Blog homeLeona Lewis is a British singer. She won the UK X-Factor in 2006 (A TV singing talent contest). I think she is great – but that – er – that isn’t why I am writing a blog post about her! [See Wikipedia entry on Leona]
The TV show ran at the end of 2006 and by the end of the year, as a result of winning (and her talent) she was number 1 on the UK christmas sales list. She was everywhere on tele, magazines etc. Complete saturation.
Then nothing was heard. Nothing until November 2007 some 11 months later. According to a TV documentary I watched the other day during that period she gave no interviews – nothing. Then, when she was re-introduced she was introduced a star. She was fresh and interesting again.
UK consumers had reached saturation point the year before – she was on tele every week. Other previous winners of X-Factor and Pop Idol etc had gone on to do well – but had subsequently dropped quickly (except for Will Young, who I happen to also like). Perhaps it was over initial saturation. For whatever reason the decision was to deal with Leona in a different way – and remove her from the limelight after her initial TV win. Whatever it was, it worked for her. Long term success beckons.
What are you going on about Alex, I thought this was a travel ecommerce blog?
I write this blog. I am on Twitter. We run a popular travel ecommerce forum (SmallFishBigOcean). My name is known for being out and about on travel industry social media.
I am often asked to speak here or there on things (or provide quotes for the trade press). Always though it is from the context of writing this blog. No one seems to care that we are running an interesting online travel business ourselves! The context is all wrong! I would happily swap the regular quotes from my blog to what we are doing as a business. My business is interesting enough I believe to get us noticed.
The other day I had a new strategy. I stopped posting to this blog so much. Instead of 5 times a week I went to once a week. My theory was to follow the Leona Lewis strategy and, in a few months time, reintroduce myself as the managing director (CEO for you US lot) of our niche tour operator bookings management system TourCMS. What a grand plan! That would get me back in the trade press but from a context that I wished to present.
You know what, it failed. Soon as I stopped posting on this blog I had customers emailing me wondering what had happened to us and whether all was OK. This blog (and our other social media appearances) acts as a proof of life. If you can see us posting you know were are here! [Even if we don't answer the phone as much!]. Our business is based around self-service software (TourCMS) so we have absolute minimum daily contact with our travel industry customers. Indeed many customers we may only receive communications from once a month! Proof of life is important to them. I had underestimated the importance of that before.
Next move
OK – I accept it. I am not ever going to be quoted in the trade press for the company I am running with others (however don’t underestimate us – perhaps being hidden in plain sight is a good thing!) In that case I may as well put more effort into this blog and continue as usual.
Therefore I have decided the following re this blog:
- Although it has been put off a long time I am now going to launch a podcast based on the SmallFishBigOcean theme (aimed at small tour operators)
- We may launch some events / conferences / workshops for small tour operators about travel ecommerce
- I am going to worry less about travel press coverage – frankly you lot come to this blog directly (and Twitter / SFBO forums). Direct is good. Happy to work with the trade press who want to work with us, but won’t be seeking coverage proactively.
- I am going to focus on putting points of view that are not covered by existing blogs and trade press. I will say what I think – or create environments where others can say that they think (i.e. its not just about me, thankfully)
Please support me.
Thank you
Alex
* Yes admitting I like Will Young and Leona Lewis may not, er, win me any new subscibers. Please forgive me this one post!
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Good. It is becoming clear that there are several strands to travel. The travel press and assorted bloggers who think they know something about travel and the “coal face” travel trade who have to know something about travel – and never the twain, as they say. One can get so drawn into this technology/ bloggy “thing” than one forgets what one is really in business for.
Reading some of the stuff on twitter re: the travolution summit, (only rich people permitted to attend – us types from the trenches, not required, thank you) I thought “So? What’s new?” Answer – Not a lot and most of what was said (bar comments re: the recession) I have read in the TTG and Travel Weekly, roughly, in the late 1980’s. One reads of people saying “what they have learnt, today”: e.g. someone from HomeAway banging on about holiday rentals – er… ever heard of Interhome? Some guy from Dooplr – hailed as a guru by one blogger – talking about “simplicity” and “doing things well” – yup, heard that in old fashioned travel about 15 to 25 years ago. Google have worked out that it takes a while to get a booking – Really? Well, blow me down and call me an elephant. “Find a niche” – Oh! P-leeeeease!!! It worries me when people find this stuff new – it’s a rehash of the same old, same old problems of a previous generation – the medium has changed, the issues haven’t. It is also amusing to watch how much money people are willing to throw at travel in the internet medium and how difficult and costly it is proving to replicate online, now, what we were doing easily (and for free, unless something was sold) offline, 15 to 20 (and upwards) years ago.
So, it is clear that the (travel) media element can become an objective in itself, so wrapped up in itself, it is running the risk of becoming irrelevant to mainstream travel – that is, as far as the actual selling of it is concerned and to us in the travel frontline trenches. It would be great to have a forum for us agents and operators who wish to learn more about stuff relevant to the day to day grind of travel. SFBO is good, but I suspect there is a bit of a heavy-techy element creeping, in even there.
