The Layover Live

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already impacting destination marketers ... and it's here to stay. Are you ready? Join this tactical episode of the Layover Live podcast for practical tips and tools you can add to your workflow right now. We'll discuss why AI skills matter for destination marketers, prompt engineering, ways to personalize ChatGPT for improved results, tools we actively use at Simpleview, and more. Don't miss it! 

Digital marketing is constantly evolving … are you on top of the trends? On this episode of the Layover Live, we're revisiting our pre-year predictions of the trends in tactics, strategies, and technologies that would shape 2024 for destination marketers. Dust off the ping-pong balls, it's time for another episode of DMO bingo. Don't miss it! You can find more insights and the DMO Bingo board here: https://www.simpleviewinc.com/blog/stories/post/layover-live-insights-revisiting-digital-marketing-predictions-for-2024/

Destination marketing is rapidly changing as technology and traveler behavior evolve. How can destination marketing organizations keep up with the endless emergence of new platforms, investments, and tactics? Understanding your digital maturity can help. On this episode of the Layover Live, we'll explore what digital maturity is, how DMOs can leverage it to strategically improve their digital marketing, and how the free Simpleview Digital Maturity Model provides a framework to measure performance and inspire digital transformation. Don't miss it!

Despite Google's plans to sunset cookies in 2024, many marketers are still over-reliant on (or even planning to grow their investment in) third-party cookie-based strategies. With Google's latest delay of that sunset, destination marketers are safe from that danger — for now. On this episode of the Layover Live, we're exploring the freshest batch of cookie-related news, the importance of first-party data, and how destination marketing organizations can collect and activate that data to create smarter, more sustainable strategies. Don't miss it!  75% of marketers still rely heavily on third-party cookies | Martech Google Further Postpones Third-Party Cookie Deprecation In Chrome | Search Engine Journal

This week on the Layover Live, we're diving into the good things that will be brewing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jason Swick and Sandee Jordan highlight the endless insights in store for digital marketers at Simpleview Summit — the industry-leading conference for tourism pros. Tune in for a glimpse at the exclusive unveilings, marketing masterclasses, and more that's in store for attendees. Haven't registered for Simpleview Summit yet? Secure your spot here.

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick and Sandee Jordan give you the DMO spin on the latest AI news and content marketing trends. We're looking at Gemini — Google's new AI tool — to see how DMOs can leverage it, and the challenges they might face. Tune in to explore some of the latest digital marketing trends, including content and social media. Don't miss it! Google Expands Gemini AI Across Its Product Suite from Search Engine Journal Key Digital Marketing Trends for 2024 from Digital Marketing Institute

This week on the Layover Live, Director of Analytics Paul McLeod joins Jason Swick and Sandee Jordan to peer into their crystal ball to uncover the most compelling predictions for the upcoming year. Learn about emerging trends, digital marketing strategies, game-changing technologies, and even some less-than-likely predictions to help you stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape through this fun-filled game of DMO bingo. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick and Sandee Jordan are joined by Digital Media Manager Chris Gonzales for a deep dive into seasonal marketing. They'll share the strategies, success stories, and essential tips you can use to make marketing magic for your destination this holiday season. Join us to learn how to create campaigns that captivate (and convert). Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Digital Strategist Star Gilani and Digital Media Manager Chris Gonzales. Together they dig into the latest trends in digital marketing for DMOs. Learn about leveraging local influencers to sell your destination, short-form video and how to use it on your website, the shifting landscape of digital privacy, and sequenced personalization that converts. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Digital Strategist Star Gilani and Digital Media Manager Chris Gonzales. Listen as these digital marketing experts dive into the best practices of leveraging paid advertising to help destinations stand out loud and proud to travelers. Learn about choosing the right paid advertising platform, setting the proper budget, creating effective ad campaigns, tips for measuring results, and how to approach new features like Google PMax. Don't miss it! This week's article: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/buyer-behavior-statistics

