Social Media In Travel:Over-Hyped, Under-Hyped Or Who Knows
So began the HotelMarketing.com headline, more or less.
We’ve often chided the travel industry for not moving fast enough into the world of social media.
But we’ve been told that we’re mischaracterizing travel, and been pointed in the direction of Jet Blue’s successful Foursquare loyalty program.
And that’s true as far as it goes. JetBlue, Chicago and a handful of other travel brands like Royal Caribbean are effectively engaged in social media.
But then HotelMarketing.com, which monitors online travel and the hospitality industry, headlined another article, “Social Media Influence Remains Weak in Travel.”
A UK advertising firm, Conrad said that travelers (and thus the industry) “ are most influenced by travel web sites and traditional media like television and print.”
It seems that while social media sites like Facebook are extremely popular, they are not considered the best sources of travel planning.
Surprisingly, travelers are still more comfortable with newspapers, reviews, travel company web sites and review sites.
And that then is the probable reason the travel industry lags so far behind other business sectors.
The travelers aren’t buying social media, so therefore, the travel industry isn’t either.
While no one says that social media platforms should be discarded as a way to turn “lookers into bookers,” the report cautions that social media should not be regarded as “the dominant force in a campaign.”
This is not an age thing.
Travolution, a travel intelligence company, says age has little to do with the media preferences.
Familiarity with technology and skill in using a computer (which are likely age related) determine who uses the internet and accesses social media.
That’s stating the obvious, of course.
But if the average traveler prefers to get his or her travel and booking information from traditional sources, then travel marketers have to meet the consumer at his buying comfort level, and for now, that doesn’t include much social media.
And that’s too bad because retail and other industries are running circles around travel in using social media to drive revenue.
So the question remains: Over-Hyped or Under-Hyped? We think the answer will be: In the middle.
Comments
LOL "mildly promotional" -- call me Mr. Subtle. You're right, it's a temporal snapshot. It's just that sometimes these media pronouncements can become self-fulfilling prophecies if we're not careful. Stay tuned for more video and location-based services; we're revamping Tripatini and exciting things are yet to come.
Re: Ryan's Hope, that was a sweet and blessèd time in my life, when one could write one or two scripts a week in a few hours and make an obscene amount of money. Alas, daytime TV has been clobbered by more cable channels, women working, reality TV, and of course social media sites that syphon viewers away from the tube. I wrote at RH from 1988-89, and was there when the show was finally axed (not my doing!!). When were you on the show?
Thanks, Jose. Even with the mildly promotional "Tripatini" spin, I appreciate your observations.
I wouldn't take this report to the bank. It's a temporal snapshot, a point in time., Social Media is not going away, it's travel that's slow to catch up to it.
Recall a piece of mine recently on Vons, "What a Grocery Store Can Teach Travel"
Regarding Tripatini, I'd like to see it make more use of video and Location Based Services to be even more useful.
Regarding your work as a writer on Ryans Hope: I acted in the series when I did soaps. Small world!
Saludas
Good story and thought-provoking, Kaleel. Of course, how useful social media is depends not just on the ability level of the user, but on the medium itself. Facebook is great, but so general and broad in scope that you can't get the targeted camaraderie and advice that you can get on sites such as Tripatini. We believe as more travelers use travel-specific social media, they will grow to rely more and more on it to make their travel decisions. A good case in point is "Ask a Travel Pro," where travelers of all sorts are getting great advice from industry experts and travelers like themselves.
Look forward to your next posting!