How to use influencers in Tourism Marketing

Of all the categories of blogs and social media posts online, it is safe to assume that a very high percentage is related to travel and tourism. Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat seem almost custom-built for travel, tourism and allied topics like food and fashion. Needless to mention, the ranks of social media influencers are swollen with followers of this niche. However, very little is common among these influencers. Take travel for instance. The spectrum ranges from shoestring budget travellers, to backpackers, through adventure travelers all the way to luxury and bespoke travelers. This becomes a challenge for tourism digital marketers who hope to reach out and recruit influencers to help with their tourism marketing campaigns.

This post deals with some tips to choose the right influencers and the things one can do to make the most of the symbiotic relationship. Specifically, how the right influencers can help grow the brand online.

Finding your influencers

Before you go about trying to locate the right influencer, it is important to know who your brand's current audience is. Where does your audience hang-out online? Whom do they follow in social media channels? Who influences them? What is the authority of these influencers? As you listen to online chatter and monitor social media, you will come up with a lot of insights. Not all thee insights will be in line with your planner positioning for your brand. All of them however will reflect the interesting ways in which your audience chooses to interact with your brand. Spend time finding and mapping these out.

Choosing the right influencer

It is important for a tourism brand to choose the right influencer. In order to do so, one needs to definitely look beyond the numbers. The questions you need to ask yourself before you shortlist influencers to help amplify your tourism or destination marketing efforts are as follows:

• Are they relevant to your category? - No point using a fashion blogger as your influencer if your niche is travel and tourism. Unless your destination has some fashion-association you need to amplify!
• Are they an authority? - Do they have a follower base that follows them for their unique style or insights? Do they have an original point of view about topics relevant to you?
• Are they regular and active? - Do they post consistently? Are all their social outposts updated regularly?
• Are they engaging? - What kind of traction do their posts on social channels get? How often are they shared or liked? Do they get comments? Do they respond to comments? What is the true reach they have?
• Is there a brand fit? - Is the prospective influencer a good fit for your brand? If you are focusing on luxury travel, a budget travel blogger might not be the direction you want to take, irrespective of the authority and numbers!

Do you have any personal travel and tourism bloggers you follow? Please send me your preferences.

Inviting your influencers

Today, a number of companies exist which claim to work with a set of social media influencers across verticals. However, my personal experience with such outfits has not been great. While it is true that they take the hassle out of managing an influencer campaign (think logistics, communication, emails, responses, clarifications, billing etc.) they often don't have the ability to give you a truly custom-built experience. As a tourism marketer, it is expected that you know your brand and its strengths & weaknesses better than any 3rd party agency. Hopefully you are also passionate about your destination or product. Spend some time trying to reach out to influencers to convey this passion across to them. Trust me - they will appreciate it.

What works best is a personal appeal to each identified influencer. When you get to know them, their style, their audience and their work, you will know exactly how they can add value to your brand. And when they see that you've taken the time to understand all of these aspects, their respect - and consequently engagement with your brand - will only grow. It also helps to follow them on social channels and to start sharing some of their relevant updates to your own audience/followers. Remember that you are not engaging with a vendor; you are actually trying to establish a relationship with an influential authority who can help your brand grow.

Getting the most out of your influencers

One of the biggest mistakes a brand can make is to treat influencers as an extension of their PR program. Any influencer worth her/his salt will never be comfortable with simply posting a press release issued by a brand on their channels. Remember that these influencers have spent an enormous amount of time and effort to cultivate an audience that trusts them and their opinion. A sure-fire way to disaster and audience loss is to 'plug' brand messages between their posts.

Invite your influencers to experience your brand. Let them savor everything that your product or destination has to offer. Allow them time to wallow in the experience. Let them write/blog/post about it in their own, inimitable way.

Most importantly, respect their beliefs and principles. Don't ask/force them to commit to anything they are not comfortable with. Provide them with the experience, the facts, the data and the information. Let them craft their own story. If you've done your homework, you will be pleasantly surprised!

In another post we will look at the ways in which your brand can specifically benefit from engaging with influencers.

How influencer marketing is changing tourism marketing

Contrary to popular belief, influencer marketing is not new. It has existed for as long as (or even before) marketing has been around. The very first influencer in the history of mankind was someone who recommended a way to do something or to try a new something. In principle, it stays true to that even today. Another misconception is that influencers have to be celebrities. That is good to have, but not a mandatory requirement. In fact, the more evolved the consumer, the less they are taken in by marketing-speak or brand endorsements. However, they are still open to recommendations from friends, peers and others they willingly follow on social media channels.

