The Vitrue Blog

Reggie Bradford, our CEO, recently published an article at Adotas about user generated content and the travel industry. Below is an excerpt or click over to the Adotas site to read in it's entirety.

The Travel Industry Association (TIA) of America estimates annual travel expenditures at more than $730 billion. World figures, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, were valued at $2.97 trillion last year. With the United States leading the world in sheer quantity of travel, it's no wonder that agency, hospitality and hotel marketers are brainstorming ideas on how to attract customers and grow business. The adoption of user-generated content (UGC) has proven to be a significant vehicle to capitalize on this tremendous market opportunity. By bringing their customers into the mix, brands are fueling two-way dialogues that provide dimension and authenticity directly from the consumers about the brand's promise and experience. Over the past several years I've seen firsthand how the power of social media has impacted the tourism industry by working with clients who have been incredibly successful in leveraging this powerful medium to their advantage. With more than 40 percent of all hotel bookings projected to be booked via the Internet this year (according to Milestone Internet Marketing), hoteliers must take a proactive approach to engage their consumers by asking them to participate directly with their brands.  

I read an interesting interview with Founder and CEO of Real Travel Inc., Ken Leeder, in EyeforTravel on March 6, 2008. In this article, Mr. Leeder contended that the idea of "Travel 2.0," or the interlacing of social media with travel companies' consumer outreach, may in the future be linked to social networks like Facebook. He pointed out an alleged disconnect in intentions between people visiting travel sites and those accessing social networks, debating if consumers would be reluctant to have their demographic and psychographic information shared with travel agencies and advertisers for no additional value.

"Have you ever wanted to make a promotional video or Television Commercial? Do you get tired of seeing the same old commercials over and over? Could you do a better job selling that story?"

This is what Meijer, a Midwest retail supercenter, is asking its consumers to do - create consumer generated ads. Engaging your consumers and letting them guide the messaging of your advertising campaign is a great way to gauge what they believe as the equity of the brand. Consumer generated media is very powerful and if executed correctly, can be very successful. Ensuring safety throughout the promotion is a key factor. Meijer just launched its promotion, so I am going to keep an eye on what their consumers come up with.

Pringles recently ran a contest that was asking its consumers to create "Jingle for Pringles." The Pringles team was curious to see what its consumers thought of the brand and how they would communicate that through a song. As it turned out, the messaging that was being represented in the videos were right in line with Pringles' brand equity.

 

 As the Cincinnati Bengals gear up for another competitive season, they are once again encouraging their fans to create fan generated content that best expresses the passion for the team.

Think you've got a better Touchdown Dance than Chad Johnson? Want to share your favorite tailgating moments or experiences with other Bengals fans? Grab your camera, shoot a short video clip of your favorite Bengals activity, and upload it to the site.

As a registered user, you can make connections with other Bengals fans around the world no matter where you might be. Form new networks of Bengals friends, send and receive personal messages and share your Who Dey spirit with your new Bengals community!