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Travel marketers would be smart to focus on an ever-growing travel trend: short weekend trips. These getaways are increasingly appealing to Americans, with 225 million such trips taken last year — an increase of more than 10 percent in just five years, according to the Travel Industry Association's (TIA) U.S. Domestic Leisure Travel Report. The shoulder seasons of April-May and September-October have become prime weekend getaway times (32%), about equal to the summer months (31%). According to the study, weekend travelers are much more likely than the typical leisure traveler to stay in a hotel or bed & breakfast. And because they stay just 2.2 nights on average, they don't waste any time — managing to include more activities on their trips than leisure travelers overall (the most popular activities during weekend trips: dining, entertainment, shopping and sightseeing).As expected, a large share (43%) of weekend trips are taken by male-female couples; however, 28% of these trips are also taken by families with children. In addition, weekend getaways are more likely than other leisure trips to be taken by upper-income households (42% by households with incomes over $75,000). Weekend travelers spend an average of $416 on their getaways, excluding the cost of transportation to their destination, compared to $360 for overall trips. Our advice? Map a market within three to four hours drive. Package a package of relaxation, dining and entertainment for couples and families. Then price it correctly, promote it properly and profit handsomely.SOURCE: TravelMole, NOISE
A new Yankelovich Preventative Healthcare Study of 6,000 consumers finds that only 30% of us are legitimate when it comes to actively, positively taking care of our health — leaving a lot of room for improvement, and a lot of opportunities for health care marketers.The study divides Americans into 25 profiles which are then converted to four general health categories. Here are the findings:• "Take Charge." This group, comprising 30% of us, makes health and wellness a priority in their lives and regularly engage in behaviors that promote overall well-being. They're active consumers of health care information.• "Best of Intentions." This group represents 9% of the population and are more advanced in health care attitude than behavior, knowing what they should do about health and wellness but failing to consistently act on their knowledge. • "Middle of the Road." According to Yankelovich, 29% of us fall into this category — persons superficially aware of health risks but only willing to take action in a crisis. Here, prevention is interesting but not a priority.• "Disinterested." The largest group is the worst — 33% of all Americans. If you're one of them, you maintain attitudes and behavior that actually contribute to an increased likelihood of poor health.With information like this, health care marketers and their agencies should be better able to identify the programs and services best suited for each audience, and how to go about promoting them with messages that best reach each audience.SOURCE: Healthcare Marketing Report, NOISE
You've got to pity the poor turkey. First, millions of 'em make the ultimate sacrifice each year in grand American ritual. Now, American travelers snub that sacrifice in lieu of a newer, more attractive holiday vacation — Christmas.That's the news from an American Express Travel poll, which reports that the most popular time for holiday travel this year is not Thanksgiving weekend but the week between Christmas and New Year's — favored by almost 33% of travelers, versus 18% for Thanksgiving and another 8% following the new year. That's only one change in holiday travel patterns, however. "Holiday travel has evolved considerably from the local family gathering to new, exciting adventures as travelers seize the opportunity to create lasting holiday memories," says Audrey Hendley, vice president of marketing, American Express Travel. In addition to the shift in schedules, more than half of the agents in the poll said customers are looking for new destinations instead of the tried and true, with trends including:• Luxury vacations at record high levels. • An increase in five-star hotel bookings. • More first class and business-class airline bookings. The survey found luxury travel this holiday season has increased most among couples and families, followed by mature travelers and singles. American Express agents say that beach resort, cruise, and ski-mountain vacations top the list as favorite getaways. Almost half of those surveyed said the top reason for taking a holiday vacation instead of staying home are that kids are off from school. Other major reasons for holiday vacations are that people are able to take time off, a desire to relax and get away from it all, and an interest in experiencing a new culture or country. SOURCE: TravelMole, NOISE
NOISE Branding Communications is pleased to announce the appointment of Milissa Sprecher (pictured) to the position of Chief Executive Officer of the agency. Previously, Milissa Sprecher had served as Chief Financial Officer. Under her tenure, which began earlier this year, NOISE has attracted significant additional clients in Florida, Wisconsin and Illinois. Sprecher will share management of the agency's 12-person, multi-state staff with Mary Parodo, President. The move allows husband and Chief Creative Officer John Sprecher to more effectively allocate his time toward creative services for an expanding roster of clients.NOISE has also announced the promotion and additions of:• Dave Kotlan to Vice President and Associate Creative Director.• Greg Batiansila to Copywriter and Web Programmer.• Jessica Kolbe to Account Leader.• Chris Campbell to Web Programmer.SOURCE: NOISE
Congrats to Mediawest USA for winning Adweek's "Media Plan of the Year for Out of Home" award for Continental Airlines. In a targeted campaign in Manhattan, New York, Mediawest stepped way outside the box to purchase more than 1,600 out-of-home sites (with more than 1,000 copy variations) including:• Traditional posters and transits• Elevator screens• Taxi tops• Subway wraps• A Times Square building wrap• Chinese takeout cartons that read "New daily nonstop service to Beijing" (Our personal favorite — the strategy, not the sweet and sour shrimp)Post-campaign research found that an impressive 70% of consumers recalled the campaign and an even more impressive 65% were influenced in the decision-making process. SOURCE: Outdoor Advertising Association of America, Adweek, NOISE
