Travel companies must be honest, transparent and flexible with their marketing amid the pandemic, according to travel marketing experts.
The TTG Summit – ‘Putting travel back on the map’ – heard from Kuoni, Accord Marketing and Finn Partners as part of London Travel Week, ahead of WTM Virtual, which runs this week from Monday to Wednesday.
Talking to Daniel Pearce, Chief Executive of TTG Media, the panellists agreed that trust was a key element of rebuilding consumer confidence, especially as so many travellers were frustrated with the refund process earlier this year.
Amy Skelding, Senior Partner at specialist travel and tourism marketing and PR firm, Finn Partners, said: “Travel is up there with estate agents and used car salesmen in terms of trust. With the Thomas Cook collapse and lockdown, it was like the Wild West [about refunds]. We [the industry] did a shoddy job of explaining where the money was and why they are not getting it back.”
She highlighted some brands that had performed well with marketing and refunds, such as Kuoni, Intrepid and Advantage Travel Partnership.
Dean Harvey, Marketing Director at Kuoni, added: “Only a few brands are coming through shining – those that have played with a straight bat, keeping the phone lines open, refunding quickly, and implementing decisions quickly.
“If you can contact a brand and get a decision, that reinforces trust.”
Jasman Ahmad, Strategy Director of Accord Marketing, added: “Trust is a key thing. Show that your brand cares about the consumer and that it’s safe to travel – are you telling people about your protocols and what they deem as safe?”
They agreed that rapid changes in government travel policies meant that marketing needed to be flexible – digital campaigns are more adaptable than TV advertising, for example.
Marketers also need to understand people’s emotions about travel – some are keen to go on holiday but others are adamant about staying at home.
“That’s the biggest challenge: finding those people who are prepared to go on holiday,” said Harvey. “The best platform to find their intent is search engines, such as Google’s intent marketing.”
The panellists also agreed that there was likely to be a shift back to booking with travel agents. Skelding said agents were being vocal on social media and had proved their worth during the pandemic by taking the side of the consumer about refunds, and dealing with complex travel arrangements.
