$75 Million In Advertising Offered To Caribbean Hotels In Barter

A program for the exchange of advertising services for hotels and companies of the Dominican Republic and Caribbean media in United States, Canada, Europe and international airports around the world, was presented by the Center for Information and Communication (CICOM) and Canadian-based The Media Group (TMG).

TMG and CICOM announced a strategic alliance with an advertising offer to make $75 million (USD) available in exchange for businesses based in the Caribbean, including the main electronic media (TV, radio), newspapers, magazines, online, mobile phones and the like, and a further $40 million on advertising billboards in 207 global markets.

“Our facilities are aimed at advertising hotels, recreational facilities, real estate, restaurants, sports facilities (golf), marinas, hotels, tourism associations, and governments of the countries where these facilities are located,” asserted Cesar Heal, CICOM senior manager, responsible for the project.

Manuel Canales of TMG noted that the companies concerned have access to the inventory of media and other facilities under the program and choose those that are of interest to place advertising.

“Our specialty,” Canales said, “is to provide an alternative to significant cash disbursements, which is to trade hotel-rooms for appropriate promotion to customer needs. After receiving the data from the target market details of the customer, our company develops a marketing and media plan based on demographic and economic provision to be invested by the company concerned.”

This exchange program, for advertising services, allows hotels to use part of its inventory of unsold rooms for advertising in the markets of their interest without making the huge outlays of money required by traditional advertising. Governments may also participate by making arrangements with hotels to provide a program and include some forms of institutional advertising.

For instance, the hotels in Puerto Plata and Samaná could contribute $500 thousand dollars in hotel-rooms, and the government can contribute a similar cash sum for an advertising program in the United States or Canada for Puerto Plata and Samaná.

“In response to the needs of Dominican Republic and the Caribbean, CICOM wanted to stay at the forefront in supporting the development of tourism as a strategic alliance with a company to market advertising exchange room, which is a tool that facilitates and lowers investment promotion,” said Manuel Cedeño Quiteria, president of CICOM.