Quick Look into the Online Travel Industry Sramana Mitra recently has written an excellent overview about the state and future of the Online Travel Industry and provides several insights running the travel category against his formula for the future incorporating Yahoo's turnaround formula, the 4C:

Web 3.0 = (4C + P + VS), where 3C = Content, Commerce, Community, the 4th C = Context, P = Personalization and VS = Vertical search

New for me was the context, which means gravity in terms of organization, marketers should be able to systematically reach the community in a specific context (contextual advertising).

Management of Products and Services within Digital Markets (own research)

1. Search and Directory

1. Search
2. Vertical Search

2. Content and Community

1. Groupware and Collaboration
2. Information Management
3. Knowledge Management
4. Content Management
5. Work-flows
6. Multi Channel Facilities
7. Single Sign On
8. Special Applications

3. Transactions (Commerce)

1. Catalog
2. Shopping Cart
3. Address Book
4. Shipping Options
5. Payment Gateways
6. Self-service Tools
7. Marketing Instruments

4. Context
5. Personalization

1. Implicit Personalization
2. Explicit Personalization

6. CS - DC
7. BI

Interesting is people's behavior in researching travel related information and decision making. It turns out that their favorite methods include researching travel related price comparison sites, RSS-feeds, review sites, blogs and travel sites, while consumer generated content and easy to use tools have a huge impact on their decision making.

Online Travel is a booming segment representing 2% of Internet traffic and 24% of online advertising expenses and offers excellent growth opportunities during the coming years, in the US as in Europe and increasingly in Asia/Pacific. Among the leading sites Expedia, TripAdvisor, Y! Travel, Orbitz, VirtualTourist (Blog) and Gusto (Network)..., and of course it's also possible to research flight related information in the US via Google, just type the airport's three letter code followed by the word "airport" or the name of the airline followed by the flight number.

Having a passion for travel and sports I did a bit of research about Bezurk.com, a travel search engine located in Asia Pacific, which recently launched a new flight search product incorporating a very innovative user interface featuring cutting edge AJAX making sorting, filtering and comparing travel products a walk in the park.

Labels: bizdev, strategy

  ¶ 'Quick Look into the Online Travel Industry' posted by eA : 5:01 PM  1 comments links to this post

  Into the Air with AJAX
From Wikipedia:

'This aerobatic team is split into "the Diamond" (Blue Angels 1 through 4) and the Opposing Solos (Blue Angels 5 and 6). Most of their displays alternate between maneuvers performed by the Diamond and those performed by the Solos'.

Check out the new Google AJAX Search API Wizards, they are easy to integrate and a fast way to search several google videos, maps, news and books and allow mash ups and a better participation in current communications.

Labels: ajax, mashup, search, strategy, videos

  ¶ 'Into the Air with AJAX' posted by eA : 11:12 AM  0 comments links to this post

  Boarding Complete Two Boats - One Team - One Goal

• Pushing the Limits
• Harnessing the Power of Mother Nature
• Strategy: Balancing Speed and Safety (Part I + II)

Labels: sailing, strategy, videos

  ¶ 'Boarding Complete' posted by eA : 11:35 AM  0 comments links to this post

  Pushing the Limits New record:

• Harnessing the Power of Mother Nature
• Strategy: Balancing Speed and Safety (Part I + II)

Labels: sailing, strategy, videos

  ¶ 'Pushing the Limits' posted by eA : 3:12 PM  0 comments links to this post

  Harnessing the Power of Mother Nature Don't fight the Internet, master it!

• Strategy: Balancing Speed and Safety

Labels: sailing, strategy, videos

  ¶ 'Harnessing the Power of Mother Nature' posted by eA : 9:55 PM  0 comments links to this post

  Strategy: Balancing Speed and Safety The quest for victory in the hardest competition around the world, the Volvo Ocean Race: Balancing speed and safety in a competition powered by nature. Watch participants commenting the most challenging moments of an exceptional race.

Labels: sailing, strategy, videos

  ¶ 'Strategy: Balancing Speed and Safety' posted by eA : 5:34 PM  0 comments links to this post

  TnT 2.0 - Exploiting the Limits of Traditional Media Exploiting the limits of traditional media hot, trendy and ground-breaking technologies, disciplines and platforms let information structure emerge instead of imposing structure, filter, sort and prioritize the information (flood) and set a serious trend for the future.


Light-weight collaboration techniques, user-suggested tags, bottoms-up approach are just a few expressions to name in a 2.0 context.

• Innovation Counts: Social YoUser Networks on Top o...
• Design and YoUser-centric Innovation
• Social YoUser Models in 2007

Labels: markets, strategy, tnt, web2.0

  ¶ 'TnT 2.0 - Exploiting the Limits of Traditional Media' posted by eA : 2:50 PM  0 comments links to this post

  Social YoUser Models in 2007 User's most coveted sites have one in common: YoUser-generated content. The new Me-, My-, You-sites give control to the user and benefit from a word-of-mouth spreading through blogs and social networking resulting in an explosive growth.

Today, a YoUser's personal IT infrastructures and services often are equal to or better than even sophisticated enterprises. The emergence of Internet platforms, new technologies and a nearly ubiquitous Internet access furthered this evolution exploiting the limits of traditional media.

The modern YoUser will become increasingly dissatisfied in doing business with low-tech enterprises.

