The Road Less Traveled By Lately
By: Emily Wilson-Sawyer
When Robert Frost wrote about “the road less traveled by,” I imagine he didn’t mean the travel industry. But this year, the industry and worldwide consumers have definitely taken that road – no travel, or at least markedly less.
For the airline industry, this has meant furloughs, empty planes for some, mandatory COVID-19 testing and a battle to put butts in seats where only the strong (aka largest) will survive.
For cruise lines that pride themselves on bragging rights determined by their days spent at sea each year, all have been docked since March and are crossing fingers and bows that they can return to open waters in November or December. Oh, and did I mention everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure of the all-you-can-eat buffet complete with soft serve ice cream till you drop may be a thing of the past? New cruising restrictions and social distancing will most likely cause buffets to also sail off into the sunset with the pandemic.
For a hotel industry that has lost more than $46 billion in revenue to date and is on pace to lose up to $400 million in room revenue per day, this has meant taking what you can get – being flexible with rates and open to new ventures including renting rooms out as offices by hour, providing assistance with home schooling, hosting virtual celebrations and everything in between.
With the second wave of COVID-19 just beginning and major metropolitan areas like NYC threatening a second shutdown, the travel industry must stand tall and proud and shout from the rafters that it is down, but not for the count. To do this, hospitality brands should consider the following:
Find Real Tensions and Lean In
Recently, we launched a Chief Virtual Learning Officer (CVLO) program for Kimpton. It was born out of a true tension – during the pandemic, parents do it all. From at-home teacher, to always-on employee, to devoted caretaker, the juggling never ends. And parents seek help wherever they can find it. From here was born an opportunity – find a real way to help parents when most complain that just getting their kid on Zoom (while they are Zooming away too) is half the battle. Our CVLO does that, and media and real-life consumers eat and book it up. Brands that aspire to break though must find true insights and create opportunities to lighten the load or solve for a problem at a time when the world seems filled with nothing but problems. Research shows if brands are there for consumers during their time of need in a way that is true to their brand ethos, consumers will remember this and pay it forward with future loyalty.
TapIN To Remain Relevant
At Allison+Partners, we believe brands must live at the intersection of culture and commerce. And now, in an era where celebrities and brands are literally cancelled every day, showing proof of cultural relevance is more important than ever. This can be done by following the news like a hawk and acting quickly where and when it makes sense for your brand. A great example of this is the #12footskelaton that you may have seen spooking your Instagram feed as of late. Turns out this 12-foot-tall skeleton from Home Depot is currently “the year’s most sought after Halloween decoration,” and has since sold out. While the spook-tastic trend had been picked up on by some mainstream media outlets and showed off by consumers, including Kourtney Kardashian, the Allison+Partners TapIN team identified that not only had brands not jumped in yet, but the trend had the potential viral ability to become the next Art Basel banana. We acted fast and convinced Budweiser to jump in. Within 24 hours, we staged a photo shoot and created our own trend, which many brands (including several A+P clients) have already jumped in on and gotten coverage for. The keys here are agility and speed – knowing that catching trends on the upswing can set you apart from the crowd, and that catching them on the downfall can make you look utterly out of touch, or worse, out of culture.
Little Things Matter – Now More Than Ever
At a time when so much has been taken away from us, the little things matter now more than ever. Amidst chaos, consumers look for a sense of calm, normalcy and a little je ne sais quoi when it comes to service they’ve come to know and love. Quarantine has left us longing for social connection. But in-restaurant dining remains on hold and lobbies are no longer living rooms, so brands must lean into service as a differentiator. Whether it’s delivering “ridiculously personal experiences” like Kimpton does, surprising and delighting your guests while quarantined in their room with creature comforts of home, or even going the extra mile to find news ways to keep perks alive even during a pandemic, the little things are sure to be remembered when 2020 finally ends.
We hope you found even just a little bit of sage advice in these late-night musings. If not, and when all else fails, just rent out Hell (Michigan that is) like Airbnb did this week!
If you're interested in learning how our travel and tourism team can help your brand during this time, get in touch at Emily.Wilson-Sawyer@allisonpr.com.
Emily is a seasoned communications professional with nearly 20 years of experience developing integrated communications strategies and driving creative ideation for clients, including international hotel brands, world famous chefs, airlines, CPG products, restaurant chains and more. She is known for her creativity and breakthrough thinking and has been responsible for many large-scale award winning and results driving campaigns, including bringing the first food tech product to CES and pairing Hilton Hotels & Resorts with Onion Labs to launch its Hilton Urgent Vacation Care Center.
Category: Consumer Brands
