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Written by Trudi Beggs, Director, 8020 Communications
Journalists crave compelling and trustworthy stories – and data sits at the heart of this. Don’t just take our word for it. When asked specifically what communications professionals can do to make their jobs easier, 66% of journalists said they want more ‘data and expert sources’ (according to research by Cision).
However, when engaging travel journalists and using data as part of a PR campaign, many companies are guilty of filling their pitches with too much irrelevant jargon, self-serving nonsense, or overblown hyperbole.
Let’s explore how travel and aviation companies can create data-driven PR campaigns that build trustworthy relationships with journalists and drive tangible results.
Data adds credibility, reliability, and authority to your stories, positioning your brand as a thought-leader in your industry. Generally, data-driven messages are often more interesting and informative, especially in travel where consumer habits and behaviours are easily trackable.
Quantifying your stories with hard data will make it infinitely more memorable and engaging, while also demonstrating your credibility in predicting trends and identifying changes to the market over time.
Travel journalists are rightfully picky when it comes to which stories gain coverage. Their inboxes are often flooded with irrelevant PR pitches and marketing babble. As we observed, data helps makes your stories more eye-catching, but there are many other key factors to consider when pitching, including:
Commissioning your own research projects around topics and trends important to the industry is a great way to attract media attention and raise your brand’s profile. If you’re consistent with the quality of your data and its launch dates, your research will become something journalists look out for, even proactively incorporating it into their own editorial calendars.
Working closely with your market research partners is critical to producing valuable surveys and analysis-driven results. Through close collaboration and always keeping media content front of mind, your media coverage net will be cast wider, reaching both national and trade press.
Journalists love unique data with fresh and interesting angles, so take advantage of the wealth of aggregated customer data available to you. You literally have the latest travel insights (collective customer behaviour and trends, preferences, purchase activity) in the palm of your hand – use them.
However, many travel and aviation brands fall into the trap of pushing their own agenda, or prioritising self-serving data. There’s a balance to strike here. Yes, your data should, ultimately, be painting your product or service in a good light – but remember, journalists are a perceptive bunch, and they’re not fans of the hard sell.
As the world’s leading provider of digital flight information and analytics for airports, providing quality data is OAG’s modus operandi. To build OAG’s reputation among relevant audiences, 8020 Communications identified topical aviation topics and trends, including the London Heathrow expansion debate and the varying success of airline alliances.
By delivering a multi-format, data-driven PR campaign, OAG earned a prominent position across the industry, with 68% of coverage achieved in tier one publications. Check out our full case study here.
8020 Communications is a PR and digital marketing consultancy for aviation, travel and mobility and is an ABTA Partner. For more information, visit www.8020comms.com.