2011 Is the Year of Mobile Marketing

  By Kate Sutherland, Account Supervisor, Consumer

The Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME) recently brought together leading industry executives to discuss what was new and exciting for the coming year. While the entire panel agreed that the past few years had been difficult for each of their industries they were all optimistic for a strong 2011 and had a fresh outlook on how to attract new customers.

Mobile marketing is the number one new tactic being employed from airlines to hotels in order to stay front of mind with travelers. Jim Zito, VP of Interactive Marketing at Morgans Hotel Group; Hugh Riley, secretary general, Caribbean Tourism Organization; Chris Rossi, SVP of Virgin Atlantic Airways; and Shirley Tafoya, president of Travelzoo all agreed that providing consumers with an easier way to access information on their mobile devices was key to attracting and keeping customers engaged with their product. The focus will be on creating new applications that are both functional and unique. For example, Virgin Airlines will focus on making it easier for passengers to check in online and receive real-time flight information, while Travelzoo is trying to find a way to quickly and easily make their sales available through their own application.

The overall consensus: this will be a “test and learn” year for mobile. I work with a variety of travel clients, and can speak from experience when I say that mobile is a major focus for 2011. Whether it’s to sell a product, or provide a service, over the next few months I have a number of clients rolling out new mobile features on both the Blackberry and iPhone.

What about social media?

While social media was the focus of 2010, there is a definite shift in priorities moving forward. Last year, everyone had a “jump in and see what happens” attitude, without considering where exactly social media best fit for their company. Was it a PR tool, customer service tool or a sales tool? It was everything. I had one client learn the hard way that social media, like traditional media, requires strategy. We had another company, with a number of different Twitter accounts, sending several different messages out daily. It created disconnect for the brand and, ultimately, confused the consumer. In the end, every client should recognize that social media should be approached like any PR campaign – through careful planning and strategic entry into the appropriate mediums.

This issue was not exclusive to my client.  Many companies learned the hard way that social media does NOT fit everywhere. Now they are taking a step back and evaluating the ROI on social. Where does it work, how do you best engage through social and where is it not a fit? The answer really depends on the industry and clientele, but each company agreed they will work hard to find a “home” for social media this year to more effectively communicate their key messages, product offerings or engage with customers directly.

Interestingly, hotels and airlines have very different outlooks on how to use social media. While Morgan’s Hotel group has great success using social media to get information out about events and parties at their U.S. hotels, Virgin uses it strictly as a customer service tool to help passengers especially when they experience problems with their trips. Regardless of how it is used, a dedicated staff or person is key to making a social media strategy a success. Offering real-time information and responses was an important lesson learned last year for each company.

The final message from the day – whether it is mobile marketing or other social media strategies - is that being proactive, interactive and innovative is the only way to succeed in gaining customers' attention and loyalty.

Navigating Through Foreign Lands and Languages

  By Sandy Diaz, Account Supervisor, Digital

While working as a marketing manager for a packaging company, I spent quite a bit of time coordinating trade shows throughout Latin America. One of the many shows I attended was held in Mexico City.

Being a native of Peru and bilingual, the last problem I suspected to have was a communication issue.

Prior to my arrival in Mexico City, I received a call from Jorge Luis, the Sales Manager for Mexico. He strongly urged that the booth be equipped with “edecanes” during the show. I had never heard of such a word.

I assured him I would take care of his request, and then quickly reached for a dictionary where the English translation for the word read “aid to camp.”

Ah ha, a first aid kit, of course! With all of the heavy equipment at the booth, it made perfect sense.

The day the trade show opened, everything was perfectly in place, thanks to my stellar planning…so I thought.

Immediately Jorge Luis came running towards me, looking around as if something was missing. That is where I learned the hard way that edecan is NOT a first aid kit, but rather a model.

Being the resourceful person that I am, I managed to find an agency and bring Jorge Luis the “booth babes” he eagerly requested, but I learned a very valuable lesson that day.

When working or traveling internationally, one must never make assumptions regarding language and culture. You must do your research.

Growing up I was surrounded by people from countries throughout Latin America. I can spot an Argentinean or a Puerto Rican accent from miles away. I was aware of the fact that certain words could mean one thing in one country and something awful in another, yet I had not done my homework before my trip to Mexico.

That incident is one I often refer to now working on a digital account for Latin America. The region is larger than many may think. It is the fourth largest continent and contains 12 different countries, each with very distinct dialects, food, traditions and governments. Representing a brand throughout Latin America requires an understanding of just that.

In my case, building a social presence in such a unique region has meant research, getting to know multiple audiences and paying very close attention to detail. Each country requires its own platform or community, just as we would expect in the US. For example, in the States, consumers gravitate to brands that appeal to Americans rather than Australians, even though the language is the same. Each country in Latin America should be seen in that same light.

There are several online resources that can be helpful when preparing for a trip aboard or international work. Kwintessential is a site which features cultural customs, including business etiquette, protocol as well as international training and translation and interpreter services.

You can find information regarding appearance, behavior and communication in certain regions of the world. The site is even broken down my country which makes it even easier to search.

Travel sites such as Frommers.com also offer useful information. The Tips and Tools section of the site provides insight on customs and traditions throughout several travel destinations.

Although English is considered the international language of business, it is important to remember cultures and traditions matter as well. A simple greeting can often be misinterpreted, and could result in much more than just a rush to find booth babes.