Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A good example of this passive engagement in a brand community is the Walt Disney World
Moms Panel. This is a forum where online 'Moms' answer questions and offer advice about
family vacations to Disney
.
The 'Moms' are selected to be panellists because they have
demonstrated an excellent knowledge of Disney products. Being familiar with the Parks, Resort
hotels, dining and entertainment, shopping, and recreational activities, they can offer the help
and tips consumers need when planning their vacations. As Leanne Jakubowski, who oversees
the programme, says 'It is important that the Moms Panel is made up of real guests and represents
a diverse spectrum of thoughts and perspectives so we can offer honest, heartfelt and useful
information' (Walt Disney World 2011). Panellists receive a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort
for their participation and in 2012 the Panel boasted 43 panellists whose expertise spanned
Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney
and Disneyland Resort offerings. The Moms Panel offers guests vacation insights on a variety
of platforms including exclusive 'How-To' videos from panellists and celebrities, dedicated
Facebook content, personal Disney Parks Blog posts and in-park meet-ups.
Because brand community members have a strong interest in the product and in the brand,
they can also be a valuable source of innovation. In a study of brand community members,
research found that the stronger the identifi cation with the brand, and the higher the brand trust,
the more likely a consumer was willing to contribute to open innovation projects initiated by a
brand. This activity has been called 'crowdsourcing', a term coined in 2006 by
Wired
magazine
Contributing Editor Jeff Howe (Sullivan 2010). Crowdsourcing-led innovation means opening
the door to allow customers, employees, or the general public at large into the innovation process
to help improve products, services or marketing efforts. Consumers get a direct line to the
company and the opportunity to steer offerings to better refl ect their needs, while companies
benefi t from getting more insights, opinions and wisdom that can be translated into actionable
innovation ideas for less money than a typical RandD initiative. Dell for example created an
online venue called IdeaStorm to give customers a central location where they could share ideas
with the company. In the fi rst three years, IdeaStorm crossed the 10,000 idea mark and
implemented nearly 400 ideas.
For Virgin Atlantic Airways the greatest social media opportunity lies in gathering insights to
drive continual incremental improvements (Barwise and Meehan 2010). For example, in response
to online-community suggestions, it launched a system to arrange taxi sharing on arrival with
passengers from the same fl ight. Fresh insights from social media also reinforce the innovation
aspect of the brand. Facebook interactions helped the company appreciate the extensive planning
that goes into a big trip, so they launched Vtravelled, a site dedicated to inspirational journeys.
Customers moderate the conversation and exchange information, stories and advice. The site
leads to some sales, but its main benefi t to VAA comes from brand reinforcement and new
customer insights.
Challenges
As more aspects of everyday life converge toward digital, opportunities for tourism organizations
to interact with consumers expand dramatically. But Mulhern (2009) suggests that the digital
revolution poses a serious challenge for media companies, agencies and brand marketers
who have constructed a sophisticated infrastructure to send messages to target audiences through
media channels, but do not have the mindset or the technical expertise to master the data
analysis and modelling of the digital media world. The data analysis (or data mining) is both a
challenge and an opportunity for tourism marketers in the digital era. Travel companies have
access to mind-boggling data: everything from basic personal information to preferred airline
