2012MediaPanelNotes

DH&R Sales Conference - Jan 16 - 19, 2012

Media Panel 2012

During our annual sales conference, January 16-19, we hosted a fun and informative media panel focused on the current media landscape and travel trends for 2012. We wanted to share a brief recap of the panel.


Cristina Goyanes, Freelance: Cristina Goyanes got her start at Men's Health magazine in 2003. From there, she joined the launch team who created Women's Health magazine, one of the fastest growing publications in the industry. She worked as an editor there from May 2004 to September 2008. That fall, she moved to a gorgeous Tuscan countryside through WWOOF to pluck olives on a stunning, lush green organic farm.

Upon her return to her hometown of New York City in January 2009, she found it harder than ever to sit still. As a freelance editor and writer, she has continued to travel from the ends of the earth -- Europe's northernmost point in Norway to South Africa's breathtaking Cape Town -- and plenty of places in between, including the thoroughly modern city of Barcelona where she spent the summer of 2010 working on U.S. assignments while exploring the Basque country.

Topics she loves to cover include travel/adventure, fitness, culture and people. Her byline has appeared in the following publications: Women's Health, Fitness, Weight Watchers Magazine, Men's Health, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Bicycling, Newsweek.com, iYogaLife.com, and MyLifetime.com. She's currently a contributing editor at ESPN.

Panelists


Joshua Pramis, Online and Social Media Editor, Travel & Leisure: Joshua Pramis is the social media editor for Travel + Leisure, the world’s leading travel magazine brand. He is responsible for representing Travel + Leisure across multiple social networks including @travlandleisure on Twitter and www.facebook.com/TravelandLeisure.

Joshua began working as a freelance editor for Travel + Leisure soon after he graduated from Purchase College in 2006. A technology enthusiast who can rarely be found without a gadget of some sort in his hand, Joshua lives in New York City. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @joshuapramis

Panelists

http://www.facebook.com/TravelandLeisure


Meagan Drillinger, Editor, Travel + Hospitality Group: Meagan is and editor overseeing content for Travel Agent, Luxury Travel Advisor, The Informed Traveler, Hotel Management, HA&D TravelAgentCentral.com, LuxuryTravelAdvisor.com and HospitalitylWorldNetwork.com

Panelists


Meagan: Anything an agent can make money on! We work on both short and long lead deadlines, so anything from a day out for online content to two months or more for in-book.Josh: A well written subject line is key to getting my attention. Consider your subject a tweet. Be sure to look at our editorial calendars and pitch timely, relevant content. We work on a 4-6 month lead time for print, shorter for online/socialCristina: Be sure to read the magazine and the sections I write for before pitching; make sure there is a fitness hook. My publications are really focused on domestic travel; all-inclusives are very big. My lead times vary per publication but 4 months or more out is usually good.

When it comes to pitching, what are you looking for from PR professionals? How do you like to be pitched, what kind of information is of most interest and what are you coming up against in terms of lead times?


All panelists: Yes, they are still relevant, however, keep them short, newsy and to the point. Don’t send releases that don’t pertain to them, i.e. they don’t care about a special dinner you’re hosting to raise money for a local charity. Think big news, national in scope.

Are Press Releases Still Relevant?


Meagan: A pitch on dog coats. Again, know you’re audience, we cover topics of interest to travel agents and a dog coat isn’t one of them.

Josh: A pitch for a product that relieves gas while you travel. He seconded Meagan, T+L doesn’t cover that type of story.

Cristina: The worst pitches are the ones that just ramble on and on, get to the point in the first paragraph, and again, make it relevant to my outlets.

What’s the Worst Pitch You’ve Ever Received?


Josh: Obviously, its very important at American Express, otherwise, I wouldn’t have my job. Our main platforms are Twitter and Facebook. We’ll be launching a new series that ties into the print issue called “The Ground” in which we crowd source info. through our social channels and then guide our writers based on that for their print story. You can pitch him via twitter but be sensitive to that fact that his FB page is personal.

Meagan: Facebook is a great way for me to source experts or quickly get info for upcoming stories.

Discuss the impact of social media on publishing


Josh: Yes, T+L will cover on occasion

Cristina: No

Meagan: No

Do you cover vacation rentals?


Meagan: Exotic Destinations, as the world gets smaller, its easier for people to travel to these unusual locales

Josh: Still a big focus on affordability, even for the wealthy, everyone wants to feel like the got a good deal or value

Cristina: Affordability

What are the top editorial trends you see for this year?


Hot or Not?

Topic Meagan Josh Cristina

Eco-Friendly Not Not Not

All-Inclusive Hot Hot Hot

Glamping Hot-ish Hot Hot

Mancation Hot Idea is hot, not the word Hot

Taking the Kids Hot Luke Warm Not for her pubs

Girlfriend Getaways Hot Hot Hot

Luxury Vacations Hot Hot, but need added value

Hot, but need to show why you deserve it

Destination Weddings Hot Hot Not for her pubs

Experiential Travel Hot, this is the hottest trend in travel

Hot, agree Hot, agree

Solo Travel On the rise On the Rise Hot

Voluntourism Luke Warm Luke Warm Luke Warm

Culinary Travel Hot Hot Hot

Babymoons Not Not Hot

Flash Sales Hot Hot Hot

Digital Detox Hit or Miss Hot Not

Specialty Concierge Luke Warm Luke Warm Luke Warm

Pet Friendly Not Not Possibly

Staycations Hot Hot Hot


All panelists: Smaller towns with cool cultural happening/access to great experiences

All panelists: Destinations featured in reality TV programs

What are Hot Domestic Destinations?


Experiential travel is king, be sure to provide crash courses, combine interesting activities and have pro’s on hand to provide instruction.

Group and individual press trips are still in vogue, but most preferred individual

Final Thoughts

Documents

2012MediaPanelNotes