When his 2010 venture WaySavvy, a site meant to simplify trip planning, didn't get off the ground, Michael Raybman invested his interests in a new startup called TripReactor.
The site combines editorial with advertising content, so that any company- hotel, resort, airline-can flaunt their amenities to the fullest extent, and it is all shown on one compiled page.
Raybman hopes this will bring in revenue for TripReactor, the respective companies with whom they do business, and the travel site where the ads appear.
"The goal is to seamlessly blend editorial and commercial lifestyle content in a way valuable to the user," Raybman told Boston.com. "As a crude analogy, we're making every travel publisher into a TripAdvisor."
Raybman calls this tactic "native advertising," which he claims can bring together a gap between content and travel planning.
According to the TripReactor site, advertising online has turned into somewhat of a wall in user consumption, and it has affected the travel industry in particular. This is because booking a flight or a hotel is hit-or-miss, and one can hardly "sample" a plane ticket or "return" a hotel stay.
Many become frustrated with this, and advertising serves as no aid.
"A banner ad can't tell a story," TripReactor reads. "Ski resorts have many features to show off: views, rooms, restaurants, traveler reviews...Collapsed into an image and a headline, it can't capture our imagination, and doesn't maintain the emotional momentum established by editorial content. Instead of clicking on a banner most people switch tabs and run a Google search."
Native advertising, as used in TripReactor, will use displays that fit the design of a site, and will fit right into the page. Coupled with user interaction, editorial content will thrive amongst this kind of advertising.
In a way, this does simplify trip planning-the original intention for the WaySavvy site-by assembling all attractions in one place.
Could this be the future of booking trips? Raybman certainly thinks so, and hopes that he and his company will be able to extend this native advertising approach past travel.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
