Personalization // Navigating Post-Cookie World // Audience Segmentation // Becoming Your Parents Campaign

Navigating Personalization in Travel Marketing and Beyond

This episode explores the importance of personalization in travel and tourism marketing, highlighting strategies like tailored recommendations, social media engagement, targeted emails, dynamic web content, and personalized offers to enhance customer engagement and increase conversions. It details the shift towards a data-driven approach to understand customer behavior and preferences, emphasizing the use of technology to automate and scale personalization efforts. This episode also delves into the impending deprecation of cookies and the emergence of alternatives like Google Pair, LiveRamp Identity Link, Trade Desk's Unified ID 2.0, and others for privacy-compliant retargeting. Additionally, it discusses segmentation in marketing to different generations, particularly focusing on the shift from baby boomers to younger demographics in luxury adventure travel. The episode concludes with a spotlight on Progressive Insurance's 'Becoming Your Parents' campaign as an example of creative and effective marketing that leverages personalization and segmentation.

00:00 Welcome to the World of Travel Marketing Trends

00:13 Diving Deep into Personalization in Travel Marketing

03:53 Exploring the Future of Personalization in Travel

05:27 Tech Spotlight: Navigating the Post-Cookie World

13:13 Research Roundup: Segmenting for Success

19:42 Campaign Spotlight: Creativity and Personalization in Action

Transcript

Pat: 0:00

Hey everybody. It's time to think about travel and tourism marketing trends today. I'm going to share a little bit of information with you about personalization and travel marketing. We're starting to hear a lot of discussions around personalization, a lot of questions and trying to figure out how we can leverage some of the opportunities that do exist currently and will exist in the future in regards to the personalization of our marketing messaging. So this is a strategy that I feel will revolutionize how travel and tourism businesses engage with their customers. And at its core, personalization and marketing means tailoring your marketing messages and offers to match the individual preferences And their behaviors and just utilizing the information that we're able to learn about the content that they interact with the transactional types of things that we may have access to. And so I wanted to just quickly touch on five things related to personalization and travel and tourism marketing. So tailored recommendations, just think about the impact of suggesting the perfect lodging facility, the room type or an unforgettable experience. All based simply. On the data that your customers have shared with you and their past interactions is probably a more appropriate way of saying that this level of customization, not only enhances the booking experience, but significantly increases that likelihood of converting. In addition to that, social media has been around for a long time and utilizing social media platforms to interact with your audience is a very personal, engaging tool from targeting ads through paid social, um, To just general responsiveness and customer service that every interaction is an opportunity to further strengthen that brand relationship with the customer. With your potential travelers targeted emails, you've heard this being talked about for a very long time, but it's going to become increasingly important that we are able to leverage the power of data to send emails that your customers actually want to open personalized emails that are based upon their very specific preferences and past behaviors can really dramatically increase the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. And there's some really exciting. Tools that are available now to help with the timing and the content type and those targeted emails. I know quite often when we talk about emails, it seems like an antiquated type of tactic, but it's not. It's very effective and the more that you can target and tailor the messaging, the more benefit that you will see in the results. Dynamic web content. Again, this is nothing new. But, you know, as we begin to leverage new ways of accessing behavioral data and things like that, it's going to allow us to enhance the user experience by customizing the content that is presented to them in real time based on data for each individual user. And this dynamic approach is going to ensure that every user find exactly what they're looking for. And it's going to make your websites better. A far more effective sales tool once we are able to put that technology to work for you. Lastly is personalized offers. This is very special offers tailored to an individual's taste and preferences and can dramatically increase the appeal of not only your promotion, but just driving higher conversion rates. And again, you know, building upon customer loyalty. So that's all well and good, right? That's a very top level look at some of these things that are related to personalization and our travel and tourism marketing efforts. But the real crux of this is making your data actionable. For travel and tourism marketing professionals looking to implement these strategies, it starts with data. You know, and analyzing your customers behaviors, their preferences, their feedback across all the different touch points that you have had with them. And then leveraging that technology to automate and scale your personalization efforts and always test, refine your approach based upon the performance and customer feedback. But personalization is not just a strategy, it's an approach to customer engagement that can really set you apart in a very competitive travel marketing landscape. And by focusing on those individual needs and preferences of your customers, you can create a more meaningful and memorable travel experience. Interactions leading to increased loyalty revenue for your business and just overall positive outlook upon their experience with you. And so we're going to dive into some more things related to personalization, and there's going to be some new tactics, new strategy ideas that are going to come from this, and