[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last Wednesday, the Wild Card travel team hosted its latest ‘Breakfast With’ event focusing on luxury travel brands and how they can make the most of the ever changing media landscape in 2015.
Leading freelance travel editors Lisa Grainger (The Daily Telegraph, Ultratravel and Marie Claire) and Amanda Statham (Cosmopolitan) joined us to meet an illustrious group of communications professionals from prestigious luxury hotel and travel organisations.
Following an overview of the digital and print media landscape, Lisa and Amanda led an informative Q&A giving insights into 2015 trends, how high end audiences are discovering travel in a digital age and how brands can stand out from the crowd. Here are Lisa and Amanda’s top 10 insights:
- 2015 is set to be the year of ‘experiential travel’. Holiday makers are increasingly looking to ‘better’ themselves either through education, such as learning a new skill, or discovering a unique, one-off experience such as a picnic on Mount Kilimanjaro
- For Amanda’s readers, the focus will be on providing ‘Facebragging’ ideas for holidays and weekends away that will leave the social community saying “I want to go there!”
- Luxury print travel publications are still booming. There were more issues of Ultratravel last year than ever before. The audience wants great ideas deliverer on a plate. This is an audience heavily influenced by what they read
- Hotels with ‘stories’ will generate much greater interest than those that are simply new, refurbished or under new management. Lisa in particular wants to hear about features and experiences to be enjoyed in the local vicinity and interesting, talented or special personalities working at the property
- A strong story isn’t enough on its own, it has to be supported with ‘wow’ images that leave readers in awe and inspired to book. Much debate about the inclusion of people in shots… in the main, no people unless inclusion is stylised and adds glamour and interest to the shot
- Twitter is a powerful tool for journalists, whether it’s to offer sneak peeks of where he/she is in the world, to asking for local expertise on destinations. Interestingly, Lisa prefers to not tweet about the places she visits to keep her destinations top secret until the magazine review is published
- Competition is fierce between travel titles looking to be the first to cover the newest luxury experience on offer to travellers
- A celebrity angle for stories, such as a regular VIP visitor creates massive interest in a story, particularly online
- Press trips should always be tailored to the journalist unless the experience on offer is a one-off occasion, such as spending the night in a £20,000 apartment, when it simply wouldn’t be feasible to offer individual visits on multiple dates. Before approaching the journalist, familiarise yourself with their hobbies and interests so that any opportunities to include these within itinerary are done
- The space given to video content on online travel websites has been growing steadily in recent years and is always welcome, particularly ‘how to’ videos
Here are a selection of tweets from the event:
We’re joined by @LisaGrainger4 from the @dailytelegraph‘s UltraTravel and @Amanda_Statham travel editor at @Cosmopolitan #WCBreakfastWith
— Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
Great insight from @LisaGrainger4 on how travel journalism has moved from reporting, to the new @TelegraphTravel Tours, creating travel.
— Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
Readership of @Cosmopolitan from the 1st readers at 17-18 years old, to core reader at 26, to returning readers in mid 30’s #WCBreakfastWith
— Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
“Twitter is fantastic for asking questions, and doing research on a location.” @Amanda_Statham #WCBreakfastWith
— Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
“I tweet after I’ve visited a location and after publishing. @TelegraphTravel is about the exclusive.” @LisaGrainger4 #WCBreakfastWith — Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
“Celebrities are key, especially online, the viewing figures on celebrity based stories are very high.” @LisaGrainger4 #WCBreakfastWith — Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
“Getting pictures from hotels is hellish. Hotel imagery generally is terrible!” #WCBreakfastWith #hotels #travel — Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
“Video content – interviews with a chef do very well. But talking about the hotel directly will be cut.” @LisaGrainger4 #WCBreakfastWith — Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
Trends for 2015 – experiences, things no one else has done. #Facebragging something to tell everyone about on social media. #WCBreakfastWith — Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
Travel is about travelling, not the hotel. Approach journalists with more than just information about the hotel. #WCBreakfastWith — Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
If approaching for press trips, contact 3-4 months in advance. @LisaGrainger4 @Amanda_Statham #WCBreakfastWith — Wild Card PR (@WildCardPR) November 26, 2014
Wild Card is a consumer brand agency with offices in both London and Truro. Wild Card’s work spans the travel, food & drink, lifestyle and consumer health sectors.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Follow Amanda Statham on Twitter Tweets by @Amanda_Statham[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Follow Lisa Grainger on Twitter Tweets by @LisaGrainger4[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]