Nine major programmers are set to begin trials of Project OAR’s addressable TV technology. Fox, ViacomCBS, NBCUniversal, E.W. Scripps and AMC Networks will begin their tests on June 24, while Disney Media Networks, Discovery Networks, Hearst and WarnerMedia will start their trials in mid-August. Since its formation in March 2019, Project OAR (Open Addressable Ready)…
Flipboard is getting into the stories act. What makes it different: They won’t disappear. The content curation platform introduced a new tool today called Curator Pro, which will give the roughly 3,200 verified users on its platform, including bloggers, influencers and publishers, access to a new content packaging format. Under that tool, the exclusive group…
Yelp co-founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman said earlier this month that the business directory and crowdsourced review forum would debut a free searchable attribute to make it easier for users to find and support Black-owned businesses, and that feature will make its debut Thursday. The company teamed up with My Black Receipt, a movement to…
When Virgin Voyages first sets sail this October, it’ll be doing so with fewer people than originally anticipated–and that’s intentional. Announced this morning, Richard Branson’s new wilder, adults-only cruise line will be capping its capacity for its “soft opening” to help ease travelers’ concerns amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Specific numbers weren’t shared, but the company…
Travel and transportation will not be the same anytime soon, or ever again. For instance, will you ride the subway, a bus, or train to work once the ALL CLEAR is given? Or will you find another way? If you’re on the “other way” page, you might consider a new electric scooter from Mongoose, the […]
The post Finding Opportunity Where It Exists—It’s the Challenge of This Day appeared first on Adpulp.
A Ford desde o ano passado já tem confirmado que o Mustang Mach-E será o primeiro veículo da companhia a contar com recursos de direção autônoma, mas até então não havia divulgado muitos detalhes sobre como a ferramenta funcionaria ou mesmo quando ela chegaria ao mercado. Estas informações começaram a ganhar a luz do dia …
O post Opção de direção autônoma da Ford chega ao Mustang Mach-E no fim de 2021 apareceu primeiro em B9.
Uma parceria entre a Nespresso e a Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica pretende revitalizar a região da bacia do Rio Pardo, no município de São Sebastião da Grama (SP). O projeto tem o objetivo de dar uma nova paisagem ao lugar durante os próximos anos. A iniciativa entre as duas organizações prevê a restauração de 277 …
O post Parceria entre Nespresso e SOS Mata Atlântica ajuda a restaurar floresta apareceu primeiro em B9.
O Spotify e a WarnerMedia anunciaram nesta quinta (18) um novo acordo de licenciamento que vai permitir ao serviço de streaming produzir e exivir com exclusividade uma série de podcasts baseados nos personagens e quadrinhos da DC Comics. Com duração prevista para múltiplos anos e diferentes projetos, o negócio também permite que ambas as companhias …
O post Spotify fecha acordo com Warner Bros. e vai produzir podcasts da DC Comics apareceu primeiro em B9.
Summer is here, but the hotels, restaurants and outdoor amenities we often associate with vacation season look much different than only a few months ago. Instead of cold beverages, hotel greeters offer care kits with hand sanitizer and disposable masks; touchless transactions reduce contact during check-in; and in some states, hotels and short-term rentals still can’t be booked.
These are just some of the changes for a hospitality industry especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The metrics are grim: Consumer spending on hotel rooms, conferences and weddings has plummeted by 64.4 percent compared to a year ago, and until there’s a vaccine, trends contributing to the drop-off—such as drastically reduced business travel and related virtual work—are likely to continue. While few doubt the need for social distancing and other steps, these measures are already having a profound effect on the human experience and other brand promises the industry has historically made to customers, employees and partners.
All of which begs the question: What might be next for hospitality, and what should its leaders consider as they move from today’s uncertainties to the next normal?
We believe industry leaders need to focus on what could be their core strength—creating an elevated human experience, or what we call an eHX. This doesn’t just mean optimized CRM, pockets of innovation, service excellence or great apps; recent research indicates companies focusing on creating a holistic human experience are twice as likely to outperform their peers in revenue growth over a three-year period. Choices made to focus on experience today will help determine who leads in a new hospitality environment tomorrow.
