Over the weekend I decided to explore the blogosphere in search of updated information that is intriguing and related to travel. I have found two specific blogs, by use of the IMSA criteria, that caught my attention; both of which sparked my interest in the topics they delve into. KWE Group, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing firm, keeps and up-to-date blog that follows their mission to connect readers with "luxury travel and lifestyle trends." The KWE Group, Inc. seeks "to identify emerging trends so you benefit from changes in the marketplace." This is essentially what I am striving to bring my readers through my blog posts. Chelsea Orth is the writer of the KWE Group, Inc. Luxury Travel and Lifestyle Trends blog. She refers to historic and current events which lead me to believe she is reading the news, however, she does not appear to cite any materials. The blog seems to be reputable as it provides relevant information and is of a respected marketing agency. The writing is very concise and consists of some depth while the tone remains authoritative. This blog is not part of an established community as it is part of the company's website. The next blog that caught my attention is ISM Travel and Lifestyle Marketing. This blog was created to provide readers with observations regarding travel, leisure, and life. They specialize in marketing and advertising for the travel, hospitality, and lifestyle industries. Brands around the world turn to ISM for their expertise, strategic abilities, and creativity. The particular post that interests me is about the new Emirates Airline ad campaign that ISM is working on for the flight from San Francisco to Dubai. The author of the post is Kevin Nicholas who cites USA Today. The blog is reputable because the company is a legitimate marketing and advertising agency for industries including travel. The tone is authoritative and knowledgeable. This blog is part of the established Blogger community. I decided to comment on both of these posts because they caught my interest and provide intriguing information. My comments can be read by following the links below, and for your convenience they are also posted directly below.KWE Group, Inc. African chic
Comment
I have been searching the blogosphere for a posting as insightful on travel destinations as yours for some time now. I have to say that the way you linked the current election to increased travel interest in Africa was a genius way of thinking. When I came across your post I was instantly intrigued. Thank you for being so honest with the factors that contributes to travelers' destination choices. I find it really interesting that President Obama's election "is already starting to attract tourists particularly Americans, eager to explore the heritage of their new president" to parts of Africa. Also I find it compelling when you relate this fact to marketing by saying, "this is a niche being explored by some tour operators in America who are offering tours that cover the village of Kogelo in Western Kenya where Barack Obama's father was buried." Since American tour operators are adjusting to the new interest in traveling to certain parts of Africa, does it seem that those places in Africa are making an effort to accommodate more tourists? In addition to that, do you know if the increased attraction is welcomed by the smaller villages? How do the local Africans feel about American's sudden interest in certain villages? It's nice to know how South Africa is welcoming the increase in tourism as it is just in time for their "hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup." It seems as though, from your post, that South Africa is accustomed to tourists because of their wine and culinary attractions, but I wonder how shocking the tourists will be to other places in Africa such as Kogelo in Western Kenya. I'll keep an eye out for marketing tactics gearing American travel to Africa and how much the attraction to Africa increases. I find it very interesting and unexpected when you incorporate the new travel trend into fashion. I never would have seen the link between the Africa-inspired fashions to President Obama's election. Do you have any other ideas as to where else the country's interest in the president will lead? I just want to thank you again for your insightful post and I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.ISM: Emirates Sets the New Standard for Airlines
Comment
I would like to start by saying your premise to supply reader with current observations is very compelling. As a marketing student I can relate to the way you link marketing and advertising with the travel industry. Thank you for posting information on the marketing campaigns you are currently working on, I am always interested in looking for the latest ad campaigns and seeing how strategies are being implemented. I am curious to see how your company will advertise for Emirates Airlines' newest destination services. The segment you are targeting is small being "the corporate travel managers and travel agents serving high-tech, bio-tech and financial services corporation located in San Francisco... [people who will] pony up $11,000 or more to fly their corporate travelers in Emirates business class." What do you feel the ramifications of choosing this course of action are to your company? It seems that by having such a minute segment it will be easier to gear your ads to them; however, the long-term effect could be negative since you ads only relate to such a small demographic. I am wondering what you see as the long-term effects of your positioning? In addition, how is your company planning on making destinations such as the Middle East more attractive to American travelers? The post also mentions that the main competitors of Emirates Airlines are Air France, British Airways, and Lufthansa. From experience, I know that these airlines provide superior service and create an in-flight experience unmatched by any of the American airlines I have flown abroad. Which leads me to my next question: How will your company emphasize the awards for excellence that Emirates Airlines has achieved, in order to broaden awareness of their services? Your blog intrigues me and I look forward to reading your posts in the future. Thank you again for providing such ample information about the expansion of Emirates Airlines and ISM's role in the launch for the advertising campaign.
I want to start off by praising your blog finds. The article “Africa Chic” is informative, surprising and I believe the content it presents is not widely known by the general public and by linking it to your blog you have opened this phenomenon up to an even wider audience. As an avid traveler and the daughter of a travel agent I had never before read that the US president elections directly cause a spike in travel to the birth place or— in this case— the ancestral home of our newly-elected president. I also thought the questions you posed to the blogger were really relevant. She had addressed the topic from a figures and revenue standpoint for Africa and explored the motives from the side of the tourists but she never did address, as you probed her to do, the attitudes and reactions of the villagers and locals whose lives will be interrupted and affected by this “fad”. I thought you were right to probe her for further information. On the other hand, while I found your emirates article interesting as a consumer, it was a bit confusing. I understand that IMS represents the company that the article is critiquing but it was a bit strange to have a third person write an unbiased article and then have the company post it on their site which you then addressed your comments to in the first person. I think it might have been more powerful to find a critique on a third party site since IMS has an obvious bias. Of course this is no fault of yours but I wonder how IMS’s answers would differ from the writer of the article. Of course your comments to IMS were directly related to their work and how they are handling the promotion and their future campaign but it makes me wonder how much influence, IMS, as a marketing agency had over this article. I do think your questions really showcased your understanding of marketing and hinted that even as you were questioning the company’s future work on this project that you yourself had your own ideas and opinions on how they should proceed.
ReplyDeleteOverall I thought your finds and questions were good. The only thing I felt was missing from your introduction was how these two articles tied to together and what they said about the overall trends in travel. In my opinion I didn’t need to know so much about how reputable these sources were but what they meant in relation to one another.