THE JOURNEY BEFORE
THE DESTINATION
The Traveling Decision Making and "
the Connected Consumer.
Stefanos Karagos, Information Scientist 
 
 
 XPLAIN.co 
 
March 2015
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LET’S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER
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I BELIEVE IN GOD OF 

DATA AND MARKETING
:-)
XPLAIN.co
hello!
WE LOVE TO INTEGRATE BRANDS
INTO CONSUMERS’ LIFE
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Digital Strategy & Advisory
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Consumer Behavior Analysis
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Content Marketing
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Reputation Management
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27
Countries
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132
Beloved Brands
Our Expertise After 10 Years
FMCG
 Retail
Destinations
Transportation
Technology
NO MORE SPAM :-)
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WHAT ABOUT YOU?
let’s be interactive
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HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE A FB PAGE?
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A BUSINESS FB PAGE?
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A BUSINESS LINKEDIN PAGE?
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AN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT?
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SO WHAT
?
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>7.000
Brand Pages in Portugal
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>17 MILLIONS
Worldwide!
WTF
Welcome To Facts!
#
has Changed
The Game
has Changed
Consumers’ Behavior
Content!
Web is all about
Content!
User Generated
95%
IMPORTANT FACTORS IMPACTING 

THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
Acceleration in Shift from Desktop !
to Mobile & Tablet!
Important Factors Impacting The Hospitality Industry
Over 42% of website visitors and nearly 16% of bookings came
from tablet and mobile devices in the first half of 2014. "
"
Visitors to desktop sites declined 16% year over year while
increasing by nearly 51% on mobile devices.
Search Engines and Social Media is the !
King of Direct Online Distribution!
Important Factors Impacting The Hospitality Industry
Search Engines are responsible for over 52% of traffic to hotel
websites.
Dynamic Rate Marketing (DRM) Creates !
New Revenue Opportunities at High ROI!
Important Factors Impacting The Hospitality Industry
Hotels, Resorts, and Airlines can now seamlessly integrate "
real-time availability and pricing in various marketing initiatives: "

From meta search to display advertising via the top travel ad
networks, retargeting and Google Adwords to email marketing.
Digital greatly influences Travel Planning !
from the very first stages of the consumer journey
33% !
of travelers have used
mobile apps to find
flight deals
Source: Ipsos MediaCT 2014
81% !
post vacation photos on a
social network while still on
vacation
37% !
have used mobile
apps to find hotel
deals
Users’ Online Reviews Impact!
78% !
said reviews impacted
choice of dining
2013 Cornell University 
87% !
said reviews impacted
hotel choice
84% !
said reviews impacted
method of travel
Of those who used Social Media to research travel
plans, only 48% stuck with their original travel plans.!
34% 
changed their hotel
11% 
changed agent/operator/website
8% 
holidayed in a different country
7% 
switched airlines
2013 Cornell University
FACT OR FAKE?!
Check the review here: reviewskeptic.com
Cornell University
THE GOOD NEWS
Good Online Ratting Boost Sales!
if a hotel increases its review scores 

by one point on a five-point scale, 

it can increase its price by 
+15.3%
A 2013 Cornell University study using transactional data from Travelocity & TripAdvisor
THE NOT SO GOOD NEWS
92% 
are more willing to spread the 

Bad Experience than the Good one.
Your Brand Is Not What You Say It Is.

It’s What Consumers Discuss Between
Them.
YES, YOU CAN’T CONTROL YOUR BRAND
BUT...
YOU CAN CONTROL "
THE EXPERIENCE!
Focus on This in 2015
The Traditional 3 Step Mental Model

of Marketing 
First
Moment of
Truth
Second
Moment of
Truth
Stimulus
At shelf
In-store
Experience
FMOT: was coined by Procter &
Gamble in 2005
Source: Google Retail Shopper Path to Purchase Study, September 2013
Pre-shopping is a Daily Habit!
Of all Shoppers they search "
the path to Purchase
84%
The New Mental Model of Marketing
First
Moment of
Truth
Second
Moment of
Truth
Stimulus
Pre-shopping |
In-store | In-home
At shelf
In-store
Experience
Which becomes the
next person’s ZMOT
Source: Google 2012
It’s A Natural Behaviour!
Travelers Rely On
86% 98%
In Destination

