Comment: Travel needs more activism, not less

I agree with my old boss Steve Dunne in his latest column, that being derogatory about consumers, customers and clients is probably not the smartest thing to do.

But while I have a lot of time and respect for Steve, I really disagree with the thrust of the rest of the column, in which he condemns brands for straying out of their lane and taking leadership positions on societal topics.

My view: too many travel/tourism brands are locked in a cycle of discounting and deals as their primary marketing ‘strategy’ and a bit more activism could work wonders for those willing to dare.

To suggest that activism is definitively beyond the marketing brief is a somewhat misguided (old-school?) point of view that ignores both history, a swathe of successful contemporary marketing and the clearly expressed views of many. And the idea that some brands’ poor execution condemns activism as a strategy is, at best, misguided.

If Steve were to remember his PR history, he’d know that one of the earliest acknowledged PR campaigns, the infamous ‘torches of freedom’ by Edward Bernays in New York was… an activist campaign.

And while both Bud Light and Pepsi have gone wrong in recent times, there are a host of brands who have been enormously successful BECAUSE they’ve taken a stand… Nike, Dove, Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia, Bodyform and Boots to name a few.

That there aren’t more in the travel sector probably isn’t a great reflection on the industry as a whole and, more importantly, means the opportunity exists very clearly for strong brands to find their purpose, make an impact and stand for something meaningful, because it’s the right thing to do and/or in order to sell more seats and fill more rooms.

Even when activist campaigns attract both negative and positive headlines, which is often kind of the point, the end result is that progressiveness wins when they are done right… as one summary of the Nike campaign says: It won them a lot more that it cost them.

The same sentiment could probably be said of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, Patagonia’s environmental stance and the way BodyForm champions the normalisation of periods.

According to a Kantar study, 68% of US consumers expect brands to be clear about their values, while millennials and Generation Z have the highest expectations of all age groups… as these generations age, these opinions become more and more important.

And as for them negatively impacting reputation, well yes, when done badly. But when done well, reputation is enormously enhanced.

My advice to travel brands wanting to be relevant today is not to rush maniacally towards activism, but nor is it to narrowly think ‘activism bad’.

Instead, good marketers will read the historical performance data, then listen to their consumers’ views and opinions, do proper segmentation, targeting and positioning work, define a strategy which works and execute creatively.  Maybe loudly, proudly standing for something will turn out to be EXACTLY what your brand needs!