Disruption: Destination Marketing in the Post-Advertising Age

by Ryan Thompson (other)

Destination marketing has permanently changed and will never be the same. Travelers trust reviews from complete strangers more than brand advertising. Consumers are now clearly in control, choosing what, when and how they digest information. Chaos and real-time is the new marketing "normal." Destination Marketing in the Post-Advertising Age is the essential guide for marketing tourism organizations including hospitality, tour operators, CVBs, DMOs and attractions. Readers will learn a three-part approach to tourism marketing in modern times. Part I explains how marketing has changed, the problem with old advertising techniques and the unique power of modern consumers. Today's marketing-savvy, advertising-jaded consumer expects more. Now consumers can instantly see rankings, read user reviews and see pictures taken by actual vacationers, not professional photographers. This is what informs consumer choice now. It helps travelers decide where they want to go, what they want t

200 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2013

Reviews

[Bill Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: this book was written by my son, who owns a company providing advertising and marketing in the tourism/destination industry.

That said, I enjoyed Disruption very much. Remember the old days when you saw an ad or a travel agent put you on to the latest place to visit? Ryan's premise is that today we depend far more on the recommendations of someone we've never met (through e.g., Tripadvisor) than the advertisement a destination creates.

The world has changed dramatically. We can see pictures, descriptions, reviews, maps, pros and cons of virtually any place on earth before we decide where to spend our money. This book is good for people in the tourism industry but it's a great read for lay people like me too.