Rising Above_ Dubai Floods and the Fortitude of Dubai International Airport.pdf
Iglta unleashed
1. LEVERAGING
SOCIAL MEDIA:
THE GAY TRAVEL GURU
PROGRAM
Steve Rohrlick
Jessica Carstens
2. A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAYTRAVEL
1997: 800-GAY-TRAVEL founded as
subsidiary of 800-FLY-4LESS
2000: $100 million in VC funds
raised to consolidate gay
travel market under
gaytravel name
2001: Collapse of travel market
2008: $1 million in Angel funds
acquired
2010: Site re-designed and re-
launched
3. NEW SITE FEATURES
PROFILES: Members can connect
with one another via
individual profiles on site.
TIPS: Members can share local
tips, things to do, bars,
clubs and restaurants in
their favorite cities.
HEARTS: Other members can
“heart” tips they think are
the most useful so that
these tips appear at the
top of the page.
4. HOW DO YOU
GENERATE
MEANINGFUL
content
ON AN EMPTY SITE?
9. HOW DO YOU
FIND SOMEONE
THAT PEOPLE WILL
follow
10. MUST HAVES:
•Time and desire to travel around
North America for 6 months (at least
once per month)
•Impressive writing, video and
photography skills
•A social network that even Perez
Hilton would be jealous of
•At least 25 years old
11. $35,000 – PUBLIC
RELATIONS
$25,000 – LEGAL FEES
$15,000 – PROMOTIONAL
VIDEO
$20,000 – WEB
DEVELOPMENT
$30,000 – STAFF TIME
$125,000 – LEARNING
22. 1,200
Round One
• Existing Social Graph
• Quality of tips posted on
site (as judged by their
peers)
64
23. EXISTING SOCIAL GRAPH
Online Survey:
• How many Facebook friends
do you have?
• How many Twitter followers do
you have?
• Do you have a blog or write for
one?
• What other social networks are
you active on?
• How many languages other
than English do you speak?
24. APPLICANT RESULTS
• 48% of applicants had more
than 500 facebook friends
• 15% of applicants had more
than 250 Twitter followers
• 6% of applicants had more
than 1,000 Twitter followers
• 56% had their own blog
25. QUALITY OF TIPS
• Over 5,000 local tips,
restaurants, bars and clubs
posted to site.
• Over 28,000 “hearts” given.
• Over 2,000 profiles created.
26. 64
Round Two
• Travel Photos
• Travel Blogs
• Travel Videos
• Social Network
• Public Voting
8
27. TRAVEL PHOTOS
A minimum of 10 photos
taken by the applicant at
different gay-friendly 15%
locations in his/her area
should be included.
Photos will be reviewed by
screeners and evaluated
on quality and relevance
to the location.
33. TRAVEL BLOG
A 300-400 word blog-
length writing sample
written by the applicant
describing his/her
experience at a particular
gay-friendly
venue/location must be
included. Blog post will be 30%
reviewed by screeners
and evaluated on SEO
capabilities and quality of
writing style appropriate
for gaytravel.com.
34. PARTYING IN SIN CITY!
Las Vegas is Sin City and with that said there are many places to “sin it up”
into the wee hours of the night. The Las Vegas Gay nightlife scene is no
different; from the Fruit Loop to commercial center to the Strip, there is
something for everyone.
The Fruit Loop is Las Vegas’ most well known gay district, located about 1
mile off the strip on Paradise Road at Naples Drive. Here you will find a place
for all tastes, from Piranha nightclub for dancing to the Buffalo with the
leather guys and cheap drinks to FreeZone for the Lesbians. Park in one
place and walk between the bars and clubs for the local Vegas Gay
nightlife feel. Most bars in this area have no cover charge and drinks prices
are well within reason.
Score: 23/30
35. HILLCREST’S HIT LIST
“Homo is where the heart is,” and for San Diego’s gay and lesbian
community that means—Hillcrest! Spanning less than a mile’s walking
distance, this easy going gaybourhood will keep you occupied till
your wallet’s empty, you can’t walk anymore (this could be for an
assortment of reasons) and, coincidentally, have epic tales for life.
Aside from shooting up espresso beans, a cup of joe from Filter
Coffee House turns out to be just as invigorating. Like a gay man, it’s
open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year! Geared with
free WI-FI and European-style outside seating, any homework, work
assignment or break-up coffee date can be vanquished here. . .”
Score: 30/30
36. TRAVEL VIDEOS
A minimum of two videos
taken by the applicant
showcasing his/her
trip(s)/experience(s)
should be included.
Videos will be reviewed by
screeners and evaluated
on the applicant’s
capabilities to produce
quality content, interact
20%
with his/her peers, and
highlight qualities of the
locations he/she visits.
37.
38. SOCIAL GRAPH
The applicant’s social
network can include
Facebook, Twitter, blogs,
YouTube, Flickr, etc. The
quality of his/her social 30%
network, including
number of fans/followers,
@replies and RT’s on
Twitter and comments on
blogs, videos, and Flickr
will be evaluated by the
screeners.
43. PUBLIC VOTING
This portion will allow the
public to vote on the 5%
applicant’s profile on a
rating scale of 1 – 5.
Voting will be limited to
one vote per IP address.
49. MARY B, San Diego
TOP REASON SHE MADE THE FINALS: Mary is
already the Queen Bee of San Diego and
it’s easy to see why. Her winning smile and
professional attitude have helped her stand
out since the beginning.
