Why Google still beats Facebook for online hotel marketing

Facebook is definitely here to stay and has experienced tremendous growth, but it is not going to replace Google as a travel planning tool anytime soon. Though Facebook initiatives drive traffic to hotel websites, this trackable traffic is not directly responsible for any significant revenue.

On March 15, Experian Hitwise reported that Facebook.com has surpassed Google.com as the most popular Web site in the United States. Indeed, Facebook accounted for 7.07% of all U.S. Web site visits for the week ending March 13, compared with Google.com’s 7.03% share.

eedless to say, last week the industry was abuzz with this exciting news. We heard questions tossed around like: “Is Facebook going to replace Google?” and “Are we missing big revenue opportunities by not advertising on Facebook?”

You can relax. Facebook is definitely here to stay and has experienced tremendous growth, but it is not going to replace Google as a travel planning tool anytime soon. Here are the reasons why:

When consumers want to buy books online, they go to Amazon.com. When people want to buy new laptops or PCs online, they go to Dell.com, Apple.com or BestBuy.com.

When people plan travel they go to:
- Search Engines: Google, Yahoo, Bing
- Meta Search Engines: Kayak.com
- OTAs: Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, etc.
- Major hotel brand websites: Marriott.com, Hilton.com, etc.
- Independent/boutique/luxury hotel Web sites
- Consumer review sites like TripAdvisor.com to check out what their peers think of certain hotels, once they have narrowed down their choices

About 84% of Americans plan travel online, according to Travel Industry Association, using the above approaches. In other words, social networks are not the first options that come to mind when planning a business trip or family vacation. Many travel consumer surveys attest to the above behavior, time and again.

Fuente: Hotelsmag.com/blog

Concepto Fuzzy Front End of Innovation

Se muestra un proceso de innovación ideal que se desarrolla en una empresa. El punto de partida es la identificación de oportunidades para la empresa y el marco de acción, a través de la identificación de las exigencias del mercado y de las exigencias de la empresa. Partiendo de éstas, se buscarán novedades en la fase de generación de ideas. En la fase de evaluación de ideas, se valorarán y escogerán nuevas proposiciones y planteamientos. Estas tres fases pueden resumirse en el concepto “Fuzzy Front End of Innovation”, y complementadas con la elaboración de un plan concreto componen la etapa de planificación de la innovación. Ésta es particularmente importante para el éxito del proceso innovador dado que al seleccionar la idea de innovación hay que definir parámetros fundamentales como sus características, costos, requerimientos de tiempo para el desarrollo de un nuevo producto o servicio, etc., y naturalmente, que la idea responda a las exigencias del mercado y la empresa.

Fuente: in4in

Hotels responding in big ways to negative reviews

Less than 4% of negative reviews on TripAdvisor get a response, according to TripAdvisor, which has more than 30 million reviews. But the review site says it saw a 203% explosion in responses from hotels last year.

Armed with a log-in account and numerous travel websites willing to give them a forum, customers are increasingly vocalizing their experiences online for other travelers to read. That’s prompting more hotel managers to respond quickly or fear losing business.

Hotel managers may ignore customers’ reviews at their peril, some analysts say. Others say they’re just another way for hotels to find ways of improving operations. And those who are paying attention and responding to customers can earn some goodwill points at a time every room night counts.

Large hotel companies have always solicited customer surveys from guests. But they’ve relied mostly on numerical rankings and have rarely contained descriptive explanations.

Managers still regularly receive customer survey scores tabulated by the headquarters, but online reviews are being used to improve training, adjust restaurant and staffing hours and add or remove amenities, says Bjorn Hanson, a hospitality professor at New York University.

Fuente: USAToday.com

Google testing hotel price comparison features on Google Maps

Google started experimenting with a new feature on Google Maps, which shows specific prices for selected hotel listings, very much like hotel price comparison websites. But unlike Kayak & Co., Google is not retrieving hotel rates from supplier XML feeds, but Google AdWords advertisers.

Google Maps is often one of the first stops travelers make to find and compare hotels. Today Google started experimenting with a new feature, visible to a small portion of users, to help make that process even easier by showing specific prices for selected hotel listings.

