ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 1

SoCoMo Marketing for Travel and Tourism

Dimitrios Buhalis & Marie-Kristin Foerste

eTourism LabBournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 2

Agenda• Introduction

– Problem

– Previous research

• Method

• Evaluation Results– Conceptual Framework

– SoCoMo Marketing for Travel and Tourism

– Conclusion

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 3

Introduction- Problem-

Central Aim of Marketing

To provide customers with:

The Right Product At the Right Time To the Right Place

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 4

Introduction- Problem-

Mobile Social Media Marketing

Social media

•To address consumer needs and preferences •To react upon market trends •To develop deep personal relationships between customers and businesses (co-creation personalisation customer satisfaction)

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 5

Social Media + Mobile

•Growth of mobile adoption (driven by their ability to stay socially connected)•Mobile Social Activity: Customers share opinions and decisions in the moment of action•Mobile devices are used in situations where preferences tend to vary•+ location-based technologies: marketers can connect this information with their need for information from the immediate environment

Introduction- Problem-

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 6

Location-based social networks:

Introduction- Problem-

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 7

Location-based Services

•Identification of the location of the consumer •Creation of location-specific offers based on the preferences and behaviors that the consumer has revealed on social media ‘SoLoMo’ Powerful opportunity to serve the multi-channel and multi-experienced customer

Introduction- Problem-

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 8

Context:“Any information that can be used to characterise the

situation of an entity. An entity is a person, place, or object that is considered relevant to the interaction between a user and an application, including the user and applications

themselves” (Abowd and Dey 1999)

There is more than location!

Introduction- Problem-

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 9

Introduction- Problem-

Contextual Information

External Contextual Information

Internal Contextual Information

• Location• Season/Time• Humidity• Light • Weather• Social Environment

• Tasks (e.g. to look for a job)

• Emotional status (sad, happy, etc.)

• Goals• Personal events

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 10

• Mobile Devices are said to have the biggest potential for context-relevant information

• Latest generation devices are equipped with sensors - Optical sensors - Audio sensors - Motion sensors - Bio sensors

Introduction- Problem-

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 11

Sensors make mobile devices aware of the situation in which they are used and of the tasks that the user will perform in the near future,(Context-Awareness) Up to date, situation-specific information while customer is on the move creates additional meaning to the information

Introduction- Problem-

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 12

Related Studies•Tussyadiah (2012): Location-based social network (LBSNs) marketing Research Gaps•Limitations in the area of social media in combination with location-based marketing•Lack of studies concerning a broader concept of social media and context marketing combinations

Introduction- Previous Research-

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 13

Method

• Conceptual Study

1. Desk Research 2. Conceptual Framework

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 14

Evaluation Results-Conceptual Framework-

--Conceptual Framework

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 15

Consumer Supplier

• Personalized, situation-specific information (added value)

• More satisfaction

• Long-term loyalty• Increased Co-creation• Opportunity to

compete with larger businesses

Evaluation Results- Conceptual Framework-

Advantages of SoCoMo Marketing

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 16

Tourist Perspective:

•Effective response to the fundamental need of tourist: information during all stages of the travel experience•Acquisition of unforeseen information to cope with unexpected situations

Evaluation Results- SoCoMo Marketing for Travel and Tourism-

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 17

Marketing Perspective:

•Powerful communication•Higher degrees of personalisation •Supply with highly context-related information can lead to unplanned travel behavior•Creation of more convenient tourism experiences

Evaluation Results- SoCoMo Marketing for Travel and Tourism-

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 18

Evaluation Results- SoCoMo Marketing for Travel and Tourism-

Challenges:

•Privacy Concerns•Prices of mobile data in other countries•Technological limitations - GPS functions quickly drain the battery power - Graphical nature depends on screen sizes - Display of texts, fonts and graphics varies with different mobile devices

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 19

• Growing amount of devices that allow marketers to generate situation-aware information

• In tourism SoCoMo marketing can contribute to a more satisfying experience.

• In the near future: Context-aware services will be enhanced with more

information that is transmitted without the consumer’s consent Semantic web will bring about technologies that recognize and

understand the meaning of content and therefore maximize the potentials of SoCoMo marketing

Evaluation Results- Conclusion-

ENTER 2014 Research Track Slide Number 20