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About this site

My name is Neil MacLean. I am a new media strategist in the UK and this blog covers social media technologies and the travel business.

I study the impact of consumer generated content and analyse how your customers can help you be found and trusted in a crowded marketplace.

This blog is a playground and in a constant state of experimentation. Sorry about that.

I am very confused. Hotel Marketing covers a new study of the travel space by Compete, which summarises lessons to be learned from the way three travel brands respond to or integrate consumer generated content. There’s good stuff here such as:

Sheraton Hotels - Integration into eCommerce Platform: In late 2006, Sheraton transformed its website into a social platform, a “Global Neighborhood” for travelers. Compete’s analysis revealed:

* Value to Consumers: 50% of Sheraton shoppers who remember seeing the social functionality reported it as being valuable to their experience
* Increased Conversion: Integration of CGC tools is tied to eCommerce performance, with 57% reporting it having a positive influence on likelihood to book

Southwest Airlines - Mini sites, Events & Promotions: The Southwest “Wanna Get Away Sweepstakes” micro-site used consumer generated videos to create a viral buzz and engage consumers in its marketing campaign. Compete found:

* Strong Awareness: 20% of Southwest.com visitors claimed recall/awareness of the “Wanna Get Away” promotion
* Enhanced Image: Southwest shoppers give the company high marks for an innovative marketing approach and encourage these types of marketing efforts

TripAdvisor - Brand management on third party sites: As the leading destination for consumer-generated travel reviews, TripAdvisor illustrates the opportunity for brands to respond directly to consumers. The study showed:

* Importance of Peers in Research: Peer opinions are highly valued, 82% prefer consumer reviews over a hotel’s description of itself
* Acceptance of Brand Involvement: 58% say a supplier responding on TripAdvisor would put them in a favorable light

“Consumers want brands to have a role in their conversation,” said Gregory Saks, director of Compete’s Travel Practice. “If brands remain genuine and transparent in their CGC strategies, travel marketers can become a powerful voice in the conversation and engage with consumers in an entirely new way.”

All that comes from a press releases dated yesterday. We are invited to learn more by attending a free web conference. Trouble is, according to my calculations, that took place two weeks ago. Can anyone at Compete shed light on this?

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