Luxury Travel & Lifestyle Trends

Movies, songs and MTV first made “get real” and “keeping it real” street buzzwords in the distant ‘90s. Now, the same notion of getting real perfectly describes what consumers want this decade. Impatient, short of time and technically savvy, today’s affluent spenders are accustomed getting what they want, when and where they want it.

Travel marketers take note: A December 2009 MarketingSherpa survey indicates that deals aren’t the top motivation for social media engagement, but users also want deeper engagement – learning about new products, features or services. Sharing interesting content that users care about, alongside the deals and discounts they have come to expect, will keep users engaged and spur them to pass along your marketing messages.

The term “mobile” reflects consumers growing demand for immediacy in their interactions. Sparked by Twitter, Facebook and FriendFeed, immediacy is compelling, engaging, highly addictive. Our recent favorite: the Twitter tool that shows who else is at the airport.

Temporary stores have been popping up with some regularity since 2003, but pricey rents and a lack of available space made them a major investment. Now temporary stores have emerged as a perfect solution for cash-strapped brands, commission-hungry brokers and landlords faced with a glut of commercial real estate space. Brands are using these interim spaces as a means to create buzz, test new concepts or even evaluate a new neighborhood or city.

We’re just back from Eye for Travel’s Online Marketing Strategies for 2009 conference in Miami with lots of solid information, inspiration and interesting facts. Here are some highlights which resonated with us..