Commentary

Owning The Connected-Traveler Journey

For many years now, the marketing industry has been experimenting with delivering customized solutions for brands using technology. Finally, in the last 10 years we have seen a true breakthrough in digital disruption. It’s a new world.

Today, Uber, the largest taxi company, owns no taxis. The largest accommodation provider, Airbnb, owns no actual real estate. Alibaba, the world’s most valuable retailer, owns no inventory. Netflix, the world’s largest movie house, owns not a single cinema.

Even the ever-formidable telecommunications companies are not spared from change. They have lost billions of dollars in revenue to Skype, which has quickly become the foremost international phone carrier. 

These cataclysms have ripple effects. Airbnb alone created a cause for consolidation in the hospitality industry. Marriott inked a deal with Starwood and, most recently, Accor purchased Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel.  

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Times have changed. Basic services have now been digitized to keep up with the connected consumer and the smartphone has become a standard accessory for travel. Now travelers are empowered to access anything while on the go, from social networks to real-time information feeds.

What does this mean for travel? 

For one, the mobile phone will be used to enhance the overall travel experience. Its power to both the consumers and brands will, and must, take center stage. 

Brands need to create a compelling value exchange, with the right personalized content, distributed appropriately and always focused to the consumer. This exchange will help to build and create trust. 

The connected traveler is constantly generating myriad forms of data as she or he moves through a journey.  With the right partnerships, almost every part of the industry can sell any part of the travel experience—thanks to mobile and big data. It is through the development of personalized experiences, delivered in the right context, that this value exchange is created and, in turn, drives business results. 

The natural evolution of the connected traveler journey is to link brands with influential individuals not just in airports and the airport environment but throughout their entire travel journey. We, as an industry, must seek to offer global insights into travelers, their lifestyles, behaviors and attitudes. 

Diving deep into consumer insights and data, we as marketers strive to put the consumer in the center and build one-to-one communications. Through this methodology, we are able to not just deliver solutions to airlines and hospitality companies, but also to the global traveler. Like the companies disrupted by accelerating digital innovation, we must change with the times and own the change that is occurring. To do this, we must understand the greater consumer journey to create meaningful communication.

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