EyeforTravel Research Case Study
The School of Mobile Vol. 2 - The Detail Chapter 1 - The Travel Buying Cycle
Lonely Planet: Mobilising Compelling
content and a Trusted Brand
Key Highlights:
The Mobile Journey….
• Lonely Planet has a focus on maintaining the levels of quality
2000: CitySync CD ROM based
and content that consumers have come to expect from their
guide product for PDA’s
brand during the journey into the mobile space.
• The mobile market is currently quite fragmented in terms of
2002: Lonely Planet’s first WAP
handsets and pla�orms and care must be taken to target the
site goes ac�ve
ones which will generate the highest returns
2004: Through a partnership with
• The newest handsets are ‘media phones’ capable of the display
Nokia the first downloadable
and recording of mul�ple rich media formats and advantage
Lonely Planet applica�ons for
must be taken of this.
mobile are available
• Feedback indicates that key consumers are
very conscious of the cost of data roaming
2006: ‘Passport to…’ rich media
but s�ll want to engage in rich, social
products for the Sony PSP on UMD
media ac�vi�es.
format are distributed.
• There is currently a wealth of small,
innova�ve developers with good mobile
2008: Crea�on of iPhone Lonely
knowledge who can enhance your mobile
Planet Phrasebook applica�ons
offering.
Lonely Planet’s Mobile Strategy :
• Lonely planet have a very strong leadership these products directly or through a retail channel
posi�on in the printed travel guide market , known to consumers.
as a trusted guide to travellers to help them have
• Disregarding the fragmenta�on of the mobile
unique experiences around the world. Their
industry, in terms of the need to develop for
strategy is conceptually simple in that they want to
mul�ple pla�orms, Lonely Planet sees their core
maintain and extend this leadership posi�on into
strategy for mobile as being not dissimilar to their
the digital arena.
print strategy: Crea�ng great formats, content and
• The challenge in transla�ng the Lonely Planet being able to serve a wide variety of traveller needs
brand to mobile comes due to the lack of in terms of interests and des�na�ons. They key
compe��ve constraints which limit presence in point here is that no ma�er the medium, the focus
the print media market. Constraints such as shelf must always be on crea�ng valuable customer
space, experience and ownership of distribu�on focused content in a format that is compelling and
channels as well as other physical boundaries are accessible.
no longer a factor. This translates into increased
• To learn more about The history and the future
compe��veness as both new and old companies
of Lonely Planet in mobile please visit their blog:
try to drive their brand unhindered by the ini�al
There you can view a video on Lonely Planet’s
outlays that physical print media requires.
vision for mobile in the future:
• From a product perspec�ve, Lonely Planet will be
• h�p://inside-digital.blog.lonelyplanet.
focusing on 3 areas:
com/2008/12/17/the-year-in-mobile/
• Guide content on in-vehicle naviga�on devices
• iPhone (mobile) guide content
In a Nutshell: The Lonely Planet
• Full guides in digital format
mobile strategy is to maintain and
• Besides mobile phones there is great diversifica�on extend their leadership posi�on in
in mobile devices from net-books to digital paper. print media into the mobile arena by maintaining
Lonely planet are looking for opportuni�es to their focus on great formats, content and being
develop compelling products for open pla�orms to
able to serve a wide variety of traveller needs in
take advantage of this diversifica�on and distribute
terms of interests and des�na�ons
Return to List of Case Studies Go to Table of Contents
70 © EyeforTravel Research. All rights reserved. © EyeforTravel Research. All rights reserved. 71
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189