Experience
97%
Search
Ads
Source: Google Retail Shopper Path to Purchase Study, September 2013Source: Google 2012
And now what?
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MOVE AWAY FROM
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Social
Networks
SEO
Social
Ads
Bloggers
Mobile
Marketing
Mobile
Marketing
Contests
Fans
Facebook
Videos
Images
SEM
Google
Mobile
app
Facebook
app
Consumer
Behavior
THE BUZZ
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TO A BRAND CENTRIC 

STRATEGIC APPROACH
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WHICH IS BY DEFINITION
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UNIQUE!
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WHERE TO START?
good question
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HOTEL
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AIRLINE
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BRAND
into the center
of your
Marketing!
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BRAND
understand
the connected
consumer
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BRAND
Situation
Analysis
where are we now?
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BRAND
Situation
Analysis
where are we now?
where do we want to be?
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BRAND
Situation
Analysis
where are we now?
where do we want to be?
how do we get there?
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BRAND
Situation
Analysis
Tactics
where are we now?
where do we want to be?
how do we get there?
the path to get there
XPLAIN.co -2015
BRAND
Situation
Analysis
Tactics
where are we now?
where do we want to be?
how do we get there?
the path to get there
the details of the tactics
XPLAIN.co -2015
BRAND
Situation
Analysis
Tactics
where are we now?
where do we want to be?
how do we get there?
the path to get there
the details of the tactics
how we do monitor our
performance?
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DON’T JUST FOLLOW TRENDS,
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STRATEGIZE!
if
you want 

to survive 

and succeed
Understand The Journey
Traveler’s
Travel !
Inspiration!
Research! Booking! Experience !
On Property!
Sharing!
The Experience!
Travel !
Inspiration!
1
88% consider the internet their
main source for Inspiration
Travel !
Inspiration!
Through!
1.  Social Media
2.  eMails
3.  Search Engines
What I have to Do!
1.  Build your Digital Assets Network
2.  Create & Seed Shareable Content
3.  Utilize User Generated Content
1
Research!
2
Over 71% leisure
travelers research online
Research!
Through!
1.  Organic Reach
2.  Online Advertising 
3.  Reviews
What I have to Do!
1.  Create & Seed Optimized Content
2.  Utilize User Generated Content
3.  Build Affiliations
4.  Implement Targeted Advertising
5.  Implement Re-Marketing
2
Booking!
3
79% will compare
different options
Booking!
Through!
1.  Owned Website
2.  eMail
3.  Third Party Partners
What I have to Do!
1.  Add the Option to Your Website
2.  Optimize the Booking Procedure
3.  Optimize the “Thank you” Message
4.  Surprise them!
5.  Use Google Analytics to
Understand
3
Experience !
On Property!
4
94% will visit your
digital assets
Experience !
On Property!
Through!
1.  Owned Website
2.  Social Media
3.  eMail & Reviews
4.  Live Experience
What I have to Do!
1.  Amazing Visual Content
2.  Make the Experience Visible
3.  Show Your Difference
4.  Convert Visitors to Profiles
5.  Create Mobile Friendly Assets
6.  Implement Re-Marketing
4
Sharing!
The Experience!
5
Over 75% use a mobile for
travel related information
Sharing!
The Experience!
Through!
1.  Social Media
What I have to Do!
1.  Online Reputation Management
2.  Ask Guests for Reviews
3.  Respond to Every Question
4.  Add Social Elements to Your
Website and to Your Property
5.  Create an Active Community 
5
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LET'S KEEP THIS IN MIND
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STRATEGY IS THE ONLY TREND
you have to follow this year.
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ALL THE REST ARE JUST FIREWORKS,
burning your precious money
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IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR
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BUSINESS RESULTS
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STRATEGIZE OR DIE HARD
karagos@xplain.co
XPLAIN.co
NEED FOR SUPPORT? 
CONTACT US:
THANK U!
Stefanos Karagos, Information Scientist

Destination Marketing: The Journey Before The Destination