The Association of Travel Marketing Executives is an association of executives with vital responsibilities in the marketing of travel and tourism worldwide.
ATME PUB CENTRAL
Easy access to industry publications
NEW ISSUE OF TMD
Read the latest issue of ATME's Newsletter Market Flash >>GO
Travel Daily News
Download the latest Event Review >>GO
Read the May/June '08 Edition of TAILPIECES
|
Preview
MARKETFLASH
| |
|
|
| |
November 15, 2007 |
|
 |
 |
 |
Upcoming
Events:
ATME NEWS
2008 Dates
Mark your calendar!
ATME Marketing Forecast Lunch - Monday, January 28th, Yale Club, NYC Panelists include: Frank Camacho, Staff VP Marketing, Hertz; Conrad van Tiggelen, Director North America, Netherlands Board of Tourism; Rob Torres, Head of Travel, Google. Panelists representing airline, cruise line and hotel segments will be aded to the panel. The moderator is Susan Black, Principal, Sus Black Associates. www.atme.org
ATME Annual Conference June 11-12, 2008, Red Rock Resort, Casino & Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada
2008 Renewals
Please process your 2008 membership renewal. Make sure we have your correct contact information.
This issue of ATME's MarketFlash is sponsored by Native Energy a company that helps travel industry companies maintain a green stance by utilizing carbon offsets.
|
|
 |
 |
|
HOTELS
Travel Trade magazine recently reported that the IBISWorld report, covering hotels (except casino hotels) and motels predicts a slowdown in revenue growth for the industry. Growth for 2007 will be about $115 billion, a 2.1% growth rate over 2006. The number of establishments will grow by less than 1%. Over the next five years, annual growth will be only 3%. Problem areas include higher gasoline prices, limited leisure time and lower disposable income. Economy and low cost hotels and motels will continue to expand within the industry.
The magazine also reports that Marriott International, Inc., will add a total of 59 hotels with 18,160 rooms across five brands to its Asia-Pacific portfolio through the end of 2010, including multiple openings in Thailand (5 altogether, 4 in Bangkok), China (20) and India (16).
InterContinental Hotel Group announced its plan to relaunch its Holiday Inn unit. The effort will be a global revamp of the iconic mid-tier brand. A three-phase initiative involves upgrading room basics with amenities and décor changes. Even the 55-year-old logo is going. Next will be introducing a new prototype property featuring WiFi, high-speed Internet, ergonomic work stations and an armoire with breakaway door panels so the TV can be seen from anywhere in the room. The third phase will address sub-brands. Currently, there is one: Holiday Inn Express. The company will spend $61 million in 2008 while owners and franchisees will invest $1 billion over a three year period. The first batch of 150 properties with a new look, amenities and service culture will be completed by the second quarter of next year.
Brandweek columnist Mike Beirne, who interviewed Mark Snyder, svp-worldwide brand manager for Holiday Inn brands, also profiled John Merkin, recently named svp-brand management. Merkin hopes to have both brands working together, “so when a guest walks into a Holiday Inn or a Holiday Inn Express, they will see a continuity to the brand that hadn't been seen before.” Both hotels will have separate marketing teams, but Merkin seeks common ground that can be leveraged. This includes shared sponsorships, promotions or features within the Priority Rewards frequent guest program.
DESTINATIONS
New York City is backing its first ever global tuirism campaign from NYC & Co. with a $30 million budget. “This is New York City,” created by a local shop Bartle Bogle Hegarty, is multilingual and began appearing last week on TV, print, online and outdoor advertising in 10 countries, including Brazil, South Africa and Portugal. Domestic travelers in Boston, Philadelphia, Miami and San Antonio will also be targeted. Creative showcases the different boroughs and attractions in the realms of shopping, fashion, entertainment and food. NYC & Co. is aiming to attract 50 million tourists a year by 2015. Last year, the city welcomed nearly 44 million visitors. (Brandweek)
|
|
 |
|
|
AIRLINES
The Wall Street Journal's advertising column by Daniel Michaels recently cited the challenges in promoting the massive new Airbus A380 airliner. Instead of stressing the size, Singapore Airlines emphasizes the intimacy and personal touches it offers onboard. Steven Forshaw, vice president of public affairs says, “At the end of the day, it's what's on board the plane that differentiates you.” The airline will install 471 seats, which is about 100 more that Boeing's 747 jumbo but far fewer than the possible 853 seats that could be installed if everyone flew economy. Advertising will extol the plane's new Suites Cabin, described as “A class beyond first.”