VIDEO: 16.5/20
TWITTER: Followers: 703
PHOTOS: 10/15
FACEBOOK : Friends: 1,089
YOUTUBE: Subscribers: 5,585 BLOG: 26/30
Channel Views: 164,988
WEBSITE: Unique Visitors : 25,000 SOCIAL GRAPH: 30/30
PUBLIC VOTING: 5/5
50. CHAD B, Fort Lauderdale
TOP REASON HE MADE THE FINALS: Chad
dominated the public voting segment of
the Second Round and received almost
10% of the total votes.
VIDEO: 17/20
TWITTER: Followers: 1,907
PHOTOS: 7/15
FACEBOOK : Friends: 4,651
YOUTUBE: Subscribers: 21 BLOG: 23/30
Channel Views: 242
WEBSITE: Unique Visitors : NDA SOCIAL GRAPH: 30/30
PUBLIC VOTING: 5/5
51. J.SON D, Las Vegas
TOP REASON HE MADE THE FINALS: J.Son is
hard to ignore and why would you want to?
A quirky sense of humor and energetic style
are just some of the reasons so many
people tune in.
VIDEO: 17/20
TWITTER: Followers: 1,018
PHOTOS: 9/15
FACEBOOK : Friends: 2,526
YOUTUBE: Subscribers: 1,106 BLOG: 23/30
Channel Views: 85,811
WEBSITE: Unique Visitors : 831 SOCIAL GRAPH: 30/30
PUBLIC VOTING: 4/5
52. JANELLE E, West Hollywood
TOP REASON SHE MADE THE FINALS: Janelle
stands out with films that pack a visual
punch. This passionate applicant is a natural
in front of and behind the camera.
VIDEO: 20/20
TWITTER: Followers: 307
PHOTOS: 15/15
FACEBOOK : Friends: 1,174
YOUTUBE: Subscribers: 4 BLOG: 20/30
Channel Views: 153
WEBSITE: Unique Visitors : NDA SOCIAL GRAPH: 30/30
PUBLIC VOTING: 3/5
53. SEAN F, New York
TOP REASON HE MADE THE FINALS: Sean
showed off his creativity by creating top
notch videos with just his iPhone!
VIDEO: 14/20
TWITTER: Followers: 126
PHOTOS: 13/15
FACEBOOK : Friends: 686
YOUTUBE: Subscribers: 2 BLOG: 30/30
Channel Views: 128
WEBSITE: Unique Visitors : 831 SOCIAL GRAPH: 21/30
PUBLIC VOTING: 3/5
54. KRISTIN F, Portland
TOP REASON SHE MADE THE FINALS: Ever
want to quit your job, sell your house and
travel? Yeah, who hasn’t? After a life-
changing, 12-day trip to Italy, that’s exactly
what Kristin did.
VIDEO: 18/20
TWITTER: Followers: 35
PHOTOS: 14/15
FACEBOOK : Friends: 496
YOUTUBE: Subscribers: 6 BLOG: 21/30
Channel Views: 132
WEBSITE: Unique Visitors : NDA SOCIAL GRAPH: 25/30
PUBLIC VOTING: 3/5
55. TENILLE T, San Diego
TOP REASON SHE MADE THE FINALS: Our
youngest applicant's blog was so great we
sent it to LGBT magazines around the
country for publication.
VIDEO: 20/20
TWITTER: Followers: 285 PHOTOS: 12.5/15
FACEBOOK : Friends: 347
YOUTUBE: Subscribers: 28 BLOG: 30/30
Channel Views: 2,345
SOCIAL GRAPH: 19/30
PUBLIC VOTING: 3/5
56. NICK V, Seattle
TOP REASON HE MADE THE FINALS: Our most
adventurous applicant has dined on fried
grasshopper, bungee jumped in
thunderstorms, and explored caves in
Panama.
VIDEO: 20/20
TWITTER: Followers: 282
PHOTOS: 11/15
FACEBOOK : Friends: 1,069
YOUTUBE: Subscribers: 4,891 BLOG: 24/30
Channel Views: 67,623
WEBSITE: Unique Visitors : 136,000 SOCIAL GRAPH: 30/30
PUBLIC VOTING: 4/5
59. MEET THE JUDGES
MYA LAKE REYES: BRYAN TERZI: DORIA BIDDLE:
Director of Diversity Luxury and Design Co-Host, The Frank de
Marketing, Las Vegas Brand Marketing Caro Show, Sirius OutQ
Convention and Visitors Manager, W Hotels
Authority
60. PRIVATE INTERVIEWS (50%)
Each contestant got
half an hour with the
judges to explain what
made him/her the ideal
Gay Travel Guru.
Judges questions
touched on past travel
experiences, work ethic
and what makes each
candidate unique
61. FINAL CHALLENGE (50%)
The judges scored the
candidates’ Gay Travel
Guru Final Challenge
performance based on
the following criteria:
creativity (35%); quality of
blog writing (25%), quality
of photos and video
(25%), commercial
appeal (15%).
104. CAMPAIGN RESULTS TO DATE
Social Media Results over Campaign Lifetime:
• 800% increase in Facebook fans
• 400% increase in Twitter followers
•1,000% increase in member profiles on site
Traffic to Site Results:
•250% increase throughout campaign
•700% increase at peak of public voting
• 300% increase in daily traffic since campaign origin
105. FINAL THOUGHTS
• Make sure your promotion is aligned with your
company’s needs as well as those of your core
demographic and your partners.
•If your strategy is based on building a following for the
winner, you need to make sure that he or she will
resonate with your audience.
•People will check out your company for a promotion
but they won’t come back unless you give them a
compelling reason.
