Today's consumer landscape is going through a period of intense change. Rapid technological developments has led to a plethora of customer touch points, from the telephone to the desktop to the tablet to the smartphone.
What's more, the way travel brands advertise and market themselves is evolving. It's no longer enough to place an ad in the Sunday paper. Traditional advertising is undoubtedly still important, but social media, content marketing, SEO and blogger outreach are becoming an increasingly important part of the mix too.
The rise of the web has fragmented the market. There are now a dizzying variety of places people can go to book a holiday. As such, brands no longer enjoy the competitive edge they once had, and must work harder to stay ahead.
So what strategies do you need to put in place to make sure you meet the challenges – and see the benefits – of communicating effectively with today's travel consumer?
State of play
While the global economy is improving, the impact of the downturn saw an overhaul of consumer' spending patterns. Today, travel consumers are likely to shop around extensively to get good deals, and review websites and travel hubs are becoming more valued.
Consumers are also increasingly going digital. While rumours of the death of physical media are greatly exaggerated, digital media is becoming more and more important.
September 2013 research by Mintel shows that, over a three-month period, two-fifths (40%) of consumers had engaged with digital advertising, clicking on at least one form of advertising. Of this group, some 48% had subsequently gone on to buy a product or service.
That travel brands need to invest in marketing is clear. But there is an added challenge. The call from the boardroom, increasingly, is "What's our ROI?" Companies need to be able to justify media spend and make a business case for investment.
Insight
Accord's new response analysis platform, Insight, is a powerful tool that helps bolster brands' knowledge and refine their campaigns, enjoying greater clarity over the bigger picture.
More than just an analytics tool, Insight acts as a central hub that brings together a wide range of cross-channel response data. With Insight, travel brands have everything they need to understand, track and reform their campaigns – and the evidence to get company-wide support for new strategies.
Insight will be unveiled at the Travel Tech Show at the World Travel Market between November 4th and 7th.