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The Travel Marketing Podcast
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The Travel Marketing Podcast

Author: Propellic, Brennen Bliss

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Description

You’re a marketer in one of the most competitive industries.

You may be tired of trying, over and over, to use the same marketing strategies that you read about online or learned about in school - but is that really going to move the needle?

We all know the big brands - Booking.com, American Airlines, The Points Guy, Royal Caribbean, Marriott, VRBO, and Hertz... but what about the emerging brands that have found their path to scale?

The Travel Marketing Podcast is about sitting down with successful marketing professionals in the travel, transportation, and tourism industry to learn what has worked for them, what they’ve learned along the way, and what new trends they’re noticing.

We are Propellic, and we’re on a mission to create more diversity in thought for the planet. We’re doing that by helping brands - specifically travel, transportation, and tourism brands - increase their reach through intelligent marketing that travels further.
19 Episodes
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Discover the magic behind the "Inspired by Iceland" campaign! Led by Sveinn Birkir Björnsson, Director of Marketing Communications at Business Iceland, this initiative showcases Iceland's unique beauty and culture to the world. Learn how innovative marketing strategies and captivating content have propelled Iceland's tourism industry to new heights, garnering global attention and acclaim. Dive into Björnsson's vision for sustainable development and how the campaign aligns with Iceland's tourism goals for 2030. Tune in to explore how this initiative is not only boosting tourism but also strengthening Iceland's competitive edge on the global stage. Don't miss out on this fascinating discussion about Iceland's journey to becoming a premier destination! 
In this episode of the Travel Marketing Compass Podcast, Brennen interviews Ushma Shah, founder of Action Tour Guide, a tour company revolutionizing exploration with audio-guided tours through a user-friendly app. They discuss the company's innovative approach, leveraging technology to enhance traditional tours, their distribution strategy, marketing tactics including SEO, social media, and paid media, as well as their focus on customer reviews and loyalty. Ushma shares insights on customer behavior, the importance of catering to informed travelers, and the balancing act of maintaining tour quality while expanding their portfolio. The conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities in the tourism industry and underscores the significance of providing valuable, immersive experiences for travelers.
The podcast "Transforming Travel Experience With AI" features John Lyotier, founder and CEO of Travel AI, discussing the integration of AI in the travel industry. Lyotier shares insights on leveraging data and AI to personalize travel experiences, optimize marketing strategies, and rapidly launch new travel brands. He highlights the significance of understanding unit economics in marketing, the growth of Travel AI, and the potential of AI to revolutionize the travel market by enhancing customer targeting and experience.
The Best of 2023