At the fundamental level, an influencer is someone who specializes in something of interest to you and has the social presence to distribute their message. They could offer knowledge, inspiration or even just entertainment in a specific niche. But what adds value is the manner in which they do it. Their specific tone of voice, sense of humor or eccentric mannerism that make it resonate with you. Which is why they command the clout they do and why brands - especially in the travel and tourism space are rapidly waking up to their potential.

Most online consumers have been through the entire marketing hype cycle. They are wise to the ways of brands and even wiser to the way advertising hopes to manipulate their feelings and emotions. Which is probably why conventional online channels like display media are slowly losing traction. They have literally become a blind spot for savvy consumers. Search is still very relevant, but the onus of initiating action lies with the consumer. All a brand or marketer can do is to lay out the groundwork and wait for the consumer to show up. Influencer marketing however makes use of the concept of peers - people like you who care about the things you care about too - to reach out to consumers.

Answer this. Would you much rather have a travel company stalk you with multiple messages online on every possible channel or would you seriously consider a vacation destination on the basis of the recommendation of a travel blogger you follow - and admire? Pretty elementary, right? That is in essence the thought behind using influencer marketing for the tourism industry.

In another post, we will look at what you need to do in order to identify the right kind of influencers and the advantages your destination marketing efforts can get by doing so in a planned manner.

Happy World Tourism Day!

Here's wishing all my readers a very happy World Tourism Day!

Worldwide Personal Security for travelers with Fonetrac

With increasing reports being published every day about global terror and terrorist activities, it is no wonder that travelers are usually concerned about their safety and security while travelling. Gone are the days when just some countries or regions were classified as terror prone. Today, domestic and international terrorists have proven that they can strike anywhere and everywhere with impunity.

Travelling abroad can be an enriching and enlightening experience. However, with no social network, family or friends within easy reach, or even familiarity with the local language, travelers can often be easily terrified. And if disaster happens to strike, not only will they find themselves in harm’s way, but their near and dear ones back home will be fraught with anxiety.

Which is why, it makes sense to invest in a good Personal Security App while on-the-move! One of the best such Apps in the market is Fonetrac. Fonetrac is pegged as a Travel Safety App that can double up as a Medical Travel Security App. Designed in consultation with IMG GlobalSecur – a leading global employee and executive travel security firm, it is power-packed with features that will help you breathe easier while travelling.

The main features that make Fonetrac compelling are it’s “Check-in” and “Panic Button” functions. Check-in is used to support secure journey management. It offers participants of the program to check-in at various times of the trip like at the airport, on arrival, at the hotel, at the meeting venue etc. 

The idea is not to monitor the employee’s every move but rather to ensure that schedules are maintained and that an alert is raised if the traveler well-being is compromised. The Check-in feature is further enhanced by a 24/7 global monitoring system coupled with a on-ground personal response team in case any physical assistance is required. The Panic Button is just one manifestation of the various kinds of scenarios that IMG GlobalSecur is prepared for.   

Fonetrac is available on iOS, Android and Blackberry (A Windows version is under development). It comes with a range of subscription packages to suit every need, whether you are a high-powered executive or a student studying abroad. Detailed information and a demo may be requested from the Developer Website.

AI-powered superhuman travel agents | The Lola way!

What do you get when you pair Artificial Intelligence with travel agents and customer service specialists? You get a more organic and convenient travel booking experience for both business and leisure travelers. Or Lola – the latest offering from Kayak co-founder Paul English’s stable.

Currently being touted as “an intelligent travel agent in your pocket” Lola is a Mobile-only application currently only available for iOS. An android version is planned soon. While it is only available in the USA as of now, forthcoming launches in 2016 include Australia, Canada and the UK. None of its features are available on the desktop.

This makes perfect sense in a rather intuitive way. Most travel research by digitally-savvy audiences, as we’ve seen in earlier posts, starts on mobile devices. Now when you add artificial intelligence, natural language processing and a hand-picked team of 15 travel agents and customer service representatives to curate and present content to you, you simply cannot fail!