The column also notes that British Airways, a potential buyer of the A380, is also emphasizing hominess rather than high tech, with ads showing one of its fully flat beds alongside Times Square, Piccadilly Circus and other destinations. And Air France, which will start flying A380s in 2009, promotes its business class with images of people sitting by a swimming pool or lying in a field of grass. The only thing suggesting an airplane is a set number superimposed on the image.
|
|
|
|
|
ACCOUNTS
The Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Area Chamber of Commerce chose Ypartnership/Brandon Advertising as its new lead agency. (Brandweek)
The government of Turkey has hired Fleishman-Hillard to help improve the country's image in the US. Under a six month contract ending next March, Fleishman will provide media relations, stakeholder outreach, research, and online communications on behalf of the Turkish embassy. (PRWeek)
Tammy Lee has joined Northwest Airlines as vp of corporate communications. (PRWeek)
|
|
|
|
|
STRATEGIES
How do you soothe the anger of airline passengers stranded in the forlorn Syracuse Airport? A recent PRWeek feature, PR Play of The Week, cited Delta for ordering pizzas. “I couldn't believe how well I was being treated,” a passenger told The New York Times. Another gushed, “The flight attendants kept saying, “We're all in this together.” The simple approach to a complex problem earned a play rating of “Savvy” from the publication.
Travelocity sticks with the gnome, as new ads out of McKinney feature the old roamer traveling his list of “Travel Wishes” and encouraging people to use the site to fulfill their travel dreams. Staying in an ice hotel, perhaps, or cliff diving, always secure in the knowledge that the site's “Farewatcher Plus” will alert customers whenever there's a fare drop. The tagline, now three years old, remains “You'll never roam alone.” (Adweek)
Meanwhile, Travelocity has signed Nancy Bailey & Associates, Atlanta, to develop licensing opportunities for the site's plaster spokesperson. “There is significant recognition of the Travelocity brand and tremendous affinity and resonance with the Roaming Gnome,” said Linda Morgenstern, evp at Nancy Bailey. “Tie timing is perfect to extend this brand and icon into travel-related and unique categories.” (Brandweek)
NCL has signed with the PGA Tour naming Norwegian Cruise Line as the “Official Cruise Line of the PGA Tour and Champions Tour.” The three-year pact gives NCL the right to use tour marks inn ads and leverage promotional and hospitality opportunities with both tours. The PGA Tour and NCL will co-promote the line's Golf Hawaii and Golf Bermuda programs. “The PGA Tour has more than 105 million fans and their demographic aligns well with NCL's target audience,” said Scott Rogers, NCL svp-sales and marketing. (Brandweek)
In a column called “Exotic Travel's Dullest Hour”, Brandweek's outspoken Mike Beirne wondered why “much of international tourism marketing is wallpaper.” Turkey welcomes me, he says, but so does Panama City, Florida. India says it is incredible, but so does the water slide at Williamsburg's Water County USA. He notes that an ad for Hong Kong shows a picture that looks generically Far Eastern. He cites taglines from Thailand, Spain, St. Lucia, Thailand, Greece and other destinations. “Tourism ministers”, says Beirne, “I need a starting point that goes beyond the stereotypes about your countries. Drop the hero shots of sky, beach and paradise. Get rid of tired themes like dreams, discovery and relaxation… And don't just take my word on all this. The Country Brand Index study released by FutureBrand and Weber Shandwick found that national tourism boards have difficulty focusing on one core asset to build a marketing strategy upon. So they fall back on those stock shots of sunsets instead, oozing out undifferentiated marketing gunk into an already saturated travel market. Well, those countries had better wise up. Because I'm one of those Americans who own a passport; but right now, I'm more likely to travel to the Greek Diner down the black than to Greece.”
|
|
|
| |
The
Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME) is
a 25 year old professional association made up of senior level
travel industry marketers representing all segments including:
airlines,
hotels and resorts, cruise lines, tour operators, online travel,
international tourist offices, CVB's, state and local tourism
offices, car rental companies, technology providers, etc.
