Great use of Flash!

January 29, 2007

Just a stunning use of Flash! http://roxik.com/pictaps/

You’re able to paint your own character and then immediate watch it be drawn in a 3d setting and have it dance for you! Also, since it pulls it’s data from an XML doc (so it seems) all of the characters made from all over the world are pooled together to create an emporium of dance!

Here is Franz, who I created:

Popularity: 6% [?]

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Global Warming - it effects all of us!

January 28, 2007

This may not be totally relevant to the topic of my blog, but I thought I post it anyhow. This weekend I watched this documentary by Al Gore for the second time. If you see only one movie this year, make it An Inconvenient Truth. The film clearly and effectively explains the cause and horrifying effects of global warming, and even takes time out to refute the right wing naysayers, challenging and debunking their best “arguments” against global warming. It may not be the year’s best movie, or its most entertaining, but it’s certainly the most terrifyingly crucial. According to this film, we have ten years in which to turn around the inevitable, and viewers moved to action can start by logging onto http://www.climatecrisis.net/. It also includes a blog that is very well done.

I thought to be topical, I would introduce a couple Eco Travel sites. Conscious consumers are about to start asking some awkward questions. I’m sure travel brands will be increasingly affected by consumers’ increasing awareness. Humans won’t want to stop travelling unless they have to, but they will want to travel knowing they are making a light footprint on our fragile world. I applaud Jean-Claude Baumgarten and the World Travel and Tourism Council for taking the initiative in creating awareness with their Tourism for Tomorrow Award. My former employer Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, a 2006 winner of the WTTC Award, has always been proactiv when in 1990, under leadership of VP of Marketing Brian Richardson, Fairmont’s Canadian hotels pioneered The Fairmont Green Partnership, literally writing the book on sustainable best practices in the lodging industry, while developing a comprehensive commitment to minimizing their hotels’ impact on the planet. Also, have a look at the global benchmark and certification initiavite Green Globe. Below are some Eco Travel websites worth taking a look at.

Popularity: 40% [?]

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Google Trends - A reliable “Crystal Ball”?

January 19, 2007

I’ve made some requests on Google Trends and here is what I got for “Canada Tourism“. You can also compare different search terms, say “Fairmont Hotels”, “Four Seasons Hotels”, and Ritz Carlton Hotels”, and see how the future may look like…

Well, we do not have enough data to be sure of anything… but that’s a good indicator of the relation between Internet traffic and tourism industry real data.

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About Google Trends
With Google Trends, you can compare the world’s interest in your favorite topics. Enter up to five topics and see how often they’ve been searched for on Google over time. Google Trends also displays how frequently your topics have appeared in Google News stories, and which geographic regions have searched for them most often.

Popularity: 22% [?]

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Canada launches new Visual Identity of Tourism Brand

January 17, 2007

This week, the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) launched the new visual identity, both offline and online at www.canada.travel, of its new Brand, Canada-Keep Exploring. Canada has been globally leading the .travel initiative, which is strategically aligned with the new brand articulation. What has been a very exciting development over the past two years, will be a new way how this great destination will be communicated. Canada. Keep Exploring recognizes an undeniable truth about people: they are all explorers. The brand promotes and celbrates the explorer in each person.

According to the United Nations, Canada is the #2 place to live in the world, and three Canadian cities are on the top ten list, but

Canada

as a travel destination ranked a disappointing 12^th in the most recent report by the World Tourism Organization. It was apparent that

Canada, a great place to live, was not resonating with consumers as an exciting and compelling travel destination. Research has shown that while

Canada is viewed in very positive terms by the travelling public, it is not “top of mind” as a travel destination. In addition,

Canada continues to face increasingly competitive pressures in the tourism market, and is being far outspent by competing destinations.

Brand Canada is designed to bridge the gap between consumers’ historical perceptions of

Canada as simply a place of beautiful geography and our emerging international reputation as a progressive welcoming society.

Canada

. Keep Exploring, provides a new frame of reference, to take everything that is good and true about

Canada and make it more relevant and personal.

