Invite colleagues
When I look back at 2010, there will be a number of events that I think will make a difference for both SinoTech Group and/or our clients. The signing of a 2 year strategic partnership with PATA is just one such event. The basic undertaking is to provide social media analytics data into a PATA data portal called, TIGA.
On the surface, nothing more than SinoTech doing a data partnership deal but what I am excited about is the recognition from one of the largest travel and tourism bodies on the impact of social media within their sector.
Many outside the tourism sector may not know PATA. Here is a short introduction:
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a membership association acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry. In partnership with PATA’s private and public sector members, we enhance the sustainable growth, value and quality of travel and tourism to, from and within the region.
PATA has hundreds of members and can boast having most Airlines, Hotels, Government Tourism bodies, media organizations and tour operators.
When I started to speak with PATA about social media and the impact social media was having in all parts of their industry, I was pleasently surprised to find that they were already acutely aware of the social media dynamic changing their sector. What made our partnership obvious was showing them the new innovations in social media analytics and how technologies no longer just 'listened' and 'monitored' but with new AI could predict, forcast and bench mark many factors influencing purchase intent, consumer behaviour and gain insights to travelers percentions.
As an example to make this clear. Imagine today, many of the NGO's are getting significant marketing money from Government's to build their location as a destination for travelers. It is very hard to gain cost effective ways to understand if this marketing money is having much impact. (Cost effective being the key point) and also many Governments are having to wait for inbound travel numbers to know if $X made X difference.. and how do I know what timeframe etc etc... social media is a great proxy in gaining quick undertanding of reach, perceptions and understandings. Much more on this but going into it may risk loosing the point.
Also, would it not be interesting for a hotel or airline to quickly understand their ranking based on brand sentiment or perception (in near real-time) all the time... or a gain undertanding about the numbers/types of people wanting to travel to a particular location... truely interesting stuff if you are in travel (I think).
Anyway, my big thanks to Kate, Alex, John and Greg at PATA for having the forsight to work with a social media analytics provider. A great bunch of folks to work with.
Written on Wednesday, 17 November 2010 07:52 by Matt McDougall
