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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Union Station
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Annapolis Tourism Board Uses Web2.0
Annapolis & Anne Arundel's CVB (Conference and Visitors Bureau) launched an interactive marketing campaign which leverages television and Web2.0. The $75,000 project is intended to "...immerse potential visitors in Annapolis and Chesapeake Bay experience so that we will be the no-brainer choice when they book their vacation" according to Connie Del Sigone, president & CEO of the CVB. This will be accomplished by utilizing Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr in addition to a 30 second spot on Fox Baltimore: WBFF-TV. This awareness campaign will last three months.
It is great to see that the inclusion of Web2.0 as an awareness tool is increasingly being integrated into online marketing strategies. My one criticism is that many organizations seem to take the traditional marketing approach towards Web2.0, hence a major component for success in the Web2.0 sphere is being overlooked; time.
Web2.0 platforms are organic, hence the number of friends/followerships you have is a direct correlation to the amount of time you invest in the platform be it Twitter - the number of interesting tweets you post regularly, Facebook - the amount of time you spend branding yourself and/or creating groups and pages in addition to updating them, YouTube - the number of good vids you put up, how often you upload and where you link/embed to, Flickr - joining groups and creating groups etc. Essentially the point I am trying to get to is, it takes time to build a quality community of followers, fans and friends so how is three months going to be enough time to do so?
Also, if the CVB was thinking about the full extent of Web2.0 possibilities the organization would not only make their Web2.0 initiative a permanent endeavor but they should leverage co-op program wherein they invite local businesses (hotels, restaurants, bars etc.) to buy into the Web2.0 program. This would not only leverage marketing dollars but would allow travelers to make use of the CVB site in a more revenue driven manner.
Take the annual boat race in Annapolis for example. This would be a good opportunity to try and get hotels, restaurants and boat outfitters involved. The Annapolis Marriott is right on the water, the boat outfitters are yards away and the restaurants are only three blocks away. With co-op marketing you can have the Marriott, the outfitters and the restaurant to buy into a package deal wherein if you stay at the Marriott for two nights (with an enticing lead rate available only through a specific Web2.0 platform) you get "X%" off the restaurant and the outfitter during the Annapolis boat race.
The thing is that this won't be enough, execution is so key. As I mentioned earlier, time is a huge factor in any Web2.0 strategy. Therefore, marketing the Annapolis Boat Race package should begin at least a month out. Start off by creating awareness, getting followers into the process of organizing the race and the CVB's experience throughout it (other special events etc.). Two-three weeks before the event send out the link to the package and have it direct to a specific landing page on the CVB site for more information, which would allow users to book through Marriott's booking engine. It is a way of monetizing the CVB's efforts and at the same time nourishing their Web2.0 initiative.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Brooklyn On A Sunday
This weekend, brunch was at Palo Santo (www.palosanto.com...amazing Mexican food - no not tacos and burritos, REAL Mexican food) and drinks were at BARN in Park Slope (www.flatbushfarm.com). I had a drink which contained vodka, jäger, soda and earl grey tea. It was perfect for a summer day!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Weekly Travels A La G-Maps: Uluru, aka Ayers Rock
Uluru (Ayers Rock)
Uluru - Kata Tijuta National Park, Northern Territory, Central Australia
Although the name doesn't particularly mean anything, Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara (those who named Uluru) and Yankunytjatjara Aboriginals. To many of us non-Aussies, Uluru is one of the first things that pops into our minds when we think of Austalia.
Uluru stands at 1,142 ft (348 meters) and 5.8 miles (9.4km) in circumference with the majority of its structure below the ground. Geologically, Uluru is considered an inselberg or 'island mountain' - it is all that remains of a mountain range that has slowly eroded over time.
Once again, no street view but I wanted to show you how large Uluru is by comparison to the small town of Mutitjulu in the second picture.
Happy Travels!
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Stuck On the Way Home
fiasco in Managua airport, Nicaragua last November. The great thing
about being stuck in Bozeman airport, Montana is the sweet view...
