Travel Marketing Blog

The RFP Process and How It Just Might Be Broken

2010-12-02T12:58:12.332625-06:00

I want to start a discussion this month on RFPs and in my view, how the system is broken in many ways. OK, I know this is going to be controversial but I still want to get a conversation started. I hope that I get feedback on this and that we can open a dialog that will share information and help make the process better. For the past 18 years we have been a digital marketing and advertising company we have responded to RFPs. Some of them are very well written and some simply cause more questions than clarity. Lately, however, we see a trend in destinations sending out RFPs that seem to look exactly alike. Its almost like there is a “template” RFP out there that has the same programs, same parameters, same goals. The trouble with this is that no destination is like another and each has a unique set of problems and budget constraints. To treat them all as “cookie cutter” programs is just not the right way to go about it. In my opinion RFPs by their nature don’t address the real issue, which is program improvement based on analysis and clear cut objectives. When we have won RFPs we were able to dig into the web program and get good data and analytics in order to set up clear program recommendations and define goals. We were happy, the client was happy and we keep that client year over year for many years. When we lost an RFP it was always about budget, but many times it was that we believed the organization would get much more uplift from different programs than what they were asking for in the RFP. We would have been able to meet budget requirements AND show increase to meet goals they had, but there was no discussion before the RFP was sent out. Interesting to note that almost 50% of the time when we don’t win a contract through RFP the organization contacts us a year or so later and wants to hire us. (that’s how we know we could meet those goals with different programs and same budget) What I am trying to say is the RFP process is broken. I know DMOs need to go out for RFP and that makes sense in some instances. If you are not getting results year over year or if your current company cannot provide the service levels or the knowledge to keep your organization moving forward and keep you happy. But there should be a better way to go about this process where the organization gets great insight about the options they have and they can still satisfy any mandate about RFP process. Think about the fact that probably 6 staff people in a digital agency touch your account every day. Multiply the salaries of those people, add the results you have received and that really is your return on investment. You did not have to employ those people, pay the 20% plus benefits, manage them and most importantly keep them educated and going to conferences on each and every specific digital subject matter. You have the subject matter experts working for you but don’t have the salary load or management cost. The cost of delivering a really solid program to DMOs is not cheap. RFPs don’t elaborate on how much the internal DMO team will contribute or can contribute. Again, I am hoping that there will be a dialog started about the RFP process and how we can improve it by working together. I would like to hear from any of you and get your feedback, from vendors or organizations. Let’s make this process better for all. Happy Holidays! Leah Woolford Founder and Chairman of USDM.net lwoolford@usdm.net

Travel Marketing Blog is sponsored by USDM.net.

BP Oil Spill Is Bringing Out the Worst In Travel Marketers

2010-05-25T16:03:15.742-05:00

As the oil spill comes on shore in Louisiana consumers are feeling imbalance about planning their summer vacation along the Gulf Coast . This is evident in parts of Florida and along the Gulf Coast of Alabama, since some hotel and resort bookings are down as much as 30% in these areas.

However, other beach tourism officials are rearing their ugly heads to capitalize on this consumer imbalance and lure vacationers to their beach destinations. Unfortunately this has started to catch on as a way for destinations and resorts to target advertisers who live in driving distance of Gulf Coast beach destinations. I am sad to see this kind of marketing and advertising, especially online.

Consumers are smarter than that. They can easily research online and in the news about the beaches that are affected, and so far it is not Alabama , Florida or the Carolinas . Consumers are also smart about the fact that if business is down in these areas because travelers are worried, hotels and resorts are going to bring out the incentives and offer some of the best deals ever… including really easy cancellation policies.

Eileen Ogintz, a nationally syndicated reporter told me that she is learning about some great incentives on the Gulf Coast and this as a great time for families to get the best value for their vacation. Check out www.takingthekids.com .After all, almost all of the Gulf Coast has clean beautiful beaches and the water is fine. If you can book your vacation without worrying about cancellations, and you get a great deal with incentives, why wouldn’t you book it?

I am saddened by the way some tourism marketers are handling this situation. I wonder what will happen if the “tide turns”.

Till Next Time,

Leah

Travel Marketing Blog is sponsored by USDM.net.

Ad Week Asked Me What I Thought About Engagement...

2010-05-06T16:01:37.683-05:00

I was really excited to see my column in Ad Week this morning. When they asked me about engagement I wanted to have something fresh to say. We all know that everyone throws that term around, and we all know that we need to focus on consumer engagement, but what about after the fact of them being engaged? This is where some brands and agencies miss the boat... follow up.

www.adweek.com for all Ad Week cover stories

I hope you enjoy the column. Thanks for the emails requesting the mobile report. Keep them coming and I will be happy to provide these and other opinon papers to brands.

