Building on its 25-year success and all-time high membership, USTOA has set out to increase its name recognition by implementing a program of new marketing initiatives, beginning with the introduction of an updated, contemporary logo design. Spearheaded by USTOA's current chairman, David Herbert, the program, is designed to develop a strong branding awareness both among travel agents and the traveling public.
Agent Survey Underlies Program
The program is based upon a recently conducted benchmark survey of 4,000 travel agents to determine their perceptions of USTOA. Survey results indicated that 95% of agencies are familiar with USTOA, while more than 40% said they were very familiar with the organization. Significantly, the higher producing agencies were more likely to recognize the USTOA name. Of responding agents, 52% replied that a tour operator membership is important in selecting a tour package for a client, while 68% cited financial stability as the most important benefit of using a USTOA tour operator. Another 28% chose reliability as the most important benefit in using a USTOA tour operator.
According to Herbert, the survey underscored the importance that financial stability and reliability should continue to play in the organization's branding. USTOA's marketing committee then consulted with branding experts from other industries, who confirmed that USTOA should concentrate on promoting one easily-identifiable logo, to represent financial protection, product reliability, and quality of membership.
The Plan Goes Into Action
The marketing program, which involves a number of important initiatives, centers around the introduction of a new, updated logo design reflecting the organization's expanded, worldwide membership, and the importance of USTOA's $1 Million Consumer Protection Plan. Maintaining its traditional font style with the stylized globe, the new logo is framed within a stylized orbit.
USTOA Active Member companies are being urged to use the logo in all of their corporate and consumer literature, as well as to display it prominently on brochure covers and in ads. "We want this to become identified as 'The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval' in vacation package and tour arrangements," says Herbert.
Other marketing campaign initiatives include:
- increasing reach and frequency of trade ads
- an expanded public relations campaign
- a quarterly consumer newsletter designed for distribution by travel agents to their clients
- augmented trade show participation
- public service announcements on radio and TV
- an updated and expanded Web site
- a quarterly organizational newsletter reporting on USTOA's activities to the full
- membership of Active, Allied and Associate members.
According to Herbert, the new marketing program is designed to raise USTOA's profile from a position of protecting a client, to that of leadership in promoting the advantages of purchasing packaged travel arrangements. These initiatives will be funded in part by USTOA corporate sponsor, VISA.
Travel Trade Initiatives
USTOA is stepping up support activities for travel agents through increased frequency of trade advertising, additional participation in trade shows, and production of a quarterly newsletter for travel agents to distribute to their clients. An expanded Web site with special offers from USTOA members for package and tour arrangements purchased with the VISA card will also drive potential clients to travel agents for their bookings.
Expanded Public Relations Program
USTOA is delivering its messages to the traveling public via an expanded public relations program, particularly through increased broadcast efforts aimed at radio listeners across the country. The enhanced p.r. program recently kicked off with a radio media tour for Bob Whitley, USTOA's president and spokesperson. Radio interviews on vacation package travel hints were conducted in more than 15 markets, and pre-taped interviews were made available to broadcasters across the country.
The next step in USTOA's p.r. campaign will be to reach consumers in suburban markets throughout the country with an on-air radio script providing information on the savings realized by buying a vacation package. USTOA's current consumer print p.r. campaign, aimed at major media, will also be augmented with a series of three feature articles distributed to 10,000 suburban newspapers. Complementing the mix is a television public service announcement, which has been distributed to 200 TV stations.
Long-term Goals
Underlying the new marketing strategy is USTOA's long-term goal: to help change the buying habits of the American traveling public by encouraging travelers to select vacation packages and tours when buying their travel arrangements. In order to accomplish this goal, USTOA will have to augment its marketing budget considerably by enlisting the participation of additional corporate sponsors, notes Herbert. The organization will continue to target exclusive sponsorships in related industries, such as long distance communications, insurance, luggage, travelware, and photography. In turn, USTOA will bring the sponsors' message to the attention of travel agents and the 9 million clients who travel annually with the organzation's 60 Active Member companies.
For a free copy of USTOA's Travel Agent's Kit, and a listing of USTOA Active Members, phone 1-800-GO-USTOA. Or visit the USTOA Web site, www.USTOA.com. USTOA headquarters are at 342 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10173; phone (212) 599-6599; fax (212) 599-6744, e-mail USTOA@aol.com.
Public Relations Contact:
Linda Kundell Communications
(212) 877-2798, (212) 877-3387 fax
(For all other inquiries about USTOA, please contact USTOA.)