Right about proof of life. This is important. Personally, I hate websites that give you little information on the “about us” page – interesting that the human element is still so vital (thank heavens!)
Hi Murray
Thanks for your feedback!
I agree what what you say. It goes back to my original point (a few posts back) that entrepreneurs should solve industry problems!
SFBO is moving towards tech help probably because the travel companies (if activity organisers) are competent at delivering their own products. One area where people don’t compete (so are happy to help each other) is with web help. Also, its the only place you get free advice from me!
I am glad I got some good work done yesterday (mainly around credit card authorisations processes and online hotel booking functionality – i.e. practical things that travel companies need doing – not pie in the sky stuff).
Would have liked to go to Travolution’s conference and in a perfect world would have done both! But like you I am focussing on the day to day at the moment.
Hi Murray – we’re acutely aware of how much you and the rest of our readership knows. But that’s easy to say. We do need to be better at showing it.
As far as I’m concerned we need to move away from pretending to know everything, as all media traditionally did, and give more space for our readers to a) make their own points b) critique ours. Linking to personal blogs (as I have yours), talking on Twitter, opening blog posts up to comments and running discussion boards are all part of that.
Re the Travolution Summit… hmm. You aren’t contending that frontline retail is the only important channel in the travel market? And if not, what objection can there be to a summit that is aimed at senior folks in other channels?
As you point out, the top-line themes were nothing new, but is it impossible to imagine that companies operating in a new medium (and you admit the medium is new) need to approach those themes slightly differently?
Alex – nice post. Glad you’ve decided to carry on as usual.
No, I am not contending that front line retail is the *only* important channel, but it is the most important. Whatever your objective, it is with those that are immediately customer facing that the buck stops. If they do not know a product, understand a product and can confidently sell a product, it will not sell. (cf the musings of the CEO of Intercontinental Hotels). Personally, I rather expect my media to provide inspiration, information and instruction. I (and others) may or may not agree with it, but it is a lead. The media should showcase our brighter peers – or seek articles from our brighter peers – to whom we look for that inspiration and instruction – if we disagree, or strongly agree, then that spawns debate.
One does not deny that travolution was for “senior people”, whatever that means (had to be for those with good incomes as we lesser mortals do not have that sort of money) and I am no luddite. What was most noticeable was that with the new media of internet et al, the same old issues, the same old problems and the same old suggested solutions were touted as being forthright and new. They were not. With new media should come new thinking, not a rehash of that was has gone before.
From what I have read on tweets and from other sources, one could have been reading the Travel Weekly or the TTG of the ’80’s and 90’s – with the same suggested, perhaps updated a tad, solutions. Indeed, I have not heard any radical, sensible thinking for a long, long time. BA led the way dismantling what we had and I do not suggest that what we had was the best – but we had worked. Sort of. What we have now, doesn’t and if anything is getting worse. I suppose we will work it out in time – what goes around, comes around. Ron Ellison (there’s an old ABTA name to conjure with) told me that there is no such thing as Einstein thinking and he was right. Just wake me up when someone with some real ideas comes along!
Oh, Murray, you really are a grumpy so and so on occasions.
You accuse us of ignoring the *most important* channel, that of frontline retail, so I’ll respond only by admitting we could do more to focus on all channels – it is, whether you like it or not, a multi-channel distribution business.
Secondly, we have provided plenty of valuable content to our readers/users. I could, for example, (t)witter on for ages about the virgin research in our magazine into generational behaviour, the consumer journey, emerging markets – but I won’t.
Thirdly, we have analysed a string of innovative businesses which are shaping the way travel is bought and distributed. The meta search phenomenon is one key driver, the anticipated boom in online holiday rentals is another. [Yes, we have heard of InterHome - I just don't remember them securing close to $500M in funding, thus why HomeAway's business strategy is fascinating]
But, most importantly, I wish you’d accept that organisations such as ours are running successful events and writing content for those who are simply interested in how the industry and its myriad of diverse sectors are evolving – sectors, it is worth noting, are far removed from the busy bubble of business travel in Buckinghamshire.
You might not have realised, but those who attended our Summit this week were not only granted excellent networking opportunities (I know of one deal that was sketched out during the day between two seemingly different travel firms from opposite sides of the Atlantic), but delegates also ACTUALLY LIKED being there, listening to the debates, learning from other areas of the industry, being part of a community of like-minded individuals and, amazingly, possibly enjoying themselves.
Nevertheless, it is shame that so few are blessed with your expert knowledge and databank-like memory for how the industry operated in its glory days, when it was so innovative and continually reinventing itself.
But Travolution is secretly rather grateful that there are so many people without that special pedigree, otherwise our events (the Summit this week was our fourth annual conference) would never have got off the ground and become a regular fixture in the calendar.
Murray, I like grumpy old men, I’m an aspiring one myself – just haven’t put the years in yet, but I already own a number of items of suitable knitwear in preparation.
I have to say, I recognise what you’ve said. I’ve only been in travel four years and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard delegates told glibly how important it is to find a niche, employ the right people, know their product etc, etc, etc. They’re rarely told how.