I haven’t had the opportunity to review the App personally. However a detailed review by Business Insider (available here) offers a screen-by-screen explanation. The App seems to use messaging and filtration to determine the most suitable choices for an individual customer and throws back bespoke, non-touristy options for restaurants and things to see and do.

The App is currently available only through invitation – meaning only current users can invite others to try it out. This will be the case through 2016. Hopefully next year it will be available publicly though the grapevine says it is likely to be membership-based. Stay tuned for more!

India Religious Tourism | New Blog!

In the past few days, I've been posting on Religious Tourism in the Indian context. A fair amount of research has revealed that this topic is pretty vast – enough to warrant a blog of its own! Else this blog, which was started with the intention of discussing Digital Marketing in the realm of Tourism, will soon be engulfed by one specific sub-topic!

Starting tomorrow, I will post all articles related to Religious Tourism in India here. If you are interested in Religious Tourism, especially in the Indian context, I urge you to visit the new blog. This here blog will continue to deal with more generic topics related to Tourism Marketing and specifically Digital Marketing for the Tourism Industry.

Thank you for your continued support!

3 Issues and Challenges with Religious Tourism in India

Jama Masjid By Nimitnigam - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

While it is heartening to note that the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is taking some concrete steps to promote and develop Religious Tourism in India, the sector is beset with a host of problems that make it an ongoing challenge. Some of the top issues include:

3. Lack of a uniform code of religious etiquette

This is a crying need in a country that prides itself on its secular credentials. While many individuals are aware of the requirements and etiquette regarding their own religions, the same may not be the case with other religions. Also, considering that there is no centralized authority, opinions, half-truths and outright lies may easily present themselves as mandatory requirements. If this is the case with citizens of our country, you can very well imagine how foreigners would have difficulty!

It would help is the Government or an executive body comprising representatives from all religions could put together a document detailing the religious etiquette that visitors need to observe at various locations. This will ensure that religious sentiments of various communities are not played with and will help prevent misunderstandings.

2. Infrastructure… or the lack of it!

Infrastructure is a major concern with not only religious tourism, but with tourism development as a whole in India. First and foremost is the lack of suitable transportation. Most religious destinations have seasonality-based traffic. This tends to put a tremendous strain on the available transport options during peak season. To compound the misery, there are several religious destinations which don’t have last-mile connectivity. A part of the pilgrimage can be done through trains and buses, while a considerable portion (especially the case with places in hilly locations) will require foot or animal-based travel options. These need to be streamlined with some analytical demand-supply based planning.

Kumbh Mela  By Prateek1961 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Similarly there is a dearth of available accommodation. The little that exists suffers from hygiene and cleanliness issues, lack of proper waste management, lack of qualified service staff etc. All these factors come together to make typical religious travel a veritable trial-by-fire for most pilgrims. Unless these issues are sorted, the sector cannot grow and develop to its full potential.

1. Lack of transparency and credibility

Probably the number one challenge with religious tourism in India is the lack of credibility of religious trusts. Most religious trusts in India literally and figuratively operate beyond the scope of rule of law. They answer to their own self-appointed boards, determine their own fee structures, allocate their own concessions and licenses and even don’t declare the donations and assets held in a transparent manner.

Not only does this breed corruption, but given the global concerns about money laundering and financing terrorist operations, could prove to be a massive hole in our National Security apparatus! The Government of India should take concrete measures to ensure that everything connected with organizations involved in religious tourism is above board and that pilgrims can concentrate on their piety and the pilgrimage experience rather than worry about being fleeced.

While some recent developments have indicated that the Ministry is willing and able to take concrete steps to resolve these challenges, it will take time, concerted effort and willingness among all participants to actually make things better.

Religious Tourism in India | Government Initiatives

The Tourism Department of the Government of India finally seems to have woken up to the potential the sector offers. The Ministry of Tourism finally cleared (as of July 2016) projects worth INR 1,500 crores as part of its focus on religious tourism. The projects identified include:

• The Ramayana Circuit
• The Krishna Circuit and
• The Buddhist Circuit

The projects are primarily spread across the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Centrally funded, these projects will be helmed by the Department of Tourism, Government of India and will include things like infrastructure development, road and rail linkages, tourist facilitation centers, hygiene facilities, security and CCTV facilities and even Wi-Fi!