....and the funny things this group of loud women golfers are saying.
I asked them where they were headed and they said Denver for a round
of 18 and then back. I made a comment that one of them packed really
light to which one of her friends responded "that's cuz she doesn't
pack underwear because she uses Febreeze."
To my international readers, Febreeze is a spray you use to keep
fabrics fresh.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Dinner in Livingston
a steak. I am enjoying a 12oz sirloin with a glass of Tempeanillo.
Perfection.
Driving Through Montana
the mountains. As the snow melts all the water comes down, uprooting
trees and on occasion spilling over roads causing them to shut down.
Regardless, I had to go check it out for myself and it was worth it!
My Map
mosaic in the Buffalo Bill Historic Museum. I took this image from a
balcony.
The Chamberlain Hotel
the left hand column. Who's signature do you see?
The Chamberlain Hotel
such a beautiful hotel with lots of historic pieces like this set of
tiles...
Flew into Idaho Falls yesterday and I decided that I am going to send
images and posts throughout my journey. Right now we are headed from
Idaho Falls to Rexburg for breakfast.
images and posts throughout my journey. Right now we are headed from
Idaho Falls to Rexburg for breakfast.
The next couple of images I'll be posting are images of the falls from
my hotel room and some of bear cubs from at Bear World.
I'm on the run, so I sent this from my iPhone. Happy Travels!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Songs For The Road: Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun
When I first saw this video I was inspired to capture color with my camera and use it to define an experience. That essentially became the inspiration behind my color strategy for my Little Corn Island video piece. In fact my entire journey to Nicaragua was very much like being in a dreamlike state and finding myself on a very colorful island influenced that feeling significantly. I also feel that some of the lyrics touch on how my closest friends and I feel about traveling/life in general:
Empire of the Sun is made up of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore - both Australian. This video was shot in Shanghai; the song is Walking on a Dream from their album of the same name. Enjoy!
1. "Standing on the Shore" - 4:23
2. "Walking on a Dream" - 3:16
3. "Half Mast" - 3:54
4. "We Are the People" - 4:27
5. "Delta Bay" - 3:12
6. "Country" - 5:04
7. "The World" - 4:36
8. "Swordfish Hotkiss Night" - 3:55
9. "Tiger by My Side" - 5:47
10. "Without You" - 5:00
We are always running for the thrill of it thrill of it
Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it
On and on and on we are calling out and out again
Never looking down I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me
Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it
On and on and on we are calling out and out again
Never looking down I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me
Empire of the Sun is made up of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore - both Australian. This video was shot in Shanghai; the song is Walking on a Dream from their album of the same name. Enjoy!
Empire Of Sun - Walking On A Dream from Music on Vimeo.
1. "Standing on the Shore" - 4:232. "Walking on a Dream" - 3:16
3. "Half Mast" - 3:54
4. "We Are the People" - 4:27
5. "Delta Bay" - 3:12
6. "Country" - 5:04
7. "The World" - 4:36
8. "Swordfish Hotkiss Night" - 3:55
9. "Tiger by My Side" - 5:47
10. "Without You" - 5:00
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Weekly Travel A La G-Maps: The Borobodur, Indonesia
In this week's edition of 'Weekly Travel A La G-Maps' we will be focusing on the Borobodur in Indonesia. Unfortunately the street view function was not available but the sheer size of the Buddhist monument is such that you can see a significant amount of detail given the height at which the shot was taken. The second image is of the monument form the ground and the third is of its famous stupas.
The Borobodur
Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia
Built as a shrine to the Lord Buddha in the nineteenth century, the Borobodur is made up of six square platforms and finished off with three circular platforms. The monument boasts 504 Buddha statues, 2,672 panels with relief work and a main dome atop the center platform circled by 72 Buddha statues seated within perforated stupas.
Some Buddhist followers come here to go on a pilgrimage beginning their journey at the base of the Borobodur ascending to the top in a circular path. They pass through three levels of Buddhist cosmology; Kāmadhātu the realm of desire, Rupadhatu the realm of forms and Arupadhatu the realm of formlessness.
While living in Jakarta I visited the Borobodur and I remembered a small legend told to me by a visiting monk while admiring a seated Buddha in a stupa. He said that if I could reach inside and touch the Buddha's hand I would be granted one wish.
The Borobodur
Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia
Built as a shrine to the Lord Buddha in the nineteenth century, the Borobodur is made up of six square platforms and finished off with three circular platforms. The monument boasts 504 Buddha statues, 2,672 panels with relief work and a main dome atop the center platform circled by 72 Buddha statues seated within perforated stupas.
Some Buddhist followers come here to go on a pilgrimage beginning their journey at the base of the Borobodur ascending to the top in a circular path. They pass through three levels of Buddhist cosmology; Kāmadhātu the realm of desire, Rupadhatu the realm of forms and Arupadhatu the realm of formlessness.
While living in Jakarta I visited the Borobodur and I remembered a small legend told to me by a visiting monk while admiring a seated Buddha in a stupa. He said that if I could reach inside and touch the Buddha's hand I would be granted one wish.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
OpenID Is the Bridge
It is amazing how last night I find myself writing about Hyatt's new HyattConcierge initiative and how I felt that Web 2.0 initiatives should not be based on a single Web 2.0 platform such as Twitter (read about that here). Now in a few moments Facebook will become the biggest example of a social network site that lets users log-in using OpenID. So what does that mean exactly?
Well, OpenID has been around for a while now and essentially it allows you to use the same login info for multiple relying parties. The issue was that no one was really partnering up with anyone rendering the OpenID a not as universally usable until now. Facebook's community is so huge that sites who do not want to partner up with Facebook would be loosing out on a HUGE opportunity.
Wait wait Sebastien, I thought you were a travel blogger man!?!? Well, I am and this is where it all comes together. Imagine being a hotel and you have a Facebook page. You have say 100 fans in addition to your 100 Twitter followers (who happen to not be the same 100 fans on Facebook) and today Facebook decides to incorporate OpenID. Twitter wants to keep up so they too incorporate OpenID with Facebook as a partner.
Amongst other things, having the OpenID would allow your 100 Facebook fans to become Twitter followers and vice versa. As a hotel you think OpenID is FANTASTIC so you decide to incorporate it for yourself. One of the most amazing things about it is the fact that your 100 fans can now directly log into their online account at say Hyatt.com (for example), make a reservation AND potentially tell their friends about the reservation they made through Facebook AND invite them to join in on a great vacation at the Hyatt!
Essentially this is huge news for hotels trying to reach out to a larger client base to monetize their Web 2.0 initiatives.
Hyatt's New Twitter Initiative
HyattConcierge, "the first global, 24/7 dedicated concierge service on Twitter" - according to Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian, launched yesterday. Mr. Hoplamazian says"...through HyattConcierge, our skilled guest service professionals will be able to respond to guests’ questions, needs and concerns, any time, any place, and by any digital means on Twitter - before, during and after their hotel stays."
According to a press release the top 5 ways to use HyattConcierge is as follows:
1. Driving directions
2. Assistance with hotel reservations and Hyatt Gold Passport account information
3. Book dining reservations and spa treatments
4. Request late arrival/checkout
5. Arrange transportation
Personally, I think the push hotels are making for more presence on Twitter and to utilize it more effectively is fantastic although the idea that simply utilizing one Web 2.0 platform, I feel, is an approach that does not maximize the initial back end investment.
How so? Twitter, like most Web 2.0 platforms are free!!
Well yeah, obviously but what happens when you have 65,000 followers and 10% of them asked for driving directions? 6,500 requests for driving directions handled by who? What about promotions? Who is going to update the booking engines with the appropriate promo codes? One could argue that once you give driving directions to one person you can begin to archive those responses and re-use them - well, doesn't that defeat the purpose of Web 2.0? Where is the highly valued 'personal' interaction that us web junkies crave?
So the costs add up eventually but this is where expanding onto multiple Web 2.0 platforms becomes more effective vis-à-vis reach. The same Twitter team could potentially handle the Facebook page that offers the same service as Twitter spreading out the costs and increasing followers and fans. Imagine that!
So does that mean we can start talking about calculating Cost Per Follower or Revenue Per Follower? That would be interesting. Obviously all the benefits are yet to be fully measured (and will they ever be?), but I do believe that Twitter and other Web 2.0 platforms can be profitable for hotels. Take MarriottIntl on Twitter for example. Marriott is a huge brand name across the globe, it has over 7,000 followers (they can do better than that) but lets assume they can get 50,000 followers. If they time seasonality and booking windows properly for different properties and push property-specific promotions through Twitter and Facebook I believe they would be able to see their Web 2.0 revenue stream begin to flow. In fact I believe they have already begun to do so.
If you want to get technical: An ideal way to use Twitter as a capture tool is to tweet promotions links (with tracking/src codes) and have the link direct to a landing page specific to a property with great copy, sweet images, a list of cool things to do on the property, a description of the promotion and of course a reservations button that links to the booking engine where the property can choose to incorporate dynamic reservations (ie. add the Spa package for only an additional $20 a night). If you want to get REALLY aggressive you might as well tweet a link that takes the user straight to the booking engine.
Overall I don't think hotels have really attempted a truly aggressive capture strategy but I think the time will come soon - HyattConcierge and MarriottIntl are signs of those things to come. Some hotels have asked me what my position is and how to make their Twitter initiatives effective and to answer that I ask these questions first:
1. Is your Twitter initiative an auxilliary service (much like HyattConcierge is offering - driving directions, etc) intended for existing (booked) clients or to capture new ones?
2. If so, how many Twitter users out there are already booked customers?
3. Of those people how many can you get to use your Twitter service?
Until those questions are answered I do not think the solution to effectiveness can be solved. At the end of the day I believe that by expanding from a Twitter based approach to an integrated multi-platform approach and internally re-brand said Twitter servce as more comprehensive Web 2.0 initiative a hotel can better measure effectiveness in the right light.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Songs For The Road: Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha in Chicago
Traveling without music is hard for me to imagine. As much as I find comfort in the sound of rail tracks or pressurized air on an airplane, I prefer a good playlist. That being said I thought it would be interesting to occasionally post a song(s) that I associate with a place(s).Anyway - a couple of months after being introduced to Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha album, I ended up on a flight to Chicago and this album essentially became my playlist. It was perfect for a very laid back, urban getaway in Chicago and even though I didn't listen to any music while I explored the city, I definitely had the opening riff to Heretics on loop in my head - especially while in Wicker Park.
Here is Plasticities by Andrew Bird. This particular video was shot on Sydney Harbor but try to imagine a bird's eye view of Chicago streets shot a la stop motion photography. Here is a link to the original song. Oh and btw - Andrew Bird is from Chicago.
Here is Plasticities by Andrew Bird. This particular video was shot on Sydney Harbor but try to imagine a bird's eye view of Chicago streets shot a la stop motion photography. Here is a link to the original song. Oh and btw - Andrew Bird is from Chicago.
Andrew Bird: Plasticities from shoottheplayer.com on Vimeo.
- "Fiery Crash" – 4:12
- "Imitosis" – 4:01
- "Plasticities" – 4:27
- "Heretics" – 3:33
- "Armchairs" – 7:02
- "Darkmatter" – 5:07
- "Simple X" – 3:36
- "The Supine" – 0:59
- "Cataracts" – 3:12
- "Scythian Empires" – 4:34
- "Spare-Ohs" – 4:07
- "Yawny at the Apocalypse" – 3:39
First image courtesy of Tara Kocourek
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Weekly Travel A La G-Maps: The Eiffel Tower, Paris
If anyone out there is like me - constantly daydreaming about traveling or perhaps researching cool potential vacation spots around the world - then this is perfect for you. Announcing
The Eiffel Tower - Tour Eiffel, /tuʀ ɛfɛl/
Champ de Mars, Paris, France
Built in 1889, the Eiffel Tower has received hundreds of thousands of visitors since making it the world's most visited paid monument.
The structure itself is 984ft (300m) high but with the addition of its antenna, it reaches a total of 1,63ft (324m). The tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for presentation at the Paris World's Fair. It was originally meant to be built in Barcelona but city hall thought it was a bit too odd and expensive so they passed. Interesting given the fact that the Eiffel tower is a defining symbol of Paris and perhaps France itself.
WEEKLY TRAVELS A La G-MAPS
A chance to see some of the world's wonders from your computer screen.
I decided to find some cool spots around the world via Google Maps and post the pics here. This week I will be highlighting one of Paris' major landmarks; the Eiffel Tower. If you have some pretty cool shots of the Eiffel Tower (a la Google Maps) send them over to me and I'll include your image in this post with your name and website url if you have one.
The Eiffel Tower - Tour Eiffel, /tuʀ ɛfɛl/
Champ de Mars, Paris, France
Built in 1889, the Eiffel Tower has received hundreds of thousands of visitors since making it the world's most visited paid monument.
The structure itself is 984ft (300m) high but with the addition of its antenna, it reaches a total of 1,63ft (324m). The tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for presentation at the Paris World's Fair. It was originally meant to be built in Barcelona but city hall thought it was a bit too odd and expensive so they passed. Interesting given the fact that the Eiffel tower is a defining symbol of Paris and perhaps France itself.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Berlin Calling, It's For You
As the lump of ice rotates in my 10dl of vodka, a friend talks about the powerful draw that Berlin has on those looking for a completely Bohemian lifestyle. The sense of idealism is powerful here and very noticeable on everyone's face. I don't know if the bartender is from Berlin, nor do I know how many people sitting around me are Berliners. What I do know is that this local East Berlin watering hole that I have been introduced to is pretty cool. Great music, outdoor seating, the building is old and worthy of all the graffiti, ahem street art, that decorates its exterior which is so very different from the buildings in Mitte (the middle of the city) which are very modern and seem to have so much less character as a result of gentrification.After the Berlin Wall fell many East Berliners evacuated the east leaving a lot of areas relatively empty. This brought the price of living in the east crashing down and the demand for housing in the area seemed long gone. The low cost of housing inadvertently began to attract those in the creative field; artists musicians etc. Today East Berlin neighborhoods attract artists from all over the world. A strong sense of liberalism thrives here along with anti-establishment sentiments. Don't be surprised to see tons of luxury vehicles in Mitte and practically none in neighborhoods such as Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg. Quite frankly they aren't welcome there and their owners are, quite simply, labeled as 'Posers.'
This sentiment is most apparent on the first of May when extreme liberals stage the annual riots in Berlin, leaving many cars burning on the side of the street. Every year the collective voice of the people remind governments and capitalists that humans are not stupid, that the current state of the economy is not acceptable and more importantly to say that it is wrong that a handful of crooks can get away with millions while people suffer the pressures of unemployment. This year 5,000 police officers in full riot gear were deployed to counter the protesters, this was not enough. The head of Berlin police had only one suggestion to residents of the city: Try to park your car indoors.
Perhaps now you are thinking "stay indoors is right! I'm not going to Berlin" - well, that is not the point. The point is that this is a place with character, a character that you won't find in many other places. People here have a strong sense of life and expression of opinions and this is something that everyone traveling to or through Berlin needs to experience. It is not that hard, just stay off the touristy path and follow the graffiti.
The most noticeable result of this character is the creative expression apparent all over the building walls, street signs, poles, lights and just about in every crevasse of public space that has been untouched. This creative expression is gong to be a lasting feeling that I have for Berlin primarily for the fact that it feels good to be in a place where you can feel uninhibited to freely express yourself in any way you want.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The New Site
Hello All,
Just wanted to let you know that my new website has launched. It is essentially my portfolio site showcasing all of my video work. Please have a look when you get the chance!
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