A new age for travel branding

In an information age where consumers are flooded by constant images and live updates, brand expert, Hans Hulsbosch explains why travel branding likes to get personal.

Travel branding has a new blueprint that has technology and customer service playing key roles, side by side. We are a new generation of travellers with expectations fuelled by the seduction of pure possibility, thanks to the digital age. Travel branding is sexy at last!

As travel consumers, we’re adept at making the stretch across retail, brand websites, brand blogs, independent consumer blogs, mobile devices and advertising (print, TV, outdoor and radio). And let’s not forget word of mouth.

Omni-channel marketing is complex indeed, but the urgency to embrace its potential demands that brands stay informed; that brands understand how their consumers are finding and experiencing them; and that they be realistic about the value of each channel, not only to the brand but ultimately to sales.

With a multi-platform approach now less the exception and more the rule, the key challenge in this game is to choose the right platforms for your brand. Welcome to the new age of travel branding.

But while we have a world of click-through information at our fingertips informing our holiday planning, for many people and for certain types of holidays, seeking advice from a travel agent remains an important part of the holiday decision process.

The cruise sector is great example of this. Agents provide a buffer zone of security in the face of a product that can appear complicated. Multiple travel dates, destinations and durations, various accommodation choices, food and entertainment, even child-care – such factors are often more easily understood if a conversation takes place.

Adam Armstrong, Commercial Director at Royal Caribbean International (RCI), confirms the importance of an agent’s role when it comes to booking a cruise. He says RCI places travel agents as central to the business’ marketing efforts. Using a suite of marketing tools and a solid programme of training, as well as on-board visits, travel agents are equipped to assist and inform customers with their cruise holiday decisions. Armstrong also says travel agents should be aware of the breadth of information potential cruise customers might be armed with before they walk in the door, a response that acknowledges just how empowered we are as consumers in the digital age.

Twenty years ago the cruise sector was entirely dependent on brochures and print advertising to sell cruise holidays. Today, ads and promo brochures are still used due to the sheer complexity of cruise products. Sure, this might be considered old school, but RCI’s online dialogue with customers demonstrates both effective and meaningful use of digital brand marketing. The point is, that the right combination of platforms can create the dialogue your brand needs, in order to be successful.

In aviation, brands have traditionally been highly commoditised. However, with a clear understanding of the commercial power of brand and design, we see more companies implementing marketing strategies that place brands centre stage. Again, this is all about creating an engaging brand and prompting a dialogue with your consumers.

Some may argue that airlines have been slow off the mark to innovate, but market opportunity for Virgin Australia led to one of the biggest and most successful airline rebrands in the industry’s history. Virgin Australia’s launch of its new brand in 2011 is a case-in-point –highlighting a brand that connects with its customers has the power to affect the path to purchase. In this instance, Virgin Australia implemented a programme of strategic branding that has shifted and grown consumer expectations of the flying experience.

Adding value, finding your unique selling proposition, delivering ahead of your competitors in time, quality or innovation – all these are as crucial in travel branding as for any other. Travel branding (indeed branding across all sectors) has evolved from being a monologue to a dialogue. If you can converse with your customers you’re on a winner. That’s what great brand marketing is all about.
 

Hans Hulsbosch is Creative Director at Hulsbosch – Communication by Design, a Sydney-based practice spanning 31 years. Recently he and his company have been responsible for some of Australia’s highest profile branding projects including Qantas, Woolworths, Virgin Australia, MLC, Perpetual, Taronga Zoo, Foxtel and Masters Home Improvement.