I am really excited about a new project for one of my hospitality clients. They have asked me to review their 2009 Marketing Plan and provide an Executive Marketing Report of recommendations and/or affirmations about their plans. I love doing this! I had the wonderful opportunity recently to do a similar project for the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek.
Keep me in mind as you finalize your 2009 plans. Sometimes an outside set of eyes can provide insight that will help you meet your 2009 marketing objectives.
A recent client of mine told me the one thing that tipped the scale for them to choose me was my willingness to teach their staff through the process. My background is teaching, so it is a natural part of what I do. It's one of the reason my business has been successful for the last 9 years.
As Jay Leno said “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. Teach a man to create an artificial shortage of fish and he will eat steak.”
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Social Media Marketing: Why a Holistic Approach Pays Dividends
Case Studies from Carnival Cruise Lines and Southwest Airlines
22 January 2009
Increasing we are seeing travel companies who aren’t just gently participating in user-generated content, or dipping their toes tentatively into the social networking pool, instead, they are investing full-throttle in a multi-faceted social media strategy. They are participating in a variety of non-travel sites, in a variety of formats simultaneously. Between them, Southwest Airlines and Carnival Cruise Lines now have a presence on all the major social networking and photo/video sharing sites. They have pages on YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. They both have their own blogs and their own social networking communities, all of which have been incredibly successful.
So what can travel companies learn from companies such as Southwest and Carnival, when it comes to their social media strategy? Can you work with one site, like Facebook, or do you need to have a presence on all of them, at the same time? How do you manage a multi-faceted social media strategy? And what benefits have Southwest and Carnival seen, by taking a holistic approach to social media?
Read on for an overview on the holistic approach Carnival and Southwest have taken to social media. Jeremy Jameson, Corporate Strategist – Strategic Planning for Southwest Airlines, will be offering a deeper insight into Southwest’s social media strategy at EyeforTravel’s 2nd Social Media Strategies for Travel Conference, being held on March 10-11 in San Francisco. For more information visit www.eyefortravel.com/social-media
Carnival has set up their own cruise-centric social networking community called CarnivalConnections.com. This has been created specifically to bring family and friends together by helping them plan and manage their cruise vacations. The site features an “e-invite” electronic invitation tool that can be tailored family reunions, girlfriend getaways and other groups.
John Heald’s Carnival blog has had attracted 3 million visitors. Through his blog, Heald offers candid and colorful commentary on daily shipboard life, sharing interesting and often poignant tales of the guests and crewmembers he comes into contact with on a daily basis, all with his trademark brand of humor. This enormous amount of traffic creates good brand exposure for Carnival and with 25,000 comments it’s a proven customer-interaction tool.
In terms of videos and photos, Carnival as its own photo stream on Flickr, allowing customers to upload photos, and they also have their own channel on YouTube. On their website they have created a virtual tour, FunShipIsland.com, with sharing options, personalization tools and downloadable content.
Carnival was also an early adopter of Twitter – exploiting it to monitor their brand image, listen to questions from customers, communicate promotions and share experiences
A pioneer in the on-line marketing arena, Carnival’s new Web-based initiatives are designed to provide a effective and innovative means for reaching out to consumers and travel agents. Both FunShipIsland.com and CarnivalConnections.com continue to achieve unprecedented success, with each exceeding the one million visitor mark in 2008.
Southwest Airlines implemented a social media strategy three years ago and, like Carnival, they have taken a holistic approach, participating in numerous sites simultaneously. They currently have a presence on popular sites: Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Southwest produces new video content for YouTube on a weekly basis. By creating new and unique content they are reaching out to a vast and growing audience of people who are watching online videos on a regular basis. This strategy will also have a positive impact on their search engine rankings.
Their blog “Nuts about Southwest” is a real success story. A team of 30 employee bloggers regularly keep the site updated with new content and as a result they receive a massive 70,000 unique visitors each month. “Nuts about Southwest” was also winner of the 2008 PR News Platinum PR award for blogs.
As well as a loyal following of blog-readers, Southwest also have a huge following of 8,000 people on micro-blogging site, Twitter. Twitter allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.
Finally, Southwest Airlines is a heavy user of LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network. They currently have 3,000 active employees connecting their professional networks via this site.
No other US airline has participated in such a multitude of social media sites in such a short space of time. And it is obviously paying dividends for Southwest, not just in terms of brand awareness but also generating huge volumes of traffic. Southwest continues to be one of the most successful airlines in the world posting a profit for 35 consecutive years -- something no other American carrier can boast.
“Our brand is suited to social media because it’s a natural progression of our 37 year commitment of having authentic relationships and conversations with our customers” said Jeremy Jameson, Corporate Strategist – Strategic Planning for Southwest Airlines.
