- lioninside -

There are many reasons to attach a GPS tracker to your (or your kids) bike. For me, it was to make sure I can easily find my kids if I have to stop for whatever reason and they are already around the corner. But for sure a GPS tracker can be useful too if your bike gets stolen.

There are many GPS trackers on the market within a large price range. Most of them work very similarly:

They connect to the mobile network as a mobile phone does (that is why the tracker needs his own SIM) and transmit the GPS location to an app.

As you can imagine the device size and the battery life are key but I was looking for a device to permanently fix at the bicycle to make sure I do not forget the tracker at home.

While my product research, I came across the „Winnes GPS Bike Tracker Anti Theft„. The tracker looks like a backlight and works without an overpriced subscription as many other trackers. A „pay as you go SIM“ does the job perfectly (the tracker needs around 30MB/month).

The Winnies GPS device has a lower pricetag than the most similar devices and the brand is unknow. It was indeed a bit of a risk to buy it – but it was worth it.

Here is my review after 2 months of use.

Compared to a LED backlight in this price range, the Winnes GPS Bike Tracker looks cheaper and it is very big.
The light power is quite low but does the job for short evening rides in the park.
However, the tracker looks like a backlight and a thief will not recognise it as a GPS tracker and smash it.
The only indicator is the SIM icon on the side of the device.

The GPS tracker comes with different attachments. As I needed the tracker permanently fixed on the bike I replaced the handy screws.

Setting up the tracker is quite an adventure as the instructable looks very confusing.

Here a quick guide:

• Buy a pay as you go SIM card
• Put the SIM card into a phone and save the SIM phone number in your address book.
• Disable the SIM pin code
• Take the SIM card out of your phone and place it as shown on the photo below into the Winnes GPS Bike Tracker
• Make sure the tracker is fully charged
• Wait till the device has a GPS signal – you may need to go outside.
• Send an SMS to your tracker with this content: G123456#
• You should get an answer with battery status and the location. Don’t worry if the location is a factory in China – it will change later.
• Search on Google for the „APN setting“ followed by the SIM Brand. As I am using a Tesco SIM the APN are: APN: prepay.tesco-mobile.com Username: tescowap
  Password: password
• Now send in total three SMS to your tracker:
  1. APN123456 prepay.tesco-mobile.com
  2. APNuser123456 tescowap
  3. apnpasswd123456 password.
• The device will send you a confirmation SMS
• Search for the app WINNIES GPS and install it.
• Open the Winnins app and make sure your select Login by ID (and not username)
• Check the sticker on the device and enter the ID and the apnpasswd123456 (not the APN password!)
• Login

Now you should be able to see your tracker location. If not send another SMS with the text G123456# to check the status.

The app is in early-stage development and needs a bit of practice. Under „Issue command“ you’ll find several nice features like „turn the LED off“ and „save SOS numbers“. Those SOS numbers will get a Help! SMS as soon the button on the tracker is pressed.

Conclusion

Overall I am impressed by the value for the money. If you are looking for a cheap solution to track your bike the Winnies is the product to go for.
The setup needs a bit of time but if you are a bit a techie it is a quick (and fun) thing to do – and if you get stuck the WhatsApp help chat is very friendly.

Produkt Link on Amazon.

Some questions answered (will update):

How long does the battery last?
The device has a sleep mode to save battery. Without using the light I have to charge once a week.

Is a subscription needed?
No. You need a buy a Pay as you Go SIM.

I would describe myself as a post-liberal economist. During my studies at the University of Zurich, one of my subjects was “ Globalism“ and how it would impact the world. This was the big hype back then and we discussed the power of free markets, political systems, and the need for regulations.

However, as much as I admired those discussions and lectures, my deep love was/is the „digital world.“ Back then, we were more than sure any regulations would harm this sparkling digital development. We believed in a new world, completely self-regulated and saw it as serving the basis for global democratization.

Today, we know better.

The internet is under control and the „open spirit“ is long gone.

Accepting this status quo was very hard for me – but now is the moment of truth and I have stopped dreaming about the old digital world. I’ve had to rethink my opinion and one fundamental change I have with regard to the past is: Yes, we need (a lot) regulations.

