It's a well-accepted truism by now that "you can't sell on social media," but as savvy suppliers have become more sophisticated about the use of social media, it's also become true that social media can be part of a multi-leg -- even multi-directional -- path toward sales.» 0 Comments
As search engine optimization and marketing evolve to become mobile, local and social, the confluence of search and social is the most exciting tourism marketing trend. That was just one of the many insightful takeaways from the Eye for Travel's Social Media and Mobile Strategies Conference I attended last week.» 0 Comments
Come major celebrations like Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve, media are inundated with promotional tie-ins: packages, contests - a great deal of it amazingly similar.. When everybody does something, nobody gets noticed.» 1 Comments
While wading into the waterfall of tweets on "the Twitter" a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon one that I wish to heaven I could properly attribute. But alas, all I can remember is the gist of the message and not the sender. It went a little something like this: At conference & I swear this 20something speaker just referred to billboards as "You know, those outdoor banner ad thingys."WOW."» 0 Comments
Ask most tourism destinations whether or not they have a brand, and most would answer "sure." In some cases, that's very true. Mention Austin, San Francisco, Kansas City, or Portland, Ore., and you have a pretty clear idea of what makes each city distinctly unique (the last one being my hometown, I can say that we've had just a little help in crystallizing the brand characteristics of our fair city from a certain "Portlandia").» 4 Comments
Whenever the GEICO "gecko" comes on, I quickly mute the TV or leap across the room to turn off the radio. I find that creature incredibly annoying and wouldn't buy insurance from that company even if I could save 100% in one minute. And that demonstrates the potential pitfalls of using humor in marketing. When it's well executed and, well, funny it can be richly rewarding. When it's not, well...» 0 Comments
Flight delays are an inevitable occurrence. Storms roll in. Equipment breaks. Staff oversleeps. We travelers don't like it, but we understand the sometimes unpredictable nature of the business. Still, flight delays are a frustrating experience for all involved, and one that the best airlines in the world work to limit through a mix of staff training, maintenance, and customer communication.» 3 Comments
