Marketing is an ideal career choice for someone who wants to work in an industry that keeps up to speed with the very latest technological innovations, makes use of good people and communication skills and is creative. As Career FAQS points out, it’s also needed in virtually every organisation so there is the chance to get good jobs in a host of different business and locations.

What links such diverse travel marketers, like airlines, hotels, cruise lines, rental car agencies, travel agencies, tour operators, and travel media outlets, in their pursuit of sales, growth and profits? Those marketers that win and beat their direct competition will be the ones that understand the needs, wants and desires of the best potential customers and put insights into action with marketing strategies, tactics and guest services that really matter. 

When it comes down to the best potential customers for any travel marketer, it is the affluent consumer, people with plenty of disposable income to spend and an appetite for new, exotic, out-of-the-ordinary experiences.

Companies are continually searching for ways to stand out from the crowd and capitalise on new technology to promote themselves. What’s clear is that the mobile phone, the device sitting in everyone’s pockets, is vitally important for the future of marketing. Firms need to go where their audience is, and their audience, invariably, is on their smartphone – be it for browsing the internet, sending an SMS, making a call, using a social media app, taking photos or any of the many other multitude of functions these ubiquitous devices can perform.

Market research is the process of gathering valuable information about the needs and preferences of consumers. It helps in determining if there is a market for a product or service and is a key part in developing any business. It gives businesses an insight into the profiles and spending habits of consumers and provides companies with the data necessary for making good business decisions.

When it comes to marketing, attempting to sell your audience on an idea or concept can sometimes be more challenging than simply selling a finite product. Historically, marketing sustainability has certainly faced its obstacles, particularly in the United States. Numerous approaches have been taken – some appeal to our higher purpose, or our environmental responsibility, while others believe it is more about focusing on the "me" factor, or the direct value to the consumer. Despite these challenges, recent studies are showing that U.S. consumer attitudes toward sustainability are trending optimistically, reaching an all-time high. With this in mind, marketing an environmentally-conscious brand story and business model may have an impact on more than just the environment; it may be as important as ever to your brand image and even your bottom-line.

At its core, insights uncovered by B2B market research provide companies the information necessary to make better informed strategic decisions. Most research projects have two dimensions to consider: type and scope. Defining the best type of market research project is most often driven by the need for a deeper understanding of either customers, competition, or a target market, while the scope is determined by the depth of the data needed to provide the insight for the strategic decision at hand.

The vast majority of companies competing in today’s global economy conduct some form of market research for the markets in which they currently participate or may potentially participate. Companies usually look to outside firms for their research and are faced with the choice of purchasing either syndicated or custom market research. Because the cost of performing the research is spread over multiple clients, syndicated research offers a cost-effective solution for firms seeking general market information. The goal of syndicated research is to appeal to a greater number of potential buyers, so it typically provides a macro-level overview of a market, basic market segmentation, and often a broad array of competitive profiles.On the other hand, custom market research is proprietary and “tailor made” to the client needs, delivering richer and deeper information in the areas deemed important. Although more expensive than syndicated, the collaborative nature of custom research can deliver excellent value for the following reasons.

The Business-to-Business (B2B) market is different in fundamental ways from the Business-to-Consumer (B2C) sector. Typically, B2C transactions occur through an intermediary, such as a retailer or agent, while B2B refers to transactions that take place between businesses and are generally upstream from consumer transactions. This blog post will discuss the eight key criteria that distinguish B2B markets with implications that directly affect market research.

Unity Marketing's look at the five most important trends for marketers targeting the U.S. affluent customer in 2015

2015 is shaping up to be a challenging year for luxury marketers, following last year, which wasn't particularly bright for luxury brands worldwide. Newly-affluent Chinese consumers cut back on luxury indulgences, and affluents in many Euro countries were impacted by a downturn in macroeconomic forces. Japan, the world's number two market for luxury, remains caught up in a long-standing recession, which only deepened at the end of 2014. And, while the U.S. economy looks stronger on paper, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the government agency that calculates the GDP, just reported that consumer spending declined by .3% in December, despite reported growth in personal income and disposable income. That means one thing: consumers are saving their gains, rather than spending them.

“Big Data” has been quite a buzzword in recent years, but it does have some real world implications for those in the market research industry. As technology evolves, it bleeds into market research and creates both new challenges as well as opportunities. Internet and mobile research have blended with new tools, such as survey applications, and many brands are taking advantage. What does this mean for market research and the professionals that perform it? Will they be pushed to the side, or is there a way for market researchers to adapt and strengthen themselves through these new technologies?