Google confirmed Monday that it will acquire the travel assets of publisher John Wiley & Sons. The Frommer brand, known for its series of travel guidebooks and hotel reviews, likely will roll out in Zagat and Google Local services. Financial terms were not disclosed. Reviews will play a major part in search engine rankings and content, as data from social and recommendations continues to have a stronger influence on query results, rather than mathematical algorithms. Google will likely tie in data from its ITA Software acquisition, and Maps should support the ability to pinpoint and call up nearby businesses depending on locations. Macquarie Securities Analyst Tom White calls Google's travel industry plans "unclear," noting that Frommer is "a well-known and respected brand in travel reviews, most well-known for its hard-copy/offline destination guides." Search engine marketers need to gain an understanding of social content and recommendations. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. Internet users -- about 119.5 million people -- will research travel information online, compared with 107 million in 2010, according to eMarketer. That will prompt the U.S. leisure and travel industry to increase online ad spend to reach consumers looking for transportation, and places to stay and eat. eMarketer estimates put the increased ad spend by the travel industry at 23.3% to $3.1 billion in 2012, representing 8% of all digital ad dollars spent this year in the U.S. Online travel sales should reach $119 billion in the U.S. in 2012 -- up from $107 billion in 2011 -- as more than half of U.S. Internet users book travel online this year. That figure is up from 48% in 2010, according to eMarketer. By 2016, travel sales booked online will reach $152 billion.
With smartphones and tablets becoming more prevalent among consumers, the need for security for these mobile devices will become even more necessary in the coming months and years. SnapMyLife, a company that develops cloud-service applications for consumers, is launching a first salvo in a bid to gain an early foothold in this growing market with a new television, direct marketing and social media campaign that breaks this week. The campaign touts the company’s Snap Secure app, which is available for BlackBerry and Android phones. “For the past few years users have been downloading "free apps" by the thousands. This has led to a very large increase in malware and viruses on mobile applications,” Michael Subhan, vice president of marketing at SnapMyLife, tells Marketing Daily. “If you think of your PC and all of the software out there to protect your desktop or laptop, the idea of protecting your mobile phone then becomes very relevant.” The television campaign, which includes four spots, introduces a family of “living smartphones,” who discuss the dangers they face and the need for smartphone security. In one spot, the father appears in a coffee shop, loudly announcing all of the confidential information that is available on his phone. Another commercial depicts the man introducing his family. Upon realizing his son isn’t present, he uses SnapSecure’s location service to find him. “The use of the Smart Phone Family educates users on the application and the need for mobile security. It also puts a human face on security technology,” Subhan says. “People can't always identify with all the features and tech lingo that security products provide, but being a dad or a mom and wanting to protect your family -- everyone gets that.” The campaign, from R2C Group in Portland, Ore., will run on several national cable networks, including A&E, CNBC and TrueTV. The effort (which will also be supported with social media outreach on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as search, mobile and outdoor advertising) is the company’s first television campaign, Subhan says. “Since we are primarily a mobile application development company, our focus has always been on mobile marketing,” he says. “But as we continued to talk about the importance of not just mobile security, but also personal and family protection, it became clear that an integrated campaign was the best way to convey just how comprehensive.”