The Best of 2023

2023-12-2010:19

We've crafted the ultimate podcast episode, showcasing the best insights from 2023's most influential travel marketing voices. Dive into the wisdom of TicketingHub, The Travel Coach Network, Intrepid Travel, CELITECH, Zoftify, WeSki, Belvera Partners, Clio Muse Tours, and DuVine Cycling. Learn about innovative technology, emotional storytelling, diversity in marketing, and groundbreaking trends reshaping the travel industry. Don't miss out on this journey through expert perspectives!
Mia Liefeld, the Director of Marketing Communications & Content of DuVine Adventure Co. shares her expert insights on travel marketing in this episode. With over seven years at DuVine, she discusses the intricacies of crafting a unique brand identity, effective content strategies, and the challenges of marketing in the luxury travel sector. Mia also delves into the evolving landscape of digital marketing and the lessons learned from both successes and setbacks. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes of marketing a world-class travel experience.
Dive into the captivating world of travel marketing with Brennen Bliss and Daphne Tsevreni in this must-listen episode of the Travel Marketing Podcast. Discover how Clio Muse Tours, co-founded by Daphne, revolutionizes the travel experience by blending technology, culture, and storytelling into immersive tours. Learn about their journey from a university hackathon to a thriving business operating more than 500 tours. Uncover the secrets of their marketing strategies, customer engagement techniques, and the innovative use of technology in enhancing travel experiences. Whether you're a marketing professional, travel enthusiast, or just curious about the intersection of culture and technology, this episode offers valuable insights and inspiring stories. Tune in to hear how Clio Muse Tours is reshaping the tourism landscape!
In this insightful podcast episode, we engage with Roman Townsend, the strategic mastermind at Belvera Partners PR, where cutting-edge B2B marketing in the travel and tourism industry comes to life. Dive into a discussion filled with rich marketing strategies, emergent B2B communication trends, and a behind-the-scenes look at how Belvera Partners PR engineers impactful campaigns that resonate with the business-centric facets of travel. For brand amplification insights or a fresh take on marketing intelligence.Whether you're looking to amplify your brand or seeking fresh marketing insights, this conversation with Roman is your compass to navigating the evolving terrain of travel and tourism marketing.
In this episode of Propellic's podcast, Brennen Bliss sits down with Yotam Idan, the visionary behind WeSki, a game-changing platform in the world of skiing and outdoor adventures. Dive deep into the world of WeSki, a recent winner of the Phocuswright award for innovation, and discover how they're revolutionizing the ski booking process. From seasoned skiers to beginners, WeSki offers a seamless experience, combining everything from insurance to lift tickets into one comprehensive platform. Stay tuned to learn more about Yotam's journey, the innovative approach of WeSki, and their commitment to customer trust through the "WeSki Promise". This episode promises a wealth of travel marketing insights.
Alexander Ragin, the innovative founder of Zoftify, a digital product agency that has carved a niche in transforming travel companies with bespoke digital solutions. Alexander, with his rich background in technical design and enterprise project management, brings to the table a wealth of knowledge in developing cutting-edge solutions. Zoftify, under his leadership, has been instrumental in empowering travel agencies, TMS, and travel technology businesses by addressing their unique challenges with innovative solutions such as intuitive mobile applications, optimized booking platforms, and generative AI. We delve into an insightful conversation about the intersection of travel, technology, and marketing, exploring Zoftify’s journey in addressing the pain points of the travel industry, and discussing the future of digital marketing in the travel tech space.
In the upcoming episode of "The Future of Connectivity," listeners are in for a treat as host Brennen Bliss sits down with Lauren A. Koenig, a prominent figure in the eSIM technology world. Lauren is the CMO and Co-founder at CELITECH, a pioneering force in the realm of global connectivity. With partnerships that include industry giants like Kayak, Lauren's insights are eagerly anticipated by marketers and tech enthusiasts alike.Throughout the episode, Lauren delves deep into the innovative marketing strategies that are currently shaping the future of global connectivity. Her expertise promises to offer a treasure trove of knowledge for those keen on staying ahead in the rapidly evolving world of eSIM technology.The blend of tech, marketing insights, and light-hearted moments ensures an engaging and memorable experience for all listeners.
