ismboston@gmail.com Copyright 2013 Thu, 09 May 2013 15:08:54 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/boston-strong-travel-marketers-not-so-much http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/boston-strong-travel-marketers-not-so-much#id:222#date:15:08 At 2:50 p.m. on Monday, April 15, the first bomb exploded at the Boston Marathon, just two short blocks from my Boylston Street office. Our city was instantly plunged into a situation filled with tragedy, anger, confusion and sadness, and we became the latest destination to be jolted by the misguided acts of others. As everyone’s attention shifted to the horror that was unfolding, it was startling to experience how marketers continued to sell to me, despite the crisis that engulfed me and my city. Email Marketing emails ism ism boston travel marketing Thu, 09 May 2013 15:08 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/boylston-youre-our-home http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/boylston-youre-our-home#id:221#date:13:44 We have all lived or worked around this 8 block stretch of Boylston Street for the better part of 20 years. It’s been home to our meeting rooms and our playgrounds. It’s been here for our highest highs and one week ago, our lowest lows. ism blog ism boston Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:44 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/whole-foods-to-put-travel-to-the-test http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/whole-foods-to-put-travel-to-the-test#id:220#date:13:44 Whole Foods Market has never been your typical grocery store chain. Its focus has been not only on natural products but also very much on health and wellness. It has skillfully morphed itself into a lifestyle brand, and now it’s turning to travel as the latest strategy to connect with its consumers on a deeper and more emotional level. Customer engagement ism blog ism boston Lifestyle brand marketing opportunity travel Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:44 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/will-hashtags-help-or-hinder-the-facebook-experience http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/will-hashtags-help-or-hinder-the-facebook-experience#id:219#date:18:04 There has been a lot of debate by social marketers about the use of hashtags on Facebook. The # symbol used to make topics or keywords searchable on Twitter and Instagram has been appearing in status updates more frequently.  While some embrace the use of hashtags, others have said it makes you look like a social media rookie. There is even a Facebook page dedicated to stopping the use of hashtags on the platform.  However, the debate may soon be over. dubai emirates facebook ism ism boston social media travel Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:04 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/rethinking-what-hotel-loyalty-means http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/rethinking-what-hotel-loyalty-means#id:218#date:16:48 The recent Deloitte study, “A Restoration in Hotel Loyalty: Developing a blueprint for reinventing loyalty programs,” is a must-read that makes a solid case that today’s loyalty programs don’t foster much brand passion. I’ve long argued that hotel programs have devolved into frequency programs that are really more about promotions and transactions than engendering true brand loyalty. brand loyalty Customer engagement customer loyalty hotel marketing ism Loyalty program loyalty strategy travel Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:48 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/whats-on-the-minds-of-executives http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/whats-on-the-minds-of-executives#id:217#date:16:33 What happens when you bring together 100 travel marketing people and a range of panelists—including senior executives from Virgin Atlantic, Wyndham Hotel Group, Ensemble Travel, Mindshare and more—and ask them to share and discuss their view of the marketing world? You get a pretty clear look at the challenges, direction and thinking that is currently occupying the minds of our industry. ism ism blog ism boston Loyalty program marketing Media mobile Online Media Owned media video Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:33 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-lands-agency-of-record-for-saint-lucia-tourist-board http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-lands-agency-of-record-for-saint-lucia-tourist-board#id:216#date:17:38 We’re excited to announce that ISM has just launched a new brand campaign for the island of Saint Lucia! The campaign was officially unveiled at the 2013 Caribbean Travel Marketplace in the Bahamas, where an exclusive champagne breakfast hosted by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board took place this past Sunday. Read the press release below to see how the new campaign will differentiate Saint Lucia from the “Caribbean Sea of Sameness”. brand purpose branding caribbean destination marketing ism ism boston ISM travels tourism travel Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:38 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/remembering.-its-all-about-people http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/remembering.-its-all-about-people#id:215#date:02:05 The start of a new year is always filled with predictions and forecasts for what lies ahead. And, while every travel industry blog and column seems to be fixated on fiscal cliffs, emerging technologies and lists overflowing with how-to’s and what’s next, I’m feeling a need to reflect on what we’ve lost. Or more precisely, who we’ve lost.   Advertising inspiration ism boston ISM travels tourism travel Travel industry Wed, 09 Jan 2013 02:05 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/a-little-taste-of-saint-lucia http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/a-little-taste-of-saint-lucia#id:214#date:16:41 After traveling to faraway lands, enjoying the exotic stimuli of a place so different from home, I always want to bring back a little piece of the place and experience so I don't forget the magic of the adventure. I take photos and buy souvenirs, but for me, none of it really brings me back to that feeling I had while I was in that other world. caribbean ism ism blog ism boston travel Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:41 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-tourist-board-dilemma http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-tourist-board-dilemma#id:213#date:18:28 Tourist boards, CVB’s and other public and private tourism entities are increasingly struggling with this dilemma—how do you serve the growing information needs and demands of travelers while still effectively serving the needs of your members and constituents? Customer engagement destination marketing ism ism blog ism boston tourism tourism marketing Travel industry Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:28 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/us-open http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/us-open#id:212#date:15:47 For most, the 2012 US Open will be remembered for Serena’s dominance and Andy Murray’s first Grand Slam title, but I’ll remember it for a different reason. Not only was this my first ever US Open, I was lucky enough to experience the Open as a true VIP. As a guest of our client and US Open sponsor, Emirates Airline, I took in the action from the comforts of a luxury suite that was enhanced by the award-winning service provided by the Emirates Airline Crew in attendance. emirates ism ism blog ism boston Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:47 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/travel-is-a-perfect-fashion-fit http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/travel-is-a-perfect-fashion-fit#id:211#date:14:52 It seems that fashion and travel have long been connected. For those who can remember, Braniff Airlines in the 1960s made headlines when they turned to Emilio Pucci to design the uniforms for the crew, complete with plastic space helmets to keep the stewardesses’ hair from getting mussed when crossing the tarmac. In the 1970s, Braniff made another big splash by working with Halston, and much more recently airlines have tried to show their sense of style by partnering such noteworthy designers as Giorgio Armani with AIitalia, Christian Lacroix with Air France and Adolfo Dominguez with Iberia.   airline brand story ism blog ism boston ISM travels Lifestyle brand Louis Vuitton luxury Retail travel Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:52 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/what-have-the-olympics-done-to-my-london-its-not-what-you-think http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/what-have-the-olympics-done-to-my-london-its-not-what-you-think#id:210#date:17:06 My eighth visit to London was perhaps my most nerve wracking. Well, if you forget the first one—eight weeks living in the city with 19 of my collegiate classmates, working and learning. I suppose that takes some guts. But this one—running around London with my wife, checking out seven Olympic events in six days—this one was sure to be pretty stressful. Then again, the sixth time I went was for my honeymoon. So the days leading up to our departure were certainly pressure-filled. But that was during a normal summer. Not one where the entire world would converge on this one city, leading to long lines and chaotic commutes. ism ism boston ISM travels ISMer Olympics Vacations Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:06 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/tweens-define-another-segment-of-family-travel http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/tweens-define-another-segment-of-family-travel#id:209#date:16:35 When USA Today recently ran an article that highlighted the way some travel brands are pursuing teens and preteens, it was gratifying to see that companies are starting to create products and programs that are taking this market more seriously. For years, I’ve been advocating that selling to families is as much about talking to the kids as it is the parents. Critical to tapping into this opportunity is recognizing that tweens are a different market than teens and that any approach to marketing to families with children needs to recognize the unique characteristics of the various segments within the children’s market.   children Family ism blog ism boston ISM travels Kids kids marketing marketing opportunity travel Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:35 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/get-out-of-your-daily-routine http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/get-out-of-your-daily-routine#id:208#date:18:38 Working for ISM, it’s natural that I have a love for all things travel. And, admittedly, a particularly dorky side of me loves networking events. You never know who you are going to meet, and what’s more, my recent networking experience with CreativeMornings even amplified my travel cravings.  