it really just boils down to the data. And how you are collecting and managing and frankly slicing and dicing it so that you can extract as much valuable information from it as possible. And we'll continue to touch on these different things, but just resurfacing the personalization piece and look forward to continuing to find ways that we can improve. Our marketing strategies and tactics. Today's tech spotlight. We're going to be piggybacking on our segment about travel trends and as it relates to personalization, we're going to be taking a look at Google pair for just a moment, but then some alternatives to Google pair, such as live ramp and things like that. So what is Google pair? It is the publisher advertiser identity reconciliation. Pair, not to be confused with another Google product called pair, which stands for people plus AI research. And this particular example, we are looking strictly at this publisher advertiser identity reconciliation technology. It's developed by Google to facilitate privacy compliant retargeting campaigns. That matches encrypted first party data between advertisers and publishers. We have been talking for a very long time about the deprecation of cookies within the Google ecosystem amongst others that have already deprecated cookies. They started phasing this in January 1st of 2024 with about 1%. Of all the traffic that's out there with the goal of cookies being completely phased out by June of 2024. So it really makes it crucial that we all are understanding how these different tools. We'll work in light of the deprecation of these cookies once and for all. And so again, the pear is a Google product that allows us to retarget and do things like that. This is only within the Google ecosystem, a walled garden, if you will. So we're just going to talk about a couple of alternatives. This is really just to surface these things so that When the conversations are taking place that these are going to become a more familiar topic for you, that you feel more confident speaking about, I would highly encourage you to spend a little bit of time just researching this topic because it is very, very important. So, LiveRamp Identity Link. This is a data connectivity platform. It enables companies to leverage first party data for marketing purposes in a privacy compliant way. You'll hear the term clean room, okay? LiveRamp. It's, it uses anonymized pseudonymous, I can't even pronounce this, identifiers to match data across different platforms and devices. And this allows for targeting advertising without directly identifying individuals. And that's, again, the whole crux of this is privacy concerns and the anonymization of the data. That we as individuals share with technology partners, such as Google, so forth, but unlike Google pair again, which is specifically designed for Google's advertising platform, this live ramp identity link works across various platforms. And it is not limited to just Google's ecosystem. It gives a broad range of identity resolution capabilities beyond just advertising. LiveRamp has been around for quite some time and it's a fantastic product and they continue to get better. Another one to just kind of, again, surface for you. We talked about this in a previous episode, but is the Trade Desk's Unified ID 2. 0. So a digital relativity. We do have a seat with the Trade Desk. That is a primary platform that we utilize. I mean, this unified ID 2. 0 is an open source framework that's developed by the trade desk. It aims to create a common quote unquote currency for digital identity across the ad tech industry, across all the different types of tools that can be used, and it uses encrypted and hashed email addresses to enable identity resolution and audience targeting. So as a comparison to Google pair, unified ID 2. 0 is designed to be a collaborative effort across the industry with many ad tech companies contributing to its development. This is a really encouraging that that's the case because in my opinion, it creates a better opportunity for adoption here, but this, it does contrast again with Google pair. Which is a proprietary solution that Google uses within their own, again, quote unquote, the walled garden of their ecosystem. The unified ID 2. 0 also emphasizes transparency and consumer control over their data. So I'm a big fan of the Trade Desk Unified ID 2. 0, but again, there's other tools that are available to us with these types of things. Now, InfoSum is another one. This is the one that I'll be very upfront with you. I'm not that familiar with. That is not part. Of our stack, but I still want to surface it for you just so that this is something that is on your radar. But InfoSum is a decentralized data collaboration platform. This allows companies to match and analyze customer data. Without sharing the raw data with each other and uses a non movement of data to ensure privacy and security of consumers information. And InfoSum's decentralized nature sets it apart from Google Pair, which relies on encrypted data matching between parties. InfoSum allows for a broader range of data collaboration and use cases. Uh, beyond just advertising, such as insights and analytics. And lastly, there is ID5. This is another one, again, full transparency. I am not overly familiar with because it's not part of our stack, but I really just want to share this with you. But ID5 is an identity solution for digital advertising. It provides a universal ID similar to the universal ID that is from the Trade Desk, but it is to approve user recognition across different platforms. And it aims to replace third party cookies with a privacy compliant identifier. So, you know, when we look at Not really just alternatives to Google pair, but similar tools and understanding just how they're going to fit into this new environment that we are all going to find ourselves in very soon. It's just important to evaluate and understand each option that's based on your specific needs, the platforms that you use, frankly, your commitment to user privacy. And then of course, you know, there are concerns that we need to look at in terms of just budget because some of these tools are quite expensive, frankly, not all of them are. Each alternative offers a different approach to