When marketers map customer experience, we start by defining a beginning and an end. To improve the experience for a particular brand, we typically look at the customer’s touchpoints with the brand on that continuum, not acknowledging that our customers live in an ecosystem, transcending any single brand. If I’m in charge of Walmart’s experience, I’m looking at the parking lot, the store entrance, the signage, the store layout, customer service, checkout lines, bathrooms, and more. Every detail is considered, from the time you enter the parking lot until you drive off. But if there is construction outside, or no traffic light at the intersection of the parking lot, it’s not Walmart’s problem. Or is it? We tend not to link our customers’ frustration with these obstacles to the brand as a singular experience, but perhaps we should. Procter & Gamble refers to this as the first "moment of truth," which occurs at the shelf, before you buy and experience the product. It’s the experience before the experience. Google suggests there may even be a "zero moment of truth" before the shelf via all the digital devices in our lives. While we are learning to manage this zero moment of truth, we seem to have left the first moment unaddressed. What is the first moment of truth for Walmart? The front door to the mall where the store is located? The highway ramp? The street outside the store, or the transportation that takes you there? What if the brand experience started the moment customers walked out their doors? What if Walmart could touch the entire journey, door-to-door? Not long ago, I was going through security for a flight with Delta Airlines when I noticed an expedited TSA lane. It had no line, no requirements to take off your shoes and belt or to take your laptop and liquids out of your bag. While wondering how TSA picks the lucky few for that lane, to my surprise, the TSA agent guided me in that direction. How had I earned such a privilege? My loyalty to Delta apparently resulted in this travel perk. Interestingly enough, I think of airline touchpoints as planes, seats, upgrade frequency, attendants and the like -- but not the dismal security experience. I never thought of my airline as having anything to do with my airport experience, and in fact, see LGA and JFK as different brands. But Delta has alleviated a headache associated with the airport experience, simplified travel for me, and in doing so earned a customer for life. This was Delta’s “first moment of truth” -- my experience before I had a single interaction with the airline. Too many brands are missing out on similar opportunities to interact with customers, because they’re tough and expensive. But it’s when they tackle the big issues that they get the bigger payoff -- the lifetime customer.
Owning a new home means embracing home improvement projects. Lots of them. I recently bought a new home, and the excitement over my purchase quickly faded and was replaced by the overwhelming sense that I had lots to do. Rooms need to be painted, the furniture needs to be updated, the landscaping needs to be finished; the list of to-dos appears to be never-ending. So this past weekend I was determined to check off a few of those to-dos. I started with a trip to my local Lowe’s (the home improvement store) to pick up a few things. Lowe’s has always done a great job of communicating with me. I receive its email newsletters, which appear to morph around my previous click-through behaviors. I notice the company’s paid search ads when I’m seeking specific product categories or brands. I’m reminded that it’s my DIY partner for home improvement projects of all kinds via its broadcast television ads. In large part due to this concerted communications effort, I (rightfully) had high expectations that my needs would be met upon arrival at the store. Unfortunately, that’s where my brand experience began to unravel. Through the front door, I went straight to the building materials department. I needed some options and prices for a new deck. After twenty minutes of looking for someone to help me, I finally tracked down a guy who worked in that department. I told him what I was looking to do, and what type of materials I needed, and asked what they had. His response was unexpected. He told me he wasn’t really sure what the store had, then stared at me blankly for a few moments. After that brief awkward silence, I asked him if he would mind checking the inventory so I could possibly spend a few thousand dollars. He left to (presumably) check his inventory and was gone for 10 or so minutes. When he returned, he told me: 1) he didn’t have the right materials in inventory; 2) wasn’t sure when, or if, he could get them in; and 3) it was time for his break, but someone else would be along to help me out. That was my cue to leave. How did my unsatisfactory retail experience relate to search marketing? This dynamic, where brands spend hundreds of millions in marketing communications activities only to have those entrusted to “seal the deal” fall flat, is not uncommon. Search marketing is often scrutinized to the nth degree, because pennies in incremental gross margin can contribute significantly to the bottom line. But across many industries, search is an influence that doesn’t necessarily secure the eventual purchase. A human element is required. The unfair part of life as a search marketer is that our work is often held accountable to that eventual purchase. Closed loop technologies exist that can reverse-engineer and attribute sales revenues to individual keyword queries, but that doesn’t take into the consideration the handful of touches that occur after that prospect raises his hand. So we’re left having to accept the fact that the successes generated from our efforts aren’t always reflected in sales figures. There are too many variables and data points outside of our control. Acknowledging that any aspect of campaign performance isn’t controllable can be difficult for analytically minded search marketers. The best advice when looking at closed-loop data is to build up campaigns to the point where they perform “well enough” -- and then turn your attention to other aspects of your digital marketing programs. If instead, you choose to relentlessly obsess over sales data, you’ll only drive yourself crazy. Just when you think you’ve cracked the code, it will be time for someone to go on break.