Marketing on the Smart Web

Of course, widget are nothing new on blogs or sites but I found this new one introduced by VisualDNA adds an interesting twist that should make it much more fun for site visitors to use. Here’s Stephen Fry telling you how it works:

As a matter of fact, you can try it out right here on this blog. Just at bit down on the right hand side is an attractive selection of pictures to click on. Based on the clicks the tool will determine your preferences, or travel related DNA and offer the products it determines are most relevant to you.

There are different shop options and the widget can be personalized. If you’re interested in having your own, just go to http://shops.visualdna.com and click “Create a shop”, you should then be prompted for an access code. Please enter “buhlerworksvisualdnashops” and you should be able to set up a PRO shop of your own.

Reads the title of the  Travolution blog post guest written by Mark Seall which I found very thought provoking.

I thought it might be useful to repeat my comments here as well:

If the major travel players are indeed aware of the fast changing environment they are operating in, it isn’t reflected in how their web presence looks like and how they market their product. It all comes along fairly conservatively.

The discussion reminds me of this recent article in The New Yorker magazine  by Malcolm Gladwell. The innovators (Davids) of the first phase have in only a few years become the legacy players (Goliaths). It seems the next group of market entrants ready to challenge them are entering the scene under the web 2.0 banner generally describing the social web and the tools it brings along.

With recommendations by friends and relatives having been a major influence factor of travel decisions for decades now, it is only normal that with these new social tools being developed and introduced in the marketplace, this key element will be turbo-charged to a new degree.

The innovators who are capitalizing on this part of the travel process are challenging the established players as they themselves did when entering the scene more than a decade ago automating the first and easier part, the transaction which we all know is not where travel process begins. The game is on. Should be interesting to watch who the new winners will be.

By the way a similar discussion on the topic of legacy OTAs has been held recently on Dennis Schaal’s blog here. Great stuff.

Today’s the tenth Anniversary of The Cluetrain Manifesto – The end of business as usual. Here’s part of the introduction:

A powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter—and getting smarter faster than most companies.

Now, ten years on a lot of fundamental changes many brought about by this seminal work have happened and the 95 theses seem mostly as relevant as ever, however, what struck me is thesis 87:

We’d like it if you got what’s going on here. That’d be real nice. But it would be a big mistake to think we’re holding our breath.

I don’t know about you, but this still resonates with me. With all we have learned and the great tools at our disposal, how many companies don’t really seem to get it? How many are still practicing controlled one way communications and marketing speak? We all have our examples and they can be found in any industry.

Will this still be the case when we celebrate cluetrainplus15? I definitely hope not. By that time let’s hope everyone finally gets it.

Came across a great blog post here with a recap of a panel discussion with Peter Kim, Jeremiah Owyand and Charlene Li, three leading voices on social media at the Web 2.0 conference. Below is my comment on it

Excellent comments about some fundamental issues relevant to social media and its use, non-use or abuse by corporations. It is clear to me that we are in the midst of a process that is clearly evolving fast but is still in an early stage when it comes to complete awareness of the subject and its implications on business by the corporate world, especially C-level executives who are not on the leading edge here and are not following the topic on a constant basis as most of the subject matter experts do.

It seems that the whole question of who should deal with this latest “new thing” is still being kicked around between departments and within hierarchies that are more complex the larger the organization. The more it is discussed and dissected, the more it loses spontaneity required to make it a genuine, fresh voice and becomes just more corporate speak. If social media is approached as just another vehicle for PR speak, is it any wonder that the results and the ever present ROI are disappointing?

Social media and participation in social networks requires an open and fresh approach not a continuation of the marketing communications status quo to be effective.

Originally posted as a comment by jebworks on Social Computing Magazine using Disqus.

All are full of insights. One of my favorites, having been around for a while is #10

of online travel, to find that Independent Hotels’ Online Presence Lagging according to this recent study by GuestCentric. The gap between the larger chains and smaller independent hotels is significant when it comes to an effective presence online and the use of web based marketing and distribution tools.

The web was supposed to have leveled the playing field for large and small players but it seems that hasn’t entirely happened in the accommodation sector yet, although according to the latest PhoCusWright Consumer Travel Trends Survey Hotel stays were the most popular component with U.S. online leisure travel buyers in 2007.

This is proof of the growth opportunity for the accommodation sector and poses a challenge to those who haven’t yet focused on how to best use the web as a key tool to assure their future success and do so fast or very likely continue to decline and eventually disappear. No supplier in the travel industry can any longer afford to stay on the sidelines when it comes to the effective use of the web.

Technorati Tags: hotels, accommodation,

in this article Thinking About the Social Web? Do Something! on ClickZ. It corresponds with my own view on the changed market environment companies in all industries – but especially travel – have to compete in to get customer attention and buy-in.

The command and control era is fast coming to an end, if it has not already in fact ended. This will necessitate a shift in attitude, marketing strategy and dollars from the old channels to social media but to be effective, these dollars need to be spent in innovative and smart ways. Developing compelling messages, based on what can be learned from monitoring the conversations and have them spread by enthusiasts and brand advocates will become a key marketing task. The article contains some great advice on how to go about it.Technorati Tags: social media, web 2.0, marketing, monitoring,

according to this presentation by Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker, reported in Tech Crunch

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Here are some more figures that show the rapid growth rates of he major social sites:

* YouTube + Facebook page views > Google or Yahoo page views (and may be bigger than both combined)
* 6/10 top internet sites are social (youtube, live.com, facebook, hi5, wikipedia, orkut); none were on the list in 2005
* YouTube has 258 million users, 50% visit weekly or more
* >50% of Facebook users log in daily, 95% of Facebook users have used at least one third party application
* Skype revenue is $1.67/user/year, up 9% Y/Y
* 14 million photos uploaded daily on Facebook
* Google + Yahoo = 61% of U.S. Online Ad Revenue
* Google: $4.4b ad revenue in Q4, paid out $1.4 billion to partners
* Yahoo: $1.6 billion in ad revenue in Q4, paid out $429 million to partners

The impact this has on overall media consumption, social interaction on the web as well as consumer buying behavior seems evident and another clear indicator how important it is for organizations in any industry to pay attention to what is being said about them on these sites. The challenge is to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff, break through the clutter to get to the essential stuff impacting their business.

are contained in this interview with CNN’s King on Obama’s iCampaign on Always On

and it’s not the politics he talks about which is important but his comments about the new media world we live in and how it affects every facet of communication. The situation he describes that the traditional media finds itself in, applies to any industry. The lesson to be learned is that it’s about the conversation that influences peoples opinion about issues or products or services, and how you get involved in it. He repeatedly makes the remark that you can’t fight it or ignore it. It’s the exact same message I’ve been telling on this blog since day one. Great commentary from a real media professional.