Tapping into the tech-savvy marketplace

Advertising across multiple devices requires travel brands to have a detailed understanding of where customers are in the path to purchase. The future holds no room for the right content at the wrong time, regardless of device or platform. For example, if a traveller is researching three Mediterranean beach destinations, they are clearly still in the early stages of the purchase path and targeting them with a hotel ad would at best have no impact and at worst irritate them.

A video ad highlighting selling points of a particular beach destination in the Mediterranean is more likely to be met with a positive reception. The challenge for advertisers is how to tell one sequential story across multiple devices at different stages of the traveller path to purchase.

As technology continues to advance and new data streams are created, consumers’ expectations for more sophisticated and tailored ads based on real-time data will increase – and, to be frank, they should.

Ultimately, holidays will begin to find us, rather than the other way around. Think about it: the use of this data, controlled by the traveller, will include everything from travel history, brand affinity, personal interests, reviews and purchase behaviours all the way to real-time location-based data and social media content. When advertisers intelligently analyse this data, travellers will receive custom offerings and deals that are personalised to a whole new level.

Imagine getting a message that tells you a) you’re due for a holiday, b) you’ve looked up the Hawaiian island of Kauai several times in the past year, c) there is a four-star hotel room available with a brand you have tended to favour at the same week of the year you went on your last summer holiday, d) you have enough money in your bank account to pay for it or hotel loyalty points that are applicable, e) and a tour-guide recommended by your cousin is available at those dates... All the consumer has to do is click a button to book and have all the itineraries sent to all of their devices. That stops being an “ad” and becomes a personal service. As connected products become mainstream, it will become imperative for travel companies to keep relevancy and user control front of mind.