What makes a great publicist?

June 14, 2024

Filed under: Public Relations — @ 9:48 am

Want to know what makes a great publicist? Study pigeons for a while and you’ll find out.

I’m currently engaged in a war with pigeons, who have recently decided that my NYC apartment balcony would make a fantastic community center. All day long, pigeons drop by alone or in groups to hang out. If there’s a pigeon travel guide out there, I’m certain that my balcony is a top listing and location coordinates are given. So it’s both a local hangout and a tourist attraction. Lovely.

One good thing has come out of this, however. When at war, it’s wise to study your enemy. And while studying the habits and characteristics of pigeons, I noticed that they have three things in common with great publicists: persistence, resourcefulness, and creativity.

A grey pigeon with a red eye on a blue sky background.

Wanted: Publicist Job. Will work for birdseed.

If you do PR as part or all of your job, you’ll need these three tools in your toolbox. Here’s how you can take a page from a pigeon’s book to hone these skills.

PERSISTENCE

No matter how many times I chase them away and how many different pigeon-repelling solutions I employ, they keep trying. Sometimes, they even have the stones to land while I’m sitting out there. It’s the very definition of “no fear.”

That is EXACTLY what’s required to be a great publicist. Not to keep hammering away at the same journalist with the same story, but to not get discouraged by rejection, roadblocks, or lack of response. When you have a story to tell, you have to pitch your heart out. If a journalist shows no interest in one story but the client really wants to be in that media outlet, come up with other stories and angles to pitch. Don’t give up and show no fear.

RESOURCEFULNESS

When I put (safe, humane) anti-pigeon gel on the outer ledge, they started landing on the railing base. When I put it on the railing base, they started flying over the railing and landing on the tables. When I noticed they usually land on the top railing corners and put stuff there, they started landing in the middle. No matter what roadblocks I threw in their path, they found a way around them.

Second cousin to persistence, resourcefulness is ESSENTIAL for what makes a great publicist. You have to be nimble enough to meet tight deadlines and unusual journalist requests, often under high-pressure conditions. You are not always given the tools, timing, or full details you need… and yet, you still have to find a way to make that story compelling enough to catch a journalist’s interest. And timing is SO important in publicity that you’re constantly shifting moving parts around to be ready in time for that event, that launch, that photo shoot, and that media tour.

Bottom line: every great publicist needs to have a little MacGyver in them.

CREATIVITY

When I discovered that they were trying to build a nest behind one of my chairs (perhaps the guidebook said rooms were available?), I was surprised at the materials being gathered there. Some twigs, a bit of red string, a plastic straw, an unbent paper clip, a bit of fluff, some crumbled paper… it was all very haphazard and “un-nest like.” But city pigeons are scrappy and they use what’s available to make it work. This makes their nests full of unexpected and creative things.

That level of creativity is what makes a publicist really shine. How do you take that nugget of an idea and turn it into a viable, interesting story? How do you build on this program to make it newsworthy again in year two? How do you make news for a client that has no news? Oh, this idea didn’t work? What’s the next idea…and the one after that? Creativity is the lifeblood of successful public relations. You’ve got to look at a lot of disparate things and see how they can be assimilated to build your nest.

As you can see, these three things – persistence, resourcefulness, and creativity – are codependent. You need all three to work together to bring newsworthy ideas to life and make them attractive to journalists. THAT is what makes a great publicist.

Listen, I have nothing against pigeons in general and wouldn’t mind sharing my space with them if they weren’t such prolific poopers. But I’ve worked as a publicist for more than 30 years, so I am well-matched for this war. These pigeons picked the wrong balcony to stake their claim. They’re going down.

Further related resources:

One small question can lead to BIG ideas.

How to develop creative tourism marketing and PR ideas.

How to steal travel marketing ideas.

How to sell your least desirable tourism product.

April 17, 2024

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Branding Strategies — @ 5:11 pm

Nearly every hospitality business faces this challenge: how do you sell your least desirable tourism product? The smallest hotel room. The worst table in the restaurant. The windowless meeting room. Marketing folks NEVER put those in the spotlight for sale. In fact, they do their best to hide them.

But there’s untapped potential within those “flawed” products…and I don’t just mean by selling them at a discounted rate. With a little branding polish, they could become marketable AND generate more robust revenue streams.

The trick is…lean into the flaws. Don’t try to hide them. Make the flaws the sales hook.

That sound bonkers to you? It’s not, and here’s why.

WHO SELLS FLAWED PRODUCTS SUCCESSFULLY?

While the tourism industry isn’t fully adept at this yet – see below for tips – other industries are raking in the dough from selling their least desirable products. For example:

The diamond industry has “rebranded” flawed diamonds – those with a lot of inclusions, which are imperfections that look like chips, marks, and bubbles – as Salt & Pepper Diamonds. Instead of relegating flawed diamonds to the worthless pile, they virtually champion them. Marketing for these gems includes language like…

These captivating inclusion patterns resemble tiny salt and pepper specks scattered throughout the stone, ensuring that no two are alike and making your stone unique.
Salt and pepper diamonds symbolize the “wild child”…they’re fun and their flaws work to benefit the overall appearance of the gem.
Their quirky look helps couples match their unique love story with a similarly unique diamond, turning their “flaws” into their biggest asset.

In the handblown glass industry, uniformity can’t be guaranteed but there’s a certain standard of quality that must be maintained to make products “sellable.” Luxury brand Simon Pearce does a masterful job at marketing the glassware products that don’t *quite* meet that standard but are still perfectly usable products. Sold under the collection heading “Seconds,” the marketing for these products actually celebrates the flaws:

“Unique beauty lives in imperfection. Each Seconds piece captures a moment of the human hand at work, where unique conditions lead to slight variations and differences, preserved in glass… a thoughtful option for those who value character and an organic quality to their household objects.”

And of course, there’s the booming industry of imperfect foods – from produce to packaged goods and everything in between.

It’s a spectacular win-win that combats food waste. Indeed, there’s a wildly successful brand actually called Imperfect Foods (though they are not alone), and all of their products are considered “substandard” by the businesses that produce them because of:

Cosmetic imperfection
Contains leftover ends and pieces
Size or weight imperfection
“Ugly” produce – tastes as expected but looks deformed
Made with rescued or upcycled ingredients

And yet… there’s a market for them. And no one is trying to hide the flaws. In fact, the flaws ARE the sales hook.

HOW MIGHT THE TOURISM INDUSTRY DO IT?

Generally, the industry sells the least desirable tourism products in one of two ways:

Position it as a “value” item and charge less. This goes for everything from interior cabins on cruise ships to off-season time periods. The marketing focus here is on PRICE.
Provide misdirection by mitigating the perceived flaws with a special benefit. The clever folks in Nova Scotia do this by recasting winter as “lobster season.” They’re essentially saying sure, it’s freezing cold but this is when lobster is the freshest and most abundant… come up and eat!

Those two options require you to either give a discount OR create circumstances for misdirection.

But that third option – leaning into and marketing the flaws themselves – is underutilized and has great potential.