With this feature, when you search for hotels on Google Maps you’ll be able to enter the dates you plan to stay and see real prices on selected listings. You can click on the price to see a list of advertisers who have provided pricing information for that hotel, indicated by the “Sponsored” text, and click through to reserve a room on the advertiser’s site.

This new feature will not change the way that hotels are ranked in Google Maps, the company says. Google Maps ranks business listings based on their relevance to the search terms entered, along with geographic distance (where indicated) and other factors, regardless of whether there is an associated price.

Fuente: Google earth and map team blog

Death of the travel brochure as travelers opt for online reviews

Reviews written by strangers on independent websites such as TripAdvisor, search results on Google and word of mouth advice from family and colleagues are more influential than brochures, advertising, media reviews and advice from travel agents when it comes to booking holidays, according to a new study.

The survey of 1,375 consumers found a quarter now used online reviews by strangers to determine their travel plans, compared to 13 per cent who used travel programmes and 11 per cent who used magazines and newspaper supplements.

The results found that almost 50 per cent of travellers over 45 are using websites to recommend or warn fellow travellers by posting a review of their travel experiences online.

Nick Oram, director of media agency Total Media, who commissioned the report, said: “There has been a decline in the traditional glossy brochure in favour of the internet and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The traditional glossy brochure was expensive to produce and the travel industry has embraced e-commerce as a way of making the booking process far more cost effective.

“The impartial online opinion of travellers who have firsthand experience of a destination is second only now to what you hear from friends, family and work colleagues.”

Fuente: Telegraph.co.uk

Guerrilla Marketing, 4th edition: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business

My personal recommendation of every Sunday

When Guerrilla Marketing was first published in 1983, Jay Levinson revolutionized marketing strategies for the small-business owner with his take-no-prisoners approach to finding clients. Based on hundreds of solid ideas that really work, Levinson’s philosophy has given birth to a new way of learning about market share and how to gain it. In this completely updated and expanded fourth edition, Levinson offers a new arsenal of weaponry for small-business success including

* strategies for marketing on the Internet (explaining when and precisely how to use it)

* tips for using new technology, such as podcasting and automated marketing

* programs for targeting prospects and cultivating repeat and referral business

* management lessons in the age of telecommuting and freelance employees

Guerrilla Marketing is the entrepreneur’s marketing bible -- and the book every small-business owner should have on his or her shelf.

About the Author

Jay Conrad Levinson is the author of more than a dozen books in the Guerrilla Marketing series. A former vice president and creative director at J. Walter Thompson Advertising and Leo Burnett Advertising, he is the chairman of Guerrilla Marketing International, a consulting firm serving large and small businesses worldwide.

Social media empowers new modes of travel

Analyzing the findings of its study of 2,357 adults in the U.S., France, and the U.K., Euro RSCG reveals how changes in consumer consciousness are molding entirely new modes of travel - and a new industry to service them.

Travel is undergoing a profound and even revolutionary shift, according to a broad new study by the leading global communications agency Euro RSCG Worldwide. The results of the study were released this week in KNOW magazine’s “The Future of Travel: The New Vocabulary of Travel and Tourism.” KNOW is a publication of the Euro RSCG Worldwide Knowledge Exchange, a global initiative that pushes knowledge and insights across the Euro RSCG network of agencies.

Analyzing the findings of its study of 2,357 adults in the U.S., France, and the U.K., Euro RSCG reveals how changes in consumer consciousness are molding entirely new modes of travel—and a new industry to service them.

“For years, people have regarded travel as a way to splurge, an indulgence centered on escapism and fun,” said Marian Salzman, president of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America. “Now, we’re looking to make our travel experiences more meaningful and better aligned with our personal values and goals. With millions of people wanting to feel good about the impact they have on the world, there’s been a reboot of travel values and expectations.”

The study places a special focus on the segment of respondents identified as Prosumers. This highly influential group is ahead of the curve in adopting a more mindful approach to consumption that incorporates concern for the environment, local communities, and the global citizenry. For Prosumers, travel is about much more than getting from Point A to Point B and back again.

According to the study:

- 66% consider themselves “Citizens of the World,” suggesting a more globally minded attitude and approach.

