How tourism suppliers use social media to get closer to their client

There are many ways to use social medias as a tourist. From sharing content such as photos, feedbacks on a destination, comments on a hotel, recommendations for a restaurant, to looking for advises to plan a trip. In our post of the 31^st of January “Hotels collect guest reviews from Facebook”, we saw how tourism suppliers use social medias in a way to compete with user generated content websites such as Trip Advisor, giving their customers the opportunity to give their feedbacks on their hotel through Facebook. But more than a year ago, KLM made a new use of those social media, with an innovative concept that Accor re-used this year: it is now the company that uses those tools to know more and get closer to their clients. 

The concept of KLM action was to look at their customers’ social media profile to get to know more about what they like, about their area of interest, and then surprise them with a personal gift at the airport. Here is a promotional video of KLM surprise.

Accor are doing something similar, using their fidelity program A-Club, by rewarding some of their best client with a gift personally brought into the room. Here is a video of the communication made by Accor on their A-Club Surprise Project:

A-Club, Caring program video: 

This new use of social networks is very innovative as for once it is actually the company that publically uses the information on their customers to develop a marketing action. In a time when confidentiality issues are in the middle of many debates due to the expansion of social medias such as Facebook, Linked In, Twitter etc. taking an action like this one can be very dangerous.

An issue of this article is whether or not Accor copied KLM idea, but the debate is more on the action itself, on behalf KLM or Accor.

In the first place the idea is very good, as people are waiting for more and more personalization of the offer, and they will never forget a present that is so personal and that has been thought just for them. 

However, this use of social networks and personal information can become very polemic. Indeed, event if this is very thoughtful from KLM or Accor, the privacy issue of their customers can be discussed. Some customers may not like the intrusion into their personal life, and the fact that companies can get such personal information on them.

To conclude, the initiative was good even if it was risky, and it shows how with some imagination and a deeper work companies can personalize their actions and please their clients.

Keywords: Accor, KLM, A Club surprise, KLM surprise, media profile, gift personalization,

Sources: May, K. (2012). Accor launches A Club Surprise social media project, claims not to have heard of KLM Surprise. Retrieved on March 14^th, 2012 from http://www.tnooz.com/2012/02/17/news/accor-launches-a-club-surprise-social-media-project-claims-not-to-have-heard-of-klm-surprise/