Consider these ideas:

Brand your “low season” and create excitement for what it is.

Vancouver Island promotes their Storm Season. This is not “come here during Storm Season and we’ve got a lot to keep you busy.” This is, “come here to experience the storms.” THAT is a perfect example of leaning into perceived flaws to sell your least desirable tourism product. Suddenly it’s not so undesirable because there’s a hook. You may not have awe-inspiring Pacific Coast storms at your location, so you’ll have to figure something else out. What can you highlight during your low season so you can make some noise about it? Is it Quiet Season, Astronomy Season, Windy Season, Unpredictable Season…hell, even Frostbite Season could have appeal if positioned properly.

Brand your smallest rooms as “Cozy Rooms” or “Tiny Rooms.”

Deliberately PUSH the fact that they’re small. Yes, they can be priced lower than rooms with larger square footage but by branding them, you’re making them more desirable. And you’re also managing expectations up front. You might say that these rooms are a more intimate size, perfect for snuggling up tight with your partner or kiddos. Also, could there be some kind of special perk for folks who book these rooms…one that allows you to sell it at a higher rate? Does the Cozy Room come with a Cozy Blanket to take home? Are the walls of the Tiny Room decorated with dozens of tiny paintings? Do guests of these rooms get a complimentary appetizer or dessert in your restaurant? The possibilities are endless.

Brand your noisiest rooms as “Night Owl Rooms.”

That room near the service elevator, or the one directly over the ballroom or bar area? You know… the one you get the most noise complaints about? How about you call it what it is and promote it as a room for folks who don’t like to go to bed early? This also manages guest expectations and will preempt many complaints. You might also offer a perk here to be able to charge a higher rate – complimentary movies/streaming after 11pm, minibar credit, special late night snack basket.

Brand your worst restaurant table as “The Family Table.”

Or call it whatever name you want – like if your restaurant name is Tom’s Bistro, call it “Tom’s Table” or “The Bistro Table.” The point is position it so that anyone who sits there is like part of the family. This is usually the table right near the kitchen doors and so lacks ambiance… but what if instead, you lean into how it’s closest to the action? Maybe guests at this table get a “whim of the chef” appetizer or amuse bouche that’s not served to the rest of the tables. Maybe someone from the kitchen comes out to chat with them for a few minutes. Like the kind of thing that would happen if the guest really WAS family. And suddenly…presto, you’ve got a marketing hook and you might even generate a waiting list for that table.

Brand your hard-to-find, windowless meeting room as “The Seclusion Room.”

There’s something mischievous about the idea of positioning such a room as a place where secrets can be discussed safely. A place where you won’t be disturbed or distracted. A place where groups can be sequestered for deep thinking, creative brainstorming, and concentrated strategic planning. You can have a little fun with this – playful do-not-disturb signs for the door, have special complimentary amenities available for this room (doodle paper and crayons anyone?), and offer upsells in keeping with the theme like a Seclusion Station with snacks/drinks that makes the meeting self-sufficient. It’s important to note that ANY meeting can book the Seclusion Room – they don’t need to be discussing secrets – but the branding has given the room a personality, and now it seems more desirable.

Got a challenge you don’t see here and want an idea? Drop me a line and I’m sure I’ll think of something. 😉

Most importantly, if you’re going to take an approach like these to sell your least desirable tourism product, you really need to lean into it fully. That means:

Promoting it on your website with the right language, images, and/or videos.
Describing it with the right positioning in your sales collateral.
Ensuring your guest services or sales staff is aware of the positioning and has the right words to sell it.

Need more tips like this? Here’s how to promote your brand’s weaknesses strategically.

How to steal travel marketing ideas.

March 22, 2024

Filed under: Marketing Strategies — @ 11:51 am

Contrary to the legendary commandment “thou shalt not steal,” it’s actually OK to steal travel marketing ideas. More than that… it’s necessary. And if you use the proper etiquette (four tips are shared below), no one will mind.

Why is it necessary to steal travel marketing ideas? Because of this one-two punch:

In tourism, we’re all selling the same sorts of things: summer vacations, oceanfront accommodations, culinary experiences, romantic getaways, learning opportunities, and so on. A tourism brand needs a constant influx of new ideas to set itself apart from its competitors.
And yet…COMPLETELY new ideas are rare. Sure, someday the first tour to Mars will be new (until it’s not). But 99.9% of the time, what you think is a “new idea” is just a variation on what already exists elsewhere. Like…oh you offer swimming with the pigs on your beach? Well, (here) you can swim with stingrays, and (here) you can swim with manatees, and (there) you can swim with dolphins. They are all variations on “swimming with the (creature).”

A painted image of the French writer and philosopher Voltaire alongside his famous quote "originality is nothing but judicious imitation."

It is literally impossible for a marketer to continually churn out completely new ideas. Frankly, a marketer would be lucky to put forth even ONE completely new idea in their lifetime.

Enter… stealing.

If the word “stealing” makes you feel icky, think of it as seeking inspiration. You’re simply taking an existing idea and adapting it to fit your own brand.

But let’s be clear here. I don’t mean innocent coincidences. I’m talking about doing this DELIBERATELY. Regularly. As part of your idea development strategy.

So even if you’re not ok with the word “stealing,” you might have to get comfy with “aggressively seeking inspiration.” Because this is a proactive effort that’s 100% necessary if you want to keep your tourism marketing – and offerings – fresh.

However, there’s a proper way to steal travel marketing ideas. You can’t just mimic EXACTLY what a competitor offers – same name, elements, pricing, timing, etc. – because that truly would be “stealing” and is just not cool.

These four tips will keep your stealing respectful:

#1 – TAILOR IT

Take a competitor’s existing idea and make it exclusively yours. Examples:

Their hotel is offering a family package that includes extra pillows and linens in the room each night to build pillow forts, with a social media contest for the best fort.

YOU think about the idea of kids creating forts and look at the huge courtyard space that your rooms overlook… and see a space for a bunch of small tents. And the idea of “Hotel Camping for Families Weekend” is born. Hire an overnight security guard to keep watch on the tents. Kids get the tents. Parents get the room. You can offer walkie talkies to families whose kids don’t have phones but want to keep in touch (or who just love the novelty of walkies). Build a campfire. Make s’mores. Play games. <charge a fortune, they’ll pay>

Or… their restaurant has a “Wine Down Wednesdays” special with a half-priced second bottle…so you – with your legendary and creative cocktail menu – offer “Tipple Tuesdays” with a half-priced second cocktail. First it was “theirs.” You made it “yours.”

#2 – FIND IT

Research brands just like yours but located in areas well outside of your geographic radius.

This actually *might* be the only scenario where it’s possible for you to completely mimic an idea. Like, does a small Maine inn really compete for business with a small Tasmanian inn? Not likely. Neither of you are trying to make international headlines with your offerings, so the exact same thing can coexist without conflict in two disparate locations.

Get in the habit of studying what brands like yours are offering in other areas. This works for lodging, attractions, restaurants, tour companies, destinations, associations, and more. It helps if you find a place that’s similar to yours – forest, desert, mountain, ocean, etc. – but it’s not necessary. A tour operator in a desert location may have a clever romance tour that could translate equally as well to a mountain location. Inspiration can come from anywhere.

