Marketing Channels and Competitive Intelligence

Travel marketers still invest in declining channels

While the numbers show a clear adoption of online media channels, travel marketers continue to invest in channels of questionable value and shrinking returns. Print advertising was the number one channel, with 81% of travel marketers placing print advertising in 2010, despite the statistically-documented decline in response rates. Email marketing holds the number two position, even though the effectiveness of this channel has dropped dramatically due to the increasing volume of marketing messages and spam. Media fragmentation and changing consumer habits are forcing us to rethink how we reach more segmented audiences, but many in our industry continue to lag behind. 

Competitive intelligence is another overlooked opportunity

We were surprised that only 25% of respondents made an effort to understand and monitor their competition’s ongoing activities. To truly understand what sets your business apart, you need to know what your competition can offer, how they position their businesses and how your brand message can be more relevant and attractive to travelers. That takes competitive research, a little reverse engineering of brand positions, and some soul searching on your organization’s strengths and weaknesses. Can you really afford NOT to know what the competition is doing?