Oh – you haven’t heard of CreativeMornings? Airplane travel innovation ism blog ism boston ISM travels travel Fri, 27 Jul 2012 18:38 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/giving-kids-a-voice http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/giving-kids-a-voice#id:207#date:14:43 Catering to families has proven to be a smart move for many a travel brand, and there’s growing evidence that even in these tough economic times the family vacation has become more important than ever—with families working hard to find more value for their travels, rather than sacrifice the idea of taking a vacation. As brands continue to target family travel, there’s a growing emphasis on talking directly to kids in both marketing efforts and product delivery. children ism ism blog ism boston Kids kids marketing marketing opportunity MediaPost travel Vacations Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:43 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/brooklyn-and-airbnb http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/brooklyn-and-airbnb#id:206#date:13:45 My family of four recently spent 4 nights in Brooklyn. Exploring Brooklyn was like exploring the great neighborhoods of New York; without the stress. We discovered great food, shops, cocktails and walks, all with a mellow vibe. We love the experience of staying at top hotels, but we knew this was the kind of trip where we walk out the door in the morning and only come back for bed time. If I can’t take advantage of the service and amenities of a great property, then I don’t feel like I am getting the right value. Family hotel marketing ism boston ISM travels travel Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:45 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/getting-a-handle-on-the-future-start-by-making-life-easier http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/getting-a-handle-on-the-future-start-by-making-life-easier#id:205#date:13:55 The great thing about consumer trends is that they lead us to think about the future in new and innovative ways. To help my team and me ponder where things are headed, we subscribe to and regularly consult the trend-spotting service Iconoculture. One of the trends that Iconoculture has been focused on is something they call “set it and forget it.” This is a term they have coined regarding consumers increasingly wanting super-low maintenance lifestyles and fulfilling their growing desire to have their unpleasant, tedious and boring tasks simply go away.   Consumer Behavior hotel marketing ism blog ism boston ISM travels technology travel Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:55 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-helps-four-seasons-bring-the-wonder-back http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-helps-four-seasons-bring-the-wonder-back#id:204#date:20:30 You could say that we have a little history with Four Seasons. Twenty-three years ago, we started with them when they had a portfolio of 12 hotels. Today, they are at 86 and growing. So yes, just a little history. When they approached us about helping them craft the messaging for their 2012 summer promotion, we were thrilled but also a little hesitant. Today’s luxury market is saturated with messaging that consistently plays the game of “one-upmanship.” Consumers are getting weary of hearing about the lavishly luxurious room with the waterfall that overlooks another waterfall. So instead of playing the same game, we changed it. We took a step back and tried to remind people what it is about vacations that make them unforgettable. The awe of discovery and the wonder of a moment. We rolled out a campaign called The World of Wonder—a Four Seasons life list. To make it more tangible, we created statements of desire that helped inspire consumers to do the things they’ve always wanted to or even learn about things they didn’t know they could do. Our microsite used breathtaking and evocative imagery to convey the wonder. Driving to the microsite were emails, newsletters, articles on Four Seasons Magazine, social media and public relations efforts. And to introduce the campaign, we created a video that brought wonder to life. Over the last 23 years, we’ve helped Four Seasons go global. And now, we’ve done the same for wonder. We invite you to experience it for yourself. Tue, 12 Jun 2012 20:30 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/photo-nights-boston-project-yourself http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/photo-nights-boston-project-yourself#id:203#date:20:01 Last Thursday marked Photo Nights Boston's first milestone; the reveal of their brand identity.   branding Photo Nights Boston Photography Mon, 14 May 2012 20:01 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/tripadvisor-great-enabler-or-evil-empire http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/tripadvisor-great-enabler-or-evil-empire#id:202#date:18:23 After I wrote my last Marketing:Travel column addressing the debate over whether or not hotels should link to the TripAdvisor site, I got an email from Adele Gutman Milne, vice president of sales & marketing for HKHotels in New York City. For her, there is no debate—of course, you link to TripAdvisor. Her four hotels are all ranked in the top 10 when you search New York City and, for her, TripAdvisor is definitely the great enabler. It’s given her small collection of hotels an enormous amount of visibility and that has translated into bookings. Lots of bookings. Customer engagement customer loyalty customer service Gary leopold hotel marketing ism blog ism boston ISM travels Online booking travel TripAdvisor Mon, 07 May 2012 18:23 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/posting-peer-reviews-on-your-website-a-new-debate http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/posting-peer-reviews-on-your-website-a-new-debate#id:201#date:12:57 The debate over how best to handle peer reviews on hotel websites continues to rage. While there is now growing consensus for hotel brand websites to allow guests to view customer feedback, the debate has shifted to what sources make this data believable and to what degree do hotels curate the feedback to screen out false information or negative issues that have long been remediated without changing the authentic tone of the reviews. Four Seasons hotel marketing hsmai ism boston ISM travels OTA Owned media Starwood TripAdvisor Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:57 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/favoritism-karen http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/favoritism-karen#id:200#date:16:38 Every month, we ask one ISMer about their favorite things in the world. This month, it’s Account Supervisor Karen “You Can Find Me In The Club” Shaheen. Boston restaurants Favoritism ism boston ISM travels ISMer travel Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:38 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/go-west-kb-go-west http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/go-west-kb-go-west#id:199#date:14:37 To escape Boston for a long weekend, my fiancé and I made the trek to Denver, Colorado, home of the Rockies and Tim Tebow. In a nutshell, the trip was awesome. Shout outs to Davin and Erica for being such excellent hosts. For this post, I wanted to avoid waxing poetically about my trip. I like to be concise. And since I’m the digital producer at ISM, I figured that I should give it that digital spin, that tech flavor. So behold: my long weekend via Instagram. ISM travels ismboston ISMer travel Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:37 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-power-of-expectations-and-the-dialogue-that-fuels-them http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-power-of-expectations-and-the-dialogue-that-fuels-them#id:198#date:15:14 Expectations are a powerful force. I was on a quick trip to London a few weeks ago and packed my usual roll-on bag. It’s the same one I’ve carried onboard planes of every configuration for the past ten years. The proof is on the handle that is festooned with the remnants of dozens of bag-checks from hotels across the globe. So, as I boarded my BA flight from London to Boston, the last thing I worried about was my carry-on. After all, this was a huge 777 that was far from full and my bag had already passed muster on planes half the size. My expectation was that all would be fine, just as it was on the BA flight (also a 777) that I had taken over to London just two days before. I was wrong.   air travel brand loyalty Consumer Behavior CRM customer customer loyalty ism blog ism boston ISM travels Sharing user experience Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:14 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/are-you-missing-out http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/are-you-missing-out#id:197#date:15:24 Yesterday I attended the HSMAI Digital Marketing Strategy conference and the most eye opening presentation was on the power of location based marketing given by Asif Khan, Founder & President of the Location Based Marketing Association. His big point was if you think location and only think Foursquare, then you are missing out. Foursquare ism boston ISM travels location based marketing marketing opportunity Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:24 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/will-the-hotel-industry-start-devouring-itself http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/will-the-hotel-industry-start-devouring-itself#id:196#date:14:46 USA Today recently reviewed a new travel booking auction site called BackBid. BackBid’s ingenious business model is that consumers post a confirmed hotel reservation and then hotels bid to offer a better rate. In the ongoing quest to find the lowest price, this is obviously great for consumers. competition hotel marketing ism blog ism boston ISM travels Online booking Travel industry travel marketing Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:46 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/add-a-little-spice-4-ways-to-celebrate-this-valentines-day http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/add-a-little-spice-4-ways-to-celebrate-this-valentines-day#id:195#date:16:33 The aisles have been filled with heart-shaped candy and teddy bears for weeks, but are you ready for Valentine’s Day? This year vow to do something different. Venture away from the traditional and experience the holiday in a unique way. I’ve gathered a list of experiences for this Valentine’s Day, so get planning and start exploring. But don’t worry; you can still enjoy all of these with a side of chocolate. I know that I will. boston Boston restaurants holiday ism blog ism boston ISM travels Valentine's Day Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:33 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/starwood-raises-the-bar-let-the-loyalty-wars-begin http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/starwood-raises-the-bar-let-the-loyalty-wars-begin#id:194#date:14:44 That scurrying you hear is no doubt the sound of other brands looking for ways to respond to Starwood’s bold enhancements to its Starwood Preferred Guest program. Indeed, I expect the Starwood announcement to trigger a volley of upgrades that we’ll likely see other major brands bring to their programs in the weeks and months ahead. brand loyalty competition customer loyalty customer retention hotel marketing ism blog ism boston Loyalty program loyalty strategy Starwood Travel industry Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:44 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/traveling-to-the-big-game http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/traveling-to-the-big-game#id:192#date:17:01 