– INSIGHTS –

How friend-generated content can rule travel decision making

“OMG I was there last year! You must go to that bazaar on Bugis Street!”

We’ve all seen it in the comments box of an earlybird-filtered photo from downtown Singapore by night. And chances are the Instagrammer who posted it actually comes back home with a lamp or some other souvenir from that place.

People go where friends tell them to go. But apparently marketers in general haven't quite noticed yet.

Friends Matter. Seriously.

There seems to be a disconnect in the marketing world, and it’s a very serious and expensive one for brands everywhere. While it’s really nothing new, for some reason brands aren’t picking up on it.

According to a recent Offerpop study, 85% of users surveyed find visual user-generated content (UGC) more influential than brand photos or videos. Strangely, the same study argues that only 65% of marketers believe in user-generated content. Also, when it comes to user motivations, we learn from the study that users are twice as likely to share something because they want a friend to see it, but again only 14 percent of brands are aware that this behaviour takes place.

The same study also mentions the fact that 93% of people believe that user-generated content helps them make more informed and smarter purchase decisions.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that UGC, or FGC (friend-generated content) as we more accurately like to refer to it here at Storyo, is a very powerful means to influence decision-making. People are obviously most influenced by those closest to them – i.e. their friends and acquaintances.

But does this mean brands have to be left out of the picture (or out of the video for that matter)? On the contrary, brands can offer fans the tools that allow them to share their experiences through content that is unique and creative, turning this into a “win-win-win” situation – for the brand, the fans and their friends.

You're not planning your customer's trips, their friends are.

If this is true for almost all kinds of product or service brands, there are some businesses in which FGC has an even greater weight in the decision-making process. Those are the businesses where the testimony of an incredible experience is more effective than hundreds of online ad impressions.

The travel industry may be the best example of this. Amusement parks and resorts, cruise lines, travel and accommodation agencies, booking platforms and even airlines, they all know that a satisfied customer is the shortest way to attract new ones that come by recommendation (see below figures from UK Holidaymakers study, by Deloitte).

So why not empower those customers with tools to share their incredible experiences in incredible ways?

Source: Deloitte, Travel Consumer 2015

This is a great opportunity for content creation tools that enable user generated content to a whole new level, enabling people to share their experiences when they travel or do fun stuff. Or just hang with their families and friends.

If you want to know more about how we work with brands to enhance their content strategy by leveraging their user’s generated content, check out our Business page.