There’s a simple test for spotting meaningless platitudes – most useful when listeing to politicians. State the absolute opposite of what has been said and if it sounds like the most wrong, ridiculous or nonsensical thing ever uttered by human kind you’ve got one. There’s a lot of it about.
Working in news and media for more than 10 years I can’t tell you how often I’ve wanted to tear my hair out when some bright spark decides what we need to do is find a way to better engage the readership, and comes up with some ‘revolutionary’ idea. Delve into the archives and you’ll find it’s been tried before. There’s no alternative to striving constantly to do what you’re doing well and then do it better next time.
Business, news reporting, travel retail, life, shouldn’t be all that difficult, there are certain immutable challenges we all face. What the technological revolution has done has offered the prospect that they can be circumnavigated in some way, that problems can be more easily overcome and opportunities seized upon with lightening speed. But for all it’s amazing, headline grabbing benefits it’s succeeded in presenting a whole new set of problems by challenging many of our cosy assumptions and ways of operating.
Obviously it’s perfectly acceptable and quite lucrative to put on events that purport to offer answers to the problems and challenges thrown up by a whole new media – spot a gap in people’s understanding, become an “expert” and hey presto, you’re in business. There’s a long history of that.
Interestingly, I recently asked a regular attendee at such events (Not Travolution I should add) what she learned from them. The answer was “nothing”, I was suprised, so I asked why did she go, she said “because everyone else does” and she was concerned she might miss something, or someone, crucial. Sounds like a perfectly regular reason to attend a conference to me – nothing really changes.
Anyway, interesting to read your thoughts. As a travel trade journalist who is acutely aware he’s never sold a holiday in his life, your three Is (inspiration, information and instruction) sounds like a jolly good mantra to me.
@Lee – “There’s no alternative to striving constantly to do what you’re doing well and then do it better next time.”
Hear, hear!
And that mantra is really just be the same for retail travel agents, online travel agents, technology providers, airlines, hotels, Google, tour operators, and – lest we forget – TTG, Travel Weekly and Travolution et al.
@Kevin
Re doing better…. don’t get me started on my “better candlesticks” analogy…. I may really cause a ruckus!
Quite happy for other people to be distracted making better candlesticks while we are left alone in the corner inventing electricity
@alex
that is indeed true.
we are also very happy to follow the fortunes of the William Gilberts of the industry, but equally enjoy hearing from those experimenting with new forms of energy production, rather than just those using dirty and slowly diminishing stocks of fossil fuels.
Yes, this “doing better next time” does not work with travel. “Next time” does not exist. You have to get it right this time, every time, first time. The luxury of a second stab at it, is not afforded to travel. Mind you, those dirty stocks of fossil fuel built an empire, let us not forget and the future is already available to us, it’s just that with n million pounds worth of smelly old fossil fuel sitting underground rather than in the bank accounts of the various fossil fuel companies (not to mention the exchequer) there is unlikely to be any real will to do anything about it. So, don’t give the all that “green” rubbish; these are just tax revenue excuses thinly veiled as “planet saving”.
Interestingly enough, the Sunday Times carried an article concerning the brown outs – and possibly worse – coming to the internet. A good few years ago, I said that there would be a problem with the headlong rush to a perceived holy grail of direct B to C selling – and that cutting all ties – indeed trying to dismantle, almost – all the traditional sales avenues, eg the high street agency network, was a flawed approach – I said then (and was ridiculed for it) What are direct web based B to C firms going to do about the great internet crash (then, I said) of October 2008? Well, I was wrong on timing, but according to the ST article, still on track. So, all those byp’s who believe life exists only through a monitor, may be in for one stonk of a shock.
So, the actual media may have changed a bit, but the issues remain, unchanged, the spouting forth remains, unchanged; indeed never have so many wheels been re-invented. Not only that, these people who are our supposed to be our peers, wish to lead all, lemming like, down a tunnel – and the light at the other end is rapidly taking the form of an oncoming express train.
Am I impressed that an Interhome lookalike can raise all that money? No. Firstly, I have no idea what half a mil US represents as I have no “hooks” to hang it on for reference. Secondly, I have no idea what it is for and thirdly, just to service that debt will mean a stonk of a lot of holidays sold – given that it is a mature market with some very well respected players – so it may may well be that raising half a mill US means there are still a lot of plonkers about. I mean, the only “reference” I have is that I started an internet retail business, that now pays the mortgage and most of the family bills and it cost me the princely sum of $230 and 33 cents.
I believe that is vital to keep all channels wide open and thriving, high street and internet. There is no holy grail. It is a brave person that would have thrown out all the gas lamps before they were sure that electricity works – and more importantly, is freely and readily available. Indeed, even today, we all still keep candles in the cupboard. Before, everyone assumed the internet was an unlimited resource. That is not the case. So what does happen if it all goes pear-shaped? There is still time to rescue traditional sales channels – just – otherwise many of our brightest peers may suddenly find that throwing out their candles was a tad premature. Especially if they also find that the candle makers have also gone. I wonder what they will say then?