Super Bowl Sunday is less than one week away. On February 5th, over 100 million people in 232 countries will tune in to NBC’s coverage of the Super Bowl to watch our beloved New England Patriots avenge their 2007 Super Bowl loss against the hated New York Football Giants, to rate this year’s Super commercials and to see Madonna take the stage with Nicki Minaj. air travel apps dominant fans ISM travels ismboston social media travel Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:01 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/favoritismmk http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/favoritismmk#id:191#date:17:59 Every month, we ask one ISMer about their favorite things in the world. This month, it’s Copywriter Matt “Mo’ Wax” Kaiser. Favoritism ism blog ism boston ISM travels ISMer Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:59 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/when-home-is-a-world-away http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/when-home-is-a-world-away#id:189#date:15:20 I was born in India and hold an Indian passport. And that is the extent of my “Indian-ness.” When I come to India I am still an outsider. And not having been home in seven years makes me even more of a stranger to a place I am supposed to call home. There’s no such thing as “kind of seeing India.” When you arrive, you’re completely, truly, and utterly immersed in it. So excuse me while I let a few pictures do the walking, talking and narrating. Family India ism blog ism boston ISMer travel travels Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:20 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/six-resolutions-for-more-rewarding-travel-experiences http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/six-resolutions-for-more-rewarding-travel-experiences#id:188#date:16:23 Vow to explore the world a little more this year? Consider adopting these six resolutions for more rewarding travel experiences in 2012. Social Networking technology. mobile travel travels yelp Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:23 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-promise-of-a-new-you-gets-new-meaning http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-promise-of-a-new-you-gets-new-meaning#id:187#date:15:45 The New Year is filled with hopeful resolutions. Not surprisingly, the most popular are health related, including losing weight and getting in shape. There’s a rising role of wellness in our everyday lifestyle—from the foods we consume to the beauty products we slather on. It’s part of a confluence of trends that is fueling dramatic growth in a sector of travel that has the potential to provide a significant opportunity for the industry—namely, medical tourism. innovation ism ism blog ISM travels marketing opportunity medical tourism tourism tourism marketing Travel industry wellness travel Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:45 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/branching-out-this-holiday-season http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/branching-out-this-holiday-season#id:186#date:16:48 This season, we approached the holidays with a new mindset. Of course, we could have sent our traditional holiday card to hundreds of our favorite clients and friends – but think about how many trees we’d be killing! That’s why this year we’re planting a forest instead! boston holiday ism ism blog ISM travels Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:48 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/scrambling-for-holiday-gifts http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/scrambling-for-holiday-gifts#id:185#date:14:40 This time of year is notorious for top gift lists, and because I am always scrambling at the last minute for holiday gifts, I made a conscious effort to start paying attention to gift ideas early this year. My circle of loved ones includes quite a few travelers, which is why I’ve paid particular attention to the lists that recommend the best travel gifts in the marketplace. air travel Family gift ideas holiday ism blog ISM travels travel travel gifts Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:40 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/got-game http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/got-game#id:184#date:14:42 People love their games. Just look around you the next time you walk down the aisle on that airplane. Far more screens are filled with solitaire, Angry Birds and other games rather than serious business. We work hard, we’re tired, we’re overwhelmed and, more than ever, it’s games, fueled by modern technology that provide a much-needed form of entertainment, distraction and relief. branding Customer engagement customer loyalty game layer innovation ism ism blog ISM travels location based marketing marketing opportunity mobile social media Social Networking technology tourism travel user experience Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:42 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/top-holiday-travel-tips http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/top-holiday-travel-tips#id:183#date:16:53 The holidays are an exciting time filled with gatherings, delicious food and gift-giving, but they also can be stressful if you have to travel. In order to minimize your stress this holiday season I propose you follow my top 10 travel tips listed below. I can’t guarantee your holiday will be stress-free, but maybe this year you’ll at least arrive spreading some cheer.   air travel Airplane travel airport security airports iPad ismboston mobile travel travels Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:53 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/favoritism1 http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/favoritism1#id:182#date:15:41 Every month, we ask one ISMer about their favorite things in the world. This month, it’s Executive Assistant Kathy “Always Double on Eleven” Murphy. Favoritism ism blog ISM travels ISMer Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:41 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/does-death-spur-innovation http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/does-death-spur-innovation#id:181#date:18:14 On November 17th I attended the L2 Innovation Forum in New York City. If you aren’t familiar with L2, they are a digital think tank for luxury brands and their annual Innovation Forum highlights innovation in digital marketing and its impact on luxury brands. This year’s speakers included CEOs, industry thought leaders and professors from NYU’s Stern School of Business. We discussed trends like the continued rise of social media marketing and how digitization is driving ‘botification,’ but what I found to be most fascinating was the theory that fear inhibits innovation while death spurs it.  Advertising advertising blog Apple branding China game layer innovation ism blog ISM travels mobile technology. mobile Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:14 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/digital-travel-tools-you-need-to-try http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/digital-travel-tools-you-need-to-try#id:180#date:18:27 The Future. Where it will take us, no one knows. But, lucky for you, we do know about some pretty innovative websites and mobile apps that seem to get what the future of travel is all about. We had four ISMers take some time to review their favorite (or in one case, not so favorite) digital travel tool. innovation interactive ism blog ISM travels ISMer privacy social media Social Networking technology technology. mobile travel travel marketing World Travel Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:27 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/some-people-call-me-a-space-cowboy http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/some-people-call-me-a-space-cowboy#id:179#date:16:26 We’ve been reading a lot about space tourism lately. Did you know that back in 2001 Dennis Tito, an Italian American multimillionaire, became the first tourist to travel into space?  innovation inspiration ism ism blog ism boston ISM travels Lifestyle brand marketing travel Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:26 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/its-time-to-get-your-curation-on http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/its-time-to-get-your-curation-on#id:178#date:19:28 I love the quote from noted inventor and businessman Charles Kettering, who said, “My interest is in the future because I’m going to spend the rest of my life there.” For those of us working in travel, the future looks like a place where myriad tools will allow us to shape and deliver highly personalized, immediately relevant and richer experiences that will dramatically enhance the way we see the world.   affluent traveler apps Customer engagement facebook Gary leopold innovation interactive ism blog ISM travels location based marketing Louis Vuitton social media technology tourism Twitter user experience Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:28 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/favoritism http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/favoritism#id:177#date:14:01 Every month, we ask one ISMer about their favorite things in the world. This month, it’s Account Supervisor and craft beer nerd Jenni McCarthy. advertising agency advertising blog boston Favoritism ism blog ism boston ISM travels ISMer travel Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:01 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/for-the-love-of-tweed http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/for-the-love-of-tweed#id:176#date:16:30 Boston’s Annual Tweed Ride is a morning event where locals sport their favorite tweed ensemble and ride bicycles through the winding cobblestone pathways of Boston’s historic Back Bay and along the scenic Emerald Necklace. As a lover of all things vintage, Boston’s rich culture and my bicycle, General Eisenhower (also known as Ike the Bike,) it took me all of five seconds to sign up. Eager to embark on this adventure, I was blissfully unaware that it would leave me with an entirely new perception of travel.   Destination inspiration ism ism blog ISM travels ismboston travel travel blog Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:30 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-ultimate-festival http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-ultimate-festival#id:175#date:20:00 Worth. The. Hype. That is how I would describe Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. I was one of 5 million people this year lucky enough to experience the famous festival.  Yes, people really do wear lederhosen.  The pretzels are the size of your face.  The smallest beer you can purchase is 1 liter.  