An interesting aspect is the proposal to develop and sustain permanent displays that showcase the life and times of the era. It will be interesting to see how this shapes up. The details of the various projects are as follows:

Ramayana Circuit

Based primarily in the historic city of Ayodhya, this circuit will be focused on creating an audio-visual tableau depicting the life and teaching of Lord Rama. Some details which have been revealed include a gallery-based display that features life-sized sculptures of Valmiki and Tulsidas.

Krishna Circuit

The Krishna circuit will feature several cities identified with the life and times of Lord Krishna. These include (among others)Mathura and Vrindavan. The project proposal describes the creation of Yatri (tourist) sheds, food kiosks, audio-visual shows as well as well-lit Parikrama (circumambulation) paths.

Buddhist Circuit

Considering that India is the birthplace of Lord Buddha and the religion he founded, it is heartening to note that the projects also include a Buddhist circuit. Based in Shravasti in Uttar Pradesh, this will include the creation of a audio-visual led theme park. Sizable numbers of pilgrims come from South and South East Asian countries to visit the birthplace of the Buddha and this will provide them with much to see and do.

It is notable that these projects have been approved in line with the Tourism Ministry’s promise of development of Religious Tourism in India on the back of last year’s “Swadesh Darshan” and “Prasad” Schemes. While “Swadesh Darshan” was to be focused on the creation and development of theme-based Tourist circuits, “Prasad”, was a National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive.

• For information on the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, please visit this link
• For information on the Prasad Scheme, please visit this link 

Disclaimer: The announcements and subsequent details have been gleaned from publicly available news and information sites. It is recommended that readers of this blog make their own enquiries to determine the current status and specific details.

Religious Tourism in Hinduism | Indian Pilgrimages

Most Hindus undertake a variety of pilgrimages at least once during their lifetimes. While this is not a binding religious requirement, the laissez faire approach to religion as a way of life ensures that most Hinduism practitioners self-undertake these visits.

Hindu Pilgrimages in India can be broadly classified into four distinct types. These include:

• Circuits
• Melas
• Holy Cities and
• Temple Towns

In this post, we will attempt to understand how these pilgrimages continue to contribute to religious Tourism within India - namely the Domestic push.

Circuits

• Himalayan Char Dham: The Himalayan towns of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Ganotri and Yamunotri.
• Traditional Char Dham: The four holy towns of Puri, Rameshwaram, Dwaraka and Badrinath (primarily a Vishanavite circuit)
• Jyothirlingas: A circuit of temples where Lord Shiva is worshiped in the form of shiva lingas. there are 12 Jyothirlingas in India.
• Shakti Peethas: This is a circuit that caters to worshipers of the Mother Goddess. There are altogether 51 Shalti Peethas.

There are a few other circuits of varying destinations which attract their own set of followers. Most Hindus undertake one or more of these pilgrimages at least once during their lifetime.

Melas

The Khumb Mela is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages. It is held every three years in rotation among the cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain.

Holy Cities

Varanasi, Allahabad, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura, Vrindavan and Ayodhya are the holy Hindu cities as defined in the Puranas. Each of these cities has a strong association to Hinduism and may house several renowned temples and ashrams making them ideal places for religious immersion travel.

Temple Towns

There are a number of destinations which are primarily known for being temple towns. They attract their own following. These include Puri for the Jagannath Temple and Rath Yatra, Katra, home to Viashno Devi, Shirdi, home of Sai Baba, Tirumala, home of Tirupati Venkateshwara and Sabarimala, home of Lord Ayyappa. These temple towns typically have a primary deity housed in the main temple and may often have their own mini-circuits or related deities.

Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra

The Government of India is well aware of the potential of religious tourism and has initiated pilot programs to facilitate travel to and from these destinations. For the time being, respective State Tourism Departments facilitate religious Tourism. While this often makes journey within the state easy, there is little or no coordination among cross-state destinations. This requires a central push to iron out by developing models of coordination between various states involved in a single circuit.

We will discuss more about the specific problems plaguing the Religious Tourism industry in India in another post!

Disclaimer: Being a practicing Hindu, I am more familiar with Hindu Religious Tourism! However, in future posts, I will attempt to research and present pilgrimage circuits and destination catering to the other religions in India as well.

Religious Tourism | Religious diversity of India

One of the most compelling features that make India a haven for religious tourism is quite simply the number of religions that thrive here. Very few countries of the world can boast of such secular credentials. While Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism can claim origins in India, non-Indian religions like Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism continue to thrive here.

