Marketing Through Seasonality

Marketing Through SeasonalityUtah Tourism ConferenceMay 15, 2013

Thursday, May 16, 13


Offices

Los Angeles

Portland

Salt Lake CityNew York City

65 employees

4 offices


KeyPractices

StrategyBrandTargetingDigitalSocial

CreativeTV/VideoInteractivePrintSocial

DesignBrandingUIPackagingMobile

ProductionBuildMotion3DContent

TechnologyInnovationMobileInstallationsAggregation


Expertise inTravel and Tourism


A Legacy inEntertainment


Reputation for Digital Innovation


Clients


Industry Recognition Multiple Webby Awards

Cannes Gold Lion

London International AwardGold Clio

FWA Site of the Day/Month/Year

AdAge Small Agency Award - Southwest

Multiple National Addy Awards


Lemony Snicket’s“…the purest example of visual elegance on the big screen…”

Nike “Cleverly designed website to promote the spirit of the films and the storied shoe...”

TCBY “TCBY is getting a big visual boost with this concept.”

Gatorade“Since its launch, discussions about sports performance have jumped to nearly 60% from 35%...”

Utah Tourism“It's a clever, yet beautiful idea…”

Awards are one thing. Creating buzz is another.


So, who is Struck?


Struck is a digital-forward creative agency makingbrands greater than.



Agency Reel


Holiday Window Stroll

Mexico Russia

Celebrating the language of the holidays from around the world

China

Let’s talk seasonality



Mexico Russia


China

In a sense...



Mexico Russia


China

Battling it can be like David vs. Goliath


Natural Seasonality


Institutional Seasonalilty







So...back to David vs. Goliath?




Mexico Russia


China

Try to take a different tack




Mexico Russia


China

Let’s get started...



It all begins and ends with digital


Online travelers continue to be alive and welland darn near everywhere

• Today, 6 in 10 travelers use online resources for researching and nearly 5 in 10 to book

• That equates to 123 million planners and 101 million bookers

• Trending growth over the next 4 years, in both the planning and booking phases


When they do book, your website is like your front door

• And a little more than 1/3 of customers are knocking on it.

• OTAs are second highest channel.

• Cumulatively, almost 75% of reported booking channels are online.


The Research (or Dreaming) phase is being served more and more through social media

• Three-quarters of travelers use FB as part of the research phase

• Photos• Video• Stories and statuses

• Instagram projected to grow even higher in years to come


Think Mobile, because travelers are already there

• Mobile internet and mobile apps are becoming part of the travel experience.

• In the moment, in real time.

• On the go travel planning creates an opportunity to interact at the point of contact and immediacy



What else do we know about travelers?



Generational perspectives


Boomers (born 1946-1964)

• Do not reach quite as high levels of activity as their younger counterparts; nearly 8 in 10, or 59.9 million baby boomers, were regular internet users in 2012

• Mobile internet and smartphone uptake were slow compared to other groups

• Have also not taken up social networking to the same degree as younger web users, but 57.6% of internet users did use the services in 2012

• Accounted for more than one in five social network users and about the same share of Facebook users in 2012

• Digital video is even more popular than social sites with boomers; nearly 6 in 10 boomer internet users downloaded or streamed video at least monthly in 2012

Source: eMarketer



Gen X (born 1965-1980)

• Avid consumers of online content; typically use social networking sites on at least a monthly basis

• 74.5% of Gen X web users did so in 2012, and nearly two-thirds used Facebook in particular (65.6%)

• Twitter, however, reached only 14.7% of Gen X internet users at the end of last year (expected to reach 19.5% of this audience by 2017)

• Digital video is even more popular among Gen X internet users than social networking, with 78.7% downloading or streaming video online at least once per month

Source: eMarketer



Millennials (born 1981-2000)

• Millennials take online activity up a notch; 92.3% used a mobile phone in 2012, among whom 63.2% used the mobile web and slightly fewer used smartphones

• Highest social networking penetration of any generation; highest Facebook and Twitter use

• Millennials now make up more than half of all US Twitter users, and will hover around that point for the next several years

• Account for about four in 10 digital video viewers

Source: eMarketer




Eight suggestionsto address seasonality

Source: Hubspot


1. Strike while the iron is hot


• Create opportunities for connection on the most prominent areas of your site

• Examples for opportunities• Subscribe to an E-mail newsletter• Subscribe to a blog• Fan, follow, or like you• Provide a deal/offer

Build your database during your peak season


• Create content that’s current or topical: holidays, major events, pop culture• Host online contests to gather new, prospective customers• Use your social media channels (FB, Twitter, YouTube) to invite people to

learn more about your business

A few other ways to grow your database


2. Ask for reviews


• By gathering customer stories and testimonials when they’re still fresh means you'll have reviews that are detailed, personal and will resonate with off-season readers.

Testimonials offer credibility

• Use them in your off-season email marketing and off-season promotions.

• Ask guests to submit pictures and videos or ask to video them for a case study.

• The more raw and interesting content you can get from your customers, the better and more genuine your promotion will be.



