?? Hospitality Marketing News - 3rd July 2024

Discover the latest digital marketing news for the hospitality industry, served with a side of expert insights! I'm your host Dawn Gribble, here to help you Delight Guests and Drive Growth.

? Let’s Check In!

?? TikTok Revolutionises Ads with AI-Generated Avatars

• TikTok introduces new tools for brands to create ads using AI-generated avatars that look like real people.
• Brands can choose from stock avatars or customise them to look like a specific creator
• The tools are designed to enhance human imagination, not replace it, and may allow creators to work faster and with more creativity. (NY )

?? X to Make Live-Streaming Premium Only Feature Soon

• X is making live-streaming a Premium-only feature in the upcoming weeks.
• This move aims to address copyright and piracy violations in the app.
• It may also reduce the amount of "on-the-ground" footage on the app, which goes against Elon Musk's vision of "citizen journalism." (X )

?? Pinterest Expands Sharing Options for Pin Boards to Other Apps

• Pinterest has introduced a new feature to easily share boards on other social media platforms.
• The feature allows you to choose a public board, select a template, and share it as a visually appealing story.
• The "Curated on Pinterest" marker may affect distribution on some platforms, but it disappears after a short time. (PI)

?? Google Enhances Google Analytics with AI Insights

• Google is introducing new AI-powered elements to Google Analytics to help marketers make more informed decisions and take advantage of key opportunities.
• These updates are part of Google Analytics 4, which will soon be the only option as older versions are phased out.
• The new features include AI-generated insights that highlight key data events and provide simplified explanations, helping marketers stay on top of their data. (GO )

?? LinkedIn Unveils Premium Company Pages

• Premium Company Pages allow businesses to display custom call-to-actions and client testimonials prominently, enhancing credibility and engagement with potential clients.
• These pages provide insights into who has visited the company's page and use AI to optimise content, helping businesses to better engage and convert prospects.
• New Subscribers receive a one-time ￡400 LinkedIn Ads credit and access to exclusive benefits from leading SMB tools, supporting faster growth and broader reach. (LI )

?? YouTube Picture-In-Picture for Shorts and Channel Mentions in Comments

• YouTube has added picture-in-picture viewing for Shorts, allowing Premium subscribers to minimise the viewing window and multitask while watching Shorts clips.
• They are also testing a new feature for mentioning other users in comments and offering Shorts downloads for Premium members.
• This comes as Shorts consumption in the app increases, and YouTube aims to provide more viewing options for its users. (YT )

?? Meta Empowers Influencers with AI Avatar Creation

• Meta has launched the first stage of its "AI Studio" platform, allowing creators on Instagram to build AI versions of themselves to interact with fans via DM.
• The custom AI bots are currently in beta and limited testing, but they can answer questions in the style of the account they represent.
• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch during an interview, where he also discussed broader AI plans for the company. (SMT )

?? Google Completes June 2024 Spam Update Rollout

• Google's June 2024 spam update, which started on June 20, took 7 days to roll out and was completed on June 27. It was a broad spam update, not focused on link spam or automated site reputation abuse.
• Websites may experience changes in rankings due to this update. Improvements or declines in rankings could result from how well sites comply with Google's spam policies, potentially affecting competitors as well.
• Sites impacted by the update should review Google's spam policies to ensure compliance. Adhering to these policies may help recover rankings over time as Google's automated systems reassess the site. (SEL )

? Ask Dawn Gribble

Every week I answer your questions, email me with yours [email protected]

Hey Dawn,

I need your help with something urgent. We just sent an email to our entire 12,000 subscriber list with all the personalisation tags still there—like "Dear [Your Name]" ??

What's the worst that could happen now? Are we going to lose brand trust? Will people be really upset? And most importantly, what should we do next to fix this?

Thanks a lot!

Mistakes happen, and you'll be fine if no personal info is compromised. Here’s what to do:

• Assess the impact. Verify that no sensitive information was included in the email. If it was just the placeholders, you’re in a good spot and don’t need to worry too much.
• Decide on your response. If this is a one-off mistake, consider moving on. However, sending an "Oops!" email to acknowledge the error can be a great way to connect with your audience and build trust. People appreciate honesty and a bit of humour.

When crafting the Oops email, keep it simple and light-hearted. Use a subject line like "Oops! Our Email Had a Mistake" to grab attention. In the body, acknowledge the mistake with a touch of humour. For example, “Looks like our marketing intern hit send too early!”?

Then, clearly correct your intended message and keep it short and sweet.

For example

Hey [First Name],

Well, this is awkward. You might have noticed our last email didn’t quite hit the mark.

Here’s what we meant to say:

[Corrected Message]

Thanks for understanding!

Remember, people appreciate honesty and humour, which helps build trust in your brand. Just make sure this doesn’t become a regular occurrence.

?? Hospitality Industry Insights?

• ?? Support Grows for German Sugar Tax to Improve Health (FIF )
• ?? Taste and Prices Dominate Consumer Choices Amidst Decline in US Food Safety Confidence (FF )
• ?? Samsung Enhances Hotel Stays with Apple AirPlay Integration on Hospitality TVs (HT )
• ?? Education and Diversification Recognised as Tourism Future in APAC (UN )
• ?? Specialised Diets for Older People (FN )

? Dawn’s Picks of the Week?

• ?? Sleep Chronotypes and the Importance of Sleep for Health (SME )
• ?? Hilton CEO Discusses New Brands and Hilton Honors Loyalty Success (TPG )
• ? Starbucks Refigures Its Brand (FO )
• ???? How Sam ‘the Cooking Guy’ Zien Became a Content Creator (NRN )
• ?? Dangerous Holiday Black Market Emerging (YH )

Thank you for subscribing - I hope you enjoyed the newsletter and I look forward to welcoming you back soon! ??

I am honoured to include people from these?amazing?brands (and many more) in this newsletter community. Find me on LinkedIn , Twitter , or at hospitalitymarketinghub.com

How I Can Help You?

• Read my free newsletter and articles , keep up-to-date with the latest trends on social media, and attend one of my regular webinars.
• Get VIP access and enjoy full access to subscriber-only posts and the full archive on Substack. You'll also receive an enhanced weekly newsletter with additional insights, deep dives, and trend reports.
• Expense your subscription and join the exclusive Invitation Only Network for hospitality professionals to gain access to our private members club and receive monthly strategic updates.
• Do you want to improve your marketing? We help hotels, restaurants and foodservice with marketing audits and strategies and provide support for in-house teams. Visit hospitalitymarketinghub.com
• Get in front of over 18,701 of the world’s best hospitality leaders and professionals who read a newsletter by Dawn Gribble. Email [email protected] for more details

Here's to Your Success ??