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Be more inclusive in your marketing, travel firms told
Travel companies need to ensure that their marketing is diverse and covers all social groups, including ethnic minorities, the elderly, the disabled and the LGBT communities.
Addressing the Advantage Conference, Vercida Consulting director Dan Robertson said firms need to think about the images they use and how they target different groups within their local markets.
When he asked the audience how many made an effort to show a range of ages in the images they used, there was only a small show of hands; even fewer said their brochures reflected different ethnic groups, and only one delegate said their brochure represented disability.
"We know for sure that when people see themselves represented in brochures and images, they are much more likely to shop in those places where they have some representation," said Robertson.
He said diversity wasn’t an issue only for big companies, but also for small businesses. "It is just about making sure you have diverse images and making sure your website is accessible and you are not making the process overly complex.
"It is about being proactive. There is definitely diversity in your local market even if you don’t see it; there is disability, there is diversity in sexual orientation; don’t make assumptions about what your market is and find ways to target those different groups, such as sponsoring local events."
Robertson said it was equally important that travel companies didn’t use words and images that reinforced stereotypes, which might cause offence. Citing the Tesco Christmas campaign as an example, he said it was also important to avoid tokenism. The supermarket suffered a backlash because it used a Muslim in its adverts, yet shoppers pointed out that it doesn’t sell Halal meat.
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Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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