Week two on the island was another exciting one! On Wednesday we made our way over to Marigot, the capitol of the French side. When we got off of the bus, we decided to check out the market to see if the vendors were selling different things than they were in the markets on the Dutch side. A stand with jewelry caught my eye. Upon talking to the woman selling it, I learned that she was originally from Paris and everything she was selling had come from there, too. This reminded me of a critical aspect of Public Relations: target audiences. I realized that even though the French side of Sint Maarten is far away from France itself, it is a possible target audience for companies based there.
After the market, some friends and I decided to get some lunch. As we walked past a strip of restaurants, workers would emerge to tell us what was on the menu and welcome us in. This word of mouth advertising tactic is a common one on Sint Maarten.
Originally, I thought that this strategy was the only effective one on the island until we returned to Juggie’s Place. Juggie’s Place is the world’s smallest bar located on the Dutch side of the island. Juggie himself is always sitting outside on the patio, ready to greet his customers and truly connect with and learn about them. At the end of our visit, he took a video of all of us and posted it on Facebook. My mom happened to see it and shared the post, making it visible to all of her Facebook friends. I realized that with one click of a button, my mom had helped this business reach a whole new and international audience. If her friends ever visit Sint Maarten, I hope that they will remember her post and go meet Juggie.
This week in class we dove into what constitutes effective research for our final projects. For our project Kendall, Kate, Rhianna, and I are focusing on families. Typically, families with young children opt for island vacations centered around an all-inclusive resort, such as Atlantis in the Bahamas. At resorts like these there are activities for both adults and children all in one place. Sint Maarten does not have anything like this. We are aiming to promote the island as family-friendly by creating a campaign that highlights both the recreational and cultural benefits that families with young children can experience here.
Our last excursion of the week was a tour at Topper’s Rhum Distillery in Simpson Bay. This family-owned distillery produces many flavors of rum including jalapeño, almond, and mocha. Kate and I got to help our tour guide serve this rum as well as its pairings for different flavors including the homemade rum cake and gelato. As our tour guide was walking us through the distillery, I noticed a sense of pride. Rum on Sint Maarten is not just about its taste, but a way to unify the whole island.
Lastly, we ate at the distillery restaurant. I noticed a wide variety of options on the menu including crab-stuffed mahi mahi, buffalo wings, and chicken parm. Due to the number of tourists that come into the facility, I believe that this was done as a way to appeal to everyone, no matter where they may be from.
Throughout this week, I’ve learned so much more about the island and cannot wait to see what else is in store for the remaining two weeks.
-EB Donovan
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