Till Next Time.

Leah

Travel Marketing Blog is sponsored by USDM.net.

Focus on Customer Engagement and Not On the Technology... Mobile Marketing

2010-04-22T14:35:17.433875-05:00

I have been fielding calls for two weeks about iPad usability and ad serving and about the explosion of mobile marketing.

Getting caught up in the technology is easy to do, especially when it changes so rapidly. What I have told reporters, clients and potential clients is that the technology is not the focus for marketers.

When the technology enables consumers they become engaged. They form new habits with the technology and marketers gain a new point of engagement.

Marketers need to serve their audience first, giving them what they want, and find the technology delivery system that gives them the best engagement ROI. Technology will continue to change, especially mobile technology. Mobile advertising, including the iPad now, has a critical place in brand advertising and direct response, but getting hung up in the technology takes the focus away from the engagement strategy. This is a tremendous new tool for brands, but it is still evolving. Jump in!

email me and I will send you our latest report on best practices for mobile marketing

till next time,

Leah

lwoolford@usdm.net

Travel Marketing Blog is sponsored by USDM.net.

Nestle Gets Crunched on Facebook

2010-03-24T12:10:09.812-05:00

Nestle Gets Crunched on Facebook

Nestle made a big mistake on March 19. They asked their fan page followers to not misuse or change their brand identity after viewing posts with their logo altered.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nestle/24287259392?v=feed&story_fbid=107128462646736

The company warned that anyone doing that would have their comments deleted on the fan page.

This started with some posts by Greenpeace and has escalated from there. The chain reaction has gotten out of control, fueled by Nestle’s poor PR and social communications efforts. The reaction from fans was a string of strong defensive reactions at first to what are now decidedly offensive moves. Then came comments about freedom of speech, Big Brother, Nestle losing customers, and postings making fun of Nestle for not knowing how to have consumers interact with their brand.

So what were they thinking? The fact that fans altered their logo is not the point here. The point can be made that fans were interacting with the brand. They certainly could have handled this in a much different way.

As far as Nestle and lessons learned… obviously the agency that posted the phrase “to repeat” before the phrase “please don’t post using altered version of any of our logos as your profile pictures”… didn’t know how to communicate to their audience. It will be interesting to see how they clean up this mess. What were they thinking? Here's some good advice for managing expectations in social networks:

1. Understand your audience and know that they have loyalty to the brand as long as it fits their mindset about who the brand

2. Practice transparency with your communications; don't hide or disguise facts that will be uncovered

3. Practice common courtesy and professionalism as you would if you were speaking to someone in person

4. Know that when you post your word choice and the tone of the post can be taken differently that you intend

5. Have a clear plan of communications; be a part of the conversation, don't preach, promote or push your audience

If you want to more information on how to handle social community issues like this one, let me know. I will be happy to share with you.

Leah Woolford

Founder and CEO, USDM.net

lwoolford@usdm.net

361.548.5110

Travel Marketing Blog is sponsored by USDM.net.

Make it Personal - - eMail Marketers planning to adopt more techniques, including advanced segmentation (42%), personalization (37%) and behavioral targeting (34%).

2010-03-18T10:20:54.83525-05:00

Make it Personal - - eMail Marketers planning to adopt more techniques, including advanced segmentation (42%), personalization (37%) and behavioral targeting (34%).

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007573

eMail Marketers, surveyed in a recent article by eMarketer, reported that they are going to start to use more advanced segmentation, personalization and behavioral targeting in 2010. 37% plan to add social sharing of their email content.

Why aren’t they doing this already? We have used these tactics for years and the cost is minimal and the rewards are fantastic. What was really eye opening in this report was that less than half of the marketers surveyed used re-marketing as a tactic.

It’s really all about making it personal. If you engage a consumer through these tactics you have done so because you connected on a personal interest. Engagement is nothing more than connection, and eMail is one of the best touch points for engagement. We use a combination of eMail, Social, Search and Media to engage. Any one of those touch points makes it personal if you are segmenting correctly and sending the right message at the right time.

We are hearing a great deal about the decline of email marketing at conferences and summits, but in reality it is a hard working tool that always brings great results for our clients when used in an overarching strategy and not a stand alone medium.

Let me know what you think,

Leah

Travel Marketing Blog is sponsored by USDM.net.

New study by Forrester Research shows that 46% of travelers are allowing their budgets to dictate vacation destination, and 49% of travelers say that they will accept a certain amount of inconvenience in order to save money.

2010-03-16T18:50:09.147-05:00

New study by Forrester Research shows that 46% of travelers are allowing their budgets to dictate vacation destination, and 49% of travelers say that they will accept a certain amount of inconvenience in order to save money.