To make these choices, executives are examining both current finances and future investment. This likely means taking an aggressive budget stance to free up any uncommitted resources in favor of operational improvements focused on efficiency. It might also mean investing in service enhancements that touch human experiences—such as AI-driven insights that guide travel personalization—and can unlock value down the road. It will be a hard balancing act, but investing in a time of crisis can position organizations to thrive in the future.
What does this mean specifically? Keep these three principles in mind as you develop recovery plans, and you’ll be able to both honor the human experience and respect the balance sheet:
1. Maintain a human-centered mindset. While hospitality organizations have taken some drastic actions in response to the pandemic, many have managed to keep people at the heart of what they do by relaxing cancellation policies, adjusting loyalty programs and sanitizing hotel rooms for customers, while helping employees either maintain work schedules or make alternative arrangements.
These actions are critical to maintaining brand value. An April 2020 Deloitte study suggests that 43 percent of surveyed consumers will buy more from brands that have responded well to the crisis. One thing that’s sure to emerge more strongly post-pandemic is the value of trusted relationships, and your brand can be a beneficiary.
By focusing on the human experience, hospitality brands have an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen emotional connections with customers—through virtual tours of hotels and resorts to fuel travel aspirations or by providing hotel stays for frontline healthcare workers to help keep workers’ families safe. This personal and community support leaves a lasting impression—and our research shows that when consumers feel connected to a hotel brand, they typically stay longer and spend more. In fact, the difference between a typical, highly satisfied customer and an emotionally connected customer is, on average, an entire extra night’s stay—3.5 versus 2.5—with a 1.4 spending multiplier.
2. Challenge your cost structure. Companies must meet the expectations of boards and shareholders even in times of crisis. Hotels have already made tough cost-cutting decisions as demand has evaporated. Looking ahead, they’ll need to rethink their businesses from the ground up to keep expenses in check—while never losing sight of the human impact of any cost-cutting measures. But how?
Team up with your partners, evaluate suppliers and rethink operating models. Develop a better understanding of the partnerships that deliver the most value and complement shifts in customer preferences and values. You’ll need to reimagine every aspect of how you do business through a future-forward lens—how can you rethink IT, contact centers and marketing in a way that trims costs while considering the experience of the humans in the ecosystem? Even your franchise network and real estate footprint may require a reboot to make sure you’re operating in geographic areas with the most demand.
3. Reinvest to compete. As hospitality organizations reduce costs, it’s essential to rethink how resources and efforts are allocated. Start by developing a centralized team to help determine what the organization’s future might look like. A strong scenario-planning capability is more vital now than ever.
Then think about how resources can be allocated to elevate the human experience for customers, workforce (full-time and gig worker) and partners. A refreshed understanding of those ecosystems—supported by updated technologies—will prove vital to future success. Artificial intelligence, machine learning and computational modeling will play a key role in developing an organization’s capabilities to sense, frame and act to support rapid responses to changing customer demands and preferences.
As much as our shared road to recovery is long and hard to predict, one thing is certain: The hospitality industry might never be the same. We believe that organizations in the best position to thrive in the next normal are those that take this time to rethink their businesses while keeping an eye on the human experience. Eventually, customers will be back. And while some of our preferences may have changed in the interim, empathy and attention to the details that matter most will always be in demand.
How touch, taste and smell can help drive brand engagement.
While marketers can offer additional nuance and value for customers, our relationship boils down to providing the information they need to buy.
As media, technology and customer needs continue to grow and change, so too does the world of marketing. While certain marketing trends come and go, others have withstood the test of time.
The members of Ad Age Collective have studied and experienced industry trends over the course of their careers. We asked a group of them to share some aspects of marketing they believe are here to stay. Below are 10 things about marketing that are unlikely to change, and what you can learn from them.