- 73% believe extensive travel is key to making a person more interesting.

- And 59% contend that where and how they travel says a lot about who they are.

Where and how Prosumers travel is undergoing a decisive shift, as detailed in the report. Their objectives for vacation periods are changing and so are the demands they are placing on their brand partners. To lead in the category going forward, it is vital that brands fulfill these four imperatives:

- Accept and embrace “green” as the standard way of doing business

- Offer products and services that satisfy Prosumers’ desire to live more mindfully

- Master social media in order to engage Prosumers before, during, and after each travel experience

- Embrace the new models of luxury and customer service Euro RSCG has identified

Awareness of environmental impact has been all but absent from most travel considerations until recently. “Whereas not so long ago the issue of ‘going green’ was one of exhortation and persuasion,” KNOW magazine explains, “now it is more a matter of shade, degree, and implementation.” Brands and companies are finding that eco-consciousness has progressed from a fringe notion to a business mandate. Euro RSCG research into the New Consumer (2009) has found that 74% of Prosumers feel good about making environmentally friendly choices, and 63% are paying more attention to the environmental and social impact of the products they buy. Travel and hospitality brands are speaking to this heightened consciousness through such means as eco-accommodations built with reclaimed and recycled materials, “100 mile” menus centered on locally produced foods, energy-efficient “EcoRooms,” and rewarding travelers for their green behaviors.

Also revolutionizing the category is an emerging mindfulness among consumers fed up with excess consumption and our increasingly artificial, disconnected way of living. Euro RSCG has found that people are hungry for greater meaning in their lives:

- 79% of Prosumers worry that society has become too shallow, focusing on things that don’t really matter.

- 66% worry that people have become too disconnected from the natural world, while 53% worry that digital communications are weakening human bonds.

- Alarmed by current realities, 84% are making a real effort to improve who they are and how they live.

“New modes of travel—including cultural and educational tourism, geotourism, voluntourism, and so-called slow travel—are catering to this newly emerging desire for more,” said Claus Lindorff, managing director of Euro RSCG agency BETC Luxe. “The shifts in mindset behind these new modes of travel have been building strength for years. What has brought them to a broader market is the ascendancy of social media. Now that mainstream consumers can participate in real-time communities focused on a new approach to travel and living, this hyper-focus on social values in travel has blossomed.”

For brands, social media offer creative ways to keep Prosumers engaged well before and long after each actual travel event. New York City’s Pod Hotel saw sales and traffic spike 40% after it created PodCulture, a closed social network in which guests can connect with one another and schedule get-togethers in advance of their stays. Such smart use of social media keeps brand conversations going and carries tremendous scope for a new generation of customer service offerings. This is of particular importance at a time when luxury and service are being redefined by consumers sick of tinny smiles and canned responses, and eager to engage with the real people behind the brand.

Understanding this emerging world of travel—with all its overlapping and interconnected trends—will be vital for any brand looking to grow in the space.

Fuente: Erurorscglife.com

Neuromarketing: La ciencia hace Marketing

Tu no decides, Tu cerebro primitivo, si!

¿No le ha parecido que toda acción de promoción o ventas que realice para que sus posibles compradores se enteren de lo bonito de su producto, no tiene el impacto esperado?
Ha probado con publicidad en medios gráficos, televisión, radio e inclusive internet, pero tampoco ha obtenido los resultados que esperaba o le contaron que iba a tener.
La ciencia ha investigado, donde radica las emociones humanas de forma práctica, dónde se originan, y también donde se localiza las necesidades mas básicas del ser humano en el cerebro.
Ha descubierto cosas interesantísimas:

Nuestro cerebro está compuesto por 3 cerebros:

* Primitivo (Reptílico)
* Medio (Donde se encuentran las emociones o límbico)
* Corteza (Donde razona, elabora, analiza o Neomamífero)

Funciona de la siguiente manera, ante un estímulo externo e inmediato, ingresa rápidamente por nuestros sentidos y lo detecta nuestro cerebro medio "el de los sentimientos y emociones" luego pasa al nuestra corteza cerebral o cerebro superior (el analítico) luego estas dos partes del cerebro, pasan su propia envían esta información "analizada" y "sentida" al cerebro primitivo quien estos datos de información, finalmente toma la decisión.