ATME is the only worldwide organization of its kind to provide members with an
ongoing forum for the exchange of creative ideas and effective marketing solutions.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
October 25, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming
Events:
ATME NEWS
Vincent Vanderpool Wallace
, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization spoke at the September 25th Travel Marketing Issues Forum held at the New York Yale Club. Click here to read EVENT REVIEW: www.atme.org
2008 Dates
Mark your calendar!
ATME Marketing Forecast Lunch - Monday, January 28th,
ATME Annual Conference June 11-12, 2008, Red Rock Resort, Casino & Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada
2008 Renewals
Please process your 2008 membership renewal. Make sure we have your correct contact information.
|
|
|
|
|
HOTELS
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts will brand in-room entertainment through the Scene@Sheraton initiative that includes advance previews of Showtime programs. Through a partnership with Showtime and Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sheraton will provide content to guests - including some that is exclusive. The co-branded Sony BMG Music Entertainment channel features videos, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with artists. The Sneak Previews channel offers free and on-demand access to Showtime series and previews of Brotherhood and Dexter. Guests receive a $25 rebate for a Showtime subscription. (Brandweek)
In September, Wingate Inns took its “Built for business” campaign to the air with an inflight video airing on US Airways planes. Wyndham has taken its all-inclusive pricing message - complementary breakfast, faxes, photocopies and wireless Internet - to road warriors with new print ads by Navigant Agency, Miami. Spots on XM Radio provide smart travel updates, like checking seatguru.com to find aircraft seats with electric outlets for laptops. American Express will support Wingate with direct marketing. (Brandweek)
DESTINATIONS
Writing for the October 15th issue of the New York Times, Jane Levere spotlights a new $3 million U.S. ad campaign by Visit London. Running through October, it encourages Americans to “Do London like a local.” A key message is the value that London can deliver, even in this time of the $2 British pound. With locally inspired information that fosters authentic experiences, it points to discounted public transportation, guarantees on hotel rates and currency rates, and over 200 free museums and art galleries. The campaign targets Americans over 35 who live near cities with good air connections and with household income of at least $150,000.
|
|
|
|
|
AIRLINES
The corner of 57th Street and Sixth Avenue in midtown Manhattan saw the sudden emergence of a strikingly designed - but temporary - Delta Sky 360 pop-up store. It immediately attracted throngs of New Yorkers who were enjoying the amenities - drinks, snacks, magazines and more. This is part of the rebranding of Delta orchestrated by Tim Mapes, CMO, Delta Airlines.
|
|
|
|
|
ACCOUNTS
Royal Caribbean's $75 million creative and media account - incumbents are Arnold, Boston and MPG, New York, respectively - will be awarded in December. Contenders are JWT and Mindshare, TBWA/Chiat/Day and PHD, Saatchi & Saatchi and MediaVest, and DraftFCE and Initiative, all of New York. (Adweek)
|
|
|
|
|
CAMPAIGNS
Brandweek's New Campaigns feature by Eric Newman recently focused on the Las Vegas Visitors & Convention Authority's new “What happens here stays here” spot that presents a trip as a battle between visitors' good and evil sides. A timid traveler struggles with his inner demon, a red-suited pusher who demands some action. The visitor's angel, perhaps influenced by the flowing champagne and women all around him, gives him the OK for indulgence. Agency is R&R Partners, Las Vegas.
The October 1st issue of PR Week presents a favorable report on Travelocity's carbon offset efforts, notably its campaign called “Be A Hero, Go Zero” that began in May of 2006 and is still going strong. When the company's employees wanted to help counter global warming, an internal task force was created to find ways to get involved. Research from the Travel Industry Association suggested that 83% of US travelers wanted to support green travel companies and that both business and leisure travelers would spend 6.2% more with environmentally conscious companies. As its contribution, Travelocity, with the help of Vollmer Public Relations, launched this program. So far, some 8,200 trees have been planted at the Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge, where 70% of the trees had been uprooted by Hurricane Katrina. Extensive media coverage reached an audience of more than 45 million.
|
|
|
| |
The
Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME) is
a 25 year old professional association made up of senior level
travel industry marketers representing all segments including:
airlines,
hotels and resorts, cruise lines, tour operators, online travel,
international tourist offices, CVB's, state and local tourism
offices, car rental companies, technology providers, etc.
