Marketing to stay in the Travelers mind
Goal:
Keep on top of travelers' minds with realistic and helpful messages (that can also be positive or sometimes even funny) to get travelers and myanmar through this crisis.
How do you encourage travelers to book a trip to a destination during a pandemic? First of all, you don’t.
https://skift.com/2020/03/19/tourism-marketers-enter-wait-and-see-mode-to-avoid-tone-deaf-campaigns
Try to craft clear and selfless messages that focus on travellers and their wellbeing. You don’t want to be seen as taking advantage of a crisis or using it as a way to push your message.
However you can still be clever, branding the reasons to come myanmar (the unique selling points) while delivering a messages of understanding: Like for example here the UK is doing:
We know it is a difficult time and we can’t welcome you into our country with open arms to enjoy our afternoon teas, our pints of ale, singing on the terraces, walks in our beautiful countryside, rambles around stately homes and beautiful gardens in bloom.
It's important to not rush and risk saying the wrong things, but to take a pause for a week or 2 and craft strategic and strong messages appropriate to different stages in the crisis.
https://twitter.com/VisitBritain/status/1240239994947670017
I can see the following stages:
- Crisis - Show empathy, show we are in it together help travelers to get through this period.
- Interesting ideas could be to bring Myanmar to mind of the the traveler sharing :
- Best Documentaries from Myanmar
- Best Recipes from Myanmar
- Best Songs from Myanmar
- Best Books, blogs from Myanmar:
This tour operator from Africa has great examples: https://www.andbeyond.com/bringing-africa-home/
And Philadelphia made a nice blog about all this about Philadelphia you can explore from home: https://www.discoverphl.com/blog/philadelphia-from-home/
More ideas under social media topics
- Light at the end of tunnel, people start to think what they will do after the crisis
- Slowly start up normal awareness campaigns
- Focus on Domestic Travelers
- Focus on International Travelers
- Countries start lifting travel bans and airlines start thinking of flying
- Welcome back campaigns
How to strategically craft these messages should be part of the marketing plan CBI - under the lead of Onno Roukens and U Zeyar is currently doing in MOHT.
One of the important decisions MOHT has to decide on these above phases and when it is appropriate to start the next phases of marketing. And what should be communicated to which target markets, (this might differ significantly).
Example phase 1
→ Example Australia 20 March :
Everyone is having a hard time out there, we understand. As the situation evolves, we know that travel plans will change and we’ll all need something to look forward to once this is over. So in the meantime, we will keep sending you love and inspiration from Australia. We’ll celebrate our country’s beauty and share memories to get us through these unprecedented times. We hope our posts allow you to take a break and dream about the places you will be able to explore in the future.
❤️ Australia.