Southwest Airlines taps into traveler sentiment about airline bag charges by launching seven new ads this week that feature cost savings and employees having fun! Ads run online and offline. In this era of airlines starting to charge for every amenity, including bags and maybe even seat preference, Southwest is holding true to it’s values by offering customers the same great service without bag fees. Clearly they have been successful since they have gained market share by forgoing these additional charges.

As travel marketers we have to remember that the economic climate is still uncertain. We can count on the fact that travelers are looking for deals and ways to save.

Till next time.

Leah

Travel Marketing Blog is sponsored by USDM.net.

Ten Years Ago: "Yes We Have a Web Site!"

2010-03-09T15:15:03.728-06:00

10 Years Ago: “Yes We Have a Web Site”

Today: “Yes We Have a Facebook Page”

Ten years ago there were 350 million Internet users worldwide, today there are 350 million users on Facebook

…and there are more than 1.7 Billion Internet users worldwide. Ten years ago my company had already been in the digital business more than 7 years. Back then when I would ask some companies about their online or digital strategy they would remark “oh yes, we have a web site”. Obviously I would launch into a whole volume of reasons why that was not enough. I would talk about why an organization needs to leverage their web site and all other digital assets with online advertising, search marketing and customer relationship marketing. Well that was then and here we are today… sometimes when I ask the digital strategy question I get “Yes we have a Facebook page!” and they are very proud of the fact that they have one. Of course just like ten years ago, many organizations don’t do much with it or beyond that.

What if you could attract more than 20,000 “qualified” brand fans to your Facebook in 30 days? What if you could start a dialog with those brand fans of yours and start to listen to what they like and dislike about your brand, your service, your products, your everything? All this is very doable and actually is just the tip of the iceberg to a Facebook strategy as part of your overall digital strategy. Remember Facebook today has as many users as worldwide users on the Internet ten years ago, and the amazing fact is they doubled in one year!

As I attend Travelcom this week and talk to many amazing colleagues I am already excited about the innovations and the possibilities. Thanks USTA! If you are here catch my discussion on Thursday when we do a wrap of what we have heard this week and how we would take that information and make it actionable!

Till next time

Leah

Travel Marketing Blog is sponsored by USDM.net.

Jack of All Trades… Does it apply today on the web?

2010-02-25T10:14:44.305125-06:00

In the old days of the web we had to be the jack of all trades… there were no subject matter experts. New technologies emerged, eCommerce was refined, search engine marketing became more complex, online media took on multiple avenues, social marketing bloomed and mCommerce emerged. In a very short time it became clear to us that as an agency and media company we had to start developing highly specialized departments and highly skilled subject matter experts within our agency to research, test, innovate and execute on all these specialties.

Without these highly specialized experts an agency or in-house marketing department is “skimming the surface” of their integrated marketing and advertising program. In fact, they don’t even recognize the gaps in a plan because they don’t know what to look for from a specialized vertical perspective.

Agencies who are telling their clients that online media is all about display, or that SEOM is only about buying Paid Keywords are doing their clients a huge injustice. They may not know how to strategize or execute on other elements that are important, so they just don’t. If you don’t, hire a digital firm or subject matter experts behind you.

The case can be made that unless you have a group of subject matter experts on your team you are missing major opportunities and opening yourself up to lackluster results. In the worst case you are not building a sustainable program because competitors are passing you by.

Focus on the highly specialized areas of your plan that will make the difference short term and most importantly long term, and make sure that you have the right people making the right decisions for you as an organization. If you are an agency reading this, and I know many of you follow this blog, take a big step and fill in the gap. You will be executing for the client on all those things you do so well and you will be bringing to the table subject matter experts that can fill in the gaps WITH you.

Till next time,

Leah

Travel Marketing Blog is sponsored by USDM.net.

Beyond Relevancy…

2010-01-31T14:59:36.75225-06:00

So the blog stayed up way too long, but I did get many responses from DMOs and hotels letting me know that they indeed were revolutionary in their online approaches. The most interesting comments I received were from DMOs and hotels who believe that they are revolutionary by converting their total advertising and marketing budgets to Interactive, then portioning off some of that budget for offline tactics. I admit that this is a change agent that is not often discussed.

When an organization follows the research and data it is an important step in breaking old rules. We know that since 911 marketing and advertising plans have been changed forever… it taught us to operate with a marketing strategy and 90 day plans, plans based on research and data. We had to move quickly to lay the path for successful returns and we learned to stay nimble. Now the consumer in an uncertain mindset about spending it is even more important that we all remember to stay nimble and follow the research.

Kudos to those of you who are brave enough to lead with interactive and let the consumer behavior guide your strategy.

Till next time,

Leah

Travel Marketing Blog is sponsored by USDM.net.