It is awesome. cultural exchange Germany ism blog ISM travels Oktoberfest travel travel blog Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:00 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/bringing-luxury-to-china-tips-for-marketing-success http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/bringing-luxury-to-china-tips-for-marketing-success#id:174#date:15:48 My company had the opportunity to attend L2's recent invite-only conference on China, and we came away more convinced than ever that the country holds big opportunities for luxury and upscale travel brands. With a major emphasis on the word BIG! advertising blog affluent traveler China cultural exchange ism blog ismboston marketers marketing opportunity tourism tourism marketing travel travel blog Travel industry Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:48 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/do-award-shows-matter http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/do-award-shows-matter#id:173#date:18:05 There comes the point when advertisers weigh the decision of attending that award show against giving up an evening of family-time, date-night or a really good episode of Parks And Recreation. Is it really worth it? Ad Club Advertising advertising agency creativity Hatch Awards innovation ism blog ISM travels New England Ad Club success Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:05 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/chatting-about-china http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/chatting-about-china#id:172#date:17:07 Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you have probably noticed there’s been a lot of buzz about China lately. So what’s the deal with China? affluent traveler China hospitality marketing hotel marketing. travel ism ISM travels marketers marketing opportunity travel marketing Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:07 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-travel-inspiration-cycle http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-travel-inspiration-cycle#id:171#date:16:47 In my last post I presented the idea that the real power of social networks is not followers, but the ability to tap into social networks to inspire others to travel. In fact, I think we need a new marketing model that puts inspiring people to travel at the center of all we do. My working name for this is the Travel Inspiration Cycle and the first draft looks like this... customer Customer engagement Engagement inspiration ism ISM travels location based marketing marketing opportunity social media Social Networking Social Search tourism marketing Travel brands Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:47 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/making-it-better-in-massachusetts http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/making-it-better-in-massachusetts#id:170#date:17:41 ISM was invited by the Massachusetts Production Coalition to participate in a contest to create a television spot that would incent out-of-state producers, directors and agency folk to bring their next commercial production to the Bay State.  Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:41 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/seek-inspirers-not-followers http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/seek-inspirers-not-followers#id:169#date:13:44 Too often we measure social media success by the number of likes or followers we have.  Taking a step back, do we really want these passionate people to just follow us? No, we want them to inspire travel in others. Engagement ISM travels marketing opportunity metrics Share This social media tourism marketing Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:44 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/four-things-ive-learned-at-networking-breakfasts http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/four-things-ive-learned-at-networking-breakfasts#id:168#date:14:20 One ISMer's perspective on the wacky world of networking. Advertising iPhone ism ISM travels ismboston marketers marketing social media Social Networking technology. mobile Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:20 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/september-is-for-sharing http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/september-is-for-sharing#id:167#date:22:19 The travel journey is inevitably about sharing. Whether you’re asking for recommendations, giving advice or posting mid-trip status updates, social networks have become an integral part of the travel experience.This month, ISM will talk sharing: the how, who, when and what you share when you travel. ism ism blog ISM travels marketers social media Social Networking travel blog Twitter Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:19 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-numbers-game-that-really-isnt http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/the-numbers-game-that-really-isnt#id:166#date:21:30 When it comes to marketing, everything is measured by the numbers and, for the majority of things we gauge, the bigger the number the better. Inquiries. Conversions. Sales. Visits. Page views. Length of session. Likes. Friends. Followers. For many of us, they're sources of considerable pride. And who can blame a brand for pounding its chest when it vaults past a million Twitter followers or Facebook likes? But the question is, how engaged are those followers? Customer engagement customer loyalty Foursquare ism ISM travels ismboston social media Social Networking technology tourism marketing Tweet Tue, 06 Sep 2011 21:30 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/turning-curiosity-into-results-for-the-discovery-channel http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/turning-curiosity-into-results-for-the-discovery-channel#id:165#date:14:35 John Hendricks, founder of the Discovery Channel had a new vision. It was a series of luxury retreats around the world, where guests could come not just to relax, but immerse themselves fully in astronomy, paleontology, history and more. When Hendricks approached ISM last year, he gave us two jobs. First, the retreats needed a strong brand identity. Second, the rooms needed to be filled. So we started with a simple, bold suggestion: change the original name “Experius Academy” to “Discovery Retreats.” His channel’s name had equity, we just had to put it to work. Next, we created a multi-channel campaign to promote the resort, and created a new web presence to bring it to life online. Regardless of channel, our message was clear: this was a place “Where Curiosity Comes to Play.” We knew that for the curious, it wouldn’t be enough to just talk about the beautiful surroundings, or luxurious amenities. We had to celebrate learning itself. So we paired more traditional vacation benefits with the kind of educational opportunities that could pique anyone’s curiosity. Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:35 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/helping-the-united-nations-create-a-universal-language-of-sustainability http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/helping-the-united-nations-create-a-universal-language-of-sustainability#id:164#date:14:33 In creating the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, the United Nations Foundation received input from more than 2,000 experts around the planet in a 5-round, 18-month process. That was the easy part. Next, they needed to reach consensus on a single positioning and brand identity. Because we were dealing with a global audience, we knew the solution needed to be easily understood across languages and cultures. So we drew on the universal language of mathematics for our logo, morphing the infinity symbol into a footprint to communicate the infinite benefits of sustainable tourism. And because the words “Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria” were a hard-to-remember mouthful in any tongue, we used today’s lingua franca (ironically, English) to create the line “Travel Forever,” which communicated the benefit in two simple words. It’s a powerful brand position that seamlessly leads into a collection of sales tools and advertising, helping the United Nations Foundation raise money from corporations, governments and committed individuals, and cementing Travel Forever as the de facto standard of sustainable tourism on earth. Turns out, you can please all the people all the time. Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:33 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/emirates-destination-radio.-globetrotting-one-radio-station-at-a-time http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/emirates-destination-radio.-globetrotting-one-radio-station-at-a-time#id:163#date:14:28 With over 100 destinations worldwide, the Emirates brand is truly a celebration of discovery. And they’ve always worked to ignite that sense of exploration in passengers’ everyday lives. After all, the average person can’t just hop on a plane and explore a new place whenever the mood strikes. That’s why we created the Emirates Destination Radio App. Built for the iPhone, it features live streaming radio stations from Emirates destinations on six continents. Said Account Director Craig Colman, “Music is the ultimate way to explore a place, even if it’s halfway around the world. It’s pure emotion. And when you can reach prospective passengers on an emotional level, anywhere they bring their phone, you instantly make the brand more relevant to their life.” Of course, we made sure that after passengers discovered a place musically, it was easy to follow in-App shortcuts, book a flight, and hear those #1 hits in person. From the moment the App hit the iTunes store, thousands of fans (and prospective passengers) embraced it. And that’s music to any brand’s ears.     Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:28 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/local-insight-bohemian-bliss http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/local-insight-bohemian-bliss#id:162#date:13:32 This week is Restaurant Week in Boston – a tremendous opportunity to try new restaurants in the greater Boston area. Whether you have lived here for years or you’re just visiting on summer vacation, restaurant week offers you the chance to sample and savor dishes in over 200 restaurants boston Boston restaurants creativity ism ism blog ISM travels ismboston Open Table Restaurant Week The Beehive Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:32 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/google-hotel-finder-has-lots-to-love-but-still-a-long-way-to-go-if-it-wants http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/google-hotel-finder-has-lots-to-love-but-still-a-long-way-to-go-if-it-wants#id:161#date:14:27 The recently launched Google Hotel Finder is a "search tool specifically designed to help you find that perfect hotel." Google is clear that their new tool is experimental, so I decided to try it out to understand what works and what could still be improved. So far, I love what it has to offer although I have yet to be convinced that it is the new go-to web resource for hotel search and comparison. So if Google is looking for feedback on their hotel finder experiment, here are my two cents. Google hotel marketing hotel marketing. travel ism ISM travels ismboston Online booking technology user experience Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:27 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/finding-your-true-identity http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/finding-your-true-identity#id:160#date:18:10 There’s been a lot of conversation in the design community recently about the importance a logo plays in a world in which marketing seems to be heavily focused on social media and all things digital. While some argue that logos have diminished importance in this environment, I find myself squarely in