Online marketing still based on building a brand
New technology and gadgets may be appealing for website development, but from the perspective of a supplier brand, branding remains the most crucial issue, according to Mark Wong, VP of Marketing and Development for Preferred Hotel Group. The role of hotel marketing has evolved since the introduction of the Internet, as Wong discussed with participants of the “Roadmap to Online Success’ panel at the Eye for Travel Sales & Marketing in Travel Asia Pacific Conference for 2008. It wasn’t too long ago that Web 1.0 was prevalent, and the job of a hotel marketer was to create visibility and manage perception, in order to improve revenue. However, the introduction of the interactive version of the Internet, Web 2.0, has developed this role. Marketing now requires the development of trust and influencing of opinions for the same result of improved revenue, as Wong disclosed. Trust is considered crucial in marketing, as the increased transparency that the internet has brought allows a multitude of opinions to surface. Resources for
