Online travel sites have discovered that where
they’re a brand, there’s traffic. Marketers can
take their brands farther by recognizing the
different reasons why users approach these sites.
Brand equity plays a vital role in driving traffic
to travel sites like Travelocity and Expedia, the
two most recognizable brands in the category, says
ACNielsen.
A new study, based on data by Nielsen//NetRatings,
shows a strong correlation between brand equity
(the effect that brand knowledge has on consumer
response to marketing activity) and the number of
unique visitors to a travel site. As difficult as
quantifying brand effectiveness is, ACNielsen has
managed to establish a way of measuring brand
equity with its proprietary Winning B(r)ands
model, which analyzes survey, retail, media and
other research data.
"Strong brand messages that resonate with
consumers are very important to the online travel
industry, and can make a big difference in the
success of a travel Web site," says Deepak Varma,
senior vice president at ACNielsen International
Research. "Online travel marketers need to better
understand their brand equity so that they can
either strengthen their already strong brand
positions, like Travelocity and Expedia, or take
actions to boost brand equity and drive more
traffic to their sites."
Source: ACNielsen International Research and
Nielsen//NetRatings (July 2002 - June 2003). (*)
Site traffic ranking are relative in that they
compare only the five sites studied for brand
equity, not all travel-related Internet sites
The study reviewed more than 80 travel sites that
ranged from agents like Orbitz.com to more
specialized sites like Hotels.com. Researchers
found that brand drivers in this industry depend
on the travel category—air, hotel, car rental,
vacation package or cruise—and the particular
needs of travelers who book online.
The reason why general sites like Travelocity and
Expedia are so popular may be because the air
travel category is so driven by consumer
awareness—thus, ad recall from continuous exposure
to these brands is high, and their names are the
first to emerge to people who seek airfare. Yet
beware specialist sites. Travelocity and Expedia
are one-stop solutions, but when it comes to hotel
and accommodation services, they scored lower than
lodging specialist Hotels.com in some areas, such
as range of hotels, accuracy of
confirmation/booking and reliability of site.
"Travelocity and Expedia have become household
names in online travel through very effective
advertising," Varma says. "However, when booking
air travel or making hotel reservations, consumers
have very specific needs and expectations, which
often differ from category to category. This is
where online travel category specialists such as
Hotels.com can compete effectively with the
generalist sites and build brand equity with
consumers."
Source: ACNielsen, Winning B(r)ands Brand Equity
Model, 2004.
Varma suggests
that online travel providers should develop
marketing strategies that are tailored to each
area in which they compete, as key drivers vary by
the users’ needs. For example, a cruise seeker
would weigh quality of customer communication more
heavily than someone who seeks air travel.
"The brand marketing strategy for each online
travel provider should be unique for each of the
categories in which it competes, and tailored to
the importance consumers place on differing brand
aspects," Varma says. "For instance, Southwest
Airlines' Web site provides the customer with
simplicity and ease of navigation, a unique point
of distinction from other airline travel sites and
one that resonates well with online air
travelers."
ACNielsen International Research will continue to
measure the brand equity of online travel sites
during 2004.
About the Author
Nancy Wong
Bryan is the Associate Editor at iMedia
Connection
www.imediaconnection.com
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