Travel Industry CMOs: 3 ACTION items to embrace the changing markets.

As a CMO in online travel industry, you may be wondering how you can embrace quick-changing trends in the digital and mobile era in order to stand out in this competitive industry. As a graduate student of digital marketing at Medill IMC, Northwestern University, I have found two articles that providing some useful insight into the trends in the travel technology and some marketing strategies.

In 9 Things That Matter in Travel Technology in 2016, Jessica Labaire talks about the future of travel technology. The evolution of personalization and use of data continues. Virtual reality and artificial intelligence is gaining steam. Desktop as a priority is so yesterday. Connected, end-to-end travel experiences still need some work. Users want to be known, recognized and assisted now more than ever, and travel companies must pay closer attention to customer preferences.

The other article, Increasing Traveler Engagement One Game at a Time, written by Noah Tratt (Global Senior VP of Expedia), talks about how to combine gamification with tech travel markets. Gamification represents the fusion of trends in tech travel markets. All different kinds of people at various life stages are engaging with gamification. Games have become a key way to raise awareness with new audiences and bring back repeat customers.

As a graduate student of digital marketing at Medill IMC, here are three steps that CMOs in online travel industry should take to embrace the quick-changing trends:

• Move quickly - Follow the update trends of the whole industry, such as gamification, mobile, loT, AI and any aspect that customers concern.
•  Embrace big data ---- Improve the use of data mining and making travelers’ end-to-end experience more integrated.
• Think customers----- Always consider customers’ need, offer good personalization and engage with more customers by gamification.

So next time, when you think about how to react rapidly in the moving digital travel industry, think about these insights and you will do very well.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bingche Huang is a master candidate in the Integrated Marketing Communication program at Medill School of Journalism in Northwestern University, specializing in the marketing analytics and digital marketing. She would like to pursue her career as a marketing analyst in the travel, financial or Internet industries. You can connect with her on Linkedin or follow her on Twitter.

Casino CMOs – 3 Mindsets to Enhance the Customer Experience Beyond the Casino Floor

As a CMO, you know that the customer experience is critical to building strong brand connections and fueling the repurchasing cycle. The same is true for casinos. 

In my research as a graduate student in integrated marketing communication at Northwestern University, I have found two articles that provide deeper insights into how technology can be used to draw in millennials and enhance the casino customer experience:

In his CasinoJournal article “Gamification's wide impact on casino marketing,” guest columnist Aron Ezra, CEO of incentive software company OfferCraft, discusses gamification strategy and how bringing game elements into all areas of casino life could have incremental benefits for both casino operations and the consumers themselves. Gamification has proven to be an effective in changing consumer behaviors across many industries, including casinos. To illustrate his point, Ezra describes real-life applications of gamification in casinos operations, describing implementations in hotel check-ins, email campaigns, and billboard advertising. As Ezra says, “Our customers (and many of our employees) are a self-selected group of people who genuinely want to be around games. Let’s give them what they want. Let’s bring game experiences to everything we do.”

The second article discusses the emergence of mobile apps as a way to enhance casino customer experience, ultimately attracting the desired millennial markets. In the CalvinAyre article, “Marcus Yoder talks using mobile apps to attract millennials” Rebecca Liggero draws from her video interview with Marcus Yoder of Gamblit Gaming, who illustrates the potential power of mobile for casinos. Yoder describes the problem that most casinos are facing with millennials, the fact that 35%of 21 to 35 year olds go to casinos, but only 2% actually wager a bet. His solution? A mobile app. However, Yoder has specific advicefor casino mobile apps: “It can’t be an app that’s all about a slot finder because the millennials don’t even care about the slot machines. It’s got to be, come play this new game that you’re already playing, like Candy Crush, on this table, on that kind of machine. Give them an experience.”

In distilling these two articles, and from my experiences in the Northwestern Medill IMC program, here are three mindsets to help refresh the casino customer experience that every casino CMO should consider.

• Think Big – Look beyond the casino floor to enhance the customer experience in all areas of casino operations (hotel, spa, restaurants, etc.).

• Think Games – Casino patrons love games! Be sure to give them what they came for at every possible moment.

• Think Mobile – Use apps to give customers experiences both inside and outside the casino.

Armed with these mindsets, you’ll be primed to create a customer experience to draw in the elusive millennial and better serve your existing customers. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Anna Klutho is an aspiring brand manager with an undeniable passion for marketing, communication, and big ideas. She is currently pursuing her M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern, aiming to increase her knowledge in the theory, analytical skills, and most effective methodologies required to become a valuable asset to a marketing strategy department in the hospitality, entertainment, or travel industries. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter @Anna_Klutho.