Shaping a business model based on the idea of a community means to balance the divergent interests of YoUsers, artists, the entertainment industry and technology.

Besides selling one's own products and services current business models for the YoUser involve

• Contextual, displayed, targeted and linked advertising
• RSS advertising
• Sponsoring and donations
• Affiliate programs and merchandising
• Social Commerce
  

I think that over the next few years many people will spend a lot more time on the Internet using it as a platform to meet, communicate and shop, to participate in virtual 3D events and to conduct business on a level of interaction we have never experienced before. Blurring the virtual and physical worlds just makes me think of how many business opportunities and of course challenges will occur in 2007.

• Web 2.0 Aftermath
• Creating Customized Applications via Mash Ups
• Trendy: Mobility and Cross-Platform Capabilities in 2007

Labels: bizdev, collaboration, strategy, trend

  ¶ 'Social YoUser Models in 2007' posted by eA : 2:29 PM  0 comments links to this post

  Yahoo Insights in Public Discussion I don't need Yahoo at all, but new technologies, disciplines and the hyper speed of today's platforms require new ways of thinking and skills, including strategy, creative and technology helping customers, users, audiences and participants effectively use or experience these solutions. It would be a pitty to abandon services like Flickr or Delicious.

I just discovered the 'Peanut Butter Manifesto' on WSJ quoting 'Brad Garlinghouse', a Yahoo senior vice president about products and services.

'We lack decisiveness. Combine a lack of focus with unclear ownership, and the result is that decisions are either not made or are made when it is already too late. Without a clear and focused vision, and without complete clarity of ownership, we lack a macro perspective to guide our decisions and visibility into who should make those decisions. We are repeatedly stymied by challenging and hairy decisions. We are held hostage by our analysis paralysis.

We end up with competing (or redundant) initiatives and synergistic opportunities living in the different silos of our company.

• YME vs. Musicmatch
• Flickr vs. Photos
• YMG video vs. Search video
• Deli.cio.us vs. myweb
• Messenger and plug-ins vs. Sidebar and widgets
• Social media vs. 360 and Groups
• Front page vs. YMG
• Global strategy from BU'vs. Global strategy from Int'l

We have lost our passion to win. Far too many employees are "phoning" it in, lacking the passion and commitment to be a part of the solution. We sit idly by while -- at all levels -- employees are enabled to "hang around". Where is the accountability? Moreover, our compensation systems don't align to our overall success. Weak performers that have been around for years are rewarded. And many of our top performers aren't adequately recognized for their efforts.
As a result, the employees that we really need to stay (leaders, risk-takers, innovators, passionate) become discouraged and leave. Unfortunately many who opt to stay are not the ones who will lead us through the dramatic change that is needed'.

• Hourly Work Activity in New Product Development
• Trendy: Mobility and Cross-Platform Capabilities in 2007
• Trendy: More Online Video Entertainment in 2007
• Strategic Program Outline 2007

Labels: product, strategy, yahoo

  ¶ 'Yahoo Insights in Public Discussion' posted by eA : 7:15 PM  0 comments links to this post

  Strategic Program Outline 2007 Spotlight 2.0 - Exploiting the Web as a Platform in 2007

Summary: Customer experience beats all!

Digital business is quickly becoming the method of choice for any enterprise to offer products and services on-demand to their market. Competition is the natural evolution in the way we will interact with, share and purchase products and services within the fastest moving market in the world today. Communications, content, commerce and search are the challenging activities today, simplicity is the most compelling competitive advantage and different business models associated with them lead to a natural segmentation of the marketplace.

During Web 1.0 design and content were dictated and information was stored in documents, now in Web 2.0 new applications let users combine data and functionality from a variety of sources into a custom environment blurring the line between software and the Internet using an architecture of participation.

AJAX is an ideal partner to design accessible, clean, fast and flexible interfaces for an infinite number of media and to complement modern SOA architectures. Building the next-generation information infrastructures now exploiting the Web as a platform means to embrace the Web's unique strength: Interaction and participation.

I'm offering:

• Strategic Market Planning • New Market Penetration • Market Research & Analysis
• Product & Service Developmet • Team Building & Management • Technology Selection
• Budget Preparation / Administration • Languages: German / English

Index:

1 Strategy Development for Digital Markets

2 Product & Service Development for Digital Markets

3 Management of Products and Services within Digital Markets
4 Middleware
5 Base Technology
6 Licences

About:

Andreas has been in Information and Communications Industries since 1999 and has specialized in strategy, marketing and technology since 2000. In this time he has seen many changes in business practice, and many improvements in technology, methods, products and services have appeared. He works hard to ensure he keeps abreast of developments in both business and technology. Andreas has worked successfully at all levels from programmer to project manager. He has designed and implemented strategy, marketing and technology programs, as well as producing and presenting training programs. In several of his assignments he has been responsible for managing relationships with external organizations, both clients and suppliers. Andreas has a good knowledge of the consumer market, mobile and Internet industries. In particular, Andreas has an excellent knowledge of interactive Web platforms designed for consumer markets. Andreas is fully mobile on an international level - he has worked in Munich, Düsseldorf, in places of EMEA and Seattle.


This document has been published via Google Docs & Spreadsheets

Labels: mashup, strategy

  ¶ 'Strategic Program Outline 2007' posted by eA : 4:23 PM  0 comments links to this post