The majority of Southwest’s’ customers are online, and if recent statistics are to be believed then those people are inevitably interacting with social networks. Customer service and transparency make up the DNA at Southwest; social media channels provide a compelling way to bring the brand promise to life. Although Carnival is less dependant on online bookings, their online image presents a down-to-earth attitude with top management communicating directly with customers.
Southwest and Carnival are both “fun” brands with loyal followings so are suitably poised to take advantage of the social media revolution. They both have a mass appeal and a positive, less-than-corporate attitude. Most importantly they are both brands which consumers feel they can easily engage with, and want to engage with.
Jeremy Jameson, Corporate Strategist – Strategic Planning for Southwest Airlines will be speaking at EyeforTravel’s Social Media Strategies for Travel Conference on March 10-11 in San Francisco (www.eyefortravel.com/social-media). He will be joined on his session by Jeff Hanson, Regional Director of Marketing & eCommerce - Western Region, Marriott International, Juston Parker, President, Parker Hospitality Group and Kevin Fliess, CEO, TravelMuse.
For more information on Social Media Strategies for Travel on March 10-11, 2009, in San Francisco, click here: www.eyefortravel.com/social-media
22 January 2009
Increasing we are seeing travel companies who aren’t just gently participating in user-generated content, or dipping their toes tentatively into the social networking pool, instead, they are investing full-throttle in a multi-faceted social media strategy. They are participating in a variety of non-travel sites, in a variety of formats simultaneously. Between them, Southwest Airlines and Carnival Cruise Lines now have a presence on all the major social networking and photo/video sharing sites. They have pages on YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. They both have their own blogs and their own social networking communities, all of which have been incredibly successful.
So what can travel companies learn from companies such as Southwest and Carnival, when it comes to their social media strategy? Can you work with one site, like Facebook, or do you need to have a presence on all of them, at the same time? How do you manage a multi-faceted social media strategy? And what benefits have Southwest and Carnival seen, by taking a holistic approach to social media?
Read on for an overview on the holistic approach Carnival and Southwest have taken to social media. Jeremy Jameson, Corporate Strategist – Strategic Planning for Southwest Airlines, will be offering a deeper insight into Southwest’s social media strategy at EyeforTravel’s 2nd Social Media Strategies for Travel Conference, being held on March 10-11 in San Francisco. For more information visit www.eyefortravel.com/social-media
Carnival has set up their own cruise-centric social networking community called CarnivalConnections.com. This has been created specifically to bring family and friends together by helping them plan and manage their cruise vacations. The site features an “e-invite” electronic invitation tool that can be tailored family reunions, girlfriend getaways and other groups.
John Heald’s Carnival blog has had attracted 3 million visitors. Through his blog, Heald offers candid and colorful commentary on daily shipboard life, sharing interesting and often poignant tales of the guests and crewmembers he comes into contact with on a daily basis, all with his trademark brand of humor. This enormous amount of traffic creates good brand exposure for Carnival and with 25,000 comments it’s a proven customer-interaction tool.
In terms of videos and photos, Carnival as its own photo stream on Flickr, allowing customers to upload photos, and they also have their own channel on YouTube. On their website they have created a virtual tour, FunShipIsland.com, with sharing options, personalization tools and downloadable content.
Carnival was also an early adopter of Twitter – exploiting it to monitor their brand image, listen to questions from customers, communicate promotions and share experiences
A pioneer in the on-line marketing arena, Carnival’s new Web-based initiatives are designed to provide a effective and innovative means for reaching out to consumers and travel agents. Both FunShipIsland.com and CarnivalConnections.com continue to achieve unprecedented success, with each exceeding the one million visitor mark in 2008.
Southwest Airlines implemented a social media strategy three years ago and, like Carnival, they have taken a holistic approach, participating in numerous sites simultaneously. They currently have a presence on popular sites: Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Southwest produces new video content for YouTube on a weekly basis. By creating new and unique content they are reaching out to a vast and growing audience of people who are watching online videos on a regular basis. This strategy will also have a positive impact on their search engine rankings.
Their blog “Nuts about Southwest” is a real success story. A team of 30 employee bloggers regularly keep the site updated with new content and as a result they receive a massive 70,000 unique visitors each month. “Nuts about Southwest” was also winner of the 2008 PR News Platinum PR award for blogs.
As well as a loyal following of blog-readers, Southwest also have a huge following of 8,000 people on micro-blogging site, Twitter. Twitter allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.
Finally, Southwest Airlines is a heavy user of LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network. They currently have 3,000 active employees connecting their professional networks via this site.
No other US airline has participated in such a multitude of social media sites in such a short space of time. And it is obviously paying dividends for Southwest, not just in terms of brand awareness but also generating huge volumes of traffic. Southwest continues to be one of the most successful airlines in the world posting a profit for 35 consecutive years -- something no other American carrier can boast.
“Our brand is suited to social media because it’s a natural progression of our 37 year commitment of having authentic relationships and conversations with our customers” said Jeremy Jameson, Corporate Strategist – Strategic Planning for Southwest Airlines.
The majority of Southwest’s’ customers are online, and if recent statistics are to be believed then those people are inevitably interacting with social networks. Customer service and transparency make up the DNA at Southwest; social media channels provide a compelling way to bring the brand promise to life. Although Carnival is less dependant on online bookings, their online image presents a down-to-earth attitude with top management communicating directly with customers.
Southwest and Carnival are both “fun” brands with loyal followings so are suitably poised to take advantage of the social media revolution. They both have a mass appeal and a positive, less-than-corporate attitude. Most importantly they are both brands which consumers feel they can easily engage with, and want to engage with.
Jeremy Jameson, Corporate Strategist – Strategic Planning for Southwest Airlines will be speaking at EyeforTravel’s Social Media Strategies for Travel Conference on March 10-11 in San Francisco (www.eyefortravel.com/social-media). He will be joined on his session by Jeff Hanson, Regional Director of Marketing & eCommerce - Western Region, Marriott International, Juston Parker, President, Parker Hospitality Group and Kevin Fliess, CEO, TravelMuse.
For more information on Social Media Strategies for Travel on March 10-11, 2009, in San Francisco, click here: www.eyefortravel.com/social-media
Monday, January 12, 2009
You Can Live to Be 100
So you want to live to be 100? Join the party. And quite a party it’s getting to be. An estimated 73,764 Americans were 100 or older in 2004, according to the US Census Bureau. And that’s a whole lot more than there used to be and a whole lot less than there’s going to be. There were about 3,000 centenarians in the US in 1950 and 37,306 in 1990. The US Census Bureau estimates that there will be 1.1 million in 2050. Live right and you might be one.
Longevity is ? about your genes and ? about lifestyle, says Steven Austad, one of the country’s foremost experts on aging and author of the book, Why We Age. He believes the person is alive today who will be the first human to live to 150.
20 Tips for Living to 100
1. Be positive. Cheerful, optimistic people decrease their risk of early death and poor health by 50% over sourpusses, according to researchers at Mayo Clinic.
2. Learn to manage your stress. Stress can damage your health, from your heart to your digestive system. Figure out the best way to manage it, be it exercise, yoga, meditation or eliminating the causes of stress.
3. Learn to say no. If you don’t want to do it, if it’s going to stress you out, then just say no. You can’t do everything, and you can’t always make everyone happy. Look out for number one (without being a jerk, of course).
4. Dance, sing. Find something that makes you feel euphoric, and then do it, and keep doing it. Dancing is great exercise too.
5. Be smart about and and how much you eat. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat and fries. And when you’re full, stop eating.
6. Exercise. If you can’t manage 30 minutes a day of aerobic exercise, then do what you can. Just start, then work to make it regular.
7. Exercise your brain. It needs exercise just as your body does. Solve puzzles, take classes, play chess or bridge, learn to play an instrument. Retain your curiosity. Never stop learning.
8. Stay active. Get out of that chair and off the couch. Go for a walk, go to the mall, work in the garden, mow your lawn.
9. Stay connected. Maintain a network of friends. Be friendly with your neighbors. Isolation leads to depression.
10. Read a newspaper. There is no better, easier way of finding out what’s going on, of staying interested and involved.
11. Quit smoking. How many times do you have to read or hear that smoking can kill you? Just stop. Please.
12. Drink in moderation. Studies have shown that a glass of red wine or ale every day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
13. Get, or stay, thin. Researchers have extended the lives of laboratory animals by drastically reducing calorie intake. They say that thinner is better if you want to live to 100.
14. Limit exposure to the sun. The sun will not only wrinkle your skin, but it also can cause skin cancer and that can kill you.
15. Find a good doctor and get regular checkups. Preventive medicine, including follow up tests such as mammograms and colonoscopies, are your best bet for catching potentially fatal diseases in their early and treatable stages.
16. Keep track of your medications and take them. If you’re having trouble keeping them straight, let someone help you. Don’t be stubborn. If you can take your medications, you’ll have a better chance of remaining in your own home. If you can’t, then somebody is going to force you into assisted living.
17. Dump the dead wood. Hang out with cheerful people. Grouches bring you down.
18. Get a pet. Pets keep you smiling and can keep you active. They are good companions too. But don’t forget the human contact.
19. Learn how to use a computer. Web sites are loaded with information about health, fitness, money and food. Just don’t sit in front of it too long.