In this episode, Brennen has an enlightening conversation with Mikey Sadowski, the VP of Global Communications from Intrepid Travel which isn't just any travel company. They've been at the forefront of responsible tourism, setting a benchmark by becoming the first adventure travel company to attain carbon neutrality back in 2010. But they're not stopping there.Recently, Intrepid has magnified its focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), making strategic investments that echo its commitment to a more inclusive and diverse travel world.
Welcome to a new episode of the Travel Marketing Compass Podcast by Propellic, your go-to platform for cutting-edge insights in the ever-evolving world of transportation and tourism marketing.Episode Overview:Brennen Bliss, the dynamic founder and principal of Propellic, a leading travel and tourism SEO agency, invites Sahara Rose DeVore, a trailblazer in the realm of wellness travel. Sahara's profound journey from stepping foot in 84 distinct countries to inspiring companies to blend travel and wellness is nothing short of captivating.In this episode:The Emotional Resonance of Travel: Sahara emphasizes the potent emotional aspects of travel. From the personal quests of self-discovery to fostering deep connections, she explores the myriad reasons that ignite the travel bug in us.Wellness in the Heart of Tourism: Sahara champions an integrative approach to travel, promoting a balanced confluence of personal wellness and global exploration. How can businesses tap into this rising trend?Diversity in Thought and Action: Aligned with Propellic's ethos of fostering diversity, Sahara's revolutionary take on tourism marketing stands as a testament to innovation and diversity of thought in the industry.Join Brennen and Sahara as they traverse through the intricate corridors of wellness tourism, unearthing golden nuggets of intelligent marketing that promises to elevate your marketing strategies to soaring heights.Dive deep into the essence of travel, understand its emotional core, and discover the transformative power of journeys designed for personal well-being.
In this engaging podcast episode, Brennen Bliss and Carl Pihl delve into the intricacies of user experience, marketing strategies, and the future of digital platforms. They discuss the importance of data-driven decisions, the challenges and successes of various marketing campaigns, and the evolution of user interfaces. Carl shares insights from his journey in the industry, highlighting the significance of continuous innovation and the balance of human touch in an increasingly automated world. Tune in to get a comprehensive understanding of the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Description: Welcome to another episode of The Travel Marketing Podcast brought to you by Propellic. I am Brennen Bliss, your host, and today, I am joined by Mitch Bach, who has been in the tourism industry for over 20 years. As a previous tour operator, Mitch has built two organizations: Campfire and TripSchool, two of the most significant resources for tour operators worldwide. In today’s episode, Mich shares his vast knowledge in the travel arena while giving great advice to tour operators to increase their growth and profitability in a balanced manner, keeping in mind that their primary mission is to become even better experience creators.Key Takeaways:[1:08] What is Mitch’s most memorable travel experience?[3:22] How to decide which tours you want to take on your next trip.[4:06] A tour operator is an experience creator.[6:01] Tour operators give better service when they have a background of experiences that can apply to enrich the customer’s experience.[8:20] Brennen and Mitch talk about the real mission of a tour operator.[8:43] Mitch talks about his companies: Campfire and TripSchool.[10:15] It is important to maintain yourself inspired from the outside.[11:01] The inside community of tour operators is unique.[11:55] What makes tour operators different from the rest of the people involved in the travel industry?[15:11] Mitch talks about the impact of globalization on the travel industry.[16:33] Mitch speaks of the evolution of marketing for touristic activities in the last couple of years.[18:46] We have seen a lot of independent operators pulling away from distribution sites and travel agencies, where are they now?[20:25] Mitch shares the most effective and often underused marketing strategy.[21:18] Having a diversified channel is always helpful.[21:00] Mitch exemplifies a direct sales strategy.[25:01] Mitch gives a great example of an OTA.[28:24] Profitability and growth must advance together.[29:09] What is more satisfactory for a passion-driven entrepreneur?[29:50] What is working today for tour operators?[35:07] What could be an email topic?[36:43] Has Mitch noticed any trends in the travel field currently? [41:45] Visit Tourpreneur.[43:26] Where is Mitch going on his next trip? Mentioned in this episode: The Travel Marketing Podcast is brought to you by PropellicLearn more about  Mitch BachTourpreneurTweetables and Quotes:“As an operator, you have to remember, it is not just the commodity, just this entity that you're selling, but you're selling emotion, surprise, and discovery. The more you can bake that into everything, from your email communication to your website to the experience itself, the better you're going to be as an experience creator.”“Responsible business ownership is about thinking in what's going on in the market today in the startup world, nobody's solely focused on growth anymore, they're focused on their magic 40, they intend to  hit a percent of profitability and growth that equals a certain number, not just  growth at all costs, which is, in a lot of cases, very painful and very damaging to an organization.”“Emails are easy because there's a huge number of ways out there for you to capture an email address immediately, and once you have it, you own it.”