Let me clarify two conditions in advance. I strongly believe:

• There are no perfect regulations
• Regulations are never a free lunch

So, should we regulate tech companies and in doing so break the speed of (digital) innovation? My answer is „Yes.“

Let me illustrate a very pure example from history. Nowadays, every self-claimed digitalization expert (remember the social media experts?) calls our time the beginning of the „fourth industrial revolution.“
Let us say this is true and look back in history to learn about previous industrial revolutions. The first revolution was 1780 – 1850. This was the beginning of industrialization. The second revolution was 1880 – 1930 and was driven by electricity and engines.
Both industrial revolutions brought us unbelievable befits and for sure radical thinkers and open frameworks were essential to kick starting these historical transformation processes.

Now back to the present and to the assumption that we are at the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution. By doing so we have to be honest and compare the „beginning of a revolution with the beginning and not the end of a revolution.“

What did the beginning of the first and second revolution look like? It was a mess! Pollution, sick factory workers, missing safety rules, etc.

Do we like to live in such a world? Of course not*.

To create today’s wealth and prosperity, the world back then needed responsible companies, „wise“ innovators, engaged employees, and…regulations.
I believe this is true for every industrial revolution. Even ours, the fourth. Because without regulations and rules (like safety), the free market will fail and so will the revolution.

So yes, we need to strongly regulate the digitalization, and it is our job as digital specialists to be reasonable and support the politicians.

In our imperfect world, rules are the only guarantees we have to create sustainable growth. It hurts but saves humanity in the long term.

*In the western world, we look over to those factories mostly in the Asian part of the world with thousands of badly protected factory workers and we all (even the biggest fans of the fourth revolution) say „those political systems failed horribly.“

Title photo by ev on Unsplash

Influencer Marketing has been in vogue for a few years now and we’ve learned the impact can be huge. The travel industry is trying hard to catch up and most DMOs, hotels, etc., have started adapting this form of marketing.

If I ask my travel marketing colleagues about “influencer marketing goals,” the answer is mostly “inspiration.” The KPIs are visits, likes given by their followers.

In most cases, influencer marketing in travel is all about finding and hiring a person who is able to (create and) distribute content and guarantee a positive response.

That is a nice concept but be aware:

This is not influencer marketing. This is spokesmodel marketing* (and this is not a bad thing).

Why? Let me discuss the difference between an influencer and a spokesmodel. This should allow you to optimize your next campaign.

Back in the day before the term “influencer” started to rise, we as marketers mostly used the term “innovator” (source).
From a marketing prospective an innovator is a person who is using an existing/new product in a new way, or they are someone who is creating a new combination of products.

Fashion, food but also sports are some of their playing fields.

These innovators are the people who create new patterns and love to change things.
Before social media the innovators reach was limited more or less to his physical community.

Today’s influencers are innovators without these physical limitation. They are the new generation of innovators. Every day we see influencers aka innovators creating new fashion styles and posting them on Instagram or developing new make-up styles and streaming them on YouTube.

Spokespersons on the other hand are (mostly paid) people “using/standing for” a product or a brand (source). Most spokesmodels are not famous because they create new application. They are famous because they are actors, models, athletes, etc. And yes, some spokesmodels are famous because they are social media stars :).

Now back to travel marketing: As described above, most so-called travel influencers are getting invited to a destination and there they enjoy existing services and products.
It is all about “existing products and services.”
Not new combinations, not new ideas. And more and more they get paid to do so.

The idea of paying someone to promote an existing product and service is proven „spokesmodel marketing“.

So this discussion is just about the wrong wording – but is that it?
Yes and no. For sure it does not matter if we use the wrong word, but it matters if we mix the concepts behind those two terms.

Here is the beef:

If your marketing concept desires someone to stand for/use your product hire someone who can be a good spokesmodel. They should represent your (desired) brand values with his personality. He/she can be a super popular internet celebrity or a serious actor. It is all about the match and the (viral) power of the person offering a spokesmodel’s personal branding.

If you need someone who is able to test, review, and distribute your travel products on social media, then do not just focus on likes given by their followers. Analyze these followers (target group) first by checking if they are able and willing to visit your destination – or if they just like the photo because of the photo (“Just because I like a cat video does not mean I will get a cat.”)

Additionally check if this person is able to influence people outside his own follower base.

(We took some random samples of followers and the results were very disappointing in terms of income, travel distance to destination, and travel profile of those followers).

And what about the real influencer?

They are discovering new and hidden places, trying out new ways to travel, working on new ideas to interact with the local community…
These guys may help you to find the next trend. But be careful: Do not name them “influencers” – but innovators :)

*In german: „testimonial marketing“

Websites haben unendlich Raum für Content – das ist Segen und Fluch zugleich. Segen für Marketers, die noch eine Landingpage, und noch eine Landingpage wollen – und Fluch für den Webmaster, der diese orchestrieren/analysieren muss.

