📌 Hospitality Highlights: 13th May 2023
Latest Marketing News, Trends, Buyer Insights & Strategic Intelligence
Welcome to this week's newsletter, where I share the latest hospitality news and trends.
In this week's Hospitality Highlights Newsletter
Instagram Tests UGC Sharing Tool to Help Brands Bridge Gap With Creators
Airbnb Introduces ‘Airbnb Rooms
Uber Eats Expands Voice Order Tracking With Amazon Alexa
Google Search to Become More “Visual, Snackable, Personal, and Human”
TripAdvisor Introduces New Updates
TikTok Launches ‘Pulse Premiere’
Google Adds Blue Checkmark Verification to Gmail
New Updates to Polls and Sharing With Captions on WhatsApp
Man Taken to Court Over €13,000 Cristal Mishap
#AskDawnGribble How do I find the right influencers for a marketing campaign?
Industry Insights: Sustainable Hospitality, Staycations, Work From Anywhere
☕ Grab a coffee, and let's dive in
Hospitality Highlights - Marketing News
🤝 Instagram Tests UGC sharing tool
Instagram is testing a new feature allowing brands to share user-generated content (UGC) in the app without the paid partnerships label.
According to Instagram, partnership ads are the most effective way for advertisers to run ads with their partners. Combining partnership ads with business-as-usual ads has driven 53% higher click-through rates, 19% lower cost per action, and a 99% probability of outperforming business-as-usual ads alone.
With 70% of consumers considering UGC reviews or ratings before purchasing, the business case for this is clear. Instagram's plan to expand content collaboration is further evidence of the value of social-proof content.
📍 Airbnb introduces ‘Airbnb rooms’
Airbnb is significantly improving its platform in preparation for an expected 300 million guest arrivals this year. These improvements include the introduction of Airbnb Rooms, a new take on the original Airbnb, and over 50 new features and upgrades based on feedback from Airbnb's community of hosts and guests.
These features include a total price display, transparent checkout instructions, improved maps, redesigned wishlists, and more. With these improvements, Airbnb aims to make its platform more user-friendly and attractive to guests and hosts.
🗣️ Uber Eats Expands Voice Order Tracking With Amazon Alexa
Uber Eats has partnered with Amazon to allow US consumers to track their order status through Amazon Echo devices. The integration will offer real-time, hands-free order tracking from preparation to delivery.
Uber Eats has also integrated voice assistants, Google Assistant and Apple Siri within the past year. The new feature offers convenience to consumers by allowing them to receive updates via Alexa notification, with users able to choose how many Alexa devices they want to activate. This move could help Uber Eats boost partnerships and differentiate from its competitors.
👀 Google Search to Become More “Visual, Snackable, Personal, and Human.”
Google is set to make significant changes to its search engine, focusing on making it more visual, personal, snackable, and human. The change is aimed at younger internet users globally who prefer visually appealing and easy-to-digest content.
Google will move away from the traditional “ten blue links” and instead provide a more interactive interface and layout that appeals to younger searchers.
The new search engine, yet to be released, will allow users to complete financial transactions such as shopping or booking flights without leaving the search engine.
This new effort demonstrates Google’s ambitions to reimagine the search experience and could significantly impact the hospitality industry.
🗺️ TripAdvisor Introduces New Updates
TripAdvisor is introducing new formats to increase monetisation and user engagement. The company is making changes to improve planning tools, with plans to incorporate generative AI.
The changes include elevating the search bar, being more deliberate about driving qualified traffic, and pairing recommendations from experts with advice from travellers. These changes have led to higher click-through rates, a reduction in bounce rates, and improvements in review completion and photo submissions, all fundamental areas for their strategy going forward.
The work they're progressing at the intersection of trip planning and generative AI is particularly exciting for CEO Matt Goldberg, who believes they're uniquely positioned to combine their proprietary first-party data and large language models to embed them in the tools travellers use need to plan itineraries end to end.
This is important for the hospitality industry as it can help travellers make informed decisions and book their experiences earlier in the trip-planning stage.
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📱 TikTok Partners With Top Publishers With ‘Pulse Premiere’
TikTok has launched its new ad product, Pulse Premiere.