ATME is the only worldwide organization of its kind to provide members with an
ongoing forum for the exchange of creative ideas and effective marketing solutions.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
September 10, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming
Events:
ATME NEWS
Here's a review of what's been going on while you were enjoying some travel of your own. Last week we sent you Trends, Airlines, Online News, and Destinations. This week it covers Hotels, Accounts, People.
ATME UPCOMING EVENTS
Vincent Vanderpool Wallace
, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization will be the speaker at the September 25th, Travel Marketing Issues Forum to be held at the New York Yale Club. Click here:www.atme.org
The Executive Think Tank will be held in Orlando at the Grand Bohemian Hotel October 11-12th and feature Branding by Story-Telling. The program includes a case history of the Bahamas, a panel of brand innovators and other speakers. ATME's Executive Think Tanks pack a tremendous amount of learning, interaction into less than 24 hours. To learn more about these two events click here: www.atme.org
|
|
|
|
|
ACCOUNTS - HONG KONG, VIRGIN, CANYON RANCH, HOTELS.COM
The Hong Kong Tourism Board has selected Spring, O’Brien & Co, to provide media relations and other PR services to promote the destination. Its strategy will target baby boomers, cruise travelers and seniors. Spring, O’Brien has handled PR for other destinations including New Zealand and Morocco. (PR Week)
Virgin Atlantic Airways selected Havas’ McKinney, Durham, N.C., as its lead agency. MEC Interaction, part of Mediaedge:cia, will handle communications planning and buying.
Tres Rios, an ecotourism resort under development along Mexico’s Riviera Mayha, selected Fleishman-Hillard, San Diego, as its lead pr agency. (Brandweek)
Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah, has chosen Crowell, Salt Lake City, as its agency.
Hotels.com placed its $68 million creative advertising account into review, dealing another potential blow to independent Doner which handles advertising duties for all of the Expedia travel website brands.
DESTINATIONS
- ISRAEL, GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE
The North American office of the Israel Ministry of Tourism is running an $11 million ad campaign – the ministry’s largest ever – that suggests visitors will “love Israel from the first ‘Shalom’”. Featuring a cross-section of welcoming Israelis who include an archeologist, chef, cowboy, dancer and high-tech executive, the ads are part of a plan to double North American tourism to Israel by 2010, said Arie Sommer, Israel’s Tourism Commissioner for North and South America. (New York Times)
“It’s a marketing campaign that’s become analogous to a social movement.” That’s the word from Auden Schendler, executive director of community and environmental responsibility of the Aspen Skiing Company. He’s referring to campaign warning avid skiers that snow is becoming an endangered species in the face of continued global warming. The print campaign, depicting the Colorado snow paradise melting into a blood-red desert if warming trends continue, ran in Outside, Ski, Powder Resort Guide and Aspen Magazine.
It has galvanized a mostly wealthy market segment and generated intense reactions. Within three months, the SaveSnow website tallied 65,000 unique visitors and became a rallying point for environmentalists to join Aspen Skiing Co. in becoming activists. It urges them to contact elected officials to promote renewable energy and cut CO2 emissions. It also asks them to change their own energy-consumption habits and to wear green armbands to provoke discussion of global warming. “It was time to engage a larger audience – and take it directly to the skiers”, says Jeanne Mackowski, VP-marketing of ASC. The company has 3,400 employees who undergo training about environmental impact and are invited to contribute to the company’s environmental action fund, where it matches donations. (Advertising Age)
In the past decade, Greater Fort Lauderdale, FL, once known mainly as the Spring Break capital of the US, GREhas become increasingly upscale, thanks to new hotels, attractions, retail and dining infrastructure. To get the message across, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau tapped its longtime agency M. Silver Associates to strengthen the image and the brand. The strategy: get significant market penetration in its primary market, New York, by creating a “pop-up store” for a week in high-traffic Union Square. The budget was $150,000.
“We were trying to sell the image of GFL much like the retail community sells a product,” says Virginia Sheridan, M. Silver president. The team transformed the square’s Bank Building into a beach-chic vacation destination with a range of attractions and activities including mini-golf, a hand-massage station, a virtual-fishing station, beach volleyball and a sandbox for kids. Street teams and a “Beach on Wheels” helped drive traffic to the store.
