Amy Craven

I still get asked why I make references to "marketing AND advertising" as if they are separate matters. And I still answer that it is "because they are". Marketing is educating, explaining, and showing the need for a concept, product, or service. That is whether or not there is one entity offering, or a number of direct or indirect competitors. It's all in the presentation, and how you can put a spin on something to make it appear to be an advantage when it might be just the opposite. Look at what the airlines have been able to pull off. Their collective 'spin' is that customers will be able to receive immediate refunds for canceled and severely delayed flights instead of waiting. That is NOT how I see it. The airlines are going to get away with pulling a fast one and ripping off consumers. From what I have read on this, the airlines can cancel flights on a whim. One employee can click a few buttons and issue refunds within a few minutes and that airline is done. They save employee and management time from having to deal with irate passengers, re-booking, and issuing costly vouchers. They save thousands more dollars by not needing to bump passengers at a cost of free flights in order to accommodate. Passengers will be totally on their own to book another flight without their chosen airline already having their money and somewhat of an obligation. Just wait until thousands of passengers are told that "All that is left on the night flight is First Class at $150 MORE per seat". We'll have plenty of ruined vacations and missed business conferences because it will be every person for themselves. I'll bet the ranch that the percentage of 100% full flights is going to rise within the first three months this regulation is in effect and stay that way. However, many will believe the power of marketing and think that this change in policy is somehow good for consumers. This message is not "brought to you by" anyone, because that would be advertising. https://lnkd.in/erpMju-u #airlines #ripoff #marketing #airports #policy #advertising #misleading #flights #CanceledFlights #cancellations #reasoning #clever #travel #bookings #tickets

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Understanding your #consumer (and the #competition) can inspire the best #innovation. #marketing #brandstrategy

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When I worked for Delta Air Lines many years ago, we in the marketing division lamented that although we had (what we thought at the time) a lot of customer data in our Frequent Flyer Program, we never used it proactively as a sales, promotional, or customer service tool. Airlines do all of this now but still it feels wonky and impersonal. Nothing I get from Delta (and I have almost 4 million miles on them) is really targeted to me, understands me or my needs, or tries to anticipate them. Even time-proven elementary things like birthdays, anniversaries, etc., any chance to touch the customer could be mined. Nothing. Silence. Zip. (To be fair, I’m sure this does happen for their “360” customer base and it’s not economically feasible for the rest of us). AI can and will and should change that. Airlines like Delta will have an entire “identity profile” (yes I’m making this up) that will understand every trip I’ve ever taken with them, when, where, how. Frequency. Destinations. Fares. Ontime? Late? What I ate and drank. Was I nice…or not? They will send me personalized offers, maybe even offer airport transfers, saner lounge access, etc. Ever notice how airlines demand loyalty from you but don’t seem to reciprocate? Really reciprocate? Now they can and should with LLM tech. And if it existed today, it might be smart enough to say “Terrence, where have you been? You live in Nashville, no longer Atlanta, how can we get back your business?” Maybe they don’t care to be honest, their planes are full. But British Airways and United Airlines sure know I live in Nashville and that I used to be a Delta Platinum. They want my business now. I just returned from a two-week full business fare trip to Europe. On United. Delta wasn’t even in the consideration set (which makes me sad; I still love Delta). The airline customer experience is hamstrung by some very real physical and hardware constraints: old legacy airports (like LHR, CDG, EWR, JFK, etc.) built for another airline age no longer can handle the demand in a “non-miserable” way. Airplanes are what they are, tubes packed to the brim with the most unreasonably uncomfortable seats created for maximum capacity. Minimal (and often outsourced) staffing at gates and on planes Those things will not change. So, the only other way an airline can improve the “customer journey” (whoever the marketing consultant is that first used the word “journey” is, I hope, no longer creating marketing jargon) is outside the airport and airplane experience. They have our data. All of it. Use AI to make us feel like valued customers instead of widgets. Airline marketing and customer service is about to change. Finally. But in the airline industry, marketing is secondary. Personal interaction with customers is and always has been an airline’s secret sauce. It trumps taglines and brand campaigns every time. #airlines #customerservice

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I'm interested to hear from other business travelers about their view of the changes leading to Raja's dismissal. Personally, I feel the real issue impacting business travel is unreliable flight schedules post-covid. Now I see that it is the norm to be sprinting across an airport to catch a last minute rebooked flight due to my flight being cancelled or delayed. Why are you not flying American as much? #travel #americanairlines #marketing #businesstravel

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I'm a data geek which makes me super excited to share today's launch of the Sports Momentum Index from Allison Worldwide & Harris Poll. The Index is a monthly snapshot of the hottest emerging and legacy sports, according to fans. Get a nice rundown of the initial results via the Allison Sports podcast here: https://lnkd.in/gcgYJZm6 #sportsmarketing #sportsdata #sponsorship #WNBA #PWHL #PR #Marketing #podcast

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Are executives the new "influencers"? 🤔 They say they are, with nine in 10 executives believing that having a strong and visible leader is important for a company's success. My take is that it isn't just about "doing more on LinkedIn." This is about things that have always been important for business and leaders: + Trust + Reputation + Authority + Humility + Authenticity LinkedIn is a tool....a GREAT tool for sharing all of these traits. Great insights from PRNEWS ⬇

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Financial Services marketers: This Quad insights report is a great resource for brands aiming to get closer to their customers and build long-term relationships. Give it a download below or pass the link along to a #finserv marketer you know!

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📆 Save the date! June 25, 2:00 p.m. ET. Discover how optimizing communications and leveraging analytics can lead to an improved payment experience for both the customer and the company. Don't miss our insightful webinar - 'The Late Payment Playbook: Winning Strategies for Preventing & Collecting Late Payments.' Your seat awaits: https://lnkd.in/gik7ewMX.