identify resolution and data collaboration so that you can consider factors such as. Interoperability, the industry support and the ease of implementation. But no matter what solution that you choose, ensure that you have the necessary consent from users to collect and use their data in compliance with privacy regulations. This is not going to go away. And when we talk about the personalization as we just did in our travel trends, this is a key component to being able to personalize content. Personalized delivery of emails and all the different types of things that come with that. And so it's just really important. I think that we all. Continue to educate ourselves and just become familiar as this landscape is rapidly changing. And again, we are approaching the June, 2024 complete deprecation of Google's cookie ecosystem. And again, while this has happened in some other platforms and it's already gone, Google of course is going to be the big one. So just take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with this. I encourage you to do a couple of searches. Go to chat GPT and ask it to explain it to you like you're a fifth grader, and it'll really help you break down some barriers and understanding how this all works. Hey everybody. Welcome to the research roundup. And today, I'm not going to lie, this is probably more trend than research, but still something that caught my eye. I wanted to share with you, I came across an article at a venture marketing that's A V E N T U R marketing. com. The links will be in the show notes. If there was one little segment here and I'm going to scan it real quick for you and then just dive into some different types of things, but. It got me thinking about segmentation in this, we're having conversations about personalization, we're having conversations about targeting and moving to a cookie less environment and still being able to utilize behavioral data and things like that. Again, this really just made me think about the segmentation. In this article, this headline says boomers are aging out. The luxury adventure travel market has traditionally been dominated by baby boomers. Here I'm talking about high end fishing lodges, safaris, and polar expeditions. It continues to say, but a common refrain I, the author, keeps hearing from those business owners is that their guests keep getting older and there's not enough new blood coming in. So naturally, what worked for boomers isn't necessarily going to work for Gen X and his older fluent millennials. And so this, again, is where the segmentation comes into play. Referring back to the baby boomers, the marketing to the boomers and the travel and tourism industry has traditionally focused on those higher end types of things. But, you know, to restate what the article said, there's a growing concern among business owners and travel and tourism that their clientele is aging out to the, and there's a noticeable lack of younger travelers to enter the market and kind of fill that back in. And this demographic shift really indicates. That the marketing, the strategies that were effective for bandy boomers may not resonate with a subsequent generations earth shattering, right? But it just really is truly surprising to me how often do you just see those same types of things applied, and even though we are in the midst of a generational shift. And so to address those challenges, it's really crucial in the travel and tourism industry that we adapt our marketing approaches. And this involves segmentation of audiences more effectively to ensure that we are targeting the right guests. Simply relying on the same strategies that appealed to baby boomers. It's going to result in attracting the wrong demographic or just frankly, failing to attract anyone at all. And so thinking about how businesses need to focus on creating content that resonates with these individual groups, it really means understanding their preferences, their values, the types of travel experiences that they are seeking. And so to successfully market to younger demographics, businesses need to focus on creating content that resonates with these different groups. So again, this is a common theme in this episode, but we're trying to understand preferences, values, and the types of travel experiences that the different groups are seeking and then using that information and the data points to tailor marketing messages, offerings, specials, different types of programs, if you will. That we're going to meet with those interests that they're exhibiting. I'm going to just kind of run through some ways to differentiate between audiences. And again, this is just spit balling, but all begins with taking time to analyze your data. And if you don't have data, go get some, all right. Not meaning like, well, go to the store and say, Hey, give me some big data. I mean, you start to thinking about how you're going to collect information. So that you can better understand what your current visitors and your prospective travelers are actually looking for. So travel and tourism businesses can differentiate between audiences by tailoring specifically strategies to cater to those needs, preferences, and behaviors. And just here's a couple of examples of how businesses can look at this and segment their audiences. And the first one, just developing unique value propositions. So for adventure seekers, you could highlight the unique experiences like off the beaten path destinations or eco friendly accommodations for family travelers. On the other hand, emphasizing safety, the family friendly activities, the accommodations and amenities like childcare services, working to create memorable experiences by offering personalized welcome amenities. Please. Unique, guided tours for luxury travelers who seek exclusivity or, you know, everybody loves that feeling of being behind the scenes, if you will, but with millennials creating experiences in line with their values, such as sustainable practices, local cultural immersion. Those are two trends that we'll continue to talk about. Especially with the sustainability piece, not to be divergent. Some of the other things that we can look at here is embracing niche marketing by specializing in culinary experiences for food