1. Challenge
In a fast moving online landscape, how should IHG be taking advantage of any
current or upcoming trends and technologies to drive incremental bookings to its
direct web channel versus the competition?

2. Strategy
Be ubiquitous
Adhere to the truisms of social media:
listen
engage
provide value
be authentic
Optimize Search
Stay Competitive in Mobile
Analyze and Test

3. Be Ubiquitous
1. Awareness
2. Engagement
3. Commitment
4. Loyalty
In the initial consideration or awareness phase sites like Trip Advisor, Travelocity, Expedia etc. tend to
attract more hotel shoppers who are still comparing options and not ready to book.
Increase positive reviews on these sites to leverage the brand heritage and be relevant on these online
communities to ensure they are all customized presences with a consistent tone.
As consumers actively evaluate, utilize SEM to attract them to book direct with a low price guarantee
or incentivized program
Maintain the loyalty by extending the invite to join Priority Club Rewards and promote the loyalty
programs as a stand alone content piece with targeted bloggers
*Source: McKinsey Quarterly; The Consumer Decision Journey https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_consumer_decision_journey_2373?pagenum=1

4. Recent Trends in Social Media
The Biggest Shift Since The Industrial Revolution…

5. Social Media=People Play
Engage and provide value
Why Do We Care About Our Social Influence?
70% of consumers trust recommendations
from people they know.
75% of Facebook users have “Liked” a brand
Fans of brands are 51% more likely to purchase
from them
Facebook can increase the spread of
awareness by 246% with “Likes” and 98% with
“Send to a friend.”
53% of Twitter users have recommended
companies or products.
Sources
Wired Magazine Feb 2011
http://www.thesocialworkplace.com/2012/05/17/turning-social-influence-into-social-gain/
http://socialcommercetoday.com/speed-summary-wired-feb-2011-cover-story-on-social-commerce/

6. Social Media = Sharing. Sharing = Caring
People around the world share travel above all other stories on Facebook.
The more IHG actively listens these stories and responds with thanks, praise, incentives, etc.
the more they show they care.
Brands who care build loyalty.
Be authentic.
http://www.tnooz.com/2012/08/14/news/facebook-users-cite-travel-most-often-as-their-biggest-life-moments-infographic/

7. Search
Google's acquisition of the Frommer's travel brand is the latest
evidence of the Internet search giant's desire to control all the
experiences around travel…destination content in search just
got a little bit more interesting.
57% of travelers start their destination selection process on a search engine
“U.S. travelers will be spreading their wings far and wide in 2012, with 68 percent planning
international trips,” said Karen Drake, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor.
“Sun and sand remain an enduringly popular choice, but the coming year will also see a
renewed interest in cultural trips, as Americans seek to combine precious downtime with
enriching experiences.”

8. Mobile
While the “trend” of mobile is by no means new, its pace is remarkable
IHG iPhone booking apps for all hotel brands is one example of listening
to what guests want and reacting to the current trend!
The travel sector is changing and location-based services and
technologies have a lot of potential…
•Utilize “Location & Need” of a traveler with LBS by customizing
the ads to geo-target the location of the user
•Create opportunities for conversion by hyper targeted
messages
•Example: discounts on room rates at nearby hotels
16 million Americans will book travel via mobile in
2012 This is up over 30% from just one year ago. By 2016, the number of
mobile users booking travel on their devices is expected to more than
double to 36.7 million. The number of mobile users who research travel
with mobile devices is expected to exceed 74 million/year by 2016.This
represents an increase of over 300% in just the next 4 years.
One in five business trips will be booked via mobile devices by 2014
Source: http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/08/05/2012/343573/Mobile-hotel-bookings-set-to-rise.htm

9. Analyze & Test
“Digital trends aren't something companies should be wary of; they are exciting
and can offer the opportunity to engage with customers in a new way. ”
-Jo Hill
Choose a Representative Sample: Where possible, design tests with properties that
are a representative sample of a brand of IHG.
Measure Incremental Impact: It is not sufficient to measure what happened just in
the test hotels. Sound test analysis involves measuring the “lift” or incremental
change in RevPar, profits, etc. as compared to a similar set of hotels where there was
no test (i.e. the control group) before and after the initiative was launched.
Identify Performance Drivers: No program will work well everywhere, and some great
ideas may not be useful to implement across the chain. Segment the results of a test
to understand which types of properties respond well to the program.
Learn: Record key lessons, disseminate / provide broader access to them, and use
findings from current tests to generate ideas for future testing.
Source: Hospitalitynet.org 12 August 2011