Ejemplo:

Piense: cuando va caminando por la calle y de reojo nota en segundos que algo va hacia su cabeza súbitamente, de repente tiende a agacharse para evitarla, pero al ver que era una sombra provocada por una rama de un árbol moviéndose, no llega a terminar la acción de agacharse.
Que ha pasado: el estímulo fue el movimiento de la sombra, que fue detectado por nuestros sentidos al micro segundo nos fuimos agachando lo primero tomó las riendas, por así decirlo su cerebro primitivo, que actuó y le hizo reaccionar pero luego pasado unos microsegundos, recibió la información procesada de la corteza cerebral, avisándole que era una sombra y no un objeto amenazante, y decide abortar el "agacharse" por completo.

Lo que quiero decir con ello que siempre, siempre decidimos sin darnos cuenta y luego nuestro cerebro lógico, analítico, lo justifica con una respuesta razonada a lo que decidimos hacer.

A partir de este entendimiento fisiológico del cerebro humano, podemos interactuar de manera mas directa comunicando nuestro servicio, y hablarle directamente al verdadero decisor del nuestro cliente potencial: Nuestro cerebro primitivo. Y nosotros aplicaremos esto al posicionamiento potenciándolo y haciendo neuroposicionamiento.

Fuente: Tuposicionamiento.com

Where German travelers are headed in 2010

HotelsCombined reports the top 10 domestic and international travel destinations for Germany residents in 2010. Statistics are based on the Web site’s current booking leads for the upcoming year. Berlin and Hamburg top the list for domestic destinations while New York and London rank highest for international destinations.

The largest metropolitan cities in Germany and around the world rank at the top of these lists, and travelers find the largest variety of hotel deals in these cities on HotelsCombined.de. In Berlin alone, travelers choose from 922 hotels on HotelsCombined.de, and in London, 1,437 hotels are available to choose from.
Berlin, Germany’s number one destination for meetings and conventions is also the number one HotelsCombined.de destination for German travelers in 2010. According to the Berlin Tourismus Marketing, the number of visitors and events in Berlin continues to increase, an indicator that the global economy is on the rise.
New York City ranks as the number one international destination, indicating that a high average room rate does not deter Germans from visiting this city consistently ranked the number one travel destination worldwide.
Of the top 10 international destinations, seven of those cities are within Europe, indicating a strong desire among Germans to stay close to home.
One of the most budget friendly cities (Bangkok) and one of the highest cost destinations (Dubai) are both within the top five international destinations. HotelsCombined General Manager Michael Doubinski comments, “This indicates German travelers focus travel choices on the unique experience and not on the overall cost. However, due to the continually increasing number of visitors to our site, travelers are definitely still interested in hotel deals, and they can find both budget and luxury options at HotelsCombined.de.”

Fuente: Hotelscombined.de

Turismo y Neuromarketing: innovar generando emoción

La crisis del sector turístico exige innovación en formas de venta y estrategias de comunicación. El neuromarketing se presenta como una herramienta para ayudar a entender las razones y emociones por las que se guía un turista y su elección final hacia un determinado servicio y no otro. Gracias a dicha técnica, tanto el turista como el proveedor de los servicios, son los beneficiados.

Grandes multinacionales como Pepsi, pero también empresas más pequeñas y vinculadas al sector, como Mindness Hotel, han investigado en esta rama del marketing. Verónica Aimar , e-Tourism Project Manager de Prestigia Online, ha elaborado un artículo en el que recoge ejemplos de diferentes estudios de neuromarketing, y se centra en la idea que “se trata de vender productos o servicios turísticos que hayan sido capaces de emocionar al turista y ‘emocionalizar la marca’, con la finalidad de fidelizar una futura compra o elección”.

Verónica Aimar explica la existencia de diversas técnicas aplicadas al neuromarketing, como el fMRI (Funtional Magnetic Resonance Imaging o Resonancia Magnética Funcional por Imágenes) y el EEG (Electroencephalography o Electroencefalografía), para medir el espectro de actividad regional específica de las respuestas del cerebro.

