eBook - Airport Marketing to Chinese Travelers

Leveraging Social Marketing

“Word of Mouth” Equals Trust

Changi Airport currently has over 298K fans on Facebook, over 12K Twitter followers, and over 120K fans on Weibo.

Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites. Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. The resulting digital “word of mouth” refers to any statement con-

sumers share via the Internet about an event, product, service, brand or company. When the underlying message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it appears to come from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or com-pany itself, this form of marketing results in ‘earned media’ rather than ‘paid media’

In order to understand how airports can use Chinese social media, we must first look at how airports are currently using foreign social media. Airports through-out the world are currently engaging in all forms of social media market-ing from Facebook to blogging. Many are building massive fan bases and using social media for every aspect of business. Most are using social me-dia to offer real time customer service but others are also offering promo-tional material and even running viral campaigns via Twitter and Facebook.

There have been many campaigns run by airports; some of the most creative and effective have been run by Changi Airport. They currently have over 298K fans on Facebook, over 12K Twitter followers, and over 120K fans on Wei-bo. Other airports notable for their use of social media include Melbourne International Airport, London Gatwick Airport and Kuala Lumpur Airport.

Most airports have been busy on Twitter and Facebook but many have forgotten about Chinese social media platforms, like Weibo, We-Chat, and Ctrip. This oversight will soon become a major drawback for airports wishing to attract more Chinese Tourists to their airport.

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China has roughly 600 million internet users

Why Social Media?Airport Marketing


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The Connected Chinese Traveler Chinese travelers constitute the majority of inbound international passengers at many global airports and

those same travelers collectively are the world’s biggest spenders on international tourism. Moreover, in April 2013, President Xi Jinping noted that in the next five years China will probably have over 400 million tourists

traveling abroad. These tourists flocked to destinations the world over but registered huge numbers of visits to Thailand, USA, UK, Taiwan, and France in particular in 2013. Initial research suggests that Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and New Zealand will join the list of “hot destinations” for Chinese tourists in 2014. Chinese travel-

ers clearly are very important to businesses across every sector and industry, especially those connected to tourism and travel. Airports, as the first point of entry that many Chinese tourists have in new countries are no

exception to the rule and thus stand to profit from engaging with and catering to these “connected Chinese travelers.”

Who are these “Connected Chinese Travelers?”The notion of a “connected” Chinese traveler is being fully realised as 420 million Chinese now own a smart-

phone, with many of these smartphone users taking their devices overseas to capture photos and exchange news with friends and loved ones back in China. China has the largest number of internet users of any country

in the world--roughly 600 million by the end of 2013 - and these users tend to stay connected while abroad. Over 350 million people have downloaded WeChat and over 450 million people use Weibo. These habits travel

well as tourists relay their experiences (whether good or bad) to contacts around the world.

How airports are engaging Connected Travelers?Our world today is more connected than ever before. Over the last decade - especially the last five years – this connectedness has been influenced by the proliferation of internet access, the immense popularity of social networks and the meteoric rise in smartphone usage. This has led to the rise of a new kind of traveler who is not only increasingly connected to thousands of people in his/her virtual networks, but also uses these networks to find recommendations, share reviews and photographs as well as to complain when brands make a mistake. All of these activities can now be effortlessly carried out while in transit, waiting for a flight or browsing retail outlets.

At the same time, airport marketing today is not only a function of communications. Instead, airports are increasingly competing to attract passengers from competitors and to improve their route networks. This has led to a number of airports investing in innovative products and service initiatives in order to differentiate the airport experience and, ultimately become a preferred airport of choice for passengers. Due to all these developments, airport marketing has evolved dramatically.

Online ResultsOffline Campaigns

Research suggests that 80 percent of travelers today

plan their travels online and half of travelers use mobile de-vices to access travel informa-tion. Moreover, they share their experiences, and reviews while on the go. According to TripAd-visor, 91 percent of travellers post pictures of vacations, 57 percent post status updates and 34 percent check-in while travelling. In fact, 75 percent of business travellers and fre-quent fliers carry smartphones today, and just as many of them log-on to airport Wi-Fi, when it is available for free.

There are a number of reasons for this rapid transformation. First, the digital and mobile revolution has extraordinary im-plications for every airport, as the connected traveler expects airports to be accessible in their “pockets”, whilst receiving excellent customer service on the go, as well as a more tai-lored airport experience result-ing from improved customer insights.

Second, the real and virtual worlds are fast merging.

A more connected world has implications for the offline mar-keting space as well. Increas-ingly, airports are realizing that a powerfully executed offline campaign will inevitably result in online advocacy.

Indeed, for many airports, “real-world” campaigns are tuned to drive maximum buzz online and have a digital component. For instance, a number of of-fline campaigns are leveraging mobile technologies such as QR codes to ultimately drive revenue.

Third, and perhaps more importantly, airports can

now begin to overcome their traditional weakness versus airlines: the lack of customer data. By mining social and location-based information, airports can target very specific demographics and build a base of social advocates while gaining greater knowledge of the travelers passing through their terminals. This new-found power can be used by airports to drive goals as varied as better customer service, tailored passenger experiences to even innovative air service development.

Social Media Marketing

What do Airports need to know?


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“91 percent of travellers post pictures of vacations.”

CASE STUDYCase Study: Auckland & Christchurch Airports (New Zealand)

China is currently the fastest growing tourism market for New Zealand. In or-

der to cater to Chinese communities, two airports (Auckland & Christchurch)

have unveiled a number of initiatives designed to attract even more Chinese

visitors. Auckland airport was the world’s first airport to partner with China’s

leading social media website Sina Weibo to launch a travel planner applica-

tion. Sina Weibo is a micro-blogging site which currently has over 500 million

users. It launched in 2009 and is a cross between Facebook and Twitter.