Virginia Grossman, chairman of the GFLCVB, says, “We became the darlings of the New York Media for the week were there. Once we hit 10,000 visitors, we were assured that the objective of face time with the customer was made." Feedback showed that the store changed customers’ opinions about the destination.
|
|
|
|
|
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Advertising Age recently named Travelocity CMO Jeff Glueck as one of its “40 Under 40” executives who are redefining the advertising and marketing landscape. The profile says Glueck, 38, “has gotten bolder about taking risks CEO Michelle Peluso says it’s Mr. Glueck’s business smarts and his creative thinking that brought him from his days creating Site 59 for last-minute travel deals to his present gnome-wielding position.” It adds that the Travelocity website has seen visits double since the gnome left home, even while being outspent 3-1 by rival Expedia. Now he’s guiding the brand’s migration from utilitarian travel planning to an “Experience Finder” that fulfills grand experiential expectations. “That’s the business we want to be in: making memories,” he says, and part of that is “Travel for Good,” a program dedicated to eco-conscious travel. Advertising Age also featured an interview with Glueck, “A Marketing Chief Who Thinks Like An Entrepreneur” in its August 6th issue. ATME awarded Travelocity it’s ATLAS Inspiration Award in 2007 for the Travel for Good program.
TicketsNow, Chicago, appointed Cheryl Rosner as president/CEO. She previously worked for Expedia and Hotels.com and replaces founder/CEO Mike Domek, who remains as chairman.
|
|
|
|
|
HOTELS - MARRIOTT, WYNDHAM, HILTON GARDEN INN
Marriott International will seek to build smaller, more intimate inns in a new partnership with boutique hotel specialist Ian Schrager. The chain and the iconic Schrager said they plan to focus on “a feeling rather than a look, “ with some 100 hotels either open or under construction within the next 10 years. The announcement is the second in recent weeks from Marriott, which recently announced plans to partner with cable channel Nickelodeon for a chain of family oriented hotels featuring the channel’s cartoon characters. The first will open in San Diego during 2010 and feature 650 rooms, a large water park and Studio Nic, a main stage theater with live entertainment.
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts group is keying on Gen Xers for growth and for a fresh image. As part of Wyndham Worldwide, marketing for Wyndham is growing strong. Initiatives include partnerships with Cirque de Soleil and VTech, and an $8-10 million ad campaign devoted to the group born between 1964-1980.
Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, New York, is developing TV, print and online showing Wyndham Hotels as comfy and casual rather than restricted and stodgy. “You won’t see a businessman in a suit checking in,” says Kelly Welch, director of brand marketing at Wyndham Hotels. “They’ll be walking in with a backpack. We want our image to reflect the customer. Gen Xers compose about a quarter of all business travelers, and generally prefer luxury-like concepts with a distinct style, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study.
The article in the September 5th issue of Brandweek notes notes that designer Michael Graves has been retained to create a signature look with convenient functionality, soon to include the Wyndham Smart Chair with built-in ports for power and Internet access, along with two swivel tables so guests can work and eat at the same spot. The magazine quotes ATME Chairman Joel Chusid as saying, “I’m not sure there will be chair wars, but other hotels will follow them.”
Meanhwhile -- to prove that family road trips are still affordable despite higher gas and lodging costs, Wyndham Hotel Group sent one of its interns, recent Penn State grad Rob Myers, to hit the road and report on his visits. He writes about his experiences at www.robsroadtrip.com, describing visits to Mount Rushmore and the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, Alabama,. Naturally, he mentions where he stays, including Wyndham brands like Days Inn and Amerihost Inn. (Brandweek)
Hilton Garden Inn’s expanded “Great Golf Giveaway,” through October, will include exclusive offers from American Express and Dockers Golf for all guests who stay between Thursday and Sunday. In addition to vouchers for complimentary green fees for two at 375 courses, consumers who pay with AmEx receive a branded prepaid card worth up to $50. Dockers tosses in apparel discounts in booklets with golfing tips and a trial subscription to Golf Digest or Golf for Women.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
September 5, 2007
|
|
|
|
