In this week’s roundup of new social media campaigns, we see a number of travel related marketing endeavours as companies seek to encourage people to book their vacations. They are characterized by fun, engagement, photographs and a contest element. Elsewhere, there’s news of a big success for one European travel company on Sina Weibo and the most common reasons why travellers and holidaymakers post pics to social media.
Win Holidays with Food Selfies
Accor Hotels has launched its “Savour, Snap, Share” social media campaign across Asia. Holidaymakers and hotel guests are being invited to take food-selfies of themselves enjoying a meal in Accor properties all over the globe. The contest spans a number of social media platforms, including Weibo, Facebook and Instagram, and will run until March 9. There will be weekly prizes for the best pictures, including discount vouchers and two-night stays.
The campaign is a direct result of the hotel group’s report into the social media habits of travellers, which found that 77% took photos during their last trip and the majority were pointing their smartphones and cameras at food. There’s more about the report (the 2014 Accor Hotels Asia Pacific Social Media Monitor) in the news section, while a short video summary of its findings can be seen above.
I Wish I was Here
Where do you really want to be right now? Sunning yourself on a beach? Relaxing in a spa hotel? Or perhaps, climbing a mountain?
For its latest marketing campaign, which includes traditional and social media elements, Cosmos Holidays is encouraging customers to create holiday snaps of their homes, for example turning a kitchen into an Italian restaurant to express where they really want to be. By posting them to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #wishiwasreallyhere, they will be entered into a draw to win a holiday for four. The campaign is a targeted initiative as the company is diving into its customer database to reach past customers.
Beautiful #Cornwall Do you #Wishyouwerehere http://t.co/03SHFPLUMt pic.twitter.com/CYMAS3VVMX
— cottages4you (@cottages4you) February 16, 2015
Sinead Archer, acting head of marketing, Cosmos Holidays, said: “This campaign is all about encouraging customers that haven’t booked in the last few years to consider Cosmos again – getting them excited about the breadth of destinations we offer.”
Powerful Stories to Inspire Teens
Cereal brand Nutri-Grain has launched a new content led campaign targeting teens. It includes TV, digital, online and social and is being spearheaded by films that show individuals leading ‘unstoppable lives’. The content reflects insight that teenagers want to live full lives, but are held back by social, emotional and physical barriers. The first video in the series is about Brazilian Derek Rabelo who learnt to surf, despite being blind and it tells of his determination to fulfil his dreams, no matter the obstacles.
Multichannel Social Campaign for Awards Show
NBCUniversal and Jeep have embarked on a multiplatform social media campaign across four NBCU networks to spread the word about NBC’s March 29 broadcast of the second annual IHeartRadio Music Awards. The ceremony includes a new Jeep-sponsored award. Viewers are being invited to submit photographs of their adventurous lives using the hashtag #RenegadeLifeContest. Submissions will be featured on the network’s various websites and winners will be line for a number of prizes. These include a 2015 Jeep Renegade, tickets to the awards ceremony in Los Angeles and participation in the filming of an NBCUniversal-produced Jeep Renegade television spot.
#RenegadeLifeContest I need a renegade to get me where I need to go pic.twitter.com/dzEbPAbZi6 — Jim Hessler (@JimHessler) February 21, 2015
Airport Launches Social Media Campaign Aimed at Students
To get more students to use its facility during the forthcoming spring break, Fargo’s Hector International Airport in Dakota, United States is enticing them with special offers via social media. The airport is reaching out to students from North Dakota State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead and Concordia College by posting details of spring break discounts on its Twitter and Facebook pages.
News
Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting social media news from the last week.
Big Sales Boost in China for Eurostar
Eurostar has witnessed a doubling of its direct sales from the Chinese market thanks to social media. The high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels operated a campaign on the microblogging site Sina Weibo. It attracted more than 50 million viewers and invited people to submit videos of their favourite places in London or Paris. These were then voted on by the Chinese public and the winners received a luxury Eurostar trip.
“The Weibo competition has been a great opportunity to build brand awareness with Chinese consumers,” said Darren Williams, Eurostar’s head of sales. “It has helped to drive growth in direct sales, with a rise in the number of individuals choosing to plan their own trip, an increasing trend within the market.”
Posting Holiday Snaps to Social Media
So, why do Asia Pacific travellers post photos to social media when they are on holiday? The 2014 Accor Hotels Asia Pacific Social Media Monitor has all the answers.
- 61% of respondents said it was to provide a permanent record of what they did during their trip.
- 56% said it was to share beautiful visuals.
The most popular photographic subjects were: food (44%), landscapes (42%), destination landmarks (39%), views from hotels (38%) and pictures of hotel rooms (37%).
Nearly half of the survey’s respondents expected to receive likes or comments about the holiday pictures they posted.
Saying ‘I Love You’ on Twitter
Could Thailand be one of the most romantic nations on the planet? On the eve of this year’s Valentine’s Day, it ranked first among Asia Pacific countries, based on the number of times people expressed their love on the microblogging site. In second place in the region was Singapore, while Sweden came out on tops in the world.
Mobile Growth in Malaysia
More evidence of how the world is going mobile crazy comes from Malaysia, which has seen the tenth consecutive year of growth in the smartphone market. The annual sales volume by the end of 2014 was 8.5 million. Demand peaked in December when 769,000 units were sold.
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