The new brand reflects an inherent impulse to explore, and reflects

Canada as a place worth exploring. It reintroduces the excitement of discovery, and encourages the consumers to connect with that child-like wonder within all of us. >>>

Popularity: 7% [?]

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CRM: Top 10 Success Factors

January 11, 2007

According to Madigan Pratt & Associates, Customer relationship management (CRM) is a relatively simple concept designed to acquire, grow and retain profitable customers better and faster than competition. Implemented properly CRM will create more loyal customers, more repeat business, more referrals through positive word-of-mouth and have a dramatic impact on your hotel’s bottom line. Consider this – companies with the strongest customer relationships – possess the most loyal guests - grow at twice the industry average and are significantly more profitable. It’s a fact. Below are the Top 10 factors to make CRM successful in your organization.

1.Completely embrace the customers

2.Conduct a CRM Audit

3.Capture and protect relevant customer data

4.Consider the benefits of CRM, not just the out-of-pocket costs, when budgeting programs

5.Deliver relevant content to customers and prospects

6.Banish “Email Blast” from my Lexicon

7.Measure effectiveness and allocate resources according to ROI

8.Treat marketing more as a science than an art

9.Keep Top Management Intimately Involved

10. CRM is a “Culture” not a “Technology”

One final thought – research from the prestigious consulting firm of Bain & Company shows that depending on the industry, when firms retain just 5% more of their best customers, corporate profits can be boosted 25 to 85%.

The best way to increase retention is to increase loyalty. And today the best way to do that is to implement an effective CRM program.

Click here to read Madigan Pratt & Associates‘ Luxury Hoteliers 2006 Top Ten CRM Resolutions (PDF).

Popularity: 3% [?]

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Top 3 Hotel Website Designs of 2006

January 5, 2007

Here are the Top 3 Hotel Website Designs of 2006. This my own personal opinion - so no voting, or judging panel that is respnsible for this Top 3 Hotel Website Desgin List of 2006.

My three winners have all something very unique about their design that I believe stands out from all the other hotel websites that I have come across in 2006. I focused my results on the level of high impact or value the initial homepage experience was able to create. I believe in the power of first impressions, and if users are not wowed right from the start, many times they are not compelled to explore the site any deeper. If you think of other outstanding sites that should have been included, and are potential worthy “Top 3 Hotel Website Designs”, please add them below.

Number 1: Best use of “User-Generated Content Design Integration”: Sheraton.com

Even if I think that some parts of the strategy should be modified and that there are some usability issues to fix, Sheraton, with its all new Web approach (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/index.html) giving a place to customers to describe their experiences in the Sheraton hotels, understood that the Web is now ready to let visitors create and publish contents. Sheraton decided to give a big place to their customers in their new Web strategy. I applaud this bold iniative.

Number 2: Best use of “Multi-Media Experience Creation”: MGMGrand.com

MGM Grand, Las Vegas, launched their new website (http://www.mgmgrand.com) in 2006. In terms of Search Engine Optimization and usability, it is not perfect… but WOW what a nice intro video! Take a look a this nice job done by some creative guys from Montreal. Also, MGM Grand (the hotel company) is one of the first that has made RSS feeds available for all their properties.

Number 3: Best use of “Navigation Design”: OneAndOnlyResorts.com

One & Only Resorts (http://www.oneandonlyresorts.com) has come up with an innovative approach to navigating the site by using navigation clouds that are generated customized for each individual property. One&Only has also understood that users don’t read on the web, but get inspired by high impact imagery and multi-media - while staying consistent with the brand. Granted, usability is not perfect, and there are some search engine optimization issues, however I appreciate the refreshing approach to navigating the site and getting inspired.

Popularity: 5% [?]

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Adobe Engagement Platform

January 1, 2007

Adobe

The Adobe Engagement Platform, built around Adobe PDF and Flash technology as well as HTML, enables individuals and companies to create and deploy engaging and consistent experiences across platforms, devices, and environments.
Read more

Popularity: 10% [?]

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