#3 – EVOLVE IT

Use the magic question, “what could we do with this?”

Like a second cousin to “Tailor It,” this entails taking something someone else is doing to the next level. This evolution could be simple, like their restaurant offers a Pasta Lovers Night… and your restaurant evolves that into “Free Pasta Week,” where diners get a complimentary pasta appetizer with a purchase of (whatever).

Or, the evolution could be elaborate and daring. Like the time we suggested that Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks offer a fine dining “Breakfast in the Sky” gourmet experience on their Ferris wheel. Plenty of amusement parks were offering breakfast. We took theirs next level (literally).

Or, plenty of restaurants and catering venues offer an oceanfront dining opportunity. But in Nova Scotia, there’s a caterer that offers dining on the ocean floor. That level of evolution would be hard to beat… <checks notes, finds Dinner in the Sky>…or maybe not.

#4 – SHIFT IT

A competitor is doing something for THIS. You do it for THAT.

They have their chef give a weekly presentation to guests with cooking tips… you have your gardener give one on flower arranging.

They have a resident dog at their hotel, you have a resident dog on your cruise ship.

This is super helpful in the tourism industry because trends – especially media trends – tend to catch on like wildfire. When everyone and their grandma in the tourism industry were first crowning specialty “concierges” in their organization – Romance Concierges were a dime a dozen – we created the Sleep Concierge at the Benjamin Hotel in NYC. Concierges weren’t new, but this was a new type of concierge… and one that touched a pain point lamented by humans everywhere: how to get a good night’s sleep when you’re on the road.

Westin had previously debuted their Heavenly Bed, but the Sleep Concierge – and corresponding Sleep Program – at the Benjamin eclipsed that by a mile in editorial coverage (here’s one of the many New York Times stories about it over the years). That’s because it was an idea that was Tailored, Evolved, AND Shifted. A trifecta of idea stealing, if you will.

The point is, if you’re going to steal travel marketing ideas, don’t be a jerk about it with a blatant rip off. Be creative, use these four tips, and make the ideas your own.

Need more inspiration?

How to Develop Creative Tourism Marketing & PR Ideas

How to Create PR-Worthy Tourism Packages

One Small Question Can Lead to Big Ideas

Do you sabotage your own marketing?

February 22, 2024

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Spending Budgets Wisely — @ 4:25 pm

You may be the best marketer on the planet and still inadvertently sabotage your own marketing.

How?

By being a marketing contradictionist.

Yes, that’s a word we just made up – a marketer’s prerogative, duh – but the meaning is pretty clear. It’s a person who acts in ways that go counter to their stated goals.

Tourism marketers do this often. Sometimes, they’re aware it’s happening but just can’t manage to tame the external forces causing it. But other times, they’re just not aware of their behavior or how it’s obstructing success.

So, the first step is awareness, y’all. Here are five common contradictory behaviors we often see in tourism marketers.

1) BUDGET NONSENSE

What do we mean by “nonsense?” When budgets don’t support the ACTUAL goals and objectives of the marketing plan. Some indicators here:

Budgets spent habitually despite goal evolution. For example, if we hear one more tourism brand say they want to grow their off-season…and then continue to spend the majority of their budget supporting high season…we’re going to scream.

Budgets that are spread too thin. Throwing a little piece of money at an initiative or marketing channel, without enough for it to make an impact, is a waste. Choose fewer things and do them justice.

Budget numbers are carried over from year to year with no particular allegiance to each year’s specific goals. The goals just get shoehorned in to fit the budget. Even if your total budget can’t change annually, you can always redeploy the line items to better support the goals.

Budgets with no contingency cushion. Worthy opportunities will pop up, so prevent “decision agony” by having funds available to take advantage of them.

2) FORMULAIC LOVE-HATE

This is applicable to recurring events and programs. I’ve seen countless marketers do the same…exact…thing every year, every season. It’s so easy to just follow a pre-scripted checklist for an event or package/program and then cross that baby off your list with relief.

But for recurring events and programs to grow – and increase ROI – they need to evolve. A new hook, new element, new name, new ANYTHING. Doing the same-old-same-old each time desensitizes your audience. And come on, marketers…we all KNOW THAT.

Hence the love-hate. We love formulas because they tend to make our jobs easier (oh so much easier when we don’t have to think!), but we hate them because we know they tend to sabotage our marketing success.

3) INITIATIVE PETTING

Second cousin to Budget Nonsense (because lack of money is often a contributing cause), “Initiative Petting” is when a marketer knows the value of a particular initiative but doesn’t devote the time/money to do it thoroughly. We call this “petting” because it’s like giving a dog a quick pat on the head distractedly while focusing on other things. Some common examples here:

Wanting to make a splash with standout PR, but watering down every package and program idea so they’re operationally easy but super duper boring.

Saying you’ve got to beef up your email game…but still writing drafts at the last minute to “just get it out the door,” ignoring previous engagement metrics when planning new content, and not doing any (or enough) lead generation to cultivate your list.

Treating your website like an online brochure (create it once, then let it sit until it gets stale and needs an overhaul) instead of a living, breathing resource that stays fresh.

4) IDEA ENVY

This one’s a snap to explain.

This is seeing cool things your competitors are doing – say, through their press coverage and social channels – and wanting to do equally cool things too. But then continuing to resist doing what it takes – operationally, financially, whatever – to make it happen.

It’s completely fine if you shoot for equally cool things but then realize that for whatever reason, you can’t do it. Budgets, labor, operational feasibility…they all may conspire to block your goal.

But then you have a choice to make: let go of your envy or remove the obstacles. That’s it, those are your two options.

Marketing contradictionist behavior is when you do NOT remove the obstacles but still push ahead unreasonably because you really really want it. In the end, it’s just a waste of time and money… and I’ve seen this happen too many times to count.

5) HURRY UP AND WAIT

We’ve all seen it. Heck, we’ve all DONE it. Push to get creative, copy, press releases, plans, or whatever done ASAP…only to then have them then sit in a pile for an eternity before being finalized and deployed.

Yes, we know there’s a deadline. Yes, we know other people may have moved mountains to deliver those things to us quickly. And yet, we let those items languish.

This kind of behavior isn’t usually malicious, but it can definitely sabotage your marketing. Why? Because it usually causes some kind of last-minute scrambling. And as we all know, last-minute scrambling rarely produces a successful ROI.

* * *

Listen, we’re not perfect at Redpoint. And heaven knows we’ve engaged in marketing contradictionist behavior ourselves on occasion.

But the point is awareness.

If you’re aware that your behavior is contradicting your goals, you can choose whether or not to do something about it. And that can help ensure you don’t inadvertently sabotage your own marketing.

Get more tips here with Five Ways Tourism Marketers Often Fool Themselves.

Using AI in tourism marketing requires secrecy.