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick and Sandee Jordan are joined by Managed Services Strategist Shanda Maloney to dive into the world of content marketing for DMOs. Listen in as our experts unearth the most effective methods to distribute content and discuss the multifaceted DMO approaches that reach diverse and global audiences. Don't miss it! Article Referenced: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/visual-content-marketing-strategy

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Director of Customer Experience Sandee Jordan and Managed Services Strategist Shanda Maloney to chat about the rapidly changing landscape of social media and its implications for destination marketers. Tune in to learn about the hottest social media platforms and trends, see DMO examples, and hear all about Threads vs. Twitter. Don't miss it! Article Referenced: https://skift.com/2023/07/17/destination-marketers-head-to-threads-as-twitter-alternative/

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Director of Analytics Paul McLeod and Director of Customer Experience Sandee Jordan to chat about AI (Artificial Intelligence). AI is hot hot hot — tune in to learn how it's being adopted in the field of destination marketing to analyze data, predict behaviors, and automate tasks. Listen in for examples, benefits, challenges, and more. Don't miss it! Article referenced: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/18/business/media/ai-advertising.html

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is back for the 201st episode — featuring Director of Analytics Paul McLeod and Director of Customer Experience Sandee Jordan. Tune in for a discussion on Google Analytics 4 and how destination and digital marketers are embracing the changes. We're also introducing a friendly competition that you won't want to miss. Article Referenced: https://searchengineland.com/universal-analytics-processing-data-one-month-on-430025

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Director of Analytics Paul McLeod to discuss how AI is changing the game for digital marketers. Tune in as they discuss exciting changes in the marketing landscape and share tools that are already making a big bang. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Events Manager Vanesa Zuzuarregui to discuss the can't-miss happenings at our out-of-this-world Simpleview Summit 2023. Tune in as they discuss pre-conference workshops and activities you'll want to register for, sessions to attend, and additional info to help you get the most out of this Texas-sized conference. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Simpleview Digital Strategist Paul Jewkes to discuss creating a culture of collaboration. Tune in as they discuss the need for better cooperation between agencies and technology partners and share systems they use to get teams focused on DMO goals and objectives. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Director of Analytics Paul McLeod. Tune in as our experts discuss the power and uses of Simpleview's upcoming Data Engine. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Satisfi Labs Chief Marketing Officer Danika Wong and Product Marketing Manager Aliona Margulis. Tune in as the group discusses conversational marketing and using AI and chat to turn questions into conversations. Let's chat about website engagement solutions worth exploring! Satisfi Labs: https://satisfilabs.com/ Simpleview & Satisfi Labs: https://www.simpleviewinc.com/about-us/partners/satisfi-labs/ Case study: https://www.simpleviewinc.com/blog/stories/post/at-your-service-247-how-visit-austin-uses-ai-chat-to-help-visitors/

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Digital Strategist Paul Jewkes. Tune in as they discuss ways to avoid costly marketing mistakes that can be made during a downturn and hear how you can position your destination to thrive over the long haul. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Director of Customer Experience Sandee Jordan. Tune into this festive holiday episode to see how video marketing and short form content are changing the game for destination marketers. They'll share some of their favorite examples in a fun, award show format. Don't miss it! Most Likely to Be Mistaken for a Movie Trailer award Most likely to bring out Your Inner Rage Award Most likely to make your business trip feel like a vacation Most likely to Post a New One Everyday Award Most Unexpected Endorsement

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Digital Strategist Star Gilani. Tune in to learn five digital marketing trends that our experts say every DMO should be aware of heading into 2023. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Ben Holman, lead digital media analyst at Simpleview. With the new year right around the corner, tune in as they discuss tips and new features that will help you get the most out of your paid media budget. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Paul McLeod, director of analytics at Simpleview. Tune in as they discuss the insights and findings from the newly released 2022 edition of the State of SEO report — which includes revised content guidelines, a DMO search traffic overview, and advice for Google Analytics 4. Don't miss it! State of SEO Report

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Sandee Jordan, director of customer experience at Simpleview, and Social Media Specialist Charlotte Inda from Traverse City Tourism. Tune in for this extension of the popular episode, “More Than Just SEO: Content Marketing Success Through Storytelling,” where they discuss the importance of repurposing content and why it's a valuable part of any content marketing strategy.