the camp that logos may in fact be more important and vital than ever. airline branding branding creativity hospitality marketing hotel marketing. travel ism blog ISM travels ismboston niche brands social media Social Networking technology tourism marketing travel travel branding Travel brands travel marketing united airlines Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:10 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/i-cant-get-no-satisfaction http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/i-cant-get-no-satisfaction#id:159#date:16:48 The J.D. Power and Associates 2011 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study was released last week. As I read the report, I wondered if guests themselves were as much to blame as anyone with the low satisfaction results. Why? Because many guests simply aren’t providing hotels with the feedback they need to make improvements. brand loyalty Consumer Behavior customer customer service Engagement hotel marketing hotel marketing. travel ism blog ISM travels metrics Travel industry Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:48 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/it-lives-bringing-innovative-ideas-to-market http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/it-lives-bringing-innovative-ideas-to-market#id:158#date:18:56 This is a great example of an innovative idea that got lucky enough to see the light of day. While all clients say they want innovative ideas, I think one of the hardest parts of this business finding that delicate agency-client balance that can successfully bring innovative ideas to market. advertising agency airline apps creativity Destination emirates iPhone ism boston ISM travels ismboston mobile technology technology. mobile travel Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:56 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/are-you-to-blame http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/are-you-to-blame#id:157#date:13:53 Is low airline satisfaction your fault? Low airline scores can be attributed to the usual suspects: lost baggage, add on fees, poor service, and high costs. So who is to blame for this? I think you are.    affluent traveler air travel airline airline branding airlines Airplane travel hospitality marketing ism ISM travels ismboston OTA travel Travel industry travel marketing Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:53 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/who-needs-a-personal-assistant-when-you-have-tripit http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/who-needs-a-personal-assistant-when-you-have-tripit#id:156#date:19:24 Another reason to love TripIt.  I am doing my expense report and my accounting department requests an actual copy of one of my hotel bills.  Of course, I’ve lost it.  hotel marketing. travel ISM travels ismboston Social Networking technology travel Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:24 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/articles/playing-with-partners-some-rules-of-the-game http://www.ismtravels.com/articles/playing-with-partners-some-rules-of-the-game#id:155#date:14:11 I read with interest the recent announcement that Marriott and Hilton had partnered with a variety of luxury brands and prominent style setters, as both chains look to attract upscale travelers to their hotels. The concept of attaching your brand to another is hardly new or novel, but it seems that today's marketing environment has more brands than ever searching for marriages that can align customers, interests and passions. In Marriott's case, they were as disparate as auction house Christie's, luggage maker Tumi and nutritionist Keri Glassman. Customer engagement Engagement Gary leopold hospitality marketing hotel marketing ism ism blog ISM travels MediaPost tourism marketing Travel brands Travel industry travel marketing Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:11 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/after-one-week-and-25000-miles-the-moving-van-is-finally-here http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/after-one-week-and-25000-miles-the-moving-van-is-finally-here#id:154#date:13:38 After taking the long way around the world, the moving van finally reached 420 Boylston Street. Sure it would have been simpler to just drive the three blocks down the street, but where's the fun in that?  Digital production ism moving van ISM travels Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:38 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-moving-van.-four-more-stories-to-tell http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-moving-van.-four-more-stories-to-tell#id:153#date:13:30 All good things must come to an end, just not quite yet. We still have a few more stories from our road trip around the world to share with you. Do you have a favorite yet? Digital production ism moving van travels World Travel Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:30 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-moving-van.-back-on-the-road-again-four-more-videos-from-our-travels http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-moving-van.-back-on-the-road-again-four-more-videos-from-our-travels#id:152#date:14:19 Who doesn't love a good road trip? ISM sure does. See what shenanigans are happening in the ISM Moving Van today. We're just a day away from arriving at our new offices and we've loved sharing our road trip stories with you. There are many more to come, so stay tuned. advertising agency Digital production ism moving van travel video World Travel Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:19 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-moving-van.-another-day-another-four-check-ins1 http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-moving-van.-another-day-another-four-check-ins1#id:151#date:14:59 The ISM moving van is really moving now. We're just two days away from arriving at our new offices but there is plenty to share with you from our trip around the world. creativity ism moving van video Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:59 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-moving-van.-where-in-the-world-is-the-van http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-moving-van.-where-in-the-world-is-the-van#id:149#date:21:10 Where is ISM going? The ISM office is moving three blocks, but because we love travel so much, we’re taking the long way there!   Where are we today? ism ism boston ism moving van ISM travels travel branding travel marketing video Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:10 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-moving-van.-where-are-we-today http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-moving-van.-where-are-we-today#id:148#date:13:45 Where is ISM going? The ISM office is moving three blocks, but because we love travel so much, we’re taking the long way there!   Where are we today? ism boston ism moving van ISM travels travel marketing Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:45 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-is-on-the-move-day-1-check-in http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-is-on-the-move-day-1-check-in#id:147#date:21:09 After a full day of packing and loading, the ISM Moving Van is finding its way.  Where is ISM going? The ISM office is moving three blocks, but because we love travel so much, we’re taking the long way there!  boston hospitality marketing hotel marketing ISM travels travel travel branding Travel industry Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:09 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/taking-the-scenic-route http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/taking-the-scenic-route#id:146#date:20:19 ISM has spent 7 fruitful years at 745 Boylston Street. Together, we’ve laughed and we’ve cried. We’ve pulled prank jokes on one another and achieved some of the most extraordinary results for our incredible clients. In a place we’ve argued and we’ve celebrated, many great memories have been made. But alas, our quirky team continues to evolve and it is time for ISM to move into a new, invigorating space. An office that will give us a fresh perspective on the world (literally, with a new view) and inspire us to be the best at what we do.  boston ism boston ISM travels social media travel marketing Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:19 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/articles/mobile-devices-the-revolution-will-soon-be-revolutionized http://www.ismtravels.com/articles/mobile-devices-the-revolution-will-soon-be-revolutionized#id:145#date:13:51 The great mobile revolution is well underway and most travel brands have already embraced some plan of attack to ensure their products are accessible and, ideally, fully bookable from a mobile device.  According to an EyeforTravel report, the number of mobile bookings in the travel space has accelerated from 20 million in 2008 to 200 million in 2010. And, Google projects that 8% of all mobile users will be booking travel from their smartphones by next year.   apps Gary leopold iPhone ISM travels MediaPost Messaging mobile travel branding travel marketing Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:51 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/panache-and-ism-brings-another-accolade-to-four-seasons http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/panache-and-ism-brings-another-accolade-to-four-seasons#id:144#date:20:29 A big shout out to Panache, our favorite edit house across the street, for their AICE Best of Boston award for editorial achievement. Roy Simmonds worked his magic editing “Iced Tea”, one of three Four Seasons of Summer campaign spots that ISM conceived. affluent traveler Beach Family Four Seasons Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts hotel marketing ism ism blog ISM travels Lifestyle brand Paradise tourism marketing Travel industry Vacations Tue, 31 May 2011 20:29 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/genius-or-feeble-join-us-to-learn-which-luxury-travel-brand-measures-up-and http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/genius-or-feeble-join-us-to-learn-which-luxury-travel-brand-measures-up-and#id:143#date:13:18 ISM is proud to have worked in partnership with the very smart people at digital think tank L2 and George Washington University on this groundbreaking report, the L2 Digital IQ Index: Travel. This report benchmarks and assesses 89 prestige travel brands, including some of the world’s most iconic airlines, hotels and cruise lines. There’s been a lot of buzz about it in the travel press and if you want to learn more, we’ll be presenting a deep dive into the findings with L2 on May 24 at 1:00 pm EST during a free webinar. We’d love to have you join us, please register here: http://l2travelwebinar-eorg.eventbrite.com/ Fri, 20 May 2011 13:18 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/articles/are-travel-brands-scared-of-their-own-shadow http://www.ismtravels.com/articles/are-travel-brands-scared-of-their-own-shadow#id:142#date:15:23 Money is tight. Options are plentiful. Information is abundant. No one wants to make a bad decision. These are the realities fueling online behavior today. Travelers have been conditioned to believe that there's always a better deal out there, which is why the average online consumer visits more than 20 sites while researching travel online. Just as importantly, consumers are desperate to have their decisions validated. A recent study showed that almost half (49%) of all online shoppers ranked the lack of customer reviews as the reason they would leave a site. And, nearly two-thirds of travelers report being influenced by traveler-generated ratings. airline brand loyalty customer loyalty customer service Engagement hospitality consulting hospitality marketing hotel marketing. travel ism boston loyalty strategy luxury labs marketers MediaPost Social Networking tourism marketing Travel industry travel marketing Travelocity TripAdvisor Twitter Wed, 11 May 2011 15:23 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/articles/new-travel-study-defines-digital-genius http://www.ismtravels.com/articles/new-travel-study-defines-digital-genius#id:141#date:21:46 I think it's fair to say that no industry has embraced digital faster than travel. Simply look at the numbers. While just 5.9% of U.S. retail sales are conducted via e-commerce, that number grows to a staggering 39% for travel. But it's not just online sales that are impressive. It's the reality that the digital space is providing a whole new arena in which travel brands are beginning to engage customers and serve them in ways never before possible.   