January 17, 2024

Filed under: AI in Marketing, Digital Marketing, Writing Tips, Effective Communication — @ 12:34 pm

The successful use of artificial intelligence (AI) in tourism marketing rests on one key factor: secrecy. Not secrecy from your colleagues or organization…secrecy from your audience. You need your use of AI to be invisible to them for two main reasons:

Blatantly apparent AI-generated copy is generic and robotic-sounding. And even if it were written by a human, that kind of soulless, impersonal copy doesn’t engage the audience and wastes your time and budget. The rest of your marketing will have to work that much harder to spark a sale, let alone close one.
If they sense you’re using AI to influence their decisions – and done incorrectly, they will – you’ll lose their trust. People are increasingly sniffing out AI-generated copy and then doubting its credibility. Humanity just hasn’t yet reached the point where we’re comfortable being persuaded to do something by a robot.

Let me be crystal clear. Using AI in tourism marketing is smart. Tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard can be useful in many ways. But YOU have to be smart in how you use them. Until you become proficient in prompting and re-prompting to produce successful output, you are at risk for – essentially – sending out a stoic, unfeeling salesperson to promote your offerings.

And that won’t end well for you.

As a tourism marketer, you’re trying to sell potential guests an experience that makes (hopefully) everlasting memories and creates (hopefully) a lifetime relationship with them. Robotic-sounding, generic marketing copy is incapable of igniting the spark required for that love affair. And when used incorrectly, that’s EXACTLY how AI-generated copy sounds…like a robot wrote it.

To guard against this, you need to be aware of six telltale signs that content was written by AI.

Jodie Cook wrote a fantastic piece for Forbes on the subject, calling out these six dead giveaways:

Lengthy introductions (aka “throat clearing”)
Inclusion of ethical considerations
Generic thoughts and advice
Lack of personal stories
Specific go-to phrases
Signature structure

You can read the piece for more information on all six, but the three most prevalent ones in tourism marketing are lengthy introductions, generic thoughts/advice, and lack of personal stories. Let’s take a look.

Lengthy Introductions

I call this the “blah blah blah” introduction and AI is famous for churning it out. A rudimentary AI-generated piece, like that of many unskilled human writers, puts a bunch of fluff at the start and takes a bit of time to get to the meat of the content. Often it includes clichés (“Once you arrive, you’ll never want to leave!”), or broad-sweeping statements that mean nothing in particular (“Come experience the magic of the outdoors!”). It’s usually filled with a lot of long sentences and densely packed with a quantity of adjectives that would make a thesaurus blush. This is the written version of speakers who begin their presentation with excessive throat-clearing…it’s buying them time to get into the rhythm of their speech.

Generic Thoughts & Advice

OMG, if I see one more tourism organization proclaim “We have something for everyone!”… I’m going to scream. Even if you truly DO have something for everyone to enjoy, that sort of vanilla claim has zero chance of actually luring a potential visitor. Without specific prompting and sculpting on your part, AI programs like ChatGPT are likely to generate generic content like “breathe the fresh air as you wander through our beautiful forests,” and “hop on a boat to get out and feel the ocean mist on your face as you watch an orange-hued sunset,” and “sip and taste your way through our vibrant dining scene,” and – my personal favorite – “come away with memories that will last a lifetime.” None of that is specific and unique to YOU, so why should it compel anyone to choose YOU? It’s just…uninspiring.

Lack of Personal Stories

First cousin to “generic thoughts & advice,” a lack of personal stories isn’t meant so literally as in “a person telling a story about their experience with you.” That’s part of it, for sure. But on a broader level, it’s about your BRAND making a personal connection with the audience. Doesn’t matter if you’re a destination, hotel, cruise line, attraction, or even just a travel service…whatever. Sharing your quirks, your variety of unique Instagram-worthy experiences, and other stories that inspire them to feel a personal connection to you… THAT’S essential in successful tourism marketing. And it’s something you won’t get from AI-generated content without training it to write that way. It lacks the ability to do that on its own because by default, its process delivers one-size-fits-all content that’s impersonal.

And that right there is the problem. In the world of tourism, people are choosing where to spend their precious time and money, and this is VERY personal to them. Tourism is a passionate and deeply engaging purchase decision that goes way beyond transactional. They may not care if a robot wrote their appliance user’s manual (which is simply delivering information), but they sure as hell want – say – their honeymoon suggestions (which requires the dance of persuasion and has a lot riding on the outcome) to come from a credible source.

Which brings us to the best news of all, and a hilarious silver lining for tourism marketers. A brand is now no longer the LEAST credible source for promoting its own offerings. The “credible believability” pecking order currently stands like this, from most believable to least believable:

Someone I trust.
Someone I know casually.
A stranger unaffiliated with the product/service, which could be a media outlet or a random person on social media.
The organization itself.
A robot.

Y’all, we’ve moved up a notch. So don’t squander that gift by making it obvious you’re using AI in tourism marketing. Make that your little secret.

Not sure how to get started doing this properly? Check out these ChatGPT tips for tourism marketers.

Feel like you suck at writing and so you can’t properly judge AI’s output? These two quick reads will help you:

How to stop being an impatient writer.

Write better copy with patience and a thesaurus.

How “trigger phrases” sabotage effective communication.

December 11, 2023

Filed under: Effective Communication — @ 10:54 am

You may not even realize that you’re using trigger phrases that sabotage effective communication…but I’ll bet you realize when you’re on the receiving end of them.

For example, when you ask someone’s opinion on something and they begin their response with “If I’m being honest…” doesn’t that immediately ruffle your feathers?

Here’s why. The phrase “if I’m being honest” brings several negative implications with it:

It has a reputation of preceding bad news. It’s as if the person needs some kind of justification for delivering disappointing news, so they claim “honesty” as their reason.
It implies that the speaker isn’t always honest, but THIS time (because the situation is so bad) they’ll speak the truth.

So it makes sense that this phrase would put the recipient on high alert. People rarely (if ever) say stuff like “if I’m being honest, you look fabulous” or “if I’m being honest, that was the greatest presentation you’ve ever delivered.” When they are sharing what they think is good news, there’s no reason for them to invoke the honesty clause as an introduction. They don’t reach for justification to soften the blow.

The problem with using trigger phrases in our communication is that we intend for them to soften blows and/or get the recipient to embrace what we say. However, in reality, they do the opposite: they make people instantly defensive and usually causes them to resist what we say.

There are several reasons contributing to this reaction:

Trigger phrases are often insincere and the recipient knows it…probably because they themselves have used such phrases when THEY are trying to soften blows.
Often, trigger phrases signal that some type of disagreement is coming, or some other bit of negativity that challenges the position of the original speaker. These phrases have earned this reputation over time, so the pattern is easily sensed.
The overuse of trigger phrases has diluted their power and made them trite. So even when we really do mean them sincerely, they fall flat.

Here are a few other common trigger phrases that sabotage effective communication:

- With All Due Respect: The moment you say this, everyone knows you’re about to disagree with them. So why use this trigger phrase and get their back up? You can use your tone and word choice to disagree without being disrespectful. If you don’t feel comfortable just stating your differing opinion with no preamble, you can use a phrase like, “perhaps I can offer a different point of view here.”