Marketing is essentially about getting the right message to the right audience — that will never change. What does change are the tools to do that more efficiently and effectively. Your target audience and message can change too, but you will always need to match the two. – Dan Beltramo, Onclusive (formerly AirPR)
Now more than ever, marketers need to perfectly fit their product or services to the customer. If it doesn’t fit, the customer will quit. Customers can discover more products than ever, they are exposed to more reviews and they are less tied to heritage brands. Before, brand awareness and messaging could cover up inadequacies, but companies and products (and sourcing) are forever exposed. – Reid Carr, Red Door Interactive
Creativity and inspiration have been at the core of marketing since day one. They remain the decisive factors in driving brand success, employee engagement and memorable ideas. Leaders must take time out to foster these and not get so caught up in business. Think Don Draper at the end of Mad Men. We find a way to allow for creativity or marketing will cease to inspire its audience. – Maggie O’Neill, Peppercomm
It might sound trite, but the most valuable product an agency (or consultancy) can offer a client was, is and always will be big, bold, business-altering, projection-crushing, trendsetting ideas. Other “aspects” of marketing will evolve or disappear. – Chad Robley, Mindgruve
The days of scream and tell are gone. Find that authentic story that showcases your brand’s uniqueness and feel proud of that. Now that the story is in your heart, find the best way to tell the story so it lands in the heart of your target audience. Stories have been there from the beginning of time and are eternal. Make sure your stories land on your audiences’ hearts. Have fun storytelling! – Arjun Sen, ZenMango
Marketing has gone through so many iterations. Indeed, the current obsession with measuring and tactics (as seen in the rise of the discipline of “growth hacking”) has forgotten one crucial, unchanging aspect of marketing: communication. As much as you want to focus on data, don’t forget the key to successful marketing is communicating thoughtfully to the human on the receiving end of that message. – Patrick Ward, Rootstrap
Marketing relies on psychological concepts to make its strategies effective. FOMO, discounts, two-for-one, giveaways and many other marketing strategies are all based on influencing people’s feelings. This fundamental link between marketing and psychology will stay strong for good. What this means for leaders is that they would benefit from learning more about psychology. – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
One thing in marketing which will never and should never change is ensuring you are getting a return on investment for your marketing spend. A brand should always ensure they are not only branding, but are also growing their business with direct ROI at the same time. – Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne Advertising
So much has been automated and made efficient over the past two decades of marketing innovation. We now have great tools to eliminate the need for routine strategies and tasks that sucked up our time and money. What will never be automated is the human imagination. What we need now and always are powerful ideas. Ideas drive the purpose and possibilities we need to thrive as a culture and industry. – Lana McGilvray, Purpose Worldwide
The one thing that will never change is being authentic to your brand. In the last few months, we have seen campaign messaging shift, but the creative executions that resonate with consumers are the ones that stay true to their brand message. Honing in on your message and mission will help brands develop stronger connections with consumers and stakeholders. – Cathy Oh, Samsung Ads
Ackermans focuses on 5 women who are doing amazing things in their communities. These are women who have started or are running NGOs or have found ways to help their communities in amazing ways. We will share these women’s stories and initiatives across all Ackermans social platforms and Ackermans will donate a percentage of the campaign marketing budget to each of the women’s charities as well as encourage our consumers to donate to the causes if they can. Consumers will then be encouraged to nominate other women in their communities who are doing amazing things. The 5 best nominations from each week will be chosen and they will be shared across Ackermans social platforms every week during August.
The way we dress our hair is a form of expression. It is a form of silent speech. Whether it is short, curly, in dreads, long, dyed, covered in a hijab, it is our statement to the world. A statement of who we are and what or how we are feeling, and what we aim to be. When we step out each day and style our hair, regardless of what others think, we are being true to ourselves. This ad is a reminder that a woman is a leader. A surgeon. A champion. A fighter. Most of all, a woman is who she sees herself to be. And Dove is there to back every woman on that journey.
Sounds of safety. How to make music with noises.
We’ve built up a story that shifts the focus from the product to the customer. The hero of the film is the male “Corporate Warrior” – the man in the shirt. We wanted to showcase a lifestyle that goes beyond functional benefits.
‘Survivor’ is a campaign, in the form of a short film, for the SPA (the French animal welfare association). Aiming to combat abandonment, it depicts the harsh reality of what can happen after an animal has been abandoned.
This spot documents the issue of Cyber bullying and the effect it has on the daily lives of people exposed to it. Although the bullying may happen in the digital realm, its psychological effect continues beyond those platforms. The sense of fear and isolation is captured by telling the true story of a young man’s experiences and his efforts to rise above the weaponised words and messaging. Telekom is working with various partners on initiatives to expose the effects of cyber bullying in it’s fight for a hate-free internet.
An outdoor and digital brand activation, where we hide two golden tickets, in Lisbon and Oporto, that gave the winners access to the UEFA Champions League great final.
Promote Eleven Sports as the main broadcaster of UEFA Champions League’s art of football, in Portugal.
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