20. Remember it’s never too late. No matter how old you are, you can benefit from a healthier lifestyle.
5 Bonus Tips from Centenarians
1. Throw out the bad memories. “Hold on to only the good ones,” says Ethel Willson, 100. “I think the longer we’re happy, the longer we’ll live,” she says. “I couldn’t be happier. I go to bed each night the same way: I’ve had a good day.”
2. Love people, Willson says. Make new friends. “I can hug ‘em as fast as I can say hello,” she says.
3. Look on the bright side. “Don’t complain,” says Mary Horton, 101. “Just take life as it comes, the best you can.”
4. “Don’t smoke. Don’t drink. Don’t stay up late at night watching TV,” says Ethel Yarbrough, 100. “Sing and pray. I pray all the time, thanking God for everything He’s done for me.”
5. Be lucky. These three centenarians say they never planned on living to be 100.“I don’t know what I did to be 100,” Horton says. “I never thought about it. Then all of a sudden, here I am.”
Cancer Recovery>
Longevity is ? about your genes and ? about lifestyle, says Steven Austad, one of the country’s foremost experts on aging and author of the book, Why We Age. He believes the person is alive today who will be the first human to live to 150.
20 Tips for Living to 100
1. Be positive. Cheerful, optimistic people decrease their risk of early death and poor health by 50% over sourpusses, according to researchers at Mayo Clinic.
2. Learn to manage your stress. Stress can damage your health, from your heart to your digestive system. Figure out the best way to manage it, be it exercise, yoga, meditation or eliminating the causes of stress.
3. Learn to say no. If you don’t want to do it, if it’s going to stress you out, then just say no. You can’t do everything, and you can’t always make everyone happy. Look out for number one (without being a jerk, of course).
4. Dance, sing. Find something that makes you feel euphoric, and then do it, and keep doing it. Dancing is great exercise too.
5. Be smart about and and how much you eat. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat and fries. And when you’re full, stop eating.
6. Exercise. If you can’t manage 30 minutes a day of aerobic exercise, then do what you can. Just start, then work to make it regular.
7. Exercise your brain. It needs exercise just as your body does. Solve puzzles, take classes, play chess or bridge, learn to play an instrument. Retain your curiosity. Never stop learning.
8. Stay active. Get out of that chair and off the couch. Go for a walk, go to the mall, work in the garden, mow your lawn.
9. Stay connected. Maintain a network of friends. Be friendly with your neighbors. Isolation leads to depression.
10. Read a newspaper. There is no better, easier way of finding out what’s going on, of staying interested and involved.
11. Quit smoking. How many times do you have to read or hear that smoking can kill you? Just stop. Please.
12. Drink in moderation. Studies have shown that a glass of red wine or ale every day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
13. Get, or stay, thin. Researchers have extended the lives of laboratory animals by drastically reducing calorie intake. They say that thinner is better if you want to live to 100.
14. Limit exposure to the sun. The sun will not only wrinkle your skin, but it also can cause skin cancer and that can kill you.
15. Find a good doctor and get regular checkups. Preventive medicine, including follow up tests such as mammograms and colonoscopies, are your best bet for catching potentially fatal diseases in their early and treatable stages.
16. Keep track of your medications and take them. If you’re having trouble keeping them straight, let someone help you. Don’t be stubborn. If you can take your medications, you’ll have a better chance of remaining in your own home. If you can’t, then somebody is going to force you into assisted living.
17. Dump the dead wood. Hang out with cheerful people. Grouches bring you down.
18. Get a pet. Pets keep you smiling and can keep you active. They are good companions too. But don’t forget the human contact.
19. Learn how to use a computer. Web sites are loaded with information about health, fitness, money and food. Just don’t sit in front of it too long.
20. Remember it’s never too late. No matter how old you are, you can benefit from a healthier lifestyle.
5 Bonus Tips from Centenarians
1. Throw out the bad memories. “Hold on to only the good ones,” says Ethel Willson, 100. “I think the longer we’re happy, the longer we’ll live,” she says. “I couldn’t be happier. I go to bed each night the same way: I’ve had a good day.”
2. Love people, Willson says. Make new friends. “I can hug ‘em as fast as I can say hello,” she says.
3. Look on the bright side. “Don’t complain,” says Mary Horton, 101. “Just take life as it comes, the best you can.”
4. “Don’t smoke. Don’t drink. Don’t stay up late at night watching TV,” says Ethel Yarbrough, 100. “Sing and pray. I pray all the time, thanking God for everything He’s done for me.”
5. Be lucky. These three centenarians say they never planned on living to be 100.“I don’t know what I did to be 100,” Horton says. “I never thought about it. Then all of a sudden, here I am.”
Cancer Recovery>
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