NEWS TRAVEL WEEKLY BUSINESS CONTINUED FROM THE BACK
previously was triggered by someone finding an offer, coming through on that offer and that started the sales conversation. “We have now retrained our
call centre staff to deal with more-generic calls.” Perks admitted one of
Teletext’s challenges was to reignite a heritage brand that many people think is no longer around. But he said research had suggested there remained a great deal of affection for a brand through which many Brits booked their first holidays in the days of analogue television. “People have fond memories of the brand,” he added. “There’s a lot of nostalgia and emotion and we have to build on that. “Awareness is relatively strong
versus the other OTAs but where we don’t do so well is converting that into consideration and preference. This was one of the major challenges.” A return to television
advertising in the summer and greater focus on emerging online channels such as Facebook was starting to have an impact, Perks said. Web traffic from Google last
year accounted for 75% of its total, but that is now down to 60% and traffic driven by low cost or free brand searches has increased from 50% to 55%. “Like any business
transacting online, we are heavily reliant on the traffic we get. While we clearly recognise the need for Google and the traffic it can bring, we are not solely hooked on them as perhaps we were a while ago. “We are looking to build our
brand to realise the benefit of a more balanced growth strategy for the long term. “It’s not just about sticking
the brand into market as a lot of travel companies do around Christmas, January and February time; it’s about being around throughout the year.”
BrightOn Travel 2015: This year’s conference, organised by CWT Di
Battle between search and retail blurs the boundaries
The battle for dominance between retail websites and search players is seeing a blurring of the boundaries.
Consumers do not distinguish
between commerce sites and search sites such as Skyscanner or Google, according to David Lewis, Intent Media’s business development director for the EMEA region. He said consumers are “task-
orientated” and expect to be able to do what they want when they want. “This is a battleground because
ultimately commerce and search sites are after the same customer,” he said. But Lewis claimed this divide was being bridged, pointing out Amazon was the starting point for 18% of shoppers searching for products in 2009 and for 30% of shoppers in 2011. “As a consumer I do not know
that this line between search and commerce exists,” he said. “Ultimately, I need both functions and I will continue to search until I have found what I need.” However, Lewis said firms must
Brand-building online ‘is cheaper but not easier’
The rise of cost-effective digital marketing channels has enabled smaller travel companies to close the gap on bigger players which can afford TV advertising, but travel firms must accentuate their distinctiveness. Jason Triandafyllou, partner at
Brighton-based marketing agency Designate, said finding a USP in travel was a challenge as firms
86
travelweekly.co.uk 15 October 2015 QUESTIONS: Delegates discuss e-commerce issues
take an intelligent approach to offering wider search functionality. Intent Media’s technology
allows travel firms to advertise relevant offers from rivals on their sites so they can better monetise the traffic they attract. Lewis said travel commerce
95%
Percentage of online users who quit websites without bringing value
tend to sell the same product. Triandafyllou said firms must
live and breathe the brand ethos. “Building a brand is more
than just a cosmetic exercise and finding a nice icon or logo,” said Triandafyllou. “It is a business decision and an
investment decision. And living up to brand values means developing products and services that actually speak to customers’ expectations, needs and desires.” Triandafyllou said the
UK’s Top 20 Superbrands list continues to be dominated by traditional household names,
sites face the challenge of spending millions of pounds optimising their sites for the 5% of customers who actually make a booking. However, 95% of visitors leave without creating any value for the site, or even costing money if they had to be acquired through search. “You should provide your
customer with the option – help them search and extract some value,” said Lewis. “The trick is working out who you should show ads to and who you should not. “You should take a long-term view on a concept like this. Focus on the bottom line.”
demonstrating the value of trust, tradition, reliability, quality and distinctiveness. “It’s no accident these are
brands that have been doing basically the same thing but extremely well and consistently over a long period of time. “The brand makes the decision-
making process when people are making a choice more qualitative. Reassurance is important. “You can get sales short term by
marketing on price, but you will get smaller payback long term. If you invest in the brand you will get far more return on investment.”
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