Description: Welcome to another episode of The Travel Marketing Podcast brought to you by Propellic. I am Brennen Bliss, your host, and today I am joined by Joe Martin. Joe has been helping tourism break free from its dependence on online travel agencies. Joe has just been featured on TEDx and Fox News, as well as several other Publications. Today we talk about companies shifting their budget from office to experience, the financial incentive to work with corporate versus independent Travelers, and some ways to get started.Key Takeaways:[1:46] Joe talks about UpLevel Tourism and why they dedicate their service mainly to corporate groups.[3:45] Websites have changed into digital salespeople.[4:35] What is different on the operational side for corporate groups?[5:11] Joe explains why the tour operator is an experience coordinator.[6:04] What is the financial incentive to a tour operator with a company versus an individual?[8:30] How can you start to get corporate Travelers or Bookers looking at your site? [10:51] Brennen talks about a fantastic place to locate a messaging ad.[13:05] Does Joe think that by starting down the business route by the corporate tours route, companies and operators that follow this process might actually change to fully corporate?[15:00] What's the title of the person on the customer side who typically deals with people who are seeking out tour packages or corporate tours?[16:49] How does trouble behavior look like in the first months of 2023?[17:10] Joe is finding new opportunities in networking groups.[17:51] The one thing everybody needs to know is: The Future is made of experiences.[19:04] Joe talks about his next travel plans.Mentioned in this episode: The Travel Marketing Podcast is brought to you by PropellicLearn more about UpLevel Tourism.Tweetables and Quotes:“Business are shifting their budgets away from rents and into culture.”“The best-performing websites are more like a digital salesperson.”“The tour operator is an experience coordinator.”
Description: Welcome to another episode of The Travel Marketing Podcast brought to you by Propellic. I am Brennen Bliss, your host, and today, I am joined by Ryan O Grady, president of Fotaflo. Fotaflo is a photo and video marketing solution that simplifies and automates how tour, activity, and attraction businesses capture and distribute photo memories to their customers.  Ryan is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Travel Marketing Today, Ryan and I talk about photo marketing, especially about Fotaflo, how it came to life, its mission, and the benefits it provides to touristic businesses and their clients.  Ryan explains the advantages of using earned media and shares his passion for marketing. Key Takeaways:[1:21] Ryan shares the story of how he met Brennen.[2:18] Ryan talks about his vision for Fotaflo.[4:19] What is the problem Fotaflo is fixing?[6:07] What does the marketing need?[8:06] Which role played experiential photos from a social standpoint in marketing for tourism activity during the pandemic?[11:38] Ryan explains why  Earned media is effective.[15:01] Ryan shares the original idea for Fotaflo.[17:28] How does  Ryan decide what he will publish on his side?[20:22] What does Ryan see in travel behavior?[24:15] Ryan talks about the many ways to personalize the approach used to deal with customers.[27:18] Ryan shares the most important aspect of Fotaflo.[29:28] Where is Ryan traveling next? Mentioned in this episode: The Travel Marketing Podcast is brought to you by PropellicLearn more about Ryan O GradyVisit FotafloEmail Ryan at ryan@fotaflo.com Tweetables and Quotes:“Overtime people continue to share memories from the past, and this way keep reaching new live audiences, which results in referrals to the business involved.“— Ryan O’Grady “We are sharing memories to get qualified leads.”— Ryan O’Grady “We want you to remember your experiences, and that is for free.” — Ryan O’Grady 
