So many businesses, these days, plunge into that classic marketing trap of spearheading their marketing efforts with massive ad campaigns and brand promotion events. Then find out too late that distribution or merchandising delays result in no products on the shelves when the advertising breaks. Or worse, that their people at the coalface are completely unprepared or ill equipped to deal with customers.
It seems to me, though, that Sanparks has elected to start its marketing efforts at the most critical place of all – the point of contact with its customers.
On a recent trip to the Richtersveld, Aughrabies Falls and Kgalagadi, I found the Sanparks staff friendly and falling over themselves to go the extra mile. Accommodation and ablution facilities were spotless, the parks extremely well managed, with not a single bit of rubbish in sight.
All of which left me with the distinct impression that someone has been doing some intensive customer service training.
Also, for some time now, I have been using the Sanparks Wild Card which, for a modest annual fee, one can not only get free access to all Sanparks reserves but also cash-back and other rewards from a host of Wild Card partners.
It is, along with the British Airways Executive Club, among the best rewards facilities around.
Clearly Sanparks understands what marketing is all about, particularly in terms of making sure that all the coalface ducks are in a row before one starts shouting about how wonderful one is.
Having spent some time in some of the world's most popular game reserves such as the Serengeti, Kilimanjaro and Ngorogoro Crater in Tanzania and Kenya's Masai Mara, there is no question in my mind that not only are South Africa's national reserves a lot more affordable but also streets ahead in terms of service, quality of accommodation and other facilities and most important of all, access roads.
Of all the South African organisations and businesses preparing to meet the challenge of 2010 tourism, Sanparks seems to me to be the most well-prepared, ready, willing and able.
And on a final note for those cynics who are wondering why I have broken away from my usual habit of whinging about something, Sanparks had no idea that I was staying in their parks and I paid for everything like any ordinary Joe. I also have no idea whatsoever of its marketing strategy or who is in charge of its marketing. All I did was keep my eyes open and look at things from a marketing point of view. And what I saw was very impressive.