Given that Chinese visitors spent $673 million in the year to March 2013, an

increase of 42% on the previous 12 months, it is no surprise that Auckland

and Christchurch Airports are leveraging Chinese digital marketing to reach

out to and engage with this traveler group.

1. Copenhagen Airport’s Chinese language 360 degree

“wayfinding” app and Chinese speaking guides at the

airport .

2. Hamilton Island Airport has a partnership with Tencent

Weibo to promote the Great Barrier Reef to the

Chinese tourists and Melbourne International Airport

uses Twitter to help travellers plan their journey by

providing flight schedule information and special

offers.

3. ChangiAirport’s largest ever shopping promotion.

Singaporeans invited to show what it feels like to win

$1m in a flash mob-style mass performance, right in

the heart of Changi Airport. The event attracted over

400 performers, professional and amateurs, aged 10

to 75. It has received almost 200,000 views till d

ate.

4. London Gatwick Airport has a Twitter Flight

Information Display Screen, in public view at the

airport that allows travellers to Tweet any issues

that need attention. The airport’s responses are also

shown.

Case Study:

Takes off at airports in NZ, DK, AU, UK, SG

Social Media

International Examples


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Sina Weibo eLong WeChat

Chinese Tourists Trust Social Media

CtripMuch More Than Twitter Community ReviewsVoice Messaging Travel Research

China is the world’s biggest internet market with an estimated 600 million users. There are over 221 million blogs, 181 million bloggers, 117 million bulletin board systems (BBS) and 235 million social network users.

The social media landscape is complex, vast and ever changing. It is also increasingly becoming a crucial part of the lives of Chinese people, as it allows them to gain entry to social circles and information that would not be otherwise accessible.

Chinese internet users are more likely to trust social media because they trust their friends and family.

Sina Weibo is predominately a micro-blogging site with a mix of Facebook like features

that has approximately 550 million registered usersn and is still growing. Its users are white collar workers, aged between 20-30 years old, and 48% of users access the platform on their mobile phones. The platform allows users to listen to music, watch movies, and donate to charties, along with many other features.

The Chinese Social Media Landscape

WeChat, a Tencent app, is one of the more recent additions to the Chinese social

media landscape and it has rapidly become essential for technology-savvy and up-to date social media users in China. WeChat already boasts some 300 million domestic users and counting, and a further 100 million international users. It is a multimedia communication tool that offers a wide range of services such as text messaging, hold-to-talk voice messaging, broadcast (one-to-many or one-to-one) messaging, photo/video sharing, location sharing, and contact information exchange.

Ctrip is one of China’s largest travel booking and research companies. The site offers

flight, hotel, tour and vacation booking services and, crucially, allows users to review properties and accommodations on page.


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Elong offers similar features to Ctrip—including the all important customer review function—

and is part of Expedia. It also includes rental car and international hotel booking services.

“Trust”

“There are over 221 million blogs, 181

million bloggers, 117 million bulletin board

systems (BBS).”

Getting Started

Content FocusThe Importance of Content

For both Chinese and Western focused social media programs the content areas covered will generally fall

within four broad categories. For each of these categories the social marketer will need to look for opportu-

nities to establish relationships through content and relevant, interesting activities.

1. Increase awareness

•Increaseknow

ledgeaboutyour

airport,onanat

ionwideandglob

al

level

•Increasetheaw

arenessofyourd

estinationportfo

lio

2. Brand development

•Focusonconn

ectedtravelersth

roughe-mail,soc

ialandonlinewo

rk

•Optimizeconv

ersionpossibilitie

s(searchenginem

arketing)

•Accelerateonm

obile

•Claimposition

ingthemesthrou

ghoffand

online campaigns

•Provethesethe

mesthroughope

rationand

communication

3. Marketing partner-

ships

•Cooperationwi

thavia-

tion and non-aviation

partners

•Connectwithen

terprises

outside and within the

terminal

•Partnerwithac

ontent

marketing agency within

China

•Createpartners

hipswith

local business and create

social media plans that

include their participation

“Take the time

to produce

something

memorable!”


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4. Interactions

•UseBBSandSin

aWeibo

•Listentoconve

rsations

and respond to requests

•Don’tbeafraid

to

be personal. Create a

personality on scoial

media sites.

•Alwaysbehelpf

ul

•Addresstravele

rs

concerns and do not bury

complaints

What To AskGETTING INTO SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Top 10 Questions:1 Do you serve Chinese travelers?2 Do you have a social following?3 Do you have Chinese content? 4 Do you have a Chinese language website?5 Do you expect increases in Chinese travelers?6 Is your airport served by Chinese carriers?7 Do you have Facebook and/or Twitter?8 Do you have a social media plan?9 Can you attract Chinese flyers?10 Can you afford to wait?

We are China’s largest independent content focused, digital marketing agency, boasting 120+ staff in China and around the region. Our primary focus is to work with Western organizations to deepen their relationships between their brand and Chinese consumers; through quality content and strategic thinking, to drive consumer action, and to deliver value and measurable results for our clients.

Content is a currency in today’s landscape for any brand or business. Therefore, we’re centered on creating and curating content experiences that drive deep con-sumer engagement across all platforms. We develop content strategies that help brands get discovered, become engaged, builds advocates, stimulates people down your sales funnel and assists with your SEO activities.

Digital Jungle

Start connecting with your Chinese

audience using Social MediaGet Started!ARE YOU READY?

MORE INFO HERE For more information about Digital Jungle and for help with social media marketing please contact us:

• [email protected]

• www.digitaljungle.com.cn

• www.weibo.com/digitaljungle

• www.slideshare.net/digitaljungle


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http://www.digitaljungle.com.cn/

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eBook - Airport Marketing to Chinese Travelers

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