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Here's to the power of #WinningTogether and everything our Advantage Solutions teammates do to give the retail marketplace its momentum. Honored to be ranked the 16th-largest agency company worldwide and No. 7 in North America by Ad Age, reflecting our #omnicommerce leadership at the intersection of consumer brands and retailers. #TopAgency #MarketingExcellence #Innovation #Retail #CPG

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Today in Brand History: On June 12, 1934, the Black-McKellar Bill reshaped aviation history by splitting William Boeing's empire into three entities ✈️ including Boeing and United Airlines. Explore the impact and learn more about this pivotal moment in aviation history and the launch of two legacy brands in my latest blog post (link in comments) #AviationHistory #BoeingLegacy #Innovation

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For marketers, breaking down silos means tearing down the walls between a brand’s web, social, mobile, CRM, POS, and Call Center interactions to form a single, human-centric view of our fans, followers, purchasers, and those with something to say. Our goal? To foster happier, healthier, and more valuable customer relationships. And guess what? That's exactly what I'm working on right now! Stay tuned for more updates.

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Winning with Culture! Group Black is your key to unlocking measurable brand growth. Let’s discuss how we can do it for you.

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🦈 The term Retail Media Network (RMN) has officially jumped the shark! Rezwana Manjur, Editor in Chief for MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, recently penned a compelling article about an “industry-first” example of an airline creating an RMN. This highlights a broader trend: significant marketing and advertising innovations often undergo a naming adjustment period. Remember the early days of Digital Marketing? We called it New Media, eMarketing, Web Marketing, etc. Similarly, AI has been referred to as machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks. And let’s not forget the Metaverse, encompassing VR/AR/MR, Crypto, Blockchain, and NFTs. 🤔 While “Retail Media Networks” might be the term we’re using now, it’s much more essential to focus on what truly makes an RMN successful and therefore how it can make you successful in achieving your marketing & advertising objectives? Here are my key takeaways from the article: 1. Don’t be misled by the term “Retail.” The name refers to the trend’s origins, not its core. RMNs can be any media commerce network that connects you with a sizeable, frequently visiting audience. Effective media is about both reach and frequency. 📈 2. Fresh, first-party data is crucial. Networks with users who visit weekly or daily have a significant advantage. Recent data & insights is the killer ingredient that makes great RMNs stand out. 🔍 3. While closing the loop between advertising and sales is a must have. The truly valuable RMNs provide full-funnel opportunities, including metrics like brand-lift studies. Consumers don’t only live in just one part of the marketing funnel. Consider the data & statistics from our own Grab Superapp platform to illustrate this point: • On average, users spend 17 minutes browsing before ordering. ⏳ • 60% come to our platform without a specific food brand in mind. 🍽️ • 90% use our platform to find a new place they’ve never tried before. 🌟 So it is super important to focus on these critical aspects and redefine what makes an RMN successful before you jump in 🐇 What are your thoughts on the general evolution of new marketing terminologies? Share your experiences and insights!👇 #RMN #DigitalMarketing #Data #Insights. GrabAds

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Our latest global research report. Packed with insights on the "New Traveler", their motivations and how they have reimagined travel in 2024. Enjoy 50+ pages of custom intel: https://lnkd.in/g3VztxTT

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As airline FFPs continue to blur and become less attractive to less frequent travelers, some strategies on how to engage with customers, in ways that are meaningful to them. https://lnkd.in/egj2eJPT

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Brand stories 📚 are something that has kept me in this business but also the thing that feeds my passion for this industry❤️‍🔥 It’s also the leading thing that has kept me focused on #community. As someone in #partnerships, it’s extremely important to me to provide value instead of cheap buzz 🐝 & logo sharing on websites. Conversations like this are steps closer to that value and solving real life problems. #ecommerce #diversity #founderstories

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Unlock the power of CMOs as Chief Dot Connectors. Great 2-3 minute read.

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So This is Fascinating and I am very pleased. This week I posted that we needed responsibility to come back into programmatic. Because otherwise everyone blames others and we end up with a polluted ecosystem (fraud, bad content, MFA, hate etc). I have been talking about this in different ways for years. We need some level of walls to keep out the bad actors. We need some level of responsibility to maintain standards. Its clear that TTD and Jeff Green agree. This is at the nub of the push to the premium internet. With TTD taking some level of responsibility for what happens on their platform. Its also worth saying that the easy option is to do nothing. Many platforms make millions out of poor content in the short term. We need more action like this for the long term. For thats the point. This is not altruistic but acting to secure the long term viability of the channel.

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Just finished off a week of career growth at #TeamAmex focusing on Reflecting, Learning and Connecting. Proud to be a part of an organization that truly believes in the development of their talent, and walks the talk with a great series of engaging and insightful seminars. The highlight would be the inspirational voice of Michael “Pinball” Clemons talking through his own career journey, facing his challenges, and continuing on strong with his ever-present and infectious positivity! He left us all graduates of his own PHD (Positivity; Humble; Discipline). Face each day with his PHD, and you can only succeed: Positivity. Face every opportunity with positivity. In his words, even being “neutral” is being negative because you’re not challenging the status quo, yourself, or others around you. Humble. Be humble on yourself that you always do your best, no matter the outcome. Focus on being humble to allow others to help, come together, and to work as teams and colleagues to achieve greatness. Discipline. Discipline builds your accountability to drive growth, change, and success. Creates trust and reliability with your team and colleagues. And drives personal development as you focus on constant and consistent improvement. I hope everyone takes time out of your day-to-day to reflect on your own personal development, individual goals, and what success means to you.

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