Auch wenn heutige CMS innert Kürze Landingpages generieren können, stellt sich die Frage was guter Content ist und welchen Ansprüchen dieser genügen soll.

Als destinationsübergreifene Organisation erreichen uns täglich spannende Inputs zu Themen, die aufgearbeitet werden könnten. Ein solches Thema kann z.B. „Die besten Familien-Hotels“ oder „Bier-Reisen“ sein.

Um diese Themen zu selektieren, haben wir ein Framework installiert. Dieses soll sich dynamisch etablieren, d.h. wollen keine abschliessenden Checkliste schaffen, die universell eingesetzt werden kann.
Das Framework soll so nicht nur eine Hilfestellung sein, sondern die interne Kreativität fördern und die Messbarkeit der Qualität von Anfang an berücksichtigen.

Über diesem Framework steht bei uns der Ansatz von Content-Excellenz als Herzstück im Marketing. Jedes Content-Thema wird dabei als Micro-Kampagne interpretiert und priorisiert. Dadurch fördern wir intern eine holistische Betrachtung des Themas und die Berücksichtigung von klassischen Kampagnen-Attributen wie Timing, Ziele, Reportings.

Framework Content-Qualität – was ist guter Content im Travel.

1. Click bait: Wie hoch ist das click bait Risiko?
   Das Einstufen eines Artikels als click bait birgt eine grosse Gefahr – kann aber einfach verhindert werden. Anleitungen dazu gibt es z.B. hier.
2. Goal: Hier unterscheiden wir zwischen Shares, Aufenthaltsdauer, Comments, Sales und Leads. Ein Thema hat immer nur ein Ziel – z.B. Comments.
   Bei Shares ist das Ziel des Themas eine Viralität zu erzeugen. Die Aufenthaltsdauer ist ein qualitatives Merkmal, das von Google mehr und mehr belohnt wird (siehe Dwell Time). Der Fokus auf Comments bedingt eine gewisse kontroverse Ausrichtung des Themas oder ein Aufruf zur Interaktion. Sales sind Buchungen, Ticket Verkäufe etc. Leads sind z.B. Webinar Teilnehmer, Newsletter Anmeldungen etc.
3. Mentor/Value: Die Frage nach dem „Value für die Leserin“ bzw. „was hat diese davon?“ gehört zu den etabliertesten Attributen in der Content-Qualität. Wir splitten intern den Value auf in Answer (Beantwortet der Content eine Frage, die höchstens 20% der Leser schon kennen) und Learn (ist es ein Bericht/Aufsatz). Ein Artikel ist immer nur eines. Ergänzend verfolgen wir den Mentor-Anspruch mit der Anforderung, dass der User nach dem Konsumieren des Contents voll informiert ist und seine Suche stoppt.
4. Actionale: Gibt es eine weiterführende/gewinnbringende Action, die die User nach dem Lesen ausführen können? Dies kann z.B. ein Link zu einer How-To Anleitung, einer Packliste etc. sein. Diesen weiterführenden Inhalt überprüfen wir mit A/B Tests.
5. Inline Actions: Können Inline-Actions angewendet werden? Dies können z.B. Textlinks im Fliesstext sein. Inline-Actions können je nach Seitenstruktur mehrfach aufgeführt werden. So haben wir z.B. bei einem Artikel über einen Ski-Ressort die Information zur Anfahrt mehrfach angeteasert. Hier kommen ebenfalls A/B Tests zum Einsatz.
6. Keyword Analysis: Bei uns ist die SEO-Analyse und das Erstellen der Keyword-List wesentlich, aber nicht der erste Schritt. Dies aufgrund der einschränkenden Wirkung, und weil die Keywords nicht zwingend eine qualitative Aussage ermöglichen (z.B. in Bezug auf die Dwell Time).Bei der Keyword Liste geht es nicht ausschließlich um den Titel des Contents, sondern auch um Fliesstext, Bild/Video Caption, Slides etc.
7. SEO: Können die in der Keyword List erfassten SEO-relevanten Wörter im Content effektiv angewendet werden ohne dass es zu einem „SEO-Text“ wird, der nicht mehr lesbar ist.
8. Expertise: Wir haben selber den Anspruch als Experten wahrgenommen zu werden und können dies auch mehrheitlich erfüllen. Für spezifische Themen kann es sehr interessant sein weitere Experten beizuziehen. Dies können z.B. Gäste sein, die unsere Angebote konsumieren. Im Idealfall haben die Experten eine Community und posten den Artikel zusätzlich auf ihren Kanälen. Wenn wir Experten zitieren, informieren wir diese wenn immer möglich. Hier kann sich ebenfall die Chance ergeben, dass diese den Artikel in ihrer Community sharen.
9. Distribution: An die eigene Facebook Page und den Newsletter denkt man schnell. Eine persönliche Email an bestimmte Adressaten, die Verlinkung in der Signatur etc. können zusätzliche Owned Kanäle sein. Hier gilt es festzulegen, wie gemessen und ggf. getestet werden kann. Auch kann es sinnvoll sein den Teaser je nach Kanal anzupassen.
10. Interaktion: Die Interaktion wie z.B. ein Quiz oder eine Diskussion kann auch in einem anderen Umfeld stattfinden. Ein Artikel zu „den besten Familien-Hotels“ kann z.B. einen Aufruf enthalten auf der Unternehmens-Facebook Seite den eigenen Favoriten als Comment zu posten („Was ist ihr Favorit? Schreiben sie es auf unserer Facebook Page“).
11. Serie: Ist eine Fortführung unter einem übergreifenden Titel wie z.B. „Auf den Spuren von…“ möglich. Dies kann auch nachträglich konzipiert werden und ist vom Erfolg eines Artikels abhängig. Eine gute Serie kann dem User einen grossen Mehrwert und v.a. Orientierung bringen.