enthusiasts. Offering food tours, cooking classes with local chefs and ingredients. So other things that we can look at targeting solo travelers. This is an emerging trend that we see with tailored experiences that promote the opportunities for quote unquote self discovery that comes with solo travel and the opportunities to meet new people. Looking at the different types of technology, this seems pretty common sense, but really thinking about the technology usage among different groups, like user friendly websites, duh, right? But mobile apps with personalized recommendations that are something that is just second nature to a lot of younger travelers. And there's a number of other different types of ways to continue. I just wanted to throw a few things that I had kind of put together on a list here, but understanding the unique characteristics and the preferences of each of these target audiences. The travel and tourism industry can craft our marketing strategies that'll more effectively appeal to and engage with these different types of groups. Again, a common theme here is personalization, understanding behaviors and understanding the way that folks interact with technology and things of that nature. Is where the real gold lies. Hey everybody, it's time for the campaign spotlight today. We are going to be looking at a campaign that has nothing to do with traveling tourism, but it is just an outstanding example of great creativity, implementation, and great results. And I think that it dovetails very nicely into some of the things that we've talked about in this episode. In regards to personalization. And segmentation, and this campaign that I want to just share some insights with you about is the Progressive Insurance Becoming Your Parents campaign. This campaign prominently features the character of Dr. Rick. And it's a multifaceted campaign that is aimed at addressing and employing humor to mitigate the phenomena of quote unquote parentamorphosis. This term, made up by Progressive, but based upon some research. Describes the process by which new homeowners begin to adopt behaviors and treats reminiscent of their parents. This campaign, this was built by Arnold Worldwide, just a outstanding global agency was built upon the insight that a significant life event such as buying a home triggers a grown up switch, if you will, that leads individuals to start emulating their parents. This insight was discovered by Progressive's chief marketing officer, Jeff Charney, who. After consulting with behavioral scientists and psychology researchers, identified homeownership specifically as a critical moment when individuals begin to exhibit parental traits. And so the character of Dr. Rick, uh, portrayed by actor and comedian Bill Glass, was introduced as a parent life coach, parental life coach, to help new homeowners avoid becoming their parents. Dr. Rick's character has evolved from an initial documentary style to commercials to more direct just interventions in various daily situations. And it just offers some really funny advice to prevent the onset of parental like behaviors. And so the execution and the strategy of this campaign, it utilized lots of different media types, including, you know, TV, of course. For anybody following March Madness, you've definitely seen these spots in digital, but it also extended to a book, and the book was titled Dr. Rick Will See You Now. This was legitimately available in hardcover and in ebook formats on Amazon and lots of other places. In fact, Uh, the book sold out in five weeks, but the book launched and was supported by some videos on YouTube. There was even press interviews, paid placements on Amazon and Goodreads. And it sold out in just a matter of weeks. And in fact, right now, as of today, there is almost 2000 reviews, almost five stars for this book. So just really creative tactic, if you will. The progressive targeted first time homebuyers in that age range of 25 to 44, they did, and I'm, I'm trying to pinpoint exactly how they came about this, but they did pinpoint the age of 31 to be their sweet spot and just were trying to position themselves as a relevant choice for their insurance needs amidst the very stout competition that exists. But the impact of this campaign. Well, it was just really fascinating. It achieved significant success with that. The Dr. Rick book that I was just describing sold out in five weeks. Again, with those really high star ratings on Amazon, there was a 93 percent lift in word of mouth conversations for progressive amongst those who recall the Dr. Rick book, and it led to a 74%. Positive sentiment rating and word of mouth, 75 percent increase in purchase considerations for home insurance. Just amazing, really. And Dr. Rick quickly became Progressive's just most beloved character among their target audience and contributes to the campaign's overall goal of driving that positive brand sentiment and creating differentiation in the market as well. The Dr. Rick ads are noted for the relatability. across different generations and really taps into that universal experience of recognizing ourselves in our parents. You know, comically, as I was watching basketball the other evening, I took our dog out and I caught myself yelling at a kid driving his car too fast down my road. And just really, again, this relatability piece was so funny. I felt like I needed to go put my members only jacket on and turn around and take my selfie with LL Cool J, but I digress. The campaign's humor, it's rooted in the traditional comedy. Again, Dr. Rick is. In real life, an actor and a comedian, but the specific use of satire parody and just effectively using physical humor, the witty dialogue to engage with the audience is just something that. Really captures the attention of many. In summary, the progressive insurance becoming your parents campaign has leveraged the insights and consumer behavior research and put that into the creative execution of the campaign. And again, trying to address the phenomena of parentamorphosis. And so this mix of media, humor, relatable content, the campaign has undeniably been successful in engaging with its target audience and driving positive brand sentiment and the differentiation in that competitive insurance market.