La autora centra su discurso en que el neuromarketing es una ciencia que puede ayudar a determinar qué experiencias, servicios o productos turísticos emocionan a una persona, aunque hasta el mismo cliente lo desconozca. La especialista se centra en que la emoción es la clave del turismo, y su gestión, la garantía de su éxito.
Fuente: Prestigia Marketing

Función del Marketing La orientación de la empresa al mercado es el punto crucial del marketing como actitud o filosofía. Todos los integrantes de la organización deben ser conscientes de la importancia del consumidor en la existencia, progreso y rentabilidad de la empresa. Fundamentalmente se establece una doble función del marketing, atendiendo al área funcional en donde se desarrolla.

10 Travel innovation trends for 2010

It is not enough to rely on existing technologies and legacy systems. In this turbulent economic environment, you must harness the power of innovation to find competitive edge and profitability, writes PhoCusWright.

PhoCusWright’s analysts and authors of the newly rebranded PhoCusWright Innovation Edition have identified ten game changing innovations that will forever alter the way consumers search, shop and buy travel.

10 Travel Innovation Trends for 2010

1. - Alternate Distribution Systems: The Next Round of Attack on GDSs
2. - Mobile: Going Where No Platform Has Gone Before
3. - Communicating Anywhere: The Twitter Effect
4. - Merchandising Simplified Through Offer-Optimizer Technology
5. - New Technologies Improve Web Presence
6. - Social Media Monitoring Supersedes Reputation Management
7. - Social Media and Location-Based Services Converge
8. - Travel Information: Anytime, Anyhow
9. - Cross-Channel and Viral Marketing: A Brave New World
10. - Emerging Computer Capabilities Catapult Business Opportunities

Marriott on best practices in hotel-OTA relationships

March 16, 2010 | Hospitality Industry
Greg Albertini, Regional VP Revenue Strategy Asia Pacific, Marriott International, says the best partnerships do not take inappropriate advantage of a specific situation but have a long term view in mind.

The nature of the lodging business is that there are always peaks and troughs of demand related to the supply available in any given market. This can be seasonal, development-related, or economic, which the industry is seeing most acutely right now. Can one believe that the best partnerships between companies are those that can flex to the varying demands and needs of each party across time?

Providing his insight into this debate, Greg Albertini, Regional VP Revenue Strategy Asia Pacific, Marriott International, says the best partnerships do not take inappropriate advantage of a specific situation but have a long term view in mind.

“When demand is down and hotels are desperate the OTAs have a bit more power than they do when demand is strong and hotels are selling out. In order for all to thrive we need to work together to augment each others’ strengths. When demand is strong, I will remember the OTA that took advantage of me when demand was low, just like they will remember hotels that did not give them availability when demand was high” says Albertini.

In an interview with EyeforTravel’s Ritesh Gupta, Albertini spoke about trends in the industry, price parity and the hotel-OTA relationship. Excerpts:

What do you see as the biggest changes in the industry as far as RM is concerned?

Greg Albertini: Globally there are a lot of exciting changes taking place; many companies are focused on price optimisation, CRM integration and effective distribution of both rooms and space across a portfolio. The markets here in Asia are rather young from a RM deployment perspective, so I would say biggest changes here in Asia are more around acceptance and willingness to invest in the discipline.

Price parity is an important element, and plays a key role in today’s revenue management and hotel distribution strategy. The concept of profit parity disregards that there are varying levels of value and fluctuations in demand depending on the distribution channel. In this context, how does the online channel offer unique benefits?

Greg Albertini: True, e-channels have built incredible brands with unique value propositions that speak to specific customers. Expedia has told us that 2 out of 3 customers shop on Expedia.com but then go buy on Brand.com; Expedia is okay with this as they see the one customer that books with them as a loyal Expedia customer. You can discuss profit yield all you want, but at the end of the day, if you want access to Expedia’s loyal customer base you will need to be a good partner and offer parity in both rates and availability. The key is to find strategies that provide good partnerships with your e-channels yet also promote loyalty among your own customers to avoid channel / loyalty shift.