This week on the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Veronica Williams, manager of marketing automation at Simpleview. Tune in as they discuss all things Apple MPP. Learn what they've seen since its inception, whether or not open rate is still a reliable measurement, how it's impacting DMO emails, and why now may be the time to shift to new metrics. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Paul McLeod, director of analytics at Simpleview. Tune in as they discuss resources available to get more insights out of your web data. Watch as Paul and Jason discuss free tools available to you like the Simpleview Insights Hub and the recently launched U.S. Travel's DMO Digital Performance Dashboard, a collaborative project with Simpleview to help establish true industry benchmarks for web engagement and email. Don't miss it!

On this episode of the Layover Live, Jason Swick is joined by Sandee Jordan, director of customer experience at Simpleview. Tune in as they discuss how compelling storytelling-based marketing campaigns evoke an emotional feeling with their audience, which then leads to increased engagement, brand loyalty, and hopefully a booking or vacation to your destination. Don't miss this conversation with a Simpleview expert!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Sydney Walter, digital media analyst at Simpleview. Tune in as they discuss doubling down on search, how you can leverage the data from your search campaigns to expand reach in other channels, the concept of Zero Click searches, and how new legislation may be coming that could affect Google search results. Don't miss it!

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Simpleview strategic analyst, Star Gilani. Tune in as they discuss some insights derived from a recent survey of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) across North America. The latest data, insights and more on how DMOs are using digital marketing to drive results can be found in the 2022 State of Digital Marketing Findings Report.

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Simpleview creative experts, Design Director Travis Yewell and Art Director Andrea Martinez. Tune in as they discuss the differences between visual identity and branding, how to decide which one your destination needs, and how these creative details can tie into your DMO's digital marketing.

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Rebecca Engum, executive director at Great Falls Montana Tourism. Tune in as they discuss “We're No Dam Experts,” the DMO's podcast that Rebecca hosts. They will also offer advice for other destinations looking to dip into podcasting.

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Alison Brooks, director of destination experience & advocacy at Visit Mesa, to chat about all things accessibility. Tune in to this timely episode on Global Accessibility Day to hear how Visit Mesa has taken its efforts to the next level.

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Nan Marchand Beauvois, senior vice president and membership and industry relations of GM ESTO at U.S. Travel Association. Tune in as Jason and Nan discuss National Travel and Tourism Week — a time to recognize the future of travel and the critical role our industry will play in helping communities recover, fostering sustainability, and reconnecting travelers in the U.S. and around the world.

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Derek Bombeck, sales development manager of sports markets at Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau. Tune in as Derek gives an overview of Lincoln CVB's success in sports tourism, including what marketing campaigns they use and how they measure the economic impact of sporting events.

This week on a special edition of the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Andreas Weissenborn, VP of research & advocacy at Destinations International, and Christine "Shimo" Shimasaki, managing director at 2Synergize. Tune into this discussion with industry experts as they explore the future of meetings and events and developments with the MINT+ database. We hope this gets you excited for CSSS, where Shimo will present “Beyond the Clutter: Presenting Your Data Insights to Stakeholders.”

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Simpleview's very own Event Operations Specialist Shelley Fitzgerald. Shelley is here to give us a rundown of Simpleview Summit 2022 — including what to look forward to and what you can't afford to miss. Also, learn more about the State of Digital Marketing survey and the Layover State of Digital Marketing Town Hall at Summit.

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by Digital Marketing Manager Steven Totten from Visit Phoenix to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in destination marketing. Tune in to learn how Visit Phoenix built DEI into its brand by focusing on the community and shifting its goal to inclusive, authentic, and effective marketing.

This week on the Layover Live, J.M. Eberhardt, chief executive officer at Stroll, joins Jason to talk about content personalization and 1:1 marketing. Tune in to learn how destinations are using apps like Stroll to tailor their marketing efforts to leisure travelers, as well as meetings and conventions.

