Social Media For Travel Brands

@eskimon • #TheSocialTraveller • 1We Are Social
THE SOCIAL
TRAVELLER
SIMON KEMP • WE ARE SOCIAL
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR TRAVEL MARKETERS
we
are
social

SIMON KEMP
@eskimon

THIS REPORT IN CONTEXT
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) recently
commissioned We Are Social to research and
analyse the latest trends in social media behaviour
around the world, and provide our perspectives
on how these developments will impact travel
marketers in the coming months. We presented the
findings contained in this presentation at STB’s
Digital Marketing Lab a few weeks ago, but STB
have been kind enough to make these findings
publicly available for the world in this document.

CONTENTS
1. THE STATE OF GLOBAL SOCIAL
2. SUCCEEDING IN SOCIAL
3. OUR RESEARCH FINDINGS
4. SOCIAL & THE ‘TRAVEL CYCLE’
5. KEY TIPS FOR SUCCESS

SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AROUND THE
WORLD IS CHANGING ALL THE TIME

@wearesocialsg • 7
GLOBAL DIGITAL SNAPSHOT
INTERNET
USERS
TOTAL
POPULATION
ACTIVE SOCIAL
MEDIA USERS
UNIQUE
MOBILE USERS
ACTIVE MOBILE
SOCIAL USERS
FIGURE REPRESENTS
UNIQUE MOBILE PHONE USERS
FIGURE BASED ON ACTIVE USER
ACCOUNTS, NOT UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS
FIGURE BASED ON ACTIVE USER
ACCOUNTS, NOT UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS
FIGURE REPRESENTS TOTAL GLOBAL
POPULATION, INCLUDING CHILDREN
FIGURE INCLUDES ACCESS VIA
FIXED AND MOBILE CONNECTIONS
BILLION BILLION BILLION BILLION BILLION
A SNAPSHOTOF THE WORLD’SKEY DIGITAL STATISTICAL INDICATORS
• Sources: Population: UN, US Census Bureau; Internet: ITU, InternetWorldStats, CIA, national government ministries and industry associations;
• Social & Mobile Social: Facebook, Tencent, VKontakte, LiveInternet.ru, Nikkei, VentureBeat, Niki Aghaei; Mobile: GSMA Intelligence.
7.416
APR
2016
URBANISATION: 54%
3.419
PENETRATION: 46%
2.430
PENETRATION: 33%
4.730
PENETRATION: 64%
2.124
PENETRATION: 29%

NORTH
AMERICA
CENTRAL
AMERICA
SOUTH
AMERICA
AFRICA
MIDDLE
EAST
WEST
EUROPE
EAST
EUROPE
EAST
ASIA
OCEANIA
CENTRAL
ASIA
SOUTH
ASIA
SOUTHEAST
ASIA
GLOBAL
AVERAGE:
SOCIAL MEDIA USE
JAN
2016
• Sources: Facebook; Tencent; VKontakte, LiveInternet.ru, Nikkei, VentureBeat, Niki Aghaei; UN, US Census Bureau for population data.
31%
59%
50%
11%
26%
48%
45%
48%
45%
40%
6%
11%
37%
TOTAL ACTIVE ACCOUNTS ON THE TOP SOCIAL NETWORK INEACHCOUNTRY, COMPARED TO POPULATION

TIME SPENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
JAN
2016
• Source: GlobalWebIndex, Q4 2015. Based on a survey of internet users aged 16-64. Averages also factor non-users.
AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOURS THAT SOCIAL MEDIAUSERS SPEND USING SOCIAL MEDIAEACHDAY
3.7
3.3
3.2
3.2
3.0
3.0
2.9
2.9
2.9
2.7
2.5
2.3
2.3
2.0
1.9
1.7
1.6
1.6
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.1
0.3
PHILIPPINES
BRAZIL
MEXICO
ARGENTINA
UAE
MALAYSIA
SAUDIARABIA
THAILAND
INDONESIA
SOUTHAFRICA
TURKEY
VIETNAM
INDIA
ITALY
RUSSIA
USA
SINGAPORE
SPAIN
HONGKONG
UK
CHINA
CANADA
POLAND
FRANCE
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
SOUTHKOREA
JAPAN

JAN
2016 FACEBOOK USE BY DEVICE
BASED ON THE GLOBAL NUMBER OF ACTIVE USER ACCOUNTS ACCESSING FACEBOOK VIAEACH DEVICE, IN MILLIONS
ACTIVE ACCOUNTS
ACCESSING VIA DESKTOP
OR LAPTOP COMPUTERS
ACTIVE ACCOUNTS
ACCESSING VIA
SMARTPHONES
ACTIVE ACCOUNTS
ACCESSING VIA
FEATURE PHONES
ACTIVE ACCOUNTS
ACCESSING VIA
TABLETS
##
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL: PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL: PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL: PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL:
##
• Sources: extrapolation of Facebook data Q1 2016. Combined share exceeds 100% due to multi-device usage.
748M 1,259M 38M 221M
50% 83% 2% 15%

ACTIVE USERS BY SOCIAL PLATFORM
APR
2016
• Sources: latest company statements as published in press releases and quarterly results, correct as at 18 April 2016.
SOCIAL NETWORK
MESSENGER / CHAT APP / VOIP
MOST RECENTLY PUBLISHED MONTHLY ACTIVE USER ACCOUNTS BYPLATFORM,INMILLIONS
1,590
1,000
900
853
697
640
555
400
320
300
300
249
222
215
200
122
100
100
100
100
100
FACEBOOK
WHATSAPP
FB MESSENGER
QQ
WECHAT
QZONE
TUMBLR
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER
SKYPE
BAIDU TIEBA
VIBER
SINA WEIBO
LINE
SNAPCHAT
YY
VKONTAKTE
PINTEREST
BBM
LINKEDIN
TELEGRAM

BUT NUMBERS DON’T MEAN ANYTHING ON
THEIR OWN; WHAT DOES THIS DATA TELL US?

3 TAKE-AWAYS

#1: SOCIAL IS INCREASINGLY THE OPTIMUM
WAY TO REACH YOUR AUDIENCE REGULARLY

OTHER CHANNELS REACH MORE PEOPLE,
BUT NOT WITH SUCH EFFICIENT FREQUENCY

USE SOCIAL TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS,
NOT JUST FOR CONSTANT CONVERSION

#2: PEOPLE’S HABITS ARE CHANGING,
AND THEY’RE MOVING TO NEW PLATFORMS

A MOBILE MESSENGER WILL OVERTAKE
FACEBOOK WITHIN THE NEXT 18 MONTHS

THIS MEANS PEOPLE’S SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
WILL BE MORE PERSONAL & MORE PRIVATE

#3: WE CANNOT RELY ON JUST ONE
SOCIAL CHANNELFOR SUCCESS

HOWEVER, THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU NEED
TO SET UP PRESENCES ON EVERY PLATFORM

SUCCESS TODAY RELIES ON OTHER PEOPLE
TELLING OUR STORIES IN SOCIAL FOR US

WE NEED TO RETHINK OUR APPROACH
TO SOCIAL CONTENT AND ENGAGEMENT

THE INSPIRATION OF CONVERSATION
As we move into the chat-app era, success
in social media now relies on inspiring the
new WOM: ‘word of mobile’. Succeeding in
this world won’t depend so much on the
stories we post; it will depend on how well
we inspire other people to tell our stories
for us, using everything at our disposal:
our products, our services, our attractions,
and every single part of our marketing mix.

HOW CAN WE ACTIVELY
ENGAGE TRAVELLERS?
HOW WILL WE POPULATE
OUR CONTENT CALENDAR?
NOT

WHAT DOES A TRAVELLER’S DECISION-
MAKING PROCESS LOOK LIKE?

THE EIGHT STAGES OF THE TRAVEL CYCLE
2. TRIGGERING
3. RESEARCHING
4. PLANNING
6. DAY PLANNING
7. ENJOYING
1. DREAMING
8. REMEMBERING
5. BOOKING

1. DREAMING

DREAMING IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS:
IT GETS US ON THE CONSIDERATION LIST

BUT DREAMING IS A VERY PASSIVE STATE –
THE INSPIRATION NEEDS TO COME TO US

IN SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT’S INSPIRED BY
WHAT POPS UP IN OUR SOCIAL FEEDS

PEOPLE POSTED 80 MILLION TWEETS ABOUT
HOLIDAYS IN GENERAL IN THE PAST YEAR

INSTAGRAM IS ALSO HOME TO HUGE
NUMBERS OF TRAVEL-RELATEDPOSTS

78 MILLION #TRAVEL POSTS ON INSTAGRAM

PHOTOS FROM JUST THE PAST 10 MINUTES

2. TRIGGERING

TRIGGERS ARE SUBJECTIVE, BUT DEALS ARE
ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CATALYSTS

INTERESTINGLY, OUR RESEARCH SHOWS
FLIGHT DEALS ARE THE BIGGEST DRIVER

MUCH AS IT’S VERY TACTICAL, SHARING
DEALS THROUGH SOCIAL SEEMS TO WORK

COULD YOU COLLABORATE WITH
AIRLINES TO OFFER MORE FLIGHT DEALS?

RESEARCHING
& PLANNING

OUR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH SUGGESTS
PEOPLE DON’T START WITH A DESTINATION

...THEY DECIDE TO GO ON HOLIDAY, AND
THEN EXPLORE POTENTIAL DESTINATIONS

INSTAGRAM IS A POPULAR START POINT

WOMEN IN THE WEST ALSO LIKE PINTEREST

SUCCESS AT THE RESEARCH STAGE AGAIN
DEPENDS ON VISUALLY CAPTIVATING POSTS

#NSFW

TAKE OUT YOUR PHONE, OPEN INSTAGRAM,
GO TO ‘SEARCH’, AND ENTER #INSTATRAVEL

#NSFW

NOW TRY THE SAME THING AGAIN, BUT
FOR YOUR COUNTRY OR CITY’S NAME

DO YOUR REALLY WANT THAT TO
BE PEOPLE’S FIRST IMPRESSION?

HOW CAN YOU INSPIRE MORE POSTS THAT
DRIVE DESIRE TO VISIT YOUR DESTINATION?

EVEN TRIPADVISOR DEPENDS ON SOCIAL

OUR RESEARCH SHOWS PEOPLE RELY ON
USER COMMENTS MORE THAN BRAND ONES

5. BOOKING

WE CAN OFFER BOOKING OPTIONS DIRECT
WITHIN SOCIAL, BUT IT’S NOT TOP PRIORITY

THERE ARE OTHER WAYS SOCIAL CAN
FACILITATE THE BOOKING STAGE, THOUGH

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO COORDINATE
BOOKING TRAVEL WITH OTHER PEOPLE?

THE CRAZY RUSH TRYING TO GET EVERYONE
TO PAY AT ONCE, BEFORE A DEAL EXPIRES

HOW CAN WE USE SOCIAL FUNCTIONALITY
TO IMPROVE THAT GROUP EXPERIENCE?

OFFERING PEOPLE A WAY TO SHARE THEIR
NEWLY BOOKED TRIP CAN ALSO WORK

7. ENJOYMENT

IF WE WANT TO INSPIRE GREAT ORGANIC
CONTENT, WE MUST CHANGE OUR MINDSET

FOR US, SOCIAL IS
ABOUT MARKETING
FOR THEM, SOCIAL
IS ABOUT STORIES
BUT

3 TRENDS IN
TRAVELLERS’
STORYTELLING

#1
THE DESIRE FOR
‘PRO’ CONTENT

OUR RESEARCH SUGGESTS PEOPLE FEEL
UNDER PRESSURE TO POST ‘PRO’ CONTENT

HOW CAN WE HELP REMOVE SOME OF THAT
STRESS? (THEY ARE ON HOLIDAY, AFTER ALL)

HELPING PEOPLE GET THE BEST SHOT
HELP VISITORS TO TAKE
MORE IMPRESSIVE
PHOTOS IN YOUR VENUE
USING THE VISITOR’S
OWN CAMERA OR PHONE
PUT UP SIGNS OR
POINTERS TO HELP
PEOPLE LOCATE OPTIMUM
PLACES TO TAKE PHOTOS
FOR SOCIAL POSTS
ON-SITE
PHOTOGRAPHER
LOCATION
DIRECTIONS
THINK ABOUT PROVIDING
VISITORS WITH PROPS OR
OTHER THINGS THEY CAN
USE IN THEIR PHOTOS TO
ADD FLAVOUR OR DRAMA
PHOTO
PROPS

#2
SOCIAL CLICHÉS
ARE EVOLVING

#1: THE SELFIE IS EVOLVING TO A MORE
‘ARTISTIC’ FORM OF SELF-EXPRESSION…

A DESIRE TO SHOW I’M THERE, BUT WITHOUT
BEING TOO NARCISSISTIC OR EGOTISTIC

SOME MORE INSPIRING TAKES ON SELFIES
PHOTOS WITH THE CHEFS,
WITH THE CHARACTERS AT
THEME PARKS, WITH THEIR
TOUR GUIDES – IT’S
ALWAYS ABOUT PEOPLE
SNAPPING THEM (WITH
PERMISSION) AND POSTING
TO YOUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
MAY INSPIRE THEM TO TAG
THEMSELVES ON YOUR PROFILE
MEET &
GREETS
CELEBRATE
THEM
DON’T CHARGE PEOPLE
FOR PHYSICAL PHOTOS;
OFFER THEM INCENTIVES
TO TAG THEMSELVES IN
YOUR SOCIAL PHOTOS
‘RIDE’
PHOTOS

#2: …BUT THAT OTHER SOCIAL CLICHÉ –
‘PHOTOS OF MY LUNCH’ – IS HERE TO STAY

180,000,000
PHOTOS JUST ON INSTAGRAM TAGGED WITH #FOOD

WHY WE POST PHOTOS OF OUR LUNCH
IF YOU CAN TAKE A
GOOD FOOD PHOTO,
YOU’VE GOT 3 BITS OF
CONTENT EVERY DAY
EVERYONE LOVES TO
TALK ABOUT FOOD –
IT’S AN EASY WIN FOR
BETTER ENGAGEMENT
FREQUENT
CONTENT
INSPIRES EASY
CONVERSATION
CRITIQUING THE FOOD
WE EAT IS A SIMPLE
WAY TO INDULGE IN
SELF-EXPRESSION
BEING A
CRITIC
SATISFIES OUR SLIGHTLY
SELFISH NEED TO SHOW
THAT WE’RE ENJOYING
SOMETHING ‘SPECIAL’
SHOWING
OFF

HOWEVER – FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE –
THIS IS ACTUALLY A VERY GOOD THING

FOOD IS A HUGE PART OF MOST CULTURES,
AND IT’S A BIG TRAVEL MOTIVATOR TOO

SHARING LOCAL FOOD CULTURE
OFFER PEOPLE SOMETHING
IN RETURN FOR TAGGING
YOUR VENUE IN THEIR
#FOOD POSTS (HOW
ABOUT A FREE DESSERT?)
CREATE SPECIAL, PHOTO-
FRIENDLY AREAS WITHIN
YOUR VENUE WITH GOOD
LIGHTING TO HELP YOUR
MORE ‘PRO’ VISITORS
TREATS
FOR TAGS
PHOTO
‘BOOTHS’
OFFER PEOPLE A FEW
HASHTAG SUGGESTION IN
YOUR VENUE – ON MENUS,
DRINKS MATS, OR EVEN
FIXTURES ON TABLES
HASHTAG
HELPERS

DON’T FORGET: WE CAN GET HELP FROM
LOCALS WITH BETTER #FOOD POSTS TOO

#3
PEOPLE WANT TO SHARE
LOCAL EXPERIENCES

TODAY’S ANTHROPOLOGICAL ADVENTURERS
CRAVE AUTHENTIC LOCAL EXPERIENCES

THE IDEA OF ‘LIVING LIKE A LOCAL’ HAS
ALREADY PROVED A BIG HIT WITH AIRBNB

BUT THIS CONCEPT IS NOW EXPANDING
INTO AREAS BEYOND ACCOMMODATION

EATWITH.COM – JOIN LOCALS FOR DINNER

THESE ‘LOCAL EXPERIENCES’ ARE MAJOR
DRIVERS FOR SOCIAL CONVERSATION

HOW CAN WE HELP VISITORS ENJOY
MORE ‘TRULY LOCAL’ FOOD EXPERIENCES?

COULD WE OFFER VISITORS A CHANCE TO
INTERACT WITH LOCALS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA?

SOCIAL TIPS DIRECT FROM LOCALS
TIPS ON THE BEST
RESTAURANTS & CAFES,
LOCAL DELICACIES, AND
QUIRKY LOCAL FOODS
VISITORS SHOULD TRY
BUILDING ON AIRBNB’S
‘WALKING TOUR’ IDEA
TO OFFER RICH
FOOD INSIGHTS INTO
DIFFERENT LOCALITIES
FOOD
TIPS
CULTURAL
INSIGHTS
TIPS ON THE BEST
THINGS TO DO IN YOUR
LOCATION, BASED ON
SPECIAL EVENTS, THE
WEATHER, ETC.
IDEAS TO
DO TODAY
WHERE TO FIND THE
BEST DEALS OR LOCAL
CURIOSITIES FOR ALL
KINDS OF PRODUCTS
IN YOUR LOCATION
SHOPPING
POINTERS

THIS COULD ALSO ADD VALUE AS EARLY AS
THE PLANNING STAGE OF THE TRAVEL CYCLE

8. REMEMBERING

THINGS LIKE #TBT* COULD BE A GOOD
WAY TO RE-ENGAGE PREVIOUS VISITORS
• * #TBT – Throw-back Thursday – is a popular hashtag for memories

THEY’RE ALSO A GREAT WAY TO
TRIGGER A NEW ROUND OF DREAMING…

IDEAS FOR EVERY STAGE
2. TRIGGERING
3. RESEARCHING
4. PLANNING
6. DAY PLANNING
7. ENJOYING
1. DREAMING
8. REMEMBERING
5. BOOKING
WISH-LIST-INSPIRING VISUALS
SPECIAL EVENTS, PRICE DEALS
INSPIRE & EDUCATE
JOIN FORCES WITH PEERS
MAKE GROUP PLANNING EASY
OUTREACH & REAL-TIME SOCIAL
HELP CAPTURE IT FOR THEM
REMINDERS & GREETINGS

3 TIPS

#1: SPEND MORE TIME INSPIRING OTHER
PEOPLE’S POSTS THAN CREATING YOUR OWN

#2: CREATE CONTENT THAT WORKS ACROSS
ALL CHANNELS – ESPECIALLY CHAT APPS

#3: THINK LIKE A TRAVELLER: WHAT DO THEY
NEED, AND NOT JUST WHAT YOU NEED

LET’S CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION...

JUST SEARCH FOR ESKIMON

WE ARE A GLOBAL AGENCY. WE DELIVER WORLD-CLASS
CREATIVE IDEAS WITH FORWARD-THINKING BRANDS. WE
BELIEVE IN PEOPLE, NOT PLATFORMS, AND THE POWER
OF SOCIAL INSIGHT TO DRIVE BUSINESS VALUE.
WE CALL THIS SOCIAL THINKING.
WE’RE ALREADY HELPING MANY OF THE WORLD’S
TOP BRANDS, INCLUDING ADIDAS, UNILEVER,
DIAGEO, NESTLÉ, HEINZ, AND LVMH.
IF YOU’D LIKE TO CHAT ABOUT US HELPING YOU
TOO, CALL US ON +65 6423 1051, OR EMAIL
US AT SAYHELLO@WEARESOCIAL.SG.
FIND OUT MORE AT WEARESOCIAL.SG.

WE ARE SOCIAL SINGAPORE
SIMON KEMP, REGIONAL MANAGING PARTNER
@WEARESOCIALSG
SAYHELLO@WEARESOCIAL.SG
+65 6423 1051
HTTP://WEARESOCIAL.SG

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