court these members.
The introduction of the Wentworth Collection and a dedicated shop was backed by an emphasis on lasting value - "objects one would be proud to own". A mail order catalogue was sent to all members and to others on request.
As well as a high-profile media campaign (in Bride, International Yacht Life and House & Garden, for example) the judges were particularly impressed with an endorsement with Levington Horticultural for advertising, packaging and point of sale material with the legend "as used at Wentworth".
The large budget (£85,000) did not take away from the fact that it was a "very slick, very professional" operation.
The judges fell back on results to justify their decisions. The club's financial results for 1994 before finance costs were up by 35%. Growth in membership of the club in 1994 increased by 15%, with higher spend. And the first year of trading for the Wentworth Collection shop saw results of £2,222 per sq ft.
All the judges agreed that, despite tough competition, the entry was of an incredibly high standard, and successful. As one summed up: "Looking at this, I think, ‘Would I have been pleased having done this?' - and the answer has to be yes." n