This week on the Layover Live, Jason is joined by VP of Marketing and Communications Emily Gonzalez and Digital Marketing Manager Meredith Guzy from Visit Mobile. Learn how Visit Mobile utilizes Simpleview's Destination Dashboards as a data-driven strategy to build transparency and trust throughout their community.

This week on the Layover Live, Simpleview's Director of Digital Strategy Aaron Nissen stops by to discuss predictions in 2022 for the travel and tourism industry. Aaron will share what trends he is seeing that DMOs should pay attention to — including travel behavior, group trends, and marketing innovations.

This week on the Layover Live, Director of Analytics Paul McLeod stops by to discuss Simpleview's Insights Hub year-end round-up. Paul gives an in-depth look at DMO website traffic and the wild ride that this year has been.

Grant Stoltz, Strategic Analyst here at Simpleview stops by to discuss the ever-confusing metaverse. Jason and Grant discuss the recent announcement from Facebook that they are changing their name to “Meta” and why the name change is important. They go into some detail about what exactly the metaverse is and why destination marketers should be paying attention to this rapidly evolving technology.

Ed Harris, CEO of Discover Lancaster joins Jason on The Layover Live this week to talk about some new and innovative ways Discover Lancaster has been marketing their destination. Jason and Ed discuss their recent use of a vendor called Carvertise, what exactly it is, the results Discover Lancaster has seen, and why cars might be better than billboards for advertising.

Jason Holic, VP of Business Applications and Insights at Experience Kissimmee stops by to talk about the ever elusive task of showing a DMO's impact to their community and stakeholders. Jason Holic shares a tool he has created called "The Impactulator" which allows DMOs to easily calculate and share the impact they have had on their communities. The Jasons discuss the origins of The Impactulator, how it works, and how DMOs can start using it to showcase their efforts.

We're continuing our deep-dive into the world of data and privacy changes this week on The Layover Live as we're joined by Benoit Grouchko, CEO of Near EU and Global Privacy Officer, and Evan Saunders, VP Global Tourism and Hospitality at Near. Jason, Evan, and Benoit discuss what exactly mobile intelligence data is, how Near collects this data, what the recent privacy updates from Apple and Facebook mean for the collection of mobile intelligence data, and how the Near team has navigated these changes.

Our very own Travis Yewell, Associate Creative Director, and Michele Barnes, Senior CRO Analyst, join Jason this week to tackle the complex world of UX. Jason, Michele, and Travis discuss what exactly UX is, how good UX can build trust with travelers, and how destination marketers can make sure they're making proper UX choices for their website.

Kim Murden, Tourism Manager for Chesapeake Convention & Visitors Bureau, joins Jason this week on The Layover Live to talk about how they've found a niche market and created the all-new Paddle the Peake campaign around it. Jason and Kim discuss how the Paddle the Peake came to be, some of the results they've seen so far, and what the future of this campaign might look like. As always they also share some advice to fellow destination marketers out there.

This week on The Layover Live, our very own strategic analyst, Grant Stoltz, joins Jason to talk about some common mistakes you may be making with your data that can lead to poor marketing decisions. Jason and Grant discuss what exactly these mistakes look like, how direct traffic to a site may not be as it appears, and they share some aspirational and tactical advice to destination marketers.

Our very own Veronica Williams joins Jason this week on The Layover Live to talk all about upcoming privacy changes from Apple and how that might affect your email marketing. Jason and Veronica discuss what exactly is happening with some of the updates Apple recently announced, who those changes are going to affect, how these changes will affect open rates, and what destination marketers need to know to navigate these changes.

Zeek Coleman, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Adara, joins Jason this week to talk about the impending data apocalypse and what destination marketers can do about. Jason and Zeek discuss what exactly is happening in the world of data and privacy, what the recent iOS 14.5 and macOS 12 rollouts may mean for marketers, plus Zeek shares his top tips on how you can stay on top of the ever evolving world of data and privacy.