Where next??
Time to ditch the travel marketing tropes
With so many travel brands selling exactly the same destinations, how do you stand out or even make it to the shortlist?
Being no strangers to the sector, our experience and insight tells us that you have to go beyond the obvious. If one brand is undercutting on price, how do you respond when you’ve got limited margin to play with? Short-termism is not the brand’s best buddy. When the world started opening up again, the tidal wave of demand was a reminder of the existential importance of The Holiday. So surely, there must be more to it than a few quid off.
When travel was restricted we studied how travel brands marketed themselves and it was remarkable how similar the communications were – take the logo off and play spot the difference. Much of this can be attributed to brands all using the same, often cliched, resort images. But it is also down to the language and propositional focus.
In the luxury travel sector it’s in even sharper focus. ‘Dream/personal/exclusive’….the promises being made are all so similar. Line that up with the use of stock or the same resort assets and it’s hard to see how a consumer can choose one brand over another. Brands can get trapped in habitual ways of thinking. We’ve pioneered a process that looks beyond the obvious that points brands in a more powerful and competitive direction and it’s working.
For luxury travel brand Destinology, the obvious would have been stunning vistas, with a series of smart lines about fulfilling your personal travel dream. But that’s what everyone is offering. Beyond the obvious was consideration of how important certain details were to people – the type of breakfast on offer, the time of arrival, the playlist (or lack of it) at poolside, the bed linen. True luxury is in the detail. If they can get you and your family into the perfect restaurant, on the best table, at sunset, you have every confidence they’ve got your flights, accommodation and transfers nailed too.
In the words of Ryan Johnston, Managing Director at Destinology using insight to inspire is likely to have a significant impact ‘Working closely with IF to bring greater clarity to our business purpose and identity is something that we really needed to do and the timing couldn’t have been better. We now have everything in place to ensure we are in a strong position as we move into the winter.’
In the mid and value market, it’s perhaps even more confusing for customers as they face identikit communications about the same flights to the same hotels in the same resorts. Those that do raise their brands above the parapet tend to go for stand-out over substance. Is that enough in this category? I think you need to do both. You’ve got to get noticed, but people also want to know you’re on their wavelength and that your committed to making sure their holiday is everything they are hoping for. It can be the difference between a repeat booker and a compensation claimer.
Travel brands with ambition and integrity have something about them, beyond the obvious, that sets them apart and provides something utterly compelling to their customers and prospects.
Identifying that something is an inspiring journey of discovery. Then wrapping it in an irresistible creative campaign is a rewarding and highly profitable destination.