'We want to become world's largest publisher of travel content' says Marriott International creative & content marketing chief David Beebe
Marriott International is to turn its website into a "content machine" adding 3,000 pieces of content to boost its SEO, as part of a major digital strategy that has seen it launch an Oculus Rift virtual reality experience tour across the US.
Speaking at the Quantcast Supernova event in New York, the hotel chain's vice president, creative and content marketing, David Beebe spoke about the digital plans the company has been implementing which is transforming its marketing strategy.
"There's a huge opportunity," he stated of the company's website. "Today Marriott.com is really just a booking agent and when you look at the reach of the site, it's the seventh largest retail website with 36 million visitors a month."
He explained that the content would be made up of destination content across three cities; New York, Chicago and Orlando based on what people could do and places to eat.
This led Beebe to highlight other elements of its content strategy, including a half-hour music TV show AXS TV, the production of a new 12-minute short film called The Two Bellmen, including working with the return of filmmaking series Project Greenlight to HBO, involvement with the What's Trending YouTube channel, an animated series called Hotshoppe and a scripted web series produced by the creators of Ghost Whisperer - Sander/Moses Productions - around travel.
He also referenced a book being created by the brand called The Art of Discovery where celebrities would discuss their travels and help readers discover new places to visit. He also referenced the 48 million Marriott International rewards customers the company had in its database and the potential to engage with that audience through content supplied by email and social platforms.
Its social activity will also include a partnership with Snapchat where users can send travel photos and videos to friends.
"We want to become the world's largest publisher of travel content as a hotel company. If you look at all of our channels, it includes Marriott.com, our app and our YouTube network that we are building and optimising right now."
He also highlighted 'Six Degrees', created with the MIT Mobile Experience Lab as a piece of consumer engagement which aimed to connect guests through a social app which would bring them together with other guests who they shared a common interest with.
And then Beebe discussed the Oculus Rift Teleporter activity that it launched recently with Framestore, an immersive 4D experience that is touring hotels across the US that, as well as a visual experience, incorporating smells and blowing wind and the feel of gravel underfoot.
A virtual honeymoon experience was also developed, he claimed as an aside.
Mobile Perks was another offer for guests launched over the summer that would send offers to phones based on their location within a hotel through beacon technology.
Beebe concluded by presenting some brands that were no longer around such as Blockbuster and Borders having been overtaken by innovation and some brands who we're continually innovating to convey the speed that technology was moving. He added that Marriott too aimed to innovate each day and use technology to help it continue to move fast and tell stories to make a connection.