Tourism Marketing - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 432

Social Networks

Using pro les, personal pages, photos, and messages users connect with friends and colleagues to
share content and communicate. Prominent social networks are Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn,
MySpace, Reddit, and Delicious. Facebook now has more than 500 million users and if it were a
country would be the third largest. Social networks have a global reach.
With expectation of a billion social network users by 2012, the travel industry will have to embrace
networks, understand how they are being used by consumers, and grow their presence on these sites.
The social network sites present the opportunity to promote the brand, solicit customer experiences,
encourage testimonials, build loyalty, and create sales.

Blogs

A blog is a weblog, a Web site that is like a formal journal, diary, or newsletter. It is frequently updated
and for public consumption. Most people can create a blog and then write on that blog. A blogger is a
person who keeps a blog and writes about his/her opinions and thoughts. Blogging is the act of
updating or reading the blogs and the blogosphere is where it all happens. From a marketing
standpoint, blogging is a technology that lets a company have a one-on-one dialogue with customers
and adversaries. Tourism rms can bene t from blogs by listening to what consumers are saying and
gaining un ltered insights into the customer experience. Blogs are used by travelers to post their
experiences about places they visit, stay, enjoy, and eat. By monitoring sites that contain reviews and
comments about an organization, one can immediately address any issues. Businesses can establish
interactive relationship with the customer via company-sponsored initiatives. Examples are Starwood

E GLOBAL INSIGHT E

The Canadian Tourism Commission and Twitter
A n outstanding example of social media marketing is the

digital storescapes built on the success of CTC's social media
strategy and use of user-generated content in their traditional
advertising. The storescapes campaign was part of a broader
campaign targeting Americans to travel to Canada and was
supported by television and broadcast spots, online advertising,
social media, and print.

Canadian Tourism Commission's (CTC) use of Twitter and
tweets in the U.S. cities of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
While a tweet is only 140 characters in length, one can share a
lot in that little space. In the summer of 2010 the CTC teamed up
with advertising agency DDB Vancouver to develop an interactive
campaign involving digital storescapes (Twitter-based murals)
transforming empty storefronts into social media platforms.

Although measurement is always difficult, Brunico
Communications, LTD. reported consumer Web site visits were up
86 percent over the same period in 2009, Facebook fan signups
increased by 3,500 percent, and the QR codes garnered 4,539
scans. Just two weeks into the digital storescape campaign, the
CTC experienced an 86 percent increase in Twitter followers. The
campaign also created extensive public relations coverage and
YouTube activity. Given the success CTC plans to launch similar
programs in other markets such as Mexico and Europe.

The storescapes included 8' by 10' monitors featuring a
continuous stream of tweeted photos and conversations about
Canada. These Twitter-based murals featured interactive touch
screen interfaces that displayed tweets and photos from real
travelers to Canada in real time. People passing by were
encouraged to tweet back. The live billboards at the sites
streamed information on Canada's endless to-do list of
destinations, cultural experiences, events, and vacation packages
inspiring Americans to book a Canadian vacation.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. If you could tweet something about Canada, what would it be?

In addition, street teams equipped with iPads were on the sites to
encourage passersby to enter a contest for a trip to a Canadian
destination of choice, to interact with the touch screens, and post
tweets on their favorite vacation destinations in Canada. The

2. How can you measure the effectiveness of social media

marketing?

3. How does social media marketing fit with traditional media?