Intrigue and intent are creeping in, says Accord Marketing chief client officer Maria Payne.
Is it just us, or was that a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel? Yes, we saw it too.
During the rollercoaster that is 2020, November might just take the crown as having the most twists and turns. It was only a few weeks ago we were gearing up for a second instalment of stay inside, grudgingly dragging our heels back to square one. Fast forward to November 9 and we’ve got US election celebrations in the air and a vaccination breakthrough from the pharmaceutical dream team Pfizer and BioNTech. Fast-forward again, we have Moderna in the mix and Oxford University’s partnership with AstraZeneca changing the game. As November unfolds, it’s feeling like we might, just might, be approaching the end of the ride.
Naturally, we are keeping one eye on the light, but as the anticipation kicks in, it’s important we keep the other on where we are right now. Collectively, this year has involved constant adjustment, making any form of future planning frustrating and often redundant. While news of a vaccine is ground-breaking, we have to remember that people still have the uncertain weight of 2020 on their shoulders. It won’t just lift overnight. As marketers, it’s our job to manage what we can and cannot control. While we don’t know when a vaccine will come into play, who will get it first, or how it will be distributed, we do know how to monitor audience and industry reactions when they are at the receiving end of such information.
So, what are we seeing so far?
Well, in the short space of time since Boris’ announcement, we are seeing promising news. Share prices are going up and up and travel is finally making some positive headlines, with brands like Skyscanner, TravelSupermarket and Club Med all reporting impressive week-on-week uplifts in searches and bookings. Ideally, as we head towards 2021, travel will continue to gain this sort of positive exposure, reinforcing trust in people’s minds, and allowing confidence to finally be restored.
So key players are getting us excited, but if we cast our eyes wider, we’re not seeing major industry-wide repercussions (not yet, anyway). Looking at data from SimilarWeb, traffic to all travel websites increased by 12% week-on-week after the vaccine announcement (week 46). For benchmarking purposes, the travel industry actually saw a stronger week-on-week uplift back in mid-October, rising by 13% in week 43 (see figure 1 below).
Looking at search data, Google Trends is telling a similar story; a spike in searches for the vaccine on the 9th did not correlate with an increase in searches for holidays (see figure 2).
So yes, intent and intrigue are creeping in, but not everywhere for everyone. Interestingly though, if we split travel by category, we can be more granular with where people are directing their attention. Surprisingly so (given its status earlier in the year), cruise is seeing some real positive interest with traffic to cruise line sites growing by 31% week-on-week after the announcement. It follows that P&O Cruise’s president, Paul Ludlow, reported a “truly remarkable first week on sale of our 2022 cruises” on November 16.
Industry data is one thing, but to get a clearer picture of people in society and how to communicate with them we need to understand how people are actually feeling. What has news of a vaccine done for people’s outlook? A service like YouGov can help us as, throughout Covid-19, it has been measuring the mood of the UK on a weekly basis. On November 12, following the vaccine announcement, the amount of people feeling ‘happy’ increased from 36% to 40% week-on-week. Optimism levels increased from 18% to 22%, but feelings of loneliness remained constant, at 19%. It’s encouraging that people’s happiness levels are lifting, but some things cannot change right away. The fact of the matter is we are still in a tiered system of lockdown, still fretting about safety and some of us are still on our own. If brands are choosing to speak now, they must communicate with these factors in mind.
We can also analyse consumer sentiment with desire to travel. Our friends over at the market research powerhouse, Mintel, have been reporting how people are feeling against the uncertain backdrop across a number of industries. According to its travel trends report from August, when asked, “when is the earliest you would consider holidaying to Europe?”, 41% answered, “when a vaccine becomes widely available” and 38% gave the same answer when asked, “when is the earliest you would travel by plane to a destination?”
So, as we enter this new period of the race to end Covid-19, it is clear a vaccine is essential if the travel industry is to survive and ultimately thrive. Now is the time for brands to be engaged and aware of those willing to travel once a vaccine is available, getting ready to react when things start moving.
These are early days, and sensitive times but, without a doubt, news of a potential vaccine is a considerable step in the right direction for people and industries everywhere. Through research tools, trackers, questionnaires and a bit of human intuition, we can monitor how and when consumers are channelling their new-found hope into new-found behaviours.
As we monitor, we can guide, helping brands to communicate their new-found messages at the right times, in the right places.
We might still be in the tunnel, but we’re keeping an eye on the light.