With around 300 million registered users, Ctrip has accumulated a high volume of big data and consumer insights that can be used for consulting and directing services for marketing global destinations.
Ctrip set up its destination marketing unit in early 2013 to serve destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and tourist attractions at home and abroad through its diversified marketing solutions. “Over the past years, the company has teamed up with more than 300 DMOs through cooperation at different levels. The DMOs cover most popular destinations for the Chinese tourists,” said Ms. Jenna Qian, Ctrip’s General Manager of Destination Marketing.
The company is not only growing its own technologies for destination marketing, but also exploring cross-platform strategies by partnering with internet giants including WeChat and Google.
Cross-platform strategies
Compared with mass media websites like the New York Times or the People’s Daily drawing general audience, vertical platforms such as Ctrip or Priceline sites attract the targeted audience that demonstrate clearer intent to purchase travel services. Through user profiling techniques, however, the mass media and vertical platforms can still offer synergies.
Ctrip has extended its marketing channels from its website, app, affiliated Qunar and eLong, to external online platforms including Weibo and WeChat, in addition to Ctrip’s offline presence. With such diverse channels, the company lays claim to a unique advantage in developing multi-channel marketing solutions for global destinations.
“We have formed in-depth cooperation with major internet platforms such as Weibo, Tencent and Google, integrating Ctrip’s big data with cross-platform user traffic to conduct targeted advertising,” Ms. Qian said.
Ctrip provides destinations with precise advertising placement on WeChat’s “Moments” channel, similar to Facebook’s timeline. For example, the company targets Ctrip users that have looked for travel deals of an identified destination or have searched for relevant offerings in the past month, and delivers the destination’s advertisement to the targeted group on WeChat to improve the conversion rate.
