ASVA Members Marketing Meetup
Broadcast On 06/03/2023
This was the first ever ASVA Members Marketing Meetup and for the event, we were joined by three brilliant guest speakers joining us to discuss three unique topics – the use of influencer marketing, how data can be used to build strong relationships with your audience, and key trends in attraction marketing.
Our first topic was influencer marketing. Amanda Thomas, Global Influencer Marketing Manager with VisitScotland, is a social media and influencer marketing manager with ten years’ experience across both B2B and B2C sectors. From content strategy and development through to talent management and campaign execution, she brings a great deal of knowledge and insight to her role at VisitScotland. We heard from her about how VisitScotland has adopted influencer marketing as part of an ‘always on’ strategy, as well as how data-led decision making and the power of social advocacy can yield impressive results and should be a core part of the marketing mix for attraction operators.
Our second topic was one which has been consistently raised as being of interest to members – how data can be used to improve visitor engagement. Alan McGarrie is Head of Marketing for Johnnie Walker’s eight-floor flagship visitor attraction in Edinburgh, as well as Diageo’s twelve other visitor experiences within Scotland. Prior to joining Diageo, he held Director roles at Tennent’s and adidas. Alan joined us to discuss the importance of a “digital backbone” in modern visitor experiences. He provided a brief overview of the consumer journey at Johnnie Walker Princes Street and how digital touchpoints are integral to this, all with the aim of creating a “connected ecosystem” in order to build valuable long-term relationships with their visitors.
The final topic looked at marketing trends in the round in 2023. For this, we were joined by Anthony Rawlins, CEO of digital tourism marketing tourism specialists, Navigate. Anthony founded Navigate to help tourism businesses enhance their digital marketing and attract wider audiences locally and internationally. Over 20 years, he has worked across all segments of the travel and tourism industry for leading global brands worldwide. At Navigate, Anthony ensures the company is at the leading edge of industry insights and trends and drives innovation and business strategy so they can continue to deliver best-in-class growth for their clients. In his presentation, Anthony will present to members some key findings and trends on how attraction marketing is evolving at a rate like never before in 2023.