But we were curious to understand which brands were truly leading the way across this digital landscape and to discover what lessons could be learned by evaluating the industry as a whole. brand loyalty ism boston ISM travels luxury labs marketing MediaPost NYU tourism marketing travel travel branding Travel brands travel marketing Tue, 03 May 2011 21:46 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/im-not-just-lurker-im-your-biggest-audience http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/im-not-just-lurker-im-your-biggest-audience#id:139#date:21:51 When it comes to engaging with your brand I’m a social media lurker, just like 90% of your customers.  Social media’s version of the 80/20 rule (Paredo principle) is the 90-9-1 rule that states 1% of people create content, 9% edit or modify that content, and 90% view the content without contributing – the lurkers.    interactive ism ism boston ISM travels ismboston Online Media social bookmarking social media Travel industry travel marketing Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:51 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/which-travel-brands-get-digital-and-which-dont-ism-l2-research-provides-ans http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/which-travel-brands-get-digital-and-which-dont-ism-l2-research-provides-ans#id:137#date:13:44 L2 is a think tank for digital innovation that produces comprehensive, bleeding edge research reports used by premium brands to assess and improve their digital savvy. L2 members include iconic brands like Piaget, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Infiniti, Gucci and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:44 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-content-strategy-for-american-express-travel-services-reminds-people-wh http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-content-strategy-for-american-express-travel-services-reminds-people-wh#id:136#date:13:41 Let’s face it, OTAs (Online Travel Agents) like Travelocity, Orbitz and Expedia get all the press. But our work with the American Express Travel Network helps makes sure they don’t get all the bookings. Our official job is to increase American Express Cardmember spend with American Express Travel agents. But the “assignment behind the assignment” is to remind people why travel agents matter. Our content strategy covers all channels from direct response to radio. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:41 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-creates-brand-identity-for-united-nations-global-sustainable-tourism-cr http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/ism-creates-brand-identity-for-united-nations-global-sustainable-tourism-cr#id:135#date:13:40 Our assignment was to define a new universal standard of sustainable tourism in a way that reached consumers, travel industry partners and governments all over the world. So we turned to the universal language of mathematics, morphing the infinity symbol into a footprint to communicate the endless benefits of sustainable tourism. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:40 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/unfasten-your-seatbelt-and-explore-the-future-with-isms-emirates-a380-work http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/unfasten-your-seatbelt-and-explore-the-future-with-isms-emirates-a380-work#id:132#date:22:50 A seat at the bar? A refreshing hot shower? Your own Private Suite? On a plane? That’s not fantasy, it’s ISM’s A Sky Full of Choices campaign launching Emirates A380 superjumbo service from New York to Dubai. It’s part plane and part posh neighborhood with wings, and filled with pleasures you won’t find anywhere else on earth or above it. A never-before range of choices for passengers accustomed to the service that has brought Emirates over 400 international awards. As part of our integrated campaign for the Emirates A380, we feel this New York Magazine online takeover sums things up nicely. To see more, visit our Work section >> Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:50 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/oh-the-things-a-travel-site-cant-tell-you-about-your-vacation http://www.ismtravels.com/work/oh-the-things-a-travel-site-cant-tell-you-about-your-vacation#id:131#date:22:37 There’s something people often learn after they book a vacation through an online travel agency like Expedia or Cheap Tickets. If something goes wrong when you’re on vacation, there’s often no one at the other end to tell your problems to. So there you are. Stuck in someplace unfamiliar, alone and sometimes surrounded by people who don’t speak your language. Unless you had the foresight to book your vacation through American Express Travel Services. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:37 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/calling-out-the-hogs-for-harley-davidson http://www.ismtravels.com/work/calling-out-the-hogs-for-harley-davidson#id:130#date:22:36 Nobody knows how to sell bikes like Harley-Davidson. But after people buy one, how do you get them to ride it more and make it an even bigger part of their life? When Harley wanted help expanding their brand into the travel and lifestyle category, they turned to someone who already knew the way. ISM. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:36 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/el-camalen http://www.ismtravels.com/work/el-camalen#id:129#date:22:19 One assignment during our branding of Mexico’s Mayakoba Resort was a slice of nirvana for golf junkies like us: the naming and branding of Greg Norman’s newest course, which at this stage was little more than open spaces of dirt in the jungle. While riding the site with the team from Greg’s development group, the conversation turned to the widely varied terrain the course would be making its way through. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:19 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/intrapromote-and-ism-link-up-to-bring-gowalla-to-four-seasons-california-ho http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/intrapromote-and-ism-link-up-to-bring-gowalla-to-four-seasons-california-ho#id:138#date:15:27 There’s the perfect California day. And then there’s the perfect California day brought to you by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Partnering with Intrapromote, we created highlighted itineraries that guests could check into on their mobile devices during their visit to any hotel featured in our California Collection promotion. Think of it as a digital concierge who knows all the best places to go and things to do in the surrounding area. After a guest visited a spot or tried a suggestion, they could just show their cell phone back at the hotel for a spa or dining credit.  Throughout the promotion period, we offered additional tips and destination insights on Facebook and Twitter and encouraged guests to do the same, leading to an additional 260,000 Facebook impressions, another 507,000 unique Twitter impressions, and an impressive digital boost to the Four Seasons bottom line. See more work. Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:27 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/barbados-authentic-brand-repositioning http://www.ismtravels.com/work/barbados-authentic-brand-repositioning#id:112#date:14:36 Way over there on the horizon, in the Caribbean Sea of Sameness, at the far edge of all those beautiful islands sharing the same sea, sun and sand, there it was. Barbados. The farthest Caribbean island from the United States. Underdeveloped, tough to fly to, with no big attractions like theme parks, hotel and restaurant chains, or casinos. Our insight was to turn all those negatives into positives, as a way to separate Barbados from its higher-spending competitors. Our research found a psychographic of 5 million travelers looking for authentic experiences. Affluent people who actually saw traditional attractions as a distraction. Which meant our authenticity itself—our endless unspoiled beaches, our vibrant British-African culture, our unique high-end dining—could become the attraction. We redefined Barbados not as just another Caribbean island, but as the capital of The Authentic Caribbean. The top island in a category of one. The way the Caribbean used to be. We featured its beauty and authenticity in television, radio, print, online and on their website. We even made an authentic promise in a sea of ad clichés, daring to tell potential visitors that Barbados was a little harder to get to, but a lot harder to leave. And in a time when the rest of the Caribbean was flat or down, visitation from North America increased over 5%. Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:36 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/blount-small-ship-adventures-rebranding-and-website http://www.ismtravels.com/work/blount-small-ship-adventures-rebranding-and-website#id:110#date:14:36 The Blount family, the wonderful owners and operators of American Canadian Caribbean Line, came to ISM with a problem. Turns out, the wrong problem. Seeing a persistent downward trend in bookings, they wanted to see if we could help them lower the age of their passengers. But upon analysis, their problem went deeper than that. And it began with their name. It was based on destinations: generic and easily replicated. In fact, a former employee had started his own competing company, called American Canadian Line. Really. It also put the Blount’s smaller ships directly in the path of huge-spending cruise giants like Royal Caribbean. Research showed us a new, differentiating and ownable direction, based on the fast-growing small ship cruise category. And so Blount Small Ship Adventures was born. Same ships, new story. Which was only fitting, since Luther Blount had singlehandedly invented the small ship category when he launched the line in 1964. But now Blount could tell their story safely out of the path of the giants and away from copycat competitors. We helped them tell it by leveraging their owned and earned media, centered around an experiential website we created based on best cruise practices with custom video content and social media tools. Which all led to an immediate 20% increase in bookings and a company now moving full steam ahead. Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:36 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/independent-film-festival-boston-integrated-launch http://www.ismtravels.com/work/independent-film-festival-boston-integrated-launch#id:113#date:14:36 The people who run the non-profit Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFB) are serious film people. It’s not about the money for them. Many of them work two jobs to be able to indulge their passion for cinema. And their audience is equally passionate about finding the next Scorsese or Tarantino. Our job was to bring the two groups together with the first integrated campaign that IFFB had ever done. Our mission was to buzz up IFFB from being just another boutique festival to a Boston film event that rivaled New York, Toronto and Sundance. We created a unique, powerful, totally unified graphic look and feel delivered to the Boston film community through outdoor and transit, print, radio, online display, web, social, even to the t-shirts the volunteers wore and the merchandise sold. And capped it all off with an eye-candy trailer that captured the passion while opening every showing at every theater to thunderous applause. How well did it all work? As film blogger Jake Meaney put it: “Attendance seemed to make a quantum leap from previous years…Every screening I attended was sold out (or close to it), and lines were continuously wrapped around the movie theaters, regardless of time of day, or even the weather.” Check out the video to see exactly what he meant. And a shout out to our friends at Moo for the animation and direction and Zane Smythe for the music and sound design. Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:36 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/emirates-a380-new-york-launch http://www.ismtravels.com/work/emirates-a380-new-york-launch#id:106#date:14:35 Recently, we invited the good citizens of America’s largest city to unfasten their seatbelts and explore the future, sharing our work for the Emirates A380 with the entire New York metro area. And while few things in this world are bigger than New York, the Emirates A380 comes awfully close, from the tip of its nose to a tail that reaches seven stories high. And that gives it room to offer things never seen before on a plane. A seat at the bar? A refreshing hot shower? Your own Private Suite? On a plane? That’s not fantasy, it’s our A Sky Full of Choices campaign launching Emirates A380 superjumbo service from New York to Dubai. It’s part plane and part posh neighborhood with wings, and filled with pleasures you won’t find anywhere else on earth or above it. A never-before range of choices for passengers accustomed to the service that has brought Emirates over 400 international awards. Our integrated campaign for the Emirates A380 has helped Emirates continue its record-setting growth in North America. Unfasten your seatbelt and explore the future yourself with ISM’s Emirates A380 work. Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:35 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/mayakoba-resort-brand-identity-and-launch http://www.ismtravels.com/work/mayakoba-resort-brand-identity-and-launch#id:108#date:14:35 “Can we find the snake that bit him so we know if it’s poisonous?” Once upon a time there wasn’t a luxurious billion-dollar resort called Mayakoba on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. There weren’t lush canals with electric boats ferrying guests to the Fairmont, Rosewood or Banyan Tree resorts. Or to their own luxurious private villas, spas or the beach club. There was, to put it plainly, a bunch of equipment, engineers, laborers, big piles of dirt and a whole lot of jungle. And a blank page for their story and identity. Our challenge: help market this luxury destination to investors and consumers well before it was built. So there we were in the middle of it, using loud English, bad Spanish and bizarre hand gestures to tell the workers what the snake that the video camera guy thought had bit him looked like. As we tell all clients, we are a full-service agency, and our work for Mayakoba included branding, identity, photography, video, advertising, website, online display and road show materials that were a quantum leap beyond floor plans—pre-creating the experience in the minds of investors whose contributions helped make Mayakoba the tremendously successful luxury destination that it is today. We also tell clients that our expertise in travel now includes the knowledge that the brownish-green snakes are the real dangerous ones, not the brown one we crossed paths with. The crocodiles, well that’s a story for another blog. Take a look at our introductory investor video. Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:35 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/residences-at-four-seasons-resort-nevis-website http://www.ismtravels.com/work/residences-at-four-seasons-resort-nevis-website#id:111#date:14:35 It happened rather quickly. One minute Nevis was a West Indies paradise of white-sand beaches, lush vegetation and tranquil waters and the next, well, it wasn’t. Hurricanes will do that. And Hurricane Omar did. When it finally checked out, it left the core Four Seasons Resort Nevis in shambles and temporary closed. But while Four Seasons began the process of meticulously rebuilding the resort even beyond its pre-Omar awesomeness, the Residences at Nevis, a separate profit center and business had its own problems. Built on higher ground and largely untouched by the storm, there were now also largely uninhabited, collateral damage in the storm’s story. Our client came to us for a cost-effective solution, something that would show guests that the residence villas on the island were not only still open but were also the same beautifully appointed homes with stunning views and every conceivable amenity. After pondering the issue for a short time, our insight was that without seeing, there would be no believing. So we created for Nevis Estate Villas a custom microsite designed around one thing. Incredible photography. Full-screen, vivid and colorful. And asked people only one thing. Wouldn’t they like to call an island like Nevis home? Turns out, they would. And like vegetation after a Caribbean hurricane, Nevis Villas are already back in a big way. Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:35 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/best-western-business-plus-online-video http://www.ismtravels.com/work/best-western-business-plus-online-video#id:109#date:14:35 Remember when the sky was falling? Hour after drawn-out hour of Congressional testimony on C-Span, covered by CNN, ABC, NBC and LMNOP. With Senators piling on to lambaste cringing executives from companies like Morgan Stanley and AIG for their high-spending ways and lavish company offsites? As national agency of record for Best Western, we saw past the drama and saw an opportunity for a new product of theirs called Business Plus, which had precious little money in their marketing budget. We proactively went to our clients and the Business Plus product manager with the idea for this online video take-off of the Senate hearings. They enthusiastically embraced the concept, and we quickly shot and edited this video for YouTube and Facebook and sent it on its way into the digital ecosystem. Tens of thousands of views later, Business Plus had gotten a ton of publicity and awareness for the price of a print ad or two. It was not just a fun project for the agency, it was even more fun for many of our employees who filled all roles around the two professional actors in the video. They’re good, huh? Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:35 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/abercrombie-kent-residence-club-brand-launch http://www.ismtravels.com/work/abercrombie-kent-residence-club-brand-launch#id:107#date:14:34 He was born while his parents were traveling. On safari. He was the first man ever to motorbike the 5,000 miles between Kenya and Cape Town. At age 16. He played polo in England. As Captain. Of a team that included The Prince of Wales. He turned an old truck and his mother’s sterling ice bucket into the world’s legendary safari and adventure outfitter, Abercrombie & Kent. His clients include Bill Gates and Oprah. He is Geoffrey Kent. And now Geoffrey wanted to offer his own destination club. Luxurious villas and residences in exciting and exotic places around the world, without the hassles of ownership. We were to name, position and help market this concept to high-net-worth clients and customers. To distance it from Abercrombie & Kent adventures, the name Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club was chosen. To differentiate it from competitors through the benefits of its unique equity based ownership model, the positioning Own The Extraordinary was created. And on shoots in the Dominican Republic, Wyoming and other exciting locales, we shot the photography and wrote the material behind beautifully designed advertising, direct response, sales materials and online experiences. Work that has helped them engage and capture high-end members and capture Departures magazine Annual Luxury Marketing Achievement Award as well. Check out the video interview we shot with Geoffrey. Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:34 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/work/four-seasons-of-summer-digital-promotion http://www.ismtravels.com/work/four-seasons-of-summer-digital-promotion#id:105#date:14:34 Take the perfect summer moment. Put it on steroids. Then imagine it becoming even better. What lies beyond that? Welcome to the Four Seasons of Summer. The time with friends and family. The cuisine done perfectly. The cold drink in your hand. The amenities surrounding you. The service beyond compare. Whatever you wish to do—or not do—all in an amazing, out of this world setting. We created our Four Seasons of Summer campaign to help make a good season for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts even better.   Together, our experiential online stories wove a tale of how summer at Four Seasons is summer taken to the nth degree. Compelling video content created desire all on its own, and was linked into a digital ecosystem optimizing search and response that encompassed Four Seasons online magazine, the Four Seasons website, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and email blasts. All our work integrated to lead customers first to the magazine, and ultimately to book. The result was a summer promotion that went beyond even Four Seasons expectations. It worked well and it worked fast, so fast that one customer actually called in immediately after seeing our dolphin sanctuary video to book a vacation at that resort for himself and his family.  Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:34 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/articles/show-me-the-future-conferences-reveal-social-media-trends http://www.ismtravels.com/articles/show-me-the-future-conferences-reveal-social-media-trends#id:9#date:17:12 The following post originally appeared in MediaPost’s weekly newsletter “Marketing: Travel,” a newsletter dedicated to exploring proven ways of marketing within the travel industry. It seems the last few months have been filled with more conferences and workshops on digital and social marketing than I can remember. Among the events attended by members of my team or myself were: EyeforTravel's Social Media Strategies; L2's Facebook Clinic; a private conference with Nokia in Paris; and, the biggest and most extensive social media enclave of them all, South by Southwest (SXSW). For the benefit of those who decided not to crisscross the globe, here are some trends and themes we consistently heard. Game On. Forget "audience" or "user." Think instead of participants. No one who attended SXSW or some of these other shows could avoid hearing about "gamification," which describes adding game-like elements to your website or application such as performance feedback, badges and competitive elements. There's a lot to learn from game design, and we need to acknowledge the fact that more people than ever are spending huge chunks of their time online or with their mobile devices, "playing." We need to increasingly use our digital and social media properties to engage people, provide opportunities for two-way interaction and allow for play and experimentation. If we do, our "participants" have a reason to come back for more -- a point that was demonstrated to me by Nokia as it took me on a "tour" of the artwork in UNESCO's headquarters. Here, my cell phone became my guide, and all I had to do was point at a special label near the art that brought each piece to life via video, audio and text. Listening and responding, now in real time. Shifting our thinking to embrace the idea of participants also means moving past simply pushing out content. Brands are now part of a dynamic two-way dialogue, and that means we have to listen and respond in real-time. This type of responsiveness requires new business models, along with empowerment and education for our staff. At the EyeforTravel Conference, the EVP for sales and passenger services from Norwegian Cruise Lines said that his company has set a goal of a 24-second response time to address customer feedback on social media. While he acknowledged that they don't always reach the goal, it nonetheless underscored how important they believe this real-time customer conversation is for their brand. Branded entertainment is back and bigger than ever. The rise of social media is making curious bedfellows of journalists, artists, broadcasters and marketers. The idea of branded entertainment is that a brand partners with an artist who shares similar values. The brand provides money and the artist provides an entertaining piece that supports the brand's message. While branded entertainment has been around for a long time (think BMW Films), the concept is becoming more widespread as marketers struggle to make an impact on traditional channels. In the latest iteration of branded entertainment, brands are recognizing the value of adding to their teams resources and people with the talent to tell great stories on the web. At virtually all the conferences we attended, we heard people proclaim, "Content is king," and marketers urging their brethren to "think of yourself as publishers, not marketers." The speakers who made the biggest impact at the conferences were producing entertaining, educational and oftentimes personal content. While its story is well told, it's still worth looking at what the Roger Smith Hotel has done by turning its entire staff into creators of content. This entertaining, stylish and authentic approach has earned it the distinction of being called the "social media hotel" and helped attract a young, hip and affluent customer to its property. Build where the users are. At the EyeforTravel conference, a KLM new media manager said it best: "Customers don't want to connect to KLM anymore; we need to be where they are." That's why the airline interacts heavily on Facebook, Twitter and geolocation-based networks like Foursquare. The L2 Conference crystallized this point by reminding us that we should stop looking at Facebook as a social network and instead begin to recognize that it has become its own media channel, with 500 million members. The people virtually every brand wants to reach are already there, so that's where you need to build. No matter how big the brand, your customers are more likely to interact with your Facebook app than to visit a separate microsite. In a similar vein, Google's director of mobile ads noted that by the end of 2011 more than half of Americans will have a smartphone that will have become increasingly central to how they communicate and live their lives. Yet, 79% of online advertisers haven't built mobile-specific collateral. Measure. Measure. And then measure some more. Measurement was a theme heard repeatedly throughout our travels, with marketers recognizing that increased investment in social media requires the same kind of scrutiny and accountability that is being demanded from other channels. While a good measurement plan looks at the return on investment, it also needs to take into consideration a wider range of engagement-based metrics. Like all good marketing, every social media plan must start with clear business goals and objectives, and they need to be far more developed than the "we need a Facebook page" lament that we all too often hear. Given how rapidly the world of social media is evolving, we're finding that attending these conferences is a vital way to network with thought leaders in the space and to learn firsthand what is (and isn't) working. We may be a little winded from attending so many conferences, but we're feeling a lot smarter for having done so. Unlike a lot of other things we heard, we think these trends are sure bets.   Gary Leopold President and CEO eyefortravel facebook Foursquare Imported ism ISM travels luxury labs SXSW travel marketing Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:12 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/lessons-from-my-winter-vacation http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/lessons-from-my-winter-vacation#id:10#date:20:41 After talking about it for a couple of years, my wife and I decided that we would finally pony up the money and escape New England this winter. So, in October we booked a January escape for us and our two daughters (ages 7 & 11) to Iberostar Tucán, an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. Here is what I learned in the process: The Big Stuff Using a travel agent makes everything easier. American Express Travel is one of my clients, so I decided to use an American Express travel agent. Did I still do lots of research online? Absolutely. But my agent still had good advice and helped me sort through the truly overwhelming number of resort and flight options. One of the best things she did was to include travel insurance with my package. I was supposed to leave on January 12th, the day of the second Nor’easter of the season. I was able to cancel my entire trip and rebook it without a problem. I just called my agent, picked new dates during February break and she took care of everything. Truly wonderful and I will definitely use her again. Tripit can make you a hero. On the way to Mexico we had a connection in D.C. and our gate was not posted before we left Boston. Our flight was late getting into D.C. and we were sitting in the back of the plane and were getting very nervous. I had my travel plans in Tripit and almost instantly I was able to pull up the gate information and a map of the airport which enabled me to reassure my wife that our connection was going to be just down the corridor. I was a hero. United impressed. We flew United on the way to Mexico and everyone seemed like they really cared. They smiled, joked and even gave my little girl an actual pin with wings. She was thrilled (and insisted on wearing her wings for the return flight) and that is the type of service that I would pay more for. Nice job United. Let us in. We want to give you money. Only one immigration officer on duty during a holiday week and the line puts a ride at Disney to shame, then we both lose. You lose two hours that I could be running up a bigger bar tab and I get mad enough to consider another destination next time. The Little Stuff They don’t like it when you take photos at customs. I got yelled at for taking the one above. My seven-year old and I agree that there are three kinds of waves: 1) Jumpers–just jump over them, 2) Splashers–let them splash on you and 3) Runners–Run away! Everyone loves towel animals sitting on your bed when you come back to the room. If a resort talks about the bountiful wildlife on the premises (roosters, peacocks, monkeys), double check to make sure you have a quiet room. Forget all those foo-foo blender drinks. Want a truly, refreshing drink? Take a glass full of ice, add Mexican beer and a lime. Simple, frosty cold, delicious and best of all—it’s beer. Tourist’s eyes are like a child’s eyes. Everything is new and exciting. It is tough not to get jaded and cynical, so try looking at your business with tourist eyes and you might be surprised at what you see. Craig Colman, Account Director american express travel Imported ism ism boston mexican beer mexico travel marketing tripit united airlines Vacations Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:41 GMT http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/finding-our-purpose-inspiration-from-sxsw-and-blake-mycoskie-plus-a-fun-vid http://www.ismtravels.com/blog/finding-our-purpose-inspiration-from-sxsw-and-blake-mycoskie-plus-a-fun-vid#id:11#date:20:59 What is your brand's purpose? That question was posed at the panel “Congratulations, Your Brand is about to Become Obsolete” at South by Southwest Interactive 2011. It’s an important question for travel brands in our tough economic climate. Many of us have forgotten any purpose beyond filling beds and seats. On the final day of SXSWi, I was still pondering the question of a higher purpose for travel brands when I sat down to hear the keynote from TOMS shoes founder Blake Mycoskie. For every shoe his company sells, Mycoskie donates a pair to a needy child. Later this year, TOMS will branch out to become a “one for one” company that sells a range of products and donates one for every one sold. Blake Mycoskie knows his purpose. The thing that struck me was that Mycoksie’s inspiration arrived when he was on vacation in Argentina. He saw how many children ran around without shoes, their feet cut and bleeding and decided to do something about it. This reminded me that the travel industry has a unique purpose to inspire new ideas and shape the world. We’re not just selling seats and beds, we’re offering the opportunity to have life experiences. We’re helping people make connections which can become long-lasting personal and professional relationships. We’re fostering the growth of global business and facilitating new opportunities in regions where none existed. We have our higher purpose. The challenge is infusing everything we do with the energy of that purpose. Our customers are looking for a connection, and that connection doesn’t come with our products but with our purpose; with who we are; with what we stand for. On a lighter note for a Friday, while we were at SXSW we made a little video that captured the fun spirit of the event. Check it out: Austin Blake Mycoskie brand purpose Imported inspiration SXSW TOMS travel marketing Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:59 GMT