Friday 18 July 2014

Tourism: ‘Word of Mouth’ and Review Advertisements

As our July winter holiday comes to a close after next week, I’m sure we’re all going to be missing our warm tropical getaways; but we’re also going to be telling absolutely everyone about our travels! These vacation recaps with our friends may truly be where companies in the tourism industry make their money, because you don’t want anything but the best on your next trip.

It is crucial for tourism companies to have honest reviews on the internet because it can seriously effect other guests’ experiences. But have you ever heard of a company actually being honest about the type of advertisement they want from you? It was actually quite a surprise to be asked to participate in a ‘word of mouth’ campaign when the friendly crew aboard the Reef Experiences cruise in Cairns, QLD asked us to go “tell all your friends about the great time you had!”


Well guys, here’s your advertisement! It was extremely effective to be honest and tells us tourists what you want us to do; other companies would have put a logo on every photo, or made you jump through hoops just to get a 5% discount on a food voucher or something. This family owned business really operates with sincerity and it shows through their services, their crew and the safety of guests.



Additionally, even when there isn’t any ‘word of mouth’ advertising taking place, the internet and trip advisor act as a second opinion, and a very prominent one. ‘Word of mouth’ advertising is aided by the reviews because now you don’t have to know the person to find any information you want, instead, it is all in one place where you can sift through many experiences.

So the next time you get asked to fill out a survey to get a discount or end up with a silly logo in the bottom of your overpriced photos, remember this company and the honesty that’s required to have a successful following through ‘word of mouth’ advertisement.

Christine Drpich
Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

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