- I’m Sorry: Ugh, talk about an overused phrase that’s become trite. The words “I’m sorry” are used to apologize for everything from spousal cheating to asking someone to repeat a sentence you didn’t hear. Some folks even habitually start random sentences with it for no reason (lookin’ at you, Canadians). It’s made the phrase fairly meaningless, so even when you’re being sincere, it doesn’t have the impact you intended. In fact, so many people sense this about the phrase that “how to apologize without saying I’m sorry” is one of Google’s most popular search queries. See how we learned that the hard way here and here are the tips we wrote for rephrasing to avoid those two words.

- I May Be Wrong, But: Besides the addition of that pesky word “but” (more on that below), starting a sentence with “I may be wrong” is like a first cousin to “if I’m being honest.” It shares that similar vibe of “I disagree with you and I need something to soften the blow, so I’ll throw you a bone that maybe I’m wrong and you’re right…but really we both know you’re wrong.” How you rephrase to avoid using it will depend on the situation, but “perhaps I can offer a different point of view” could work very well here also.

- You Need to Calm Down: When someone is agitated, telling them to calm down is more likely to trigger further agitation than make them calm. “You need to calm down” tries to appeal to their rational thinking. But agitation, anger, and frustration are emotions, and rational thinking is usually overshadowed by intense emotions. Try this instead. Ask “how can I help you calm down” or even just “how can I help you?” It shows you’re willing to help/listen, and it forces them to override their emotions and think about solutions.

- I Hear You: Chalk another one up to misuse. Somewhere in history, therapists and communication coaches suggested (and frankly, still suggest) that saying “I hear you” when someone is speaking signals that you’re listening. But – because we’re human and we can’t have nice things – this phrase has been so misused and overused that it’s actually devolved into a phrase that pretty much means someone is NOT listening, or at the very least is being dismissive of what we’re saying. It’s often a way for people to make a show of listening when really they don’t want to engage in whatever it is you’re saying. So, instead of saying “I hear you,” SHOW IT. Engage in the conversation with more than just pretense.

And finally, let’s talk about the peskiest word in the world of communication… BUT.

No word in the English language (and probably all other languages) triggers defensiveness faster than the word “but.”

“But” is a signal that negativity is about to follow:

Your presentation was great, but…
I was going to invite you to be on this team, but…
I loved your proposal, but…
That style looks pretty on you, but…

It’s possible to avoid using the word “but” in many circumstances. In some cases, just stop talking after the first phrase. You may WANT to add the negative phrase, but do you really NEED to add it? Are you really the person responsible for sharing that bit of negativity? And is that negative point fact or just your own opinion? Sometimes we offer opinions because WE want to, not because they need to be heard.

Another way to avoid using the word “but” is to choose your timing. You may very well have feedback to give on that presentation, and you might indeed be the appropriate person to deliver it. But does it REALLY need to be delivered in the same sentence as when you say the presentation was great?

My friend is a master at timing, particularly when it comes to her appropriate and selective use of the word “but.” Instead of saying stuff to her husband like “Those meatballs were great but next time use more cheese,” she says, “those meatballs were great” and then later, even days later, she says “I’ve been thinking about those delicious meatballs you made. Next time, can we try them with a little more cheese in the recipe and see what that does?”

It’s pretty brilliant. It shows her husband that she’s savoring them even days later, and that she loves his cooking enough to make requests and get him to experiment with recipes. She’s happy, he’s happy. No buts.

In some cases, the simple trick of replacing “but” with “and” is effective. Like, “your presentation was great and if you practice making more eye contact with the audience it will be even better!” See a few more of these “simply replace or drop the triggering word” tips here.

Overall, trigger phrases that sabotage effective communication are extremely common and frequently used. They’re phrases you hear – and likely use – all the time. But just because they’re used, it doesn’t mean they work. So, be aware of situations when you need to communicate effectively and try to avoid these phrases if you can. You’ll get a better result.

How to create PR-worthy tourism packages.

November 14, 2023

Filed under: Public Relations — @ 10:10 am

There is a secret to creating PR-worthy tourism packages. But first, let’s be clear. This isn’t about just creating tourism packages in general. Anyone can do that. It’s as simple as – for example – adding a meal to lodging or giving a third night free, and voila…you’ve got a package.

But a PR-worthy package? Something journalists will care about, and then write about and spread the word about? THAT takes some doing.

Picture this. You’re a hotel working on creating a dog-friendly package, and your BIG thing is that you’ve got branded dog bowls to put in the room and a little bag of treats given at check-in. You’re excited about it and can’t wait to send out the press release to the media.

Then you come across this article including photos like this one highlighting the Pampered Pup Program + Moving Meditation/Forest Bathing Therapy session for you and your dog at the Mandarin Oriental, Boston:

Suddenly you hear that sad trombone sound (womp womp) that accompanies the realization that your package isn’t newsworthy.

Listen, don’t be sad. That doesn’t mean your package won’t SELL. Put it on your website, send it in an email blast, share it on socials… it’s not “bad” or “wrong.”

It’s just not really that newsworthy.

So if your goal is to get media attention, here are four criteria to help you create PR-worthy tourism packages. If you’ve got all four of these criteria covered in a single package, chances are you’ve got a PR home run. But sometimes even having only one is enough if it’s exceptionally strong. However, if your package meets NONE of these criteria, then don’t waste your time with a press release. The news just isn’t there.

1) A CLEVER NAME

Tourism is a fun industry so a boring name just lacks allure. Calling a package with room and breakfast your “Bed & Breakfast Package” is just so blah. How about Pajamas & Pancakes? Even just calling it a “Sleep & Eat Package” would make it a bit more interesting because something that basic is unexpected. Things like Girlfriend Getaways, Romance Package, Family Fun… they’re all pretty yawn-inducing from a news standpoint. Try to make them less generic and more specific to what’s included in the package.

And it’s not even just for hotels. When creating a roundup of winter romance packages for the Miramichi region of New Brunswick, Canada, we titled the program “Making Whoopee on the Miramichi.” It’s different, and different has the potential to get attention.

2) UNCOMMON ELEMENT(S)

If boring names don’t get attention, boring elements certainly don’t. Again, remember that so-called boring elements CAN STILL SELL. Add a bottle of champagne to the room package…it can sell. Make it a bottle that’s engraved with the couple’s name and special occasion date…it piques interest. Add in a butler to serve it with a rare cheese platter and a trio of musicians to provide ambiance? NOW you’re talking.

The more unique, unusual, and unexpected your package’s elements are, the more likely they are to get media attention. Often those things can be operationally challenging, but there’s a reason the phrase “no pain, no gain” exists. For more inspiration here, see How to Develop Creative Tourism Marketing & PR Ideas and What’s a Newsworthy Animal Experience in Tourism.

3) A TREND TIE-IN

When trends are happening – whether it’s the Olympics, a new blockbuster movie opening, a holiday season, a viral TikTok trend, or whatever – if you can find a way to align your organization with them, you instantly raise your own newsworthiness. Journalists often want to write stories that tie into what everyone is talking about…and YOU could help them do that. The trick here is catching the trend when it’s on the way up and BEFORE it peaks. For example, Barbie (the movie) was released in US theaters on July 21, 2023. If you had a “Think Pink” package ready to promote in July as part of the movie release hoopla, great. If you suddenly decided to do a Barbie package a few months later in October… that’s random, with no timely hook or context to make the Barbie tie-in relevant.

This holds true even for seasonal packages… if you get your Thanksgiving Weekend Package (hopefully with a better name than that) out the door to the media the week before Thanksgiving, very few journalists will have time to write about it. They were covering that weeks (and months) ago.

A trend could be pop culture, seasonal, sports-related, something going viral on social media… anything that’s capturing the general public awareness.

More trend inspo here: How to Foster Good Timing in Marketing and How to Leverage a Travel Trend.

4) SIMPLICITY OF BOOKING

And finally, one of the most essential things needed to create PR-worthy tourism packages: make it easy to book. You’ve got to remember that the media outlet is the middle-man here, and journalists have limited space to use when communicating their stories to their audiences. If your amazing, creative, clever package requires a full set of instructions for how to book, or you can’t get it up on your website in time… or it’s on your website but not connected to your booking engine…or (insert other complex challenge here)… it makes it less attractive for a journalist to include. Don’t make it hard for them to communicate, and don’t make it hard for consumers to book.

Overall, it’s just important to remember that PR isn’t always the goal. You can certainly sell packages that aren’t newsworthy! And sometimes packages can be newsworthy even when you’re not trying… you may just happen to catch a journalist’s interest with the right topic at the right time. But if you are setting out to actually CREATE some PR-worthy tourism packages, these four criteria will help guide you toward success.

How to leverage a travel trend.

November 14, 2023

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Spending Budgets Wisely — @ 10:06 am

They’re everywhere you look as year-end approaches…but how do you really leverage a travel trend? Forecasted trends are great for media clickbait, but it’s not always so clear how to turn them into opportunities for your business.

Take the latest 2024 travel trend report from metasearch engine Skyscanner, which the hertelier website does a fabulous job of summarizing here. If you don’t want to read the whole thing, I’ll spare you the click with these highlights. The seven trends Skyscanner forecasts for next year are:

Gig Tripping – traveling to see a concert/show
Main Character Energy – traveling to a destination you’ve seen in a TV show or film
Budget Bougie Foodies – traveling to a destination for a specific restaurant or food experience, but not necessarily a super expensive one
Destination ZZZZ – sleep retreats and sleep tourism
Analog Adventures – disconnect from devices and “switch off”
Celebration Vacationers – travel to mark an occasion like birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
Luxe-for-Less – self explanatory

That’s all good and well…but what do you DO with that information? How can you tap into trends like these to grow your guest base and increase your revenue?

Here’s how. When thinking about pursuing a trend, ask yourself these four questions. If the answer to any of them is “no,” then you should probably take a pass.

1) Is this a legit trend?

Not all trend reports are grounded in worthy statistics, so dig a little deeper than headlines and summaries to assess what’s credible and what’s media hype. For example, the Skyscanner report says that the number of people searching online for sleep retreats (and asking what they are) “has increased.” That’s great, but…increased from what? From four people to 10 people?

There is indeed compelling evidence out there that people are becoming more aware of sleeping better and how lack of quality sleep impacts their health. But does that mean they’re willing to spend TRAVEL dollars to find solutions? It’s not a straight line. It might be generally true that more people are considering things like sleep retreats, but that doesn’t mean you can just offer a – for example – “Sleep Better Package” and see your sales skyrocket. The market may not be big enough and you may not be specialized enough to cater to those few who seek it. Also, if you’re going to offer a package like that, you’ll need a better name.

2) Does this trend have staying power? ***

Sometimes, trends are fleeting. And by the time you gear up for leveraging them, they’ve already peaked and gone. So before you go heavily investing time and money into developing programs/packages that lean into that trend, assess how long it will remain “a thing.” Some trends are really evergreen, like in the Skyscanner case: Celebration Vacationers and Luxe-for Less travelers will ALWAYS be around…even Budget Bougie Foodies, though they may not always go by that name. You could tap those trends whenever you want.

But if a popular TV series or film has a connection to your destination? You may only have a short window to capitalize on the Main Character Energy trend. Once the show isn’t splashed across headlines anymore, it’s likely a less appealing time for you to launch an offering tied to it. Not every show/movie hits evergreen fanatic status, the way (for example) the Lord of the Rings movies will perpetually inspire travel to New Zealand. More often, you’ll need to be nimble and quick to harness that trend’s power for your benefit. Get tips on how to maximize your timing here.

3) Can you authentically deliver what those trend seekers want?

You may want to leverage a travel trend, but does the trend naturally align with what you offer or do you need to work hard in order for it to “fit?” If you’re a rural/remote destination or a hotel in a rural/remote destination, you’re a natural for leaning into the Analog Adventures trend. But if you’re located in a big city? You might be tempted to offer some kind of package where the guest locks their phone in a box at the front desk and enjoys a weekend at your property doing “digital detox.” That’s cute, but if someone REALLY wants a digital detox, are they traveling to a big city to get it? Not likely. Then you end up putting stress on your ops team for very little return.

If the trend isn’t an authentic match for what you offer, you’re just going to work twice as hard to create programming for dismal results.

4) Can you make it easy for such trend seekers to find and purchase your offerings?

If you don’t have an easily updatable, searchable, findable, and bookable website, then even if you have the best offer that aligns with a trend, it’s likely no one will see it/book it. And if you’re not doing proactive digital marketing using keywords that such trend seekers are likely to be using, you won’t even be able to lure them to you.

For example, if you REALLY decide you want to launch a Sleep Retreat package like referenced in #1 above, you’ll need to invest some marketing dollars in – say – Google Adwords to find that limited slice of people who are searching for it. So here’s where you need to evaluate ROI: if I need to invest in making this work operationally AND put marketing dollars behind it, is there enough of a credible market who would find my offerings to be a good match for this trend? It’s amazing how often that simple question can stop you from going down an unprofitable path.

Besides marketing through your own direct channels, digital marketing and social media have made this sort of targeting much more accessible for all kinds of trends. You may not have Taylor Swift coming to your area, but plenty of people travel to see their favorite bands. If there’s a venue near you, even if you’re not listed on their website as a local hotel option, you can still do marketing around popular bands who are coming to the area.

*** Before this piece wraps up, there’s ONE exception to the “does this trend have staying power” rule.

If the trend is NOT likely to have staying power, BUT it’s got enough of a shelf life for you to create and promote something relevant, then you absolutely should consider it. Here you might be seeking promotional value, even if you’re not seeking bookings.

And this isn’t just the case with projected annual travel trends…this is the case for ALL trends that pop up and can be leveraged in the travel industry. You just have to jump on them quickly and catch the fleeting wave before it disappears.

For example, remember the dude who drank a half-gallon of Ocean Spray cranberry juice while skateboarding down a highway to the sounds of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams? If, that week when the TikTok video was a viral sensation, a hotel offered a “Dreams” package that included a skateboard, a half-gallon of Ocean Spray cranberry juice, and a $2 statement credit for a song download on iTunes… THAT would have gotten a ton of media coverage. Would people have booked it? Who knows? But it would be pretty operationally easy for the hotel to create and “sell” immediately.

Or, if Cape Cod – a destination famous for its cranberries – were to immediately create a list on its website of the 10 Best Places to Skateboard on Cape Cod…that too is operationally easy and would likely garner press.

But if that hotel or Cape Cod were to offer those things even a month after all the hoopla passed? Yawn.

So, if you want to try to leverage a wildly popular trend that doesn’t have staying power – even if it’s not a travel trend – then just be sure you can get your offer out before the buzz dies down.

The sweet spot between overthinking and under planning.

October 23, 2023

Filed under: Marketing Strategies — @ 5:45 am

How do you find that magical sweet spot between overthinking and under planning in your marketing efforts? It can be elusive, for sure. I know this because we’ve worked with thousands of marketers in our agency’s history. So we’ve noticed that there’s an “approach to planning spectrum” that looks like this:

On one end, there are the people who say stuff like, “can’t we just launch the website now and worry about the booking engine later?” and “we’ll loop operations and guest services in later, for now let’s just push it out.”

And on the other end, there are the folks who say stuff like, “we don’t have a decision on that (thing that was due last month) because we’re still waiting for (insert random department here) to get us their feedback.” and “I know we approved that logo three times already but can we just see it again with this change?”

Those are the two extremes on the spectrum. And the sweet spot is in the dead center of those polar opposites. Dropped into a handy Venn Diagram, it looks like this:

It might seem obvious, but here’s why you want to operate within the sweet spot between overthinking and under planning.

Because with overthinking, you miss opportunities.

Because with under planning, you miss opportunities.

Either way, you’re fumbling at the goal line. But it’s so interesting that such extreme opposing behaviors could have the same result: missed opportunities. What kind? ALL KINDS. Lost sales, being left out of editorial coverage, loss of competitive advantage, and much more. And tourism is such a seasonal business, so missing a marketing window here often means waiting an entire year to get that opportunity again.

If you or your organization tend to operate within one of those extreme end zones, fear not. You’re not alone. Both extremes are incredibly common. But since they cause your marketing efforts to miss opportunities, you might consider how to nudge habits toward the sweet spot.

Here’s some advice.

STEP ONE: AWARENESS…DO YOU RECOGNIZE YOURSELF HERE?

First, you need an honest assessment of how you operate. Scan this checklist to see where you land:

Overthinkers tend to…

Be uncomfortable with risk, so they try to wrap a chokehold around every little detail to control outcomes.
Worry that something that’s already been decided isn’t good enough, so they continue to go back to it and revise it or add that “one more thing.”
Seek multiple opinions – often uninformed opinions – on both big and small decisions. Then the resulting disparate opinions only make them more frozen because now there’s TOO much input, and it’s not unified.
Make things complicated in an effort to serve too many goals with one item. There’s almost a fear of curation, trying to check multiple boxes with everything they do. And that’s usually not effective.
Literally – there’s no other way to say it – they tend to ignore deadlines. It’s like their decision and planning process – whatever that is, and however long it takes – is sacrosanct, and the deadlines are irrelevant. There’s just no sense of importance placed on timing.

Under planners tend to…

Want to get to the finish line without running the race. They blindly focus on the goal and overlook obstacles in the path.
Underestimate the amount of time things realistically take. And then, when deadlines loom, they cut corners to “make it work.”
Not admit – to themselves or others – that they don’t have the necessary skill set or knowledge to effectively plan. So, they just wing it. Spoiler Alert: sometimes “fake it til you make it” can end in disaster because you don’t see the blind spots.
Be visionaries. Listen, visionaries…we love ya. But you often want a finished car produced without giving the team time to properly build the engine. Forcing an arbitrary deadline to see your vision come to life isn’t always wise. (*cough* Twitter becoming X)
Ignore and undervalue the consequences of under planning. There’s some ostrich syndrome going on there… it’s like “if I don’t think about them, those things won’t matter.”

Once you are aware of your planning tendencies, you can start thinking about how to address them. But first, you need to go through step two.

STEP TWO: DO YOU (OR YOUR ORGANZATION) CARE ENOUGH TO CHANGE?

Habits are hard to break and they feel comfortable. It’s not easy to change a dynamic, whether it’s internal within yourself or – even harder – among a group of people.

So you may recognize that you or your organization doesn’t tend to operate in the sweet spot, but you’re willing to live with the missed opportunities because it’s too hard to change them.

If that’s the case, you can stop reading here.

But if you DO want to change the habits, then step three is your mission.

STEP THREE: HOW TO MOVE INTO THE SWEET SPOT

This is simple to say, not easy to do. It takes time, self-introspection, and honesty. You must:

- Face up to the consequences. Review your past few years of work and make a list of all the opportunities that were missed because of your (or your organization’s) overthinking or under planning. Seeing this list in black and white will be jarring and serve as a continued inspiration for your transformation. Keep this list handy and review it often. I will go to my grave mourning the missed Architectural Digest feature for a new hotel who couldn’t get photos to the journalist in time because of internal politics and overthinking.

- Give yourself a year. This kind of change doesn’t happen overnight, and also, you don’t work in a bubble. It takes time for you to make change, and it also takes time for those you work with to adapt to that change – whether they realize it or not. You don’t wake up one day and just “be different.” Science says it takes 66 days to solidify a new habit, but we all know life working in tourism can be seasonal and complicated. So, give yourself a year to make change that sticks.

- Write down your plan. Not a 12-page, complicated plan. Just one page. What behaviors are you going to change? Look at your missed opportunities and where things went wrong, and identify what behaviors led to those outcomes. Trust me, you’ll notice patterns. Focus on those. For example, if you notice that you always start promoting seasonal packages and programs too late to really capitalize on sales and marketing, you’ve got to figure out how to start planning earlier. Maybe you might even skip a season in order to get on a cycle that gets ahead of seasonal marketing. I fully support that. It’s like cutting away dead wood so the tree can flourish more healthfully.

- Look at that one-page plan every week. Or every day if you like. You’ll need to constantly remind yourself that you’re going to do things differently. Otherwise you will likely slide back into the comfortable habits that are causing you to miss opportunities.

Changing habits is not easy, so if you want to move into the sweet spot between overthinking and under planning, you may need some help. Here are a few resources:

Check out these four tips to foster better timing in marketing decisions.

If you’re a reader, dive into Atomic Habits or Good Habits, Bad Habits – The Science of Making Positive Changes that Stick.

If you prefer interactive learning, get some coaching to learn better planning habits. Alexis Haselberger is our FAVE coach for this. She has webinars, group sessions, and one-to-one coaching options. And the playlists on her YouTube channel are fabulous micro-doses of coaching support.

