Having an Aerial View May be for the Better

More and more, events are utilizing drones to enhance experiences. A drone is a small machine that has the capability of flying in the air. Sometimes, they can have a camera attached to them or have the ability of carrying small objects -- if the drone is advanced enough, it can do both. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, can be controlled used a remote or point-to-point GPS. To see an example of the type of high-quality footage a drone can produce, watch the video below of video captured in 2016 by a YouTuber named "DroneOne Media".

According to Chris Stoddard, drones can be used to enhance the photography capabilities at events such as weddings, concerts/festivals, parties and sporting events. Having an aerial view of these events can be something both memorable and different for consumers. For weddings, the bride and groom can use the footage as a creative thank you that can be sent to their guests. The wedding planner could also use the footage to advertise their skills to prospective clients to stand out from other coordinators. For concerts/festivals, parties and sporting events, coordinators could use similarly use the footage to advertise the appeal of their event. Having an aerial view provides a unique way to show the size of those in attendance to the event as well as the amount of fun they all are having in reaction to the main attraction all at once. When looking to hiring a drone photographer, you can expect for them to want to scout the location, have a pre-flight check list, and want to know the purpose of your video.

A company named Touch Associates, who consider themselves the architects of audience engagement, expressed on their blog that they look forward to expanding the ways they could utilize drones. According to Paige Layng they foresee "data capture, site visits, performances, virtual attendees and perhaps even delivering items to attendees or microphones to speakers." The use of drones in this way would be very important to the events industry for a number of reasons. Because these machines do not necessarily need a person operating it in real-time, multiple drones could be flying at the same moment capturing different aspects of the event. For example, there could be one drone taking pictures, another checking in attendees, and another delivering items across the event enabling the ultimate multitasking opportunity. 

Drones are very relevant in the upcoming era of technology. While big companies such as Amazon and Google are testing new ways to utilize them, they are not hard for common people to manipulate to their advantage. Drones can be used to not only show an event from a unique point of view, but also facilitate activities during an event. This could create more revenue for the company indirectly while also cutting down on labor costs. I believe that drones will be used more and more during events in the upcoming years. Because of this, people are attending conferences and expositions to learn more about this technology. According to Marco Mancosu, some upcoming events include DRONEfest in Croatia, Unmanned World 2017 in Qatar, and Xponential 2017 in the United States. 

Maximilien Lefort & Brianna Williams 

References

• http://www.specialevents.com/blog/4-things-you-should-already-be-using-drones-special-events
• http://www.touchassociates.com/news/rise-drones-events/
• https://skytango.com/top-commercial-drone-events/

Prepare for "book now" on Instagram ! It's the social platform taking travel by storm.

photo source : www.freedigitalphotos.net

Since Facebook bought Instagram for a billion dollars in 2012, the number of users didn’t stop increasing. The famous social media which is a photo and video sharing app has known some evolutions. The developers of Instagram decided to bring a core renaissance to the emerging app by suggesting more functionalities, platforming and revitalizing it in order to improve and to differentiate Instagram from competitors.
Social medias becoming one of the main tools of companies’ marketing mix, the app is nowadays used as a real promotion tool. For example, industries introduce Instagram to increase their brand name visibility. It is a win-win situation. On the one hand, the company promotes its brand on Instagram. On the other hand, Instagram appears on the company’s website with a logo.

In the future, Instagram is going to launch a new app functionality which may be a real advantage for both «Instagramers» and companies.

First of all, what if we focused on users' advantages? Tourism is the main field which attracts Instagram’s users. Pictures and videos have a real power on the travellers’ decision-making. “47% have already been to a place after seeing a picture published by one of their friends”.

We think that Instagram is a « mass seduction » weapon. It inspires and gives several ideas in terms of travel destinations. Online videos are viewed before travellers’ decisions are made, during all the decision process. According to Google “2014 Travelers Road to Decision Research Studies”,  

-          66% watch videos when they are thinking about a trip,

-          65% watch videos to have an idea of the destination to choose,

-          54% watch videos to choose accommodations,

-          37% watch videos to find a website to book on.

Instagram users won't need to look anymore on several websites to book a flight or an accommodation. They will be directly directed to the brand page. Instagram will become an optimized tool for the traveller from the beginning of the search process to the final booking.

Then, the « book now » property is a real opportunity in terms of e-tourism, especially for hotels and travel companies. Chances that its pages are visited and that their products and services are booked increase. Even if the « Instagramer » didn’t forecast to travel; by coming upon a publicity, it can attract him and create a certain desire. Thus, travel companies and hotels have a strong interest in promoting their industry via Instagram.

Finally, the innovative concepts are a real advantage for Instagram brand image. It proves to users that the app follows the current trends in order to facilitate « Instagramers »’ life.

Nevertheless, we can be reluctant about certain points. Internet users can be disturbed by adds when navigating on the web. Instagram was one of the rare apps on which internet users could surf quietly. With the launch of advertisements and « book now » functionality, we can wonder if internet users may like it. Moreover, travelers are price sensitive and often compare prices from a website to another. The comparative tool is not available on Instagram. Thus, users can only buy a specific product or service from a specific brand.

Even if the app heads towards new horizons, we can wonder if this new tool will be massively used. 

CALAFELL Joëlle - DAFRI Anaïs - TUONG Kim

Article main source : http://www.eyefortravel.com/social-media-and-marketing/prepare-book-now-instagram-its-social-platform-taking-travel-storm