With July began the silly season and some not-so-daft moves by the online travel industry

On the first day of August we recap our content from the month of July to find that even in a slower month the industry keeps moving.

1. Alaska Airlines aims high with a big and bold brand revamp

In this piece we take a look the most substantial update to Alaska Airlines’ brand in 25 years. We hear details from Sangita Woerner, VP Marketing, Alaska Airlines who explains how the airline worked to receive more credit and national exposure. We also glean insights from the design agency Hornall Anderson on the rebranding revamp which it says involved visual, verbal, and emotive storytelling. We share videos from the process as well as key performance indicators which include everything from ‘making the invisible visible’ and creating an energetic and compelling brand. David Bates, the creative director at Hornall Anderson and Sangita Woerner, VP Marketing, Alaska Airlines will be sharing more insights into the campaign at TDS North America Oct 6-7.

2. How ixigo is ‘kicking ass’ with content

Ahead of an upcoming fundraiser, Sally White takes a look at how an Indian OTA’s thorough approach to travel is paying off. So far, its success has come from content and storytelling. A quotable quote comes from ixigo’s video marketer Aashish Chopra who told venture site Growth Hacking India a few weeks ago. “If you have powerful content you get noticed and the ROI baby starts to dance”. Now Ixigo is about to test its popularity in a different market, writes Sally White, and is rumoured to be seeking around $20 million for growth and development in late summer or early autumn with content still the name of the game.

3. momondo’s viral DNA campaign: part of a process to ‘bottle the brand’

Another marketing success story this month comes from metasearch momondo. EyeforTravel speaks to the team to catch up on how a viral DNA marketing campaign, launched shortly before Brexit, has been faring into July. We speak to CEO Hugo Burge as well ashead of PR Julie Pedersen who conceived and ran with the campaign for the latest stats. With 150 million views on Facebook (including views on third-party pages), YouTube and momondo’s site Letsopenourworld.com, 7,5 million social engagements (comments, likes, reactions and shares) and 150,000 DNA Journey competition sign-ups it seems the sentiment of this campaign could not have been more timely.

4. In search of the marketing tech sweet spot

From LED strip lights on a bicycle to social meets real world hashtag photo kiosk in hotels and directional loudspeakers, new technologies can give creative marketers an edge. In this piece Andrew Hennigan shares methods for refreshing ideas that are in the “sweet spot between not-quite-working-yet and boring old hat”. But a word of warning: these ideas can also become very quickly tired.

5. Pokémon Go and Google get South Korean mappers thinking

So much has already been said about Pokémon Go but last week Korean government mapping officials said it would reconsider its relationship with Google Maps, which may mean that the game could become more widespread in a country where, because of an arbitrary glitch, can only be played in a remote northeastern region, which has been given an unlikely tourism boost.

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