An interview with Greg Klassen, Senior Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Communications, Canadian Tourism Commission
By Daniel Edward Craig, October 11, 2011
Managing the reputation of an individual business is challenging enough in the age of social media—how does one manage the reputation of an entire country?
To gain insight from a tourism perspective I checked in with Greg Klassen, senior vice president of marketing strategy and communications at the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), Canada’s national tourism marketing organization. In partnership with the Canadian tourism industry and provincial, regional and municipal destination marketing organizations, the CTC leads marketing initiatives around the world to inspire visitors to explore Canada.
In this condensed version of our Q+A session Klassen discusses how Canada achieved ranking as the world’s #1 most powerful brand by FutureBrand, how social media has become an integral part of the CTC’s communications strategy, and how a brand firewall can protect brands from “sniper shots” to reputation.
Whether you market a one-person tour company, a destination, or a 1,000-room hotel, there are lessons to be drawn from Canada’s experience. Continue reading →
Hosted by Tourism BC, part of the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, the three-hour seminars are designed to help lodging and tourism operators harness the powers of online reviews and social media content as a competitive advantage.
Overview Social networking has fundamentally changed how travelers research trips, make decisions and share experiences. Increasingly, travelers are bypassing traditional sources of trip information and advice and using social networks to consult sources they trust: other travelers and people they know. The trend has given rise to a critical new function: online reputation management.
Rather than make life more complicated for tourism operators, online reputation management brings focus and clarity to social networking. It is the process of monitoring, reacting to and generating online reviews and social media content to build awareness and shape perceptions of your brand. Continue reading →
In my last post, Social Media Ambush, I discussed the growing trend of travelers using social media to voice complaints, often without bringing them to the attention of staff. In this post I discuss two more ways travelers are using social media: requests for special treatment and threats to write a bad review.
For hotels social networks have performed disappointingly as a booking channel, but for hotel guests they’re proving to be a popular and efficient customer service channel. Showing up with increasing frequency on Facebook pages and Twitter feeds are comments like this: “Can’t wait to celebrate our anniversary at your hotel—hope you make it special!”
On one hand it’s fantastic when guests share their excitement in such a public manner. On the other hand if truffles and pink champagne aren’t waiting in an upgraded Princess Suite, what are the risks? What if the guest is a rampant, venomous blogger, a social media overlord who can bring the hotel to its knees with a few blistering words? Continue reading →
It’s an all-too familiar scenario. “A local guest complained about service via Twitter when she hadn't yet said anything to staff,” says Donna, a senior communications specialist with five-star hotels. “Through monitoring we caught it immediately and [offered to] host a beverage for her and her friend. She stayed for a complete meal but didn't think it was enough—she wanted another full meal at a later date. She threatened to slam the restaurant via social media if we didn't abide.”
Out of the explosive popularity of social networking a challenging new breed of customer has reared its head. Intoxicated by their social media clout, bristling with indignation and entitlement, and all too aware of how far some businesses will go to avoid negative commentary, they hint at, request or outright demand concessions and special treatment. And if they don’t get it, the underlying threat, whether real or imagined, is they’ll lash out via social networks. Continue reading →
During a recent webinar, Michelle Wohl of Revinate discussed how the 1,641-room Peabody Orlando in Florida has made social media and online reputation management a priority. Of particular interest to me was the hotel’s “Guest Engagement Committee”. To find out more I consulted with staff.
Barb Bowden, general manager, tells me the Guest Engagement Committee is “responsible for strategically analyzing all guest feedback vehicles and making actionable recommendations to the hotel’s Executive Committee as well as implementing new ideas to remain progressive in our approach to guest service.” Continue reading →
At a time when the travel industry is still struggling to accommodate social media, which barged in like a noisy tour group speaking a bizarre foreign language, another demanding new function is banging at the door: online reputation management.
But rather than make life even more complicated, online reputation management (ORM) brings clarity and purpose to social networking. More than anything, reputation is the ROI of social networking. It drives demand and is now comparable to brand, price and location in influencing travel decisions.
Online reputation management involves actively participating in social networking to build awareness and shape perceptions of a company. It is the process of monitoring, responding to and generating online feedback and reviews, and using feedback to guide improvements to the customer experience. Continue reading →
My Social Media Quiz was intended as a summer diversion more than anything, an easy test to poke a bit of fun at hotels and social media. So it was a relief to see that most people passed with flying colours.
Of course, this is not a representative sample but a sample of the elite of elites in hotel marketing: my readers.
Completed quizzes: 123
Average score: 7.6/10
Highest score: 10/10 (52 people aced it!)
Lowest score: 0/10 (8 people, but we’ll presume ‘technical’ issues)
Here’s some insight into the answers.
1.Social networking can be best defined as: B. Social interaction and the exchange of user-generated content on web-based and mobile applications. Continue reading →
In February 2010 I published an interview with Adele Gutman Milne, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at HKHotels, about her company’s remarkable achievements in online reputation management. I had the pleasure of meeting Adele early this month in Chicago, where we both presented at TripAdvisor’s Master Class Event, and after hearing her story firsthand I decided it bears repeating.
Whether you operate a five-star luxury hotel, a B&B or a limited-service property, there are lessons to learn from the HKHotels experience. Continue reading →
As part of recent efforts to reach out to the business community, TripAdvisor has revamped its Owners Center and rebranded it the Management Center. If you've visited lately, you've already seen some of the helpful new resources added for hospitality businesses. Content includes how-to videos like the one above, how-to guides and tip sheets, and the TripAdvisor for Business blog. The design is also more appealing and user-friendly. Continue reading →
A former hotel general manager turned author and hospitality consultant, I help hoteliers and travel marketers across the globe understand and adopt the latest trends, tools and best practices in online marketing, social media and online reputation management. More
WHAT I DO
• Marketing strategies
• Website content, articles, guides
• Social media best practices
• Online reputation management
• Training and special projects
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• Online Reputation Management
• Social Media Strategy
• Travel Marketing Trends
• Storytelling and Social Media
• Social Media as a Sales Tool
• Customized Seminars
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