The tourist places featured here have not been selected on the basis of being the biggest or the most popular. Rather, they are a photo-essay representation of the diversity of religions that co-exist peacefully in this country.

Hinduism - The Tirupati Balaji Temple

Islam - The Jama Masjid

Sikhism - The Golden Temple

Christianity - Basilica of Bom Jesus

Zoroastrianism - Ahura Mazda Fire Temple

Buddhism - Mahabodhi Temple

Jainism - Gomateshwara Temple

Judaism - Magen Aboth Synagogue

Chinese Buddhism - Kwan Kung Temple

There are a host of other religions that I'm sure I've missed. However that I attempt to address that lapse in forthcoming posts. Stay tuned!

Religious tourism in India | Some thoughts and observations

Back when I was a kid, my sibling and I dreaded the annual school holidays. While most families would escape to hill stations, foreign locations or other such interesting places, all we had to look forward to were trips centered-around religious destinations! Every annual vacation took the form of a pilgrimage to some remote yet popular (meaning crowded) temple or shrine. Several life stages and personal belief changes later, I may have become more mature about the experience. But back then, I can admit now, I hated the experience.

What is religious tourism anyway?

Religious tourism does not have to be place-of-worship specific. While the core motive can be the deity or monument, other aspects like art, culture, architecture and traditions could also be highlights. 

In a country like India, there are religions galore! While Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism can claim credit of originating here, the country and it’s secular policy have ensured that non-Indian religions like Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism (among others) have large followings and continue to thrive here. Add to this several other tribal and nature-worship religions and what you have is a smorgasbord of religious experience available nowhere else!

Kinds of Religious Tourism

Religious Tourism can be categorized into two distinct groups.

1. The Domestic Circuit

Given the population of a country like India and given the multiplicity of religions which thrive here, the domestic religious tourism market has always been a large sector. While religion is based on belief, in today’s world it is also a lucrative business. Typically, temples, mosques, churches and other religious locations are owned and managed by trusts. These trust need to find a way to monetize their location and continually generate income for maintenance, infrastructure development and upkeep. The domestic circuit plays an important role in this ecosystem.

2. The ‘Foreign’ Circuit

This essentially comprises people who belong to a different religion, region or country who come to India to primarily undertake religious tourism in India to experience the novelty value. Frankly, this is a compelling enough reason for the simple fact that several religions thrive here and are well-represented across the length and breadth of the country. The foreign circuit may or may not club religious tourism with destination travel.

In other posts, we will attempt to analyze the Religious Tourism Market in India in greater detail as well as look as some recent initiatives (Public and Private) that have given this sector a much-needed boost.

The changing face of tourism digital marketing

There was a time when the digital strategy for Tourism industry started and stopped with price comparisons. Flights and Hotels largely led this. The lowest common denominator was identified and ‘booking engines’ emerged to help visitors to websites secure just that. If some marketers pushed the envelope a bit, they only did so to the extent of using re-marketing, whether on PPC or on display. That was it.

The emergence of social media on the scene thankfully changed all that. While a considerable portion of travelers still look for the cheapest option on their vacation experiences, growing niches are changing the dynamics of tourism digital marketing. There are all sorts of tourists out there – and they are demanding all sorts of customized experiences. From off-the-beaten-track getaways, to solo travelling; from adventure travel to bespoke luxury travel; from women-only groups to the resurrection of religious travel! The industry is changing as rapidly as the needs of the customers are.

The important factor is the changing behavior of the consumers. Access to smarter devices, the second screen syndrome and always on accessibility have changed how they consume and actively seek content. Content hence continues to remain a key criterion for marketers. The smart ones recognize that irrespective of how occupied people are with their devices, it is only a means to an end. The actual hook continues to remain quality content.

However brands and marketers are also waking up to another dimension. Savvy consumers are now asking brands questions like, “I have X number of vacation days this year. What options can you offer me?” (Not in so many words of course, but you get the idea!) Only brands that are geared to respond with suitable options will be able to engage with consumers. Irrespective of where and when it happens, this is the one compelling differentiator that will segregate the survivors from the also-rans!

In a multi-channel, multi-device world, this is only getting more difficult. Not only does the marketer have to deliver the freshest (often predictive) content to consumers, they have to do so in a coherent manner across touch-points. The customer is looking for similar information – irrespective of the channel they use to get it. But trying to replicate content on all channels may not help present it in the best possible way.

The way out is what has come to be known as cascading content. A larger piece of useful content for a channel that attracts more time and attention, to snappier versions for more quick-interaction channels like mobile and social media. This way customers get what they want, the brand doesn’t repeat itself across channels and the industry as a whole matures and evolves. Till the next big disruption arrives on the horizon!

Always-on travelers demand always-on services

It is a well known fact that people research the place they are about to visit before they actually set off on the trip. Increasingly, travelers are looking for non-touristy destination activities to enhance their travel experience. This is where companies like Airbnb have stepped in to cater to a previously unmet need.

Airbnb realized a while ago that people are hooked to their smart devices. In almost all cases, these smart devices are Wi-Fi-enabled. So when you have smart travelers walking around the destination with smarter devices, constantly looking for and researching local options, it made perfect sense to deliver what they wanted! Hence, the Airbnb Local Travel Guides. Initially seeded by the Airbnb team, these travel guides soon harnessed the power of crowdsourced content to result in unique destination activities options – with Airbnb cleverly included at the heart of it all! Big win for everyone all around!

Today, these user-curated lists have become the go-to destination for all travel aficionados. Hotels, which have been watching services like Airbnb warily from the sidelines, were not slow to step-up their game in this area. Hotel Indigo, a division of the Intercontinental Hotels Group, launched something called Neighbourhood Guides a while ago. It is an interesting step in the right direction.

A proprietary offering, the interactive Neighbourhood Guides are only available at Hotel Indigo Hotels. They offer complete details about the Hotel Indigo chain of hotel properties, great neighbourhood stories, the city hotel team’s recommendations of unique and interesting local attractions as well as access to a photo-sharing tool linked to Facebook and other photo sharing networks. This gives the guests access to great, curated lists of local activities which are not biased in favor of the hotel itself. Rather, they actually end-up enhancing the guest travel experience prompting many to re-consider other Hotel Indigo properties for their next holiday experience.

The interactive Neighbourhood Guide experience is also available on the Hotel Indigo Mobile site. So even those travelers who aren’t actual guests of Hotel Indigo can access and use the information to enhance their travel experience. This has actually expanded the scope and freed-up what was the traditional service of the old concierge at the Hotel lobby. After all, happy guests and visitors make for assured return guests!

Digital Trends for Air Travelers: Think with Google Report | July 2016

Continuing with their analysis of micro moments for the travel and hospitality industry, Google has released the latest Think with Google Report for July 2016 focusing on Digital Trends for Air travelers.

The top queries on Google (ordered by search volume) include:

I-want-to-get-away moments

• Where is Hilton Head Beach?
• How to get a cheap Flight?
• How to backpack Europe?
• What island is Kona on?
• When is the cheapest time to book a flight?

Time-to-make-a-plan moments

• When is the best time to book a flight?
• What are the cheapest days to fly?
• How much is a private jet?
• What is the cheapest day to fly?
• How to fly standby?

What is interesting about these queries is that people (increasingly younger, female skewed) seems to be seeking actual travel-hacking information rather than standard planning queries! More such insights can be gathered from the complete report. You can download that here.

Small Budget Marketing Magic! LateRooms style...

While most marketers think that a large marketing budget is required to make an impact on social media channels, some new age companies have been doing just the opposite. A great example is a recent campaign by LateRooms. The strategy was simple. How to get customers to make a lot of noise on your behalf on social media? The answer did not require a big budget or even big data.

All it took was some old school detective work to discover the attitudes, opinions or interests of customers who had recently made a booking. Post that (either after they reached their destination or returned home from the trip) these users were surprised with simple, yet customized gifts that delighted them! The result? More than enough noise across various social media channels and best of all, using your customers as die-hard advocates for your brand!

I especially like the way the campaign was delivered. Rather than using a boring, stodgy tone of voice and officialese, LateRooms created a "Magic Making Department" whose job it was to scope guests and send out the gratification. Check out the personalized letter included with each thoughtful gift.

You can also see Sarah's response here.

The idea itself is not new. Years ago, KLM did something very similar when they snooped around to discover passenger likes and interests to select random guests who got personalized and highly relevant gifts at the airport gate. The fact that the campaign is still remembered speaks volumes about the efficacy of this low-key marketing strategy.