24 ITB BERLIN CONVENTION Destination Storytelling The future of content marketing for the travel industry Rob Holmes, Chief Strategist for GLP Films (Maine USA) is back at ITBBerlin this year to impart his ideas and creativity with the industry at large. We asked him to tell us a little more about what we might expect… I’m honoured to be invited to speak at the ITBBerlin Convention for the third year now on behalf of GLP Films. GLP Films has become the number one production and distribution company focused on authentic storytelling and custom digital content within the travel trade industry, and I am excited to share our latest work in destination storytelling and marketing with the trade. This year I’ll be hosting our “3rd Annual Short-Film Showcase” where we’ll feature brand new films from responsible tourism brands in South America. In addition, I’ll be leading a panel discussion on “Destination Storytelling: New Media Strategies for Destination Marketing” which will dive into storytelling strategies and include case studies from successful content marketing campaigns with recent travel partners and leading media (National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, etc.). And lastly, I’ll also be speaking during the eTravel World on “Digital Storytelling: New Strategies in Content Marketing” to discuss the latest strategies and trends in digital marketing for destinations. Overall, these three sessions will provide diverse perspectives on important aspects of destination storytelling, including real-world case studies with recent results, best strategies in digital content, and tangible takeaways on how to use storytelling as an essential tool in destination marketing. What is important in visual story telling - in “getting it right”? Over the past year we’ve seen visual storytelling really take off and play an increasingly important role in content marketing. We’ve seen numerous inhouse content creation IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE MEDIUM OF VIDEO, IT’S ABOUT HOW THAT MEDIUM IS USED TO CONNECT TO AUDIENCES IN A MEANINGFUL AND AUTHENTIC WAY agencies pop up, and new data reports from travel industry voices like Adventure Travel Trade Association, and Skift on how video is the future of content marketing. It’s not just about visuals or advertisements. We’re seeing a dramatic shift towards video content, and most importantly, videos that are really resonating with consumers through a new, strategic approach. It’s not just about the medium of video, it’s about how that medium is used to connect to audiences in a meaningful and authentic way. Your work with National Geographic was evidently a major step. What did this involve? We kick-started our new distribution strategy nearly two years ago with a formal partnership with the world’s #1 media brand, National Geographic. Since then we have produced 8 films in partnership with National Geographic to support the distribution campaigns of our travel industry clients. This has been a great partnership, allowing our films and our client’s stories to reach far beyond the audiences they would have been able to reach on their own. And this is just the beginning. While National Geographic is an amazing media partner, we are now expanding to include additional partnerships to further strengthen our branding and distribution power. Travel + Leisure has recently come on board, and others are in the works. You recently had a good case example with one of your clients, Mountain Lodges of Peru. Could you tell us a little more? We launched a video marketing campaign earlier this year with partners Mountain Lodges of Peru, who understood that focusing on an adventure and characterdriven story rather than a promotion of their product, was the best way to connect with their target market. This story-focused film has Rob Holmes Chief Strategist for GLP Films received mass distribution to a wide demographic through media support from National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, and other media partners. When you get it right, the magic is undeniable in terms of the results you see with audience engagement, retention, and response. So what’s you’re “message” to travel professionals at the show? The travel industry is always learning, and we are constantly pushing the envelop and evolving as well, but as an industry we need to understand that the old days of marketing are over. Travel brands are in a crucial transition right now, and GLP’s role as a leader in travel storytelling is to help the travel industry shift to new content strategies. Consumers don’t want to see advertisements. They don’t want to be sold to. Marketing is now less about selling, and all about storytelling. Through our expertise, we aim to help travel brands unlock their potential to leverage great storytelling and connect with their audiences in a more authentic way. Authentic storytelling is the future, and we’re excited to work with the trade to reinvent travel content. DIGITAL STORYTELLING – NEW STRATEGIES IN CONTENT MARKETIN Category: eTravel Stage Day 2 Date: March 10, 2016 Time: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Location: Hall 6.1, eTravel Stage ITB BERLIN NEWS • Tuesday 1 st March 2016 www.itb-berlin-news.com