Want to dig a little deeper into choices you may be making that fall into the overthinking or under planning category? See these Five Ways Tourism Marketers Often Fool Themselves.

Five real-life stories and their marketing morals.

September 7, 2023

Filed under: Public Relations, Customer Service, Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field, Media Relations, Branding Strategies — @ 10:02 am

While Aesop had his legendary fables and their educational morals (I mean…who doesn’t know The Tortoise & The Hare?), hospitality marketers can learn from these five real-life stories and their marketing morals. Behold: The County & The World Cup, The Surgeon & The Flowers, The Meerkat & The Photographer, The Front Desk & The Dumb Answer, and The Biscuits & The Masking Tape.

The Country & The World Cup

A newspaper ad that shows a young woman with a soccer ball in the foreground and a group of kids playing in the background on a beach, with the headline "England, if we don't knock you out, the views will."

The morning that Australia was playing England in the semifinals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, these full-page ads appeared in England’s newspapers. BEFORE the match was played. Why is that so cool? Because it’s pretty likely all of football-crazed England was thinking about Australia that morning (and not in a good way), and the message is just cheeky enough to earn the respect of that crowd. Had Tourism Australia placed an ad AFTER the match…what could they really say that would be clever and make people care about them? Win or lose, any post-game messaging would be likely to fall flat. And in fact, if Australia had lost (which they did), the messaging opportunity would really disappear: once that match was over, all England cared about was Spain, their next opponent in the upcoming final match. All thoughts of Australia were in the rear view mirror.

The Moral of this Marketing Story? Timing is everything in marketing. A message can lose its power – or worse, cause harm – if not perfectly timed. For more tips on this, see these four character traits that foster good timing in marketing.

The Surgeon & The Flowers

A vase of pink, purple, and yellow flowers, which is a surgical recovery gift from ModernEyes Opthalmology.

This story may not come from the hospitality industry, but it sure feels like it does. Someone close to me recently had cataract surgery and was referred to ModernEyes Ophthalmology. Every touchpoint with this office was fabulous, from intake and testing to exams and scheduling. It seems like there are hundreds of people working there, and yet we never felt like a number during our visits. Random technicians said hello to us in the hallways, staff remembered our names at every visit, and everyone was ALWAYS cheerful and upbeat. So we loved them from the start…and we got used to it. It was something we appreciated, but it’s not like you walk around telling everyone you know about your eye doctor. Until we arrived at the office for the first post-surgical checkup…and were given flowers to wish the patient a speedy recovery. WTF? What doctor does that? Next thing you know, we’re literally telling everyone we know that that surgeon cares enough to give patients flowers after their surgery.

The Moral of this Marketing Story? Shock even your happiest of guests with something completely unexpected and you will instantly transform them into proactive ambassadors. Whatever investment you make in this arena is worth it and then some. For more inspiration, check out these 10 unexpected (and fabulous) tourism guest service stories.

The Meerkat & The Photographer

The London Zoo recently got fantastic global press coverage for its annual animal weigh-in. Now let’s face it…checking weights of animals is a mundane behind-the-scenes operational process at a zoo. It’s not the kind of hook PR folks would normally reach for, favoring “sexier,” more newsworthy hooks like bold new exhibits, renovations, expansions, and such. Yet, if you stop and think about it, how DO you weigh exotic animals like Squirrel Monkeys, Walking Stick Insects, Sumatran Tigers, and other animals – like Frank the Meerkat above (credit: AP News) – who aren’t likely to cooperate? It’s something non-zoo people have likely never considered. All that was needed to turn this story into media catnip were arresting photos and adorable videos. And take special note: a meerkat on a scale is cute. A meerkat on a scale peering over a clipboard – which implies mischief and is an unexpected action for a meerkat – has news potential.

The Moral of this Marketing Story? There are actually two here. 1) If you have no sexy or big news to share, look at your operational processes and annual checklists. “How we do (this)…” stories, when showcased right, could be made interesting to non-hospitality folks. 2) The right images can turn even the most mundane of happenings into something newsworthy. Invest the time and labor to get it right, whether that means arranging for a high-profile media photographer to come shoot (as the London Zoo did with Associated Press) or hiring your own professionals to secure the shots. For more tips on this, check out what makes a dramatic tourism marketing photo and the secret to a great tourism photo.

The Front Desk & The Dumb Answer

While I have no desire to bash hotels by name, I’d be remiss not to share their mistakes as a learning opportunity for others. When I was checking into a Santa Monica based hotel at 5pm – well after check-in time – there was some sort of issue going on because my room wasn’t ready. And it was clear to me that the front desk staff was all in a tizzy about it. I’m one of the world’s most easygoing travelers, but having just landed on a cross country flight from NYC to CA, I was naturally eager to check into my room and refresh. So I simply (and calmly) asked when my room would be ready. This incident was perhaps a decade ago and yet I will never ever forget the front desk agent’s response: “Ma’am, too many of our guests requested a late checkout so you’re just going to have to understand and be patient. We’ll let you know as soon as housekeeping can get to it.” That is VERBATIM what she said to me. Whether it was true or not, it was truly the dumbest answer possible. Telling one guest she’ll “just have to understand” that due to the hotel’s own poor operational planning, her own standard expectations are being sacrificed so other guests can get special treatment? Not cool. It was just salt in the wound that the room ultimately wasn’t ready until 6pm, and worse that they didn’t even offer me a complimentary snack/drink in the lobby lounge restaurant while I was forced to wait. This was a four-star hotel brand and while such a response may have come just from that one person on that one day, I never stayed in a hotel of that brand again. And while my position in the tourism industry makes me unwilling to bash hotels online publicly by name, I did tell several of my personal friends and family the story (by name). Imagine if I were just a “regular” guest? Tripadvisor, here I come.

The Moral of the Marketing Story? Train your staff to graciously handle curve balls and crises because if you don’t, it will become a marketing problem. Something similar happened with these chocolate chip cookies at a Turks & Caicos resort.

The Biscuits & The Masking Tape

A package of biscuits wrapped in a clear plastic bag with masking tape across the top that has a written message "biscuits May 14, 5.50"

At Anchors Away, a small family-owned restaurant and dairy bar in Clyde River, Nova Scotia, the biscuit packs sold in bags at the front counter are labeled with masking tape and handwritten marker. While I was there helping the owner with a business and marketing strategy as part of a government tourism program, she apologized for the homegrown approach and said she was planning to invest in a label maker so the packages would look more professional. Now, this is a restaurant that doesn’t even have a website and whose entire operation – from staffing and menu choices to processes and marketing – is homegrown. Professional looking labels would be SO out of place here. And in fact, handwritten labels on a package of homemade biscuits are absolutely PERFECT for their branding…and sets them apart from the chain grocery store up the road.

The Moral of the Marketing Story? “Branding” doesn’t mean “fancy” or “formal.” Branding means making sure that every touchpoint a guest has with your operation feels authentically “like you.” Read the whole biscuit story here.

And now that you’ve enjoyed five real-life stories and their marketing morals, go indulge your inner child with a revisit of some of Aesop’s most legendary fables and their morals.