Pulse Premiere guarantees marketers' ads run immediately after trusted publishers' TikToks. The new ad slots will also help publishers generate more revenue from their TikTok investments through revenue-sharing agreements.
This is an excellent opportunity for hotels and restaurants because they can benefit from the brand-safe space offered by Pulse Premiere. Ads will run only after trusted publishers' TikToks, which can increase their visibility and credibility.
📧 Google Adds Blue Checkmark Verification to Gmail
Google has introduced blue checkmark verification to its Gmail platform, adding another layer of security to email communication. The checkmark will appear next to senders' names and will help users identify messages from legitimate senders versus impersonators.
This feature is available to all users with a personal Google account, Google Workspace customers, and legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers.
Email security is essential for the hospitality industry. This feature will help marketers prevent phishing and spoof email attacks, boosting campaign performance and creating a better email ecosystem for everyone.
📊 New Updates to Polls and Sharing With Captions on WhatsApp
WhatsApp has rolled out two new updates to make chats more productive and fun.
The first update allows users to create single-vote polls, search for them in chats, and get notifications when someone votes on their poll. Perfect for team or customer feedback.
The second update allows users to forward media with captions or add captions to documents to provide more context for the recipient. These updates can help keep guests updated on menus, events, promotions, and deals.
🥂 Man Taken to Court Over €13,000 Cristal Mishap
A German restaurant is taking a man to court after he refused to pay €13,000 for a six-litre bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal. The customer requested a “special bottle” during a night out at Mon Amie Maxi, a French brasserie in Frankfurt. He was presented with the prestige cuvée, which the man and his companions enjoyed.
However, the celebrations were short-lived when he received the bill and realised the bottle was priced at €13,000, not €1,300. The case will ascertain whether the man was told the wrong price or misheard.
This a reminder for restaurants and other hospitality venues to ensure that their pricing is transparent and clearly displayed, avoiding potential customer misunderstandings or disputes.
ICYMI
#AskDawnGribble
Each week, I answer your question and provide expert tips and advice to help you stay ahead of the game.
How do I find the right influencers for a marketing campaign?
Influencer marketing has become a popular way to reach target audiences for many businesses. However, there is much more to it than signing up with an influencer with many followers.
Look for relevant influencers who can express themselves, take quality photos, research their topics, and have recognised contacts. They should be online professionals working with the same dedication and attention as you invest in your campaign.
It's important to consider factors beyond their follower count, such as ensuring their values, messaging, and content align with your brand's. A controversial post can quickly become a PR nightmare, so working with an influencer who believes in your brand's values and will represent it authentically is essential.
Take the time to create an ideal influencer persona and use tools to find the right influencers. Ensure they authentically represent your brand and align with your brand's values, messaging, and content.
Example Persona - Luxury Hotel Influencer
Channel: Instagram
Demographics: Aged between 25 and 45, with a high disposable income and a passion for luxury travel and experiences.
Audience: An engaged audience that values quality over quantity
Values: Personal brand aligned with the hotel's sophistication, elegance, and exclusivity values.
Characteristics: Well-travelled, stylish and with an eye for luxury.
Experience: Have experience in the travel industry, and be able to provide insider tips and recommendations to their audience.
Content Requirements: Visually stunning content that showcases the hotel's amenities, services, and unique features in an aspirational and authentic way.
Attitude: Open to trying new experiences and activities, and be able to provide honest and insightful feedback to their followers.
When looking for an influencer, examine their career, the causes they support, and their outlook on life. Digging into the comments section on an influencer's recent posts can give insight into how their audience reacts to branded content and what kind of community they create.
Is their language, whether it's complementary to your brand voice?
Do their comments sound informed, and do they demonstrate evident expertise on the topics that matter most in your industry?
Several tools can help you find influencers online, such as Buzzsumo, Followerwonk, and Findyourinfluence.
Check trending hashtags on Instagram, visit other social networks like Twitter to see who's trending, or search on Google for the kind of influencers you're looking for.
Youtube can also be a helpful place where influencers can do longer reviews of products and 'Travel With Me' videos.
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