Creating compelling and original content for social media is a challenge for most brands. In travel, we are, at least, gifted with the use of exotic locations, and a domain in which people have interest or passion. But nonetheless, it's hard to consistently come up with material that can continually divert an audience and prompt interest in what a brand has to say in a busy social feed.

Tip O'Neill, the legendary Massachusetts congressman, famously said, "All politics is local." And now it seems all hospitality is local. Hotel brands and operators are racing to out-local each other. They profess to be training their staffs to be the equivalent of classic concierges: knowing the hottest new restaurant in town, where to get the best deal on clothing and where to hear music usually reserved for those in the know. And they're employing technology in the form of interactive maps and virtual reality to step up the local game even more.

In the last few years, there has been a lot of discussion around "programmatic" or "advanced" TV advertising. Lots of companies are coming to market with the promise to make TV advertising more efficient. But for those not steeped in the tech world, it can be a confusing landscape to navigate. You may be asking, "What exactly is programmatic TV and does it make sense for me as a travel company?"

Spring Break is not just a highlight of the year for college students heading to tropical locations. With over 65.1 million people screened by the TSA during Spring Break in 2016, there's a tremendous amount of travel for hospitality and travel brands to be excited about, too.

The HSMAI Digital Marketing Strategy Conference underscores the increased need for organizations and marketers to evolve and innovate if they want to thrive in today's digitally fueled marketplace.

In our data-driven world, guesses, feelings and estimates about how ads are performing are unacceptable. Advanced analytics tools are helping us see exactly how customers are moving down the digital path to purchase, and which marketing activities are responsible for driving those actions. But what if you're a digital marketer who works in an industry that does most of its business offline?

SXSW kicks off once again on March 10 in Austin, Texas. The festival has morphed from its humble beginnings into a spectacular event with over 37,000 attendees last year and speakers ranging from Barack Obama to John Cena.

Content is ubiquitous. Currently, it seems like everything posted online falls within the category of content. However, content marketing speaks specifically to the multi-sensory messages created by brands for consumption by a targeted audience.