OTA’s say that they offer services to hotels that are very much tailored to market demand factors. The key factor is that prices and promotions can be created, adapted, in real time for real customers. Rates are not set seasonally, but rather daily. How do you assess the utility and efficacy of this channel in today’s environment?

Greg Albertini: This issue really depends on a brand’s pricing strategy and technology platform to distribute that strategy across all the distribution channels. We do not see OTAs as being more effective than we are at distributing our own pricing strategies; we can implement in real time any changes we decide need to be implemented.

What some OTAs do bring to the table is access to a loyal leisure customer base that is more price conscious than a typical corporate customer. We look for opportunities to fence away these customers from our typical business traveller with pricing products that are available to both the OTA customer as well as our buy direct customer, otherwise we are telling our loyal buy direct customer that they must become an OTA customer to get the same great deal.

Do OTAs share their rate research with hotel partners so that hotels can be aware of how their rates are being sold online?

Greg Albertini: Some do. The research we like is around parity shops that ensure the OTA in question is not at a price disadvantage in the market. This type of research helps us to better police our own hotels and ensure we have sound execution of our intended strategy.

However, many OTAs work hard to share data that supports missing opportunity that can be realised by offering exclusives in exchange for preference. The problem with this type of thinking is that you alienate other OTAs and you also promote channel shift away from your own lower costs channels which has very negative long term implications.

How can one work on strategies which would allow customers to purchase where they want without encouraging them to book a costlier booking path?

Greg Albertini: There are two significant areas:

1) Parity. If your customers can find a cheaper rate on a costlier booking path, then they will go there to buy.

2) Invest in your online buy direct technology! Marriott spends significant amount of money each year to improve the customer experience on Marriott.com. If price is the same, but the shopping experience is much better on an OTA, then it is just a matter of time before customers go for the better experience. Of course, you could entice with better offers on your own website, but this will put the OTAs at a disadvantage and as a result don’t be surprised when your page placement falls to `page 14’ on their website.

What according to you is the next big thing for travel in Asia? Or can we have a prediction about where the industry is heading in the next few years?

Greg Albertini: Let’s all just cross our fingers for the sustained return of business and MICE demand over the next few years. The price wars in some markets have really hurt profitability of the industry and getting back to the profit levels we had prior to the economic crises (once adjusted for inflation) would be a general blessing!

Greg Albertini is scheduled to speak at the forthcoming Travel Distribution Summit Asia 2010 (to be held in Singapore, April 28-29).

China’s Internet obsession

March 15, 2010 | Online Travel

Just how big (or small) a market would Google leave behind were it to pull out of China today? People in the country’s 60 largest cities spend 70 percent of their leisure time online. Seismic changes in the consumer market are likely as a result.

In January, China Internet Network Information Center, the country’s official domain registry and research organization, reported that by the end of 2009, the number of Internet users in China had touched 384 million, more than the entire population of the United States. That’s an increase of around 50 percent over 2008. Moreover, 233 million Chinese—twice as many as in the previous year—accessed the Net on handheld devices, partly because China’s cellular providers started offering 3G services widely last year.

The Chinese are obsessed with the Internet. People in the 60 largest cities in China spend around 70 percent of their leisure time on the Internet, according to a survey we conducted in 2009. In smaller towns, the corresponding number is 50 percent. The PC is fast replacing the TV set as an entertainment hub, and emotions run high over who gets to log on and for how long. In a small city in northwest China, for instance, a man told one of us that domestic squabbles over using the PC got so out of hand that his wife and he discussed spending, for them, a large sum of money to buy another machine—or filing for divorce. They eventually bought a second PC and saved their marriage.

Top ten best practices for today’s online hotel marketer

Smart hotel marketers keep a laser sharp focus on the channels that are driving maximum return on investment. According to Milestone Internet Marketing, the following are the top 10 promotion ideas, channels, and strategies, that are driving maximum returns

Starwood runs loyalty pilot program that targets rivals' customers

As the hotel loyalty war among the big chains intensifies, USA TODAY has learned that Starwood Hotels is running a top-secret loyalty program that targets some of its best customers - in addition to those of its biggest rivals (Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton)