A phenomenon I am becoming more and more aware off, and mentioned in previous blogs, is the overwhelming amount of information being pushed at people. As a result, people are becoming more selective about what they read, who they 'follow' and are creating more and more 'filters' through which they absorb information. Below an article by Albert Gumbo on this topic.

I borrowed this title from Eli Pariser who was getting increasingly concerned at the results he was getting from the Internet. 
On a hunch, he asked two friends to Google Egypt at the height of the Nile Revolution. 

The one friend, who has an interest in politics, received links pointing him to political news on the country while the other received links to many travel and tourism sites linked to the same country! 

Presenting his findings on Ted.Com and in answer to a Q and A session with Amazon.com Pariser says: “We’re used to thinking of the Internet like an enormous library, with services like Google providing a universal map. But that’s no longer really the case. 

Sites from Google and Facebook to Yahoo News and the New York Times are now increasingly personalised, based on your Web history, they filter information to show you the stuff they think you want to see. That can be very different from what everyone else sees, or from what we need to see.

Your filter bubble is this unique, personal universe of information created just for you by this array of personalising filters. It’s invisible and it’s becoming more and more difficult to escape.

I have just returned from a week in Namibia - Eastern Etosha to be exact. This incredible country has so much to offer, that I thought I would start sharing some fun facts and observations with you.

On your way from Windhoek to Etosha, just about at the time when you need some sustinance, is a little town of Otjiwarongo. Caught in a delightfull time-warp is a German bakery: Dampfbackerei & Cafe O. Carstensesen on St George's Street (Tel 067-302326).

Do pop in for a meal and take some pastries for the road!

 In his book, Eating the Big Fish: How Challenger Brands Can Compete Against Brand Leaders, Adam Morgan indicates that people enthusiastically share information for one of four reasons:
(1) bragging rights,
(2) product enthusiasm,
(3) aspirational identification or
(4) news value.

Stories and anecdotes make a point real to people and imbed it in their memories. Brand stories and anecdotes can become legends. As they are told and retold, they can raise the brand to a mythological level. Stories are often told about consumer experiences that far exceed expectations. This could be the result of extraordinary customer service or some other incredible experience with the brand. Going out of your way as an organization to create these experiences will pay huge dividends – word-of-mouth marketing can not be underestimated. Ideally, you create experiences that reinforce your brand's point of difference.

For instance, a Hallmark card shop owner cared so much for one of her customers that when the customer could not find what she was looking for in the store, the owner drove several miles away to a few other Hallmark stores until she found what the customer was looking for. She hand delivered it to the customer's house that evening, at no charge, reinforcing Hallmark's essence of “caring shared.” Now that is the stuff of legends. Delivering this type of service, even occasionally, generates significant word-of-mouth brand advocacy.

From www.bradningstrategyinsider.com

Brand Essence is the heart and soul of a brand – a brand’s fundamental nature or quality.  Usually stated in two to three words, a brand’s essence is the one constant across product categories and throughout the world. Some examples are “Nike: Authentic Athletic Performance,” “Hallmark: Caring Shared,” “Disney: Fun Family Entertainment or “Disneyworld, Magical Fun,” “Starbucks: Rewarding Everyday Moments,” “The Nature Conservancy: Saving Great Places.” (Typically, it is rare for an organization’s brand essence and slogan to be the same.  For instance, Nike’s essence – “authentic athletic performance” – was translated to the following two slogans: “Just do it!” and “I can.” But, “Saving Great Places” happens to be The Nature Conservancy’s brand essence and its slogan.)

Kevin Keller, brand expert and author of the popular brand book, Strategic Brand Management, coined the term “brand mantra,” which is very closely related to brand essence.  The “mantra” concept reinforces the role of brand essence in internal communication.  Kevin says, [brand mantra] should “define the category of business for the brand and set brand boundaries.  It should also clarify what is unique about the brand.  It should be memorable.  As a result it should be short, crisp and vivid in meaning.  Ideally, the brand mantra would also stake out ground that is personally meaningful and relevant to as many employees as possible.”

From www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/brand_essence/

  The survey revealed the top six types of mobile travel content that consumers want when on holiday.

• “things to do” (92%) as the most influential factor when choosing a destination
• followed by “price” (86%)
•user reviews on travel websites and travel guidebooks are equally important with 81% of consumers considering them very influential.
• Editorial content on travel websites came in a close second with 80%.
• 36% of respondents considering online social networks as influential, compared to 22% in 2010.   This indicates that using social media as a means of planning travel will be increasingly important to businesses.
• over half (51%) of all respondents indicated they are likely to post a hotel review online
• over one third of all respondents would post travel photos (38%) or share travel experiences on Facebook (33%).

The survey revealed that travellers are increasingly more reliant on digital content in all phases of the travel cycle, considering many types of information as influential to their decision making than in prior surveys. The most common time to look for destination information online continues to be before deciding where to go (93%), however, over 77% now look for destination information online when booking accommodation and flights, compared to less than 48% in 2010. There have also been significant rises in demand for destination content after booking but before leaving, while on holiday and after returning.

Despite this increased demand, consumers continue to encounter many negative experiences on travel websites. The most common problems are confusing websites, poor site navigation and insufficient destination information, with 58% each.

Download the complete report and access prior research at Frommers

(Hotel Marketing)
A new white paper from the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research presents an analysis of the changes in the current business environment that have resulted from people's desire for greater meaning and connection.

In the "new normal" environment, businesses must do more than merely offer a good product or service to create value. For hospitality businesses in particular, whether people are customers, sales partners, or employees, all are looking for relationships with organizations they can trust… organizations that care… organizations that align with their own values. Instead of viewing people as a means to profit, contemporary businesses must see their customers and clients as stakeholders in creating shared value.

This report presents the following three-point framework for this new business paradigm:

(1) Explore deep insights into human motivation and behavior;
(2) Recognize that one size doesn’t fit all—meaning is personal; and
(3) Genuinely see people as the center of strategy.

This approach requires a fresh perspective about business, about people, and about what really drives a mutually beneficial relationship. To unlock the massive untapped potential in every stakeholder, a business must be willing to shift its beliefs about how to engage those stakeholders. Business leaders must have an understanding of human biology and psychology, along with a willingness to create mutually beneficial propositions. Some firms already understand the need for this new framework for stakeholder engagement… a framework anchored in the latest research relative to human drives and behavior.

The goal of this framework is to create better business results that simultaneously enrich stakeholders in ways that are most meaningful to them. As examples of new approaches to customers, sales partners, and employees, this report cites the specific approaches taken by three firms: Maritz, Barry-Wehmiller Group, and Embassy Suites.

Download the full white paper at Cornell University

 
The capability to find, curate and display relevant social content will become a competitive advantage for brands, media and retailers who want to attract an audience. If you miss out, the alternative is that the masses will turn elsewhere to find relevant content.

There are three rising movements happening in the market that explains where things are headed:

1) The generation of social content far exceeds the market’s capacity to consume it effectively. In other words, the availability of useful user generated content exceeds its audience. Moreover, social content is becoming more ‘real-time’ through Tweets, status updates, checkins, photo uploads, etc. Movement: Crowdsourcing & Realtime Web

2) While the production of content is increasingly outpacing its readership, audiences value social content far more than other sources. Therefore, it’s not a matter of supply exceeding demand, but rather the matching of the right supply to the right demand, when and where it is useful. Movement: Curation

3) There is a proliferation of digital customer interactions and displays. Our “eyeball time” is fragmented across many screens (Smartphone, Tablet, Web, TV, LCD Display). Further, the customer journey to purchasing is no longer linear. There’s a need to reach customers at multiple contact points throughout the purchase journey. Movement: Transmedia, “The Web is Dead”

Taken from a great article you must read...  http://deckermarketing.com/2010/12/17/whats-coming-mass-relevance/

"Branding is more than making a new logo or company slogan. It is the silent message that the buying public receives and which motivates them to tell others about their purchase. Real branding increases the profitability and lowers the cost of getting new customers. " as per Sales Creators