In a new weekly section, we’re highlighting travel industry Influencers by sharing their insights and knowledge to help you learn and earn from the best.
Marketing your business is one of the most important aspects to success, but getting it right can be difficult without the right tools.
Stepping into his new role as Chief Executive of RedBalloon this week, Nick Baker took time out talk to KarryOn about the importance of marketing and ensuring it remains authentic and interesting.
As the former marketing head at Tourism Australia he offers tips on promoting your business, the importance of recognising employees and what he hopes to achieve in his new role.
Congratulations on the new role, how are you feeling?
I’m excited about starting. I finished at Tourism Australia on 30 January and I took a month off to spend time with family and travel and I started as Chief Executive at RedBalloon on Monday.
Your new role is quite different from your role at Tourism Australia
Yes it is very different from Tourism Australia, but it is similar to some previous roles. For example, I use to be at Voyages Hotels and Resorts and that’s a very experiential based travel company and we dealt with tours and reservations.
The notion of experiences being pivotal at RedBalloon is very intermingled with my last couple of roles.
But yes, different from Tourism Australia because it is very commercial. It is a fantastic brand that deals a lot with operators in tourism and that’s an industry I’ve been close to for several years.
What are the major shifts you’ve noticed in marketing?
There has been a major shift in interaction between technology and marketing, The role of content in marketing has been amplified and there’s been a raised focus on stronger customer service.
In another interview you pointed out that PR people writing for a brand isn’t always the best way to promote a product. Are you suggesting journalists are a better marketing tool?
I was actually talking about the role of content and it being written by PR without being relevant.
If you’re going to use content produced by PR then it needs to be relevant and authentic – not just a promotion of the brand.
It has got to be relevant, authentic and in context in order to be effective.
I wasn’t suggesting either is better than the other.
What are your thoughts on the benefits of native content?
Storytelling is about two things – information and entertainment. It’s a balance between the two.
When you can get the perfect mix between information and entertainment it will work because people love to be entertained and get content that is applicable.
Don’t just write about the brand, write about how it affects the consumer and then native content can be very powerful.
You have mentioned before that people are increasingly considering buying experiential products – is this making your job easier?
Experiences are the new black. Instead of spending their money on possessions people are looking at an experience where they can do something different.
There’s a better story in travelling than getting a new television or new phone.
Experiences are challenging people to do things whether it is on their own or family.
People prefer that over possessions and this is going to make my job easier.
In the announcement of your appointment, you mentioned choosing RedBalloon because of their ethos for recognising employees’ success. Why is this important?
They’ve done well in terms of being a great place to work.
They value their employees and that is critical to making a brand.
People working at RedBalloon are happy and they are motivated and encouraged.
I believe they have a strong company culture that people fit into.
They have good staff, strong supplier network and they are customer focused – they are the things to value. If you do those well you can build a great brand.
