tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29875741.post3460967754543682425..comments2024-03-09T20:40:14.660+11:00Comments on The BOOT - The Business of Online Travel: Why travel companies aren't building top global brandsTim Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05383381229302650553noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29875741.post-51766314144819958052009-09-30T05:28:50.325+10:002009-09-30T05:28:50.325+10:00The travel business has created a model that dares...The travel business has created a model that dares its customers to beat the system. Airlines create fare rules, surcharges and ancillary revenues that challenge the traveler. To say nothing of near monopolistic hubs that limit customer choice. Hotels have loyalty programs that lock guests in, ever changing rates and rules. OTA's have created an environment that encourages relentless shopping for the very best deal.<br /><br />Countless columnists and bloggers advise us how to beat the travel companies at their own game; making the travel purchase experience little better than buying a used-car.<br /><br />Travel companies will not gain value from their brands until they primarily focus on customers and genuinely seek to sustain and grow long-term relationships. For now most travel businesses fail to look beyond short term metrics and pay scant attention to brand and customer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29875741.post-62775735709721889962009-09-29T23:27:03.328+10:002009-09-29T23:27:03.328+10:00How about Virgin Atlantic? OK, it's not a glob...How about Virgin Atlantic? OK, it's not a global brand, but it is the only travel brand I know of where customers are willing to do a trade off in the price/schedule dilema for the unique brand experience - at least in the UK! <br /><br />A different question is if a company of this size could increase its scale to become a global brand without diluting its brand value...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29875741.post-91886445343774580352009-09-29T18:55:27.394+10:002009-09-29T18:55:27.394+10:00Brand strenght is also an approximate measure for ...Brand strenght is also an approximate measure for market share, meaning that broadly speaking and with some exceptions, larger companies in a sector have also stronnger brands. The travel sector is too big and too diversified for one brand to have a significant share of the market; the leading company in air travel is not the best in accommodation or packaged tours and so on. So I think it's much harder for a travel business to get recognised internationally and across multiple sectors within the travel industry. Furthermore, the travel purchase is a more engaged one than for other consumer products. It's more important to chose a trip than a cola and my choice will depend on many factors including customer service, price, convenience of airport, feedback from friends, time available, etc.; for a cola I am influenced only by taste and to a smaller degree by the brand itself.<br />Said that, I hope one day to build that travel company with a huge brand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29875741.post-2054614814008010872009-09-29T13:49:18.633+10:002009-09-29T13:49:18.633+10:00My Take..
5% of consumers are truely brand loyal....My Take..<br /><br />5% of consumers are truely brand loyal. The other 95% are habitual. <br /><br />"I travel Qantas because I travelled with them previously"<br /><br />"I walk into Flight Centre because I walked in there last time"<br /><br />(and my needs were met)<br /><br />Our task is to either re-inforce the habit by timely stimulation. As a competitor we need to find away of appealling to the consumer that provides them with a quantifiable reason for breaking the habit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29875741.post-73745910156033886722009-09-29T10:06:35.160+10:002009-09-29T10:06:35.160+10:00I'm no expert on branding, but it would seem t...I'm no expert on branding, but it would seem that any brand loyalty has to be based on gaining trust around core personal values, not just an in your face, continual bombardment of a message, logo, and slogan. Perhaps in this day and age there are bottom line financial factors that travel brands aren't able to transcend to create brand loyalty, such as fuel costs. My bet is that the first travel brand to embrace a triple bottom line philosophy and lead the industry in sustainable business practices will have the best shot at cracking that top 100.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29875741.post-4268205973241018902009-09-29T08:16:10.533+10:002009-09-29T08:16:10.533+10:00In my opinion there are to many smaller brands in ...In my opinion there are to many smaller brands in travel. Also, adding value to the product offering rather than just price is key.Chris @ Noziohttp://www.nozio.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29875741.post-10577127906486983072009-09-29T06:20:06.601+10:002009-09-29T06:20:06.601+10:00hi,
my opinion....specifically related to the exam...hi,<br />my opinion....specifically related to the examples you provided. the difference is a fundamental one in industry structure due to consumption patterns. your examples, coke and ferrari, are both poster-children for naturally evolved oligopolies, whereas travel (especially where the 'big brands' play in the 3.5 to 4.5 star categories) is a much more crowded playing field. there, the industry has evolved much more 'perfect competition' style and therefore no individual can make their way to the fore.Lee Klassenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01294146618741189952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29875741.post-72774025840311346982009-09-29T01:07:25.332+10:002009-09-29T01:07:25.332+10:00@Steve S - great comment.@Steve S - great comment.Tim Hugheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05383381229302650553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29875741.post-57037945477036701632009-09-28T23:53:08.347+10:002009-09-28T23:53:08.347+10:00love it.
hardest thing in business i reckon is t...love it. <br /><br />hardest thing in business i reckon is to create brand. Basically i have no idea how to do it.<br /><br />pheww – look! you can refer to all the branding booking and principles you like (al ries in origin of brands (great read), of course good to great, brand bubble or most recent I started to read "borrowing brilliance" (will be a goodie).<br /><br />but question being? you can read all you f&8#in! like, but how do you f&8#in! create the brand that people flock to en mass? (like twitter, facebook, google, wotif etc?)<br /><br />like i said i have basically no f&8#in! idea, but i have a suspicion you have to actually identify a problem, understand the problem adeptly, then come up with a relevant solution (that people may not even know they need).<br /><br />After that, then get the word out via the press & wom and fingers crossed you become synonymous with that solution! <br /><br />sounds easy hey? Well i reckon that’s basically it in theory. Putting the ingredients together to get it to work is another story. <br /><br />Though as an entreprenuer if you don’t achieve this (that includes me), no matter if you make a profit, i reckon you've failed in the scheme of brand building.<br /><br />i guess all i can say is dont give up til you resolve a problem that is significant enough.Steve Sherlockhttp://www.twitter.com/stevesherlocknoreply@blogger.com