ITB BERLIN CONVENTION 25 Problems Ranking in Search Engines? Ask former senior Google Search Quality team expert anything on Search and SEO! Kaspar Szymanski is a renowned international SEO expert, former senior member of the famed Google Search Quality team and among the select few former Googlers with extensive policy driving, webspam hunting and webmaster outreach expertise. Nowadays he utilises his expertise to recover websites from Google penalties, helping clients maximise the potential of their websites in search engines. His presentation at the ITBBerlin Convention will be “all about the Google Search issues that are on the audience’s mind”. We asked him to tell us more… We will discuss how to assess backlink risks, how to audit websites, how to evaluate snippets, that’s the way a website is represented in Google Search and about any other Google Search challenge the audience is interested in. This will be a discussion so make sure to bring all your Google questions to the table! ANY TRAVEL WEBSITE MUST PROVIDE A UNIQUE SALES PROPOSITION FOR USERS, IN ORDER TO PERFORM WELL IN GOOGLE SEARCH How do you see the current state of play in the market? Search Engine Optimization or how well a website does in Google Search has been a critical success factor for years. SEO in 2016 has become a highly competitive, data driven and very adaptive discipline. Google has caught up with the link buying game and methods that used to work well for some sites are their undoing today. High quality rather than a large quantity of backlinks is an Kaspar Szymanski International SEO expert, former senior member of the Google Search Quality team essential part of a near future success strategy. So what are really the key issues that need to be tackled? Fundamentally, any travel website must provide a unique sales proposition for users, in order to perform well in Google Search. The path to achieving that goal includes great technical page setup, ensuring that search engines and user alike can understand and navigate through. The type of content and services provided must demonstrate the value to users and Google alike. Last but not least, any site that is meant to do well in Google must abide to Google Webmaster Guidelines and avoid any violation that may result in lasting penalties to be applied by the Google team. PROBLEM RANKING IN SEARCH ENGINES? ASK FORMER SENIOR GOOGLE SEARCH QUALITY TEAM EXPERT ANYTHING ON SEARCH AND SEO! Category: ITB Marketing & Destination Workshops Date: March 11, 2016 Time: 1:15 pm - 2:45 pm Location: Hall 7.1a, Auditorium New York 2 Celebrating Her ITBBerlin To Spotlight Special Role of Women in Tourism Women are not only important tourism industry customers, they also occupy a central role. The presentation of the first ’Celebrating Her – Global Awards’ is proof of this. Along with this first ever awards ceremony, Ajay Prakash, president of IIPT India & Chief Executive Nomad Travels India, will provide impressive examples of best practices managed by women. We asked him how one can define “best practices” here… When we talk of “best practices”, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Best practice in one instance might involve education, which directly enhances deployability; in another it might have to do with maintaining local communities and traditions; in yet another it might entail water conservation or waste management. But if there is one thing that is universally relevant, it’s the special role that women can play in the tourism ecosphere. Women in decision-making roles in the industry palpably alter the tourist experience and any initiative that empowers women must necessarily be labelled “best practice”. WOMEN IN DECISION-MAKING ROLES IN THE INDUSTRY PALPABLY ALTER THE TOURIST EXPERIENCE AND ANY INITIATIVE THAT EMPOWERS WOMEN MUST NECESSARILY BE LABELLED “BEST PRACTICE”. This is the first global awards ceremony of this kind. Why is it so important to underline the best practices of women in the field? As far back as 2000 the UN had in its Resolution 1325 talked of the critical need to involve more women in the processes of peacemaking, avoidance of conflict and in healing the wounds of conflict. Yet today, 15 years later, the study commissioned by UN Women laments the low numbers of women in senior positions and the findings of the 2015 report notes that “much of the progress Ajay Prakash President of IIPT India & Chief Executive Nomad Travels India towards the implementation of resolution 1325 continues to be measured in ‘firsts’, rather than as standard practice.” “Celebrating Her” seeks to recognise and felicitate 5 outstanding women in the sphere of tourism who have not only empowered themselves, but continue to empower others. We hope that our award winners will not only influence opinion and inspire other women but also form a network of “IIPT Women Ambassadors of Peace” and through collaboration further the IIPT mission of Peace Through Tourism, now and in the future. ‘CELEBRATING HER’ - GLOBAL AWARDS FOR EMPOWERED WOMEN IN TOURISM Category: ITB CSR Day Date: March 11, 2016 Time: 4:15 pm - 5:00 pm Location: Hall 7.1a, Auditorium New York 3 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Tuesday 1 st March 2016