Bonus: Vertiefen vs. neu
Das Content Marketing ist oftmals getrieben von der Entwicklung neuer Themen. Ein Blick in die Analytics zeigt ggf. auch Potential auf, bestehende Themen zu vertiefen.

Travel marketing is indeed a very special form of marketing, and I am still not sure if it’s closer to retail marketing or art marketing. Do we sell products, services or dreams? Are we even able to influence the highly complex and sensitive path to purchase?

I would like to leave this question unanswered and move on to another challenge in tourism marketing:

Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) structures

As Head of Marketing for Switzerland’s number 1 travel destination*, I am facing these structural challenges every day. It would be an oversimplification to say, “It’s all bad.” My intention is to discuss the complexity and the impact.

Most touristic regions have a DMO and most of them are state-subsidized. The DMO’s job is to promote the destination – or in other words: the DMO is the organization behind the “destination brand.”

It’s in the nature of things that every DMO has a lot (!) of stakeholders, and as they need tax-money, political forces are also playing a big role. Discussion about what’s good and what’s wrong on a very basic level is their daily business.
The structural crux is that a DMO is similar to a “shop-in-shop concept”—speaking in retail marketing words.

Example

Let’s say a DMO is a retail store like Target or Walmart. The DMO-store is working hard to create an image/brand and the management invests time and money into target group analysis, research, etc.
Some of those DMO-stores even have guest cards to collect data and award loyalty. But what are they selling? Most of the DMOs do not have any products. The DMO-store is empty but well decorated with beautiful lakes, mountains, beaches, etc. But there is nothing to buy.
Because the DMO-store is state-subsidized and mostly too small to produce their own products, they invite hotels, restaurants, and other touristic product vendors to open their own shop within the DMO-shop.

The shop-in-shop concept can be very successful as we know from the retail industry but one of the critical factors is “ownership” and “power.”

Why? Imagine a shop-in-shop vendor starts to sell tanks instead of dog food. Walmart may not be happy. As the store owner, Walmart is able to say “no.”

This is not the case for a DMO. They are not able to kick out a hotel of the DMO-store just because it does not fit into the DMOs strategy. For sure within the DMO-store diversification is guaranteed and some guests may honor this.

But when it comes to quality, the guests become sensitive. Let’s say those tanks the vendor is selling are very poor quality. The guests are disappointed and the store now also has a problem because the store’s brand stands for quality and selection.

Again: If the shop owner has the power to kick out the vendor: no problem.
But for the DMO this is not possible. They have to live with bad products within their store.

What are some DMOs doing to avoid the problem?

They create labels like “best kite-surfer hotels” (similar to POS standees at retail stores). This may help, but it does not solve the problem in the long term as the “not labeled hotels” are still part of the financing structure (tax money) of the DMO.

Conclusion

The DMO structure is complex and there will never be “one perfect solution.” Tax paying stakeholders, political forces, uncontrollable quality issues, runaways, and no power are limiting the scope of DMOs significantly. We have to be aware of this when we create requirements and ask for KPIs.

In other words: We cannot ask a dog to lay an egg, but we can ask the dog to retrieve. And how to do this in the best possible way should dominate the discussion.

//*Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer