Articles tagged “marketing”

Between their digital advertising tools and deep knowledge of consumers, there's virtually no tech company on earth (other than Google) that can match Facebook and Instagram. The launch of Instagram's new "Stories" feature should make advertising competitor Snapchat very afraid.

It is the beginning of year two for HomeAway within the Expedia portfolio, but rival Airbnb is also getting aggressive in its digital marketing of vacation rentals and Booking.com is no slouch, either. Perhaps to the chagrin of hotels, the vacation rental category is getting a ton of more exposure.

Hilton's decision to enroll in TripAdvisor Instant Booking while the chain is dedicating huge resources into convincing consumers to book direct on Hilton sites is an admission that it needs third-party distributors. TripAdvisor is a favored partner for the moment because it's cheaper than Expedia and the Priceline Group for the chain.

Wearable technology offers plenty of upsides for travel brands. But it also involves lots of complex, behind-the-scenes moving pieces to make it run smoothly. Assuming they can pull off the logistics, Carnival's Ocean Medallion program seems like a good move both for passengers and the company's bottom line.

In mid-2015 Kayak opted to go dark on U.S. TV and to put more investment into broadcast advertising in Europe. Companies have to make such hard choices sometimes. Kayak's Hafner claims, however, "the sky didn't fall" in the U.S., although one could surmise that Google Flights is "knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door."

Given how much time we all spend at airports, it's a sector of the travel industry that's ripe for technology innovation and disruption.

Everyone has been talking about video this year and mostly regarding newer platforms and products such as Snapchat, Instagram Stories, and Facebook Live, for example. But YouTube still dominates content marketing and gives brands a chance to tell stories in a more natural way rather than streaming or bite-sized video on other platforms.

We can appreciate Conrad's desire to be innovative in its approach to content marketing, as well as providing both useful service and inspiration for its guests. But we question whether these attempts have any actual staying power or impact.

Hilton's MO? We're doing just fine — but it couldn't hurt to add a few more brands, either.

Love it or hate it, the online travel industry would arguably not exist without the promotional firepower generated by paid digital advertising. As more online consumers choose to avoid this advertising using ad blocking tools, it's raising some difficult questions about how travel companies should proceed.