Description: Welcome to another episode of The Travel Marketing Podcast brought to you by Propellic. I am Brennen Bliss, your host, and today, I am joined by Jeff Woelker, founder of The Underground Donut Tour - an ingenious tour concept with 13 locations across the US. He's also the CEO of Ixperimint.In today's episode, Jeff and I discuss topics such as what to do with unbooked tour times, the mindset around paid versus organic traffic, and when you should give up on an underperforming channel. Jeff also shares his extensive knowledge and experience in marketing applied to tourism, he gives great advice about what to do and what to avoid when promoting your business online.Key Takeaways:[1:21] What has been the most memorable travel experience for Jeff? [2:08] Jeff talks about The Underground Donut Tour’s international locations.[2:33] What is The Underground Donut Tour and what makes it unique?[4:55] Jeff is also the Founder and CEO of Ixperimint.[6:54] What was the pandemic like for the Underground Donut Tour?[8:34] The three competencies: GWC: Get it, Want it, and the Capacity to do it.[9:51] In regard to marketing, Jeff talks about what can be done that is paid versus what is not paid.[13:45] Jeff talks about his philosophy of paid.[16:03] What channels are working well for Jeff right now and which aren’t?[18:15] Jeff talks about the partnership with Airbnb.[19:27] Jeff and Brennen talk about booking tours on Expedia[20:40] Jeff talks about a complete marketing failure he had launched.[22:26] When did Jeff realize Facebook was not working for his company and decide to cut it off?[24:20] What is Jeff noticing currently in travel behavior?[29:27] What is going to be Jeff’s next trip? Mentioned in this episode: The Travel Marketing Podcast is brought to you by PropellicLearn more about Jeff WoelkerUnderground Donut TourIxperimint.Tweetables and Quotes:“If you are not paying commissions for the bookings then you have to take your business  elsewhere.”— Brennen Bliss“You have to figure out where you can win consistently.” — Jeff Woelker“What is a “truly organic” sale today?” — Jeff Woelker“A brilliant optimization strategy is that regardless of what channels it falls under when you have a gap in time you fill it with something that is going to generate PR for the company.” — Brennen Blis“People are more cautious now than they were pre-COVID” — Jeff Woelker
Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Travel Marketing Podcast brought to you by Propellic. I am, Brennen Bliss, your host, and in each episode I will share the news and insights on what is and what isn’t working in today’s competitive travel and tourism marketing landscape, from emerging brands to the most established professionals, to make your marketing plan travel further. Today, I am joined by Jared Kamrowski, founder and CEO of Thrifty Traveler. Jared comes from a background of working in banking and had to travel over 100 days per year. In 2017 he left his corporate job and now has a team of ten people who write content about how to travel in a cheap and effective manner. Key Takeaways:[2:02] Jared shares his most memorable travel experience.[3:32] Jared talks about the origins of his company: Thrifty Traveler.[4:23] Jared’s background in banking was a very enriching experience on many levels.[5:28] Jared shares how they approached traveling in the early stages of the pandemic. [7:06] Did things turn out better or worse than Jared thought they would be during the pandemic?[8:15] What did Jared learn from making difficult decisions during the pandemic?[9:50] Jared started to suggest to the public where could they travel during the pandemic, a time when nobody was really traveling.[11:37] Jared talks about the Delta variant, the new wave of the pandemic, and how it affected travelers.[14:27] Jared shares about the strategy they implemented in the new phase that began in May 2022 when the concern about traveling decreased significantly.[16:41] What did Jared learn about diversification?[17:30] What channel doesn’t work for Thrifty Traveler?[18:32] Jared talks about his content team and how he decides what to publish.[19:38] Brennen explains how content grouping works.[20:11] What are the types of KPIs and performance metrics to follow with respect to content? [21:55] Jared shares about the times he launched campaigns that were ex[pected to work very well but failed.[26:57] Jared speaks of what is happening to travel now as a result of the current economic situation. [28:32] Are there any specific trends across traveling tourism that Jared has been noticing lately?[31:24] Jared talks about Thrifty Traveler Premium and how it helps people travel more easily.[33:38] Where is Jared going next?Mentioned in this episode: The Travel Marketing Podcast is brought to you by PropellicLearn more about Thrifty TravelerTweetables and Quotes:“When there are many things that are out of your control, you have to lean into what works.”— Jared Kamrowski“Providing value for customers simply works” — Jared Kamrowski“Persistence should be a key component of your strategy.” — Jared Kamrowski“It is a big mistake to launch a product without testing it, if you think you know what your customers want without testing, you are a fool.” — Jared Kamrowski
The Travel Marketing Podcast is about sitting down with successful marketing professionals in the travel, transportation, and tourism industry to learn what has worked for them, what they’ve learned along the way, and what new trends they’re noticing.
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