3. Re-imagine your content in the off-season


The Four “C”s of brand-building content

The following principles have a proven ability to increase awareness and improve brand perception:

1) Capture your brand’s North Star in branded content.

2) Connect to your consumers in context.

3) Create visible value.

4) Continuously measure and optimize.

Source: Forrester



If I’m a Washington County Cherry Grower...

• 10 recipes that actually taste better With frozen cherries than fresh ones

• How to Can and Jar Fruit to Last All Year• How to Make a Healthy Smoothie With Frozen cherries• 7 Outdoor Summer Activities to Book for Your Family Right

Now using St. George as your basecamp


4. Be the life of the party

Gatsby image


Be social, the year round




Staying year-round: a few recommendations

Twitter• Provide frequent updates• Engage in the conversation• Nurture the community• Product Twitter "chats"

Facebook• Regular updates to your fans and followers• Opportunity to share video and photos with community engagement (YouTube as well)• Use polls allowing voting and discussion on fun things to do and see about your destination• Solicit engagement from direct questions resulting in focused responses


5. Don’t forget about e-mail


Subj. line: “Beat the heat in Idaho”Sent: 8/25/12


While we’re talking about email...

• Short Subject Line: Under 70 characters, to be exact. For mobile? 20 characters or less.• Clear 'From' Field: Be clear to the recipient who the message is coming from. You? Company Name?

Nothing technical.• Browser Version of the Email Is Offered: Including the option for recipients to view your email in

their web browser. • Short Message With Short Chunks of Text: Keep it concise and make sure you’re leading to the

CTA


While we’re talking about email...

• Fonts and Colors Remain Simple: Rely on a handful of colors and fewer fonts to prevent visual overstimulation.

• Clear Call-to-Action: Make it easy for readers to figure out what their next action is. • Social Sharing: According to Econsultancy, emails that include just one social sharing button have

30% higher click-through rates and when you offer three or more, click-through rate jumps to 55%• Straightforward Unsubscribe Option: Don’t euphemize or hide it. Place it in the footer and make it

easy to use (though hopeful no one will!)


http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/6114-study-sharing-options-increase-email-click-through-rates-but-marketers-aren-t-taking-advantage

http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/6114-study-sharing-options-increase-email-click-through-rates-but-marketers-aren-t-taking-advantage

6. Generate hype with storytelling


What’s on the horizon that your customers can get excited about?

• New product offering• Early bird discounts or sales• Sweepstakes or contests



Tell a story



Consumers like a good story

• Resonates with greater “truth” and not overly sales-y.

• Emotional

• Engaging

• Multi-platform


Elements of storytelling

• IMMERSION: Create an immersive experience through content that is delivered in multi-media and that is multi-sensory. Can I go deeper into the story-world, by learning more

• about it or by heightening my sensory experience of it?• INTERACTIVITY: Allow the consumer to become a part of it. Can I change or influence

elements of the story? Can I interact with other people around the story?• INTEGRATION: Ensure there is coherence across the many touchpoints. Is a cohesive

story being told across platforms? Can it interface with the real world in any way?• IMPACT: Make it lead to action. Does the story inspire me to take action in my own life?

source: Future of Storytelling





Best practices to get yourstories germinating


MEET BASIC INFORMATION NEEDS. Audiences desire instant access to information that deepens their experiences of a narrative, such as added historical or cultural context for a story’s setting (e.g., “how did people actually live back then?”).

OFFER A NEW VANTAGE POINT. Allow audiences to explore different perspectives—by seeing things from a certain character’s point-of-view or by becoming a character themselves who is not a main character. Because works of historical fiction tend to have richer, more “novel” story-worlds, they’re ripe for these types of off-the-beaten-path interactions.

OFFER A SOMEWHAT ACTIVE EXPERIENCE. Only 12% prefer completely passive media experiences, while more than half crave “a lot” of interactivity when it comes to making plot decisions, interacting with or influencing characters, and so on.




CONVERSE WITH THE REAL WORLD. Audiences want their actions in the physical world to impact the larger narrative. For example: contribute to battle efforts against another side by having your smartphone register when you’re near a particular location or another participating fan, or by importing an object into the story-world by scanning a real version of it with your phone. Not surprisingly, real world integration is popular for sci-fi, fantasy, and other epic stories.

BE LONG-RUNNING. Forget flings; today’s audiences want to commit to long-term media relationships. Thirty-eight percent thought the perfect story would be 4+ installments, while 31% felt never-ending would be just the right length.


7. Look for niches ornew productsto differentiate


Bakery example: introduce new products(e.g. gluten-free) that can help absorb seasonal lag


Dog Bark Park, Idaho


8. Don’t forget your locals




Mexico Russia


China

Summary


8. Don’t forget your locals

7. Look for niches or new products to differentiate

6. Generate hype with storytelling

5. Don’t forget about e-mail

4. Be the life of the party. Year-round social activity

3. Re-imagine your content in the off-season

2. Ask for reviews

1. Strike while the iron is hot


Thanks.
