Since October 2010, I have been serving as Azamara Club Cruises’ Chief Blogging Officer. When our CEO and President, Larry Pimentel, realized that the dynamics of social media would forever change the way prospective and returning Azamara customers would make their purchase decisions, he created my position.
He understood the uncomfortable feeling you get in your “gut” when you’re reading two conflicting posts on a message board at the same time. You’re confused and are searching the web to reduce your perceived risk when making a vacation decision.
In addition to my blog posts, my mission is to follow the internet’s consumer-oriented cruise line message boards. Usually, I’m monitoring "Cruise Critic’s" very active Azamara forum. It’s a great way to interact with Cruise Critic members, understand guest perspectives, gauge opinions on programs and other initiatives, and also to communicate reasons behind what we are doing. Hopefully, increasing the reader’s confidence of receiving a satisfying vacation experience from us. Also, I serve as the reader’s ombudsman when issues arise. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=466
The bridge
Social media marketing is a necessity in today’s digital world. It’s quite different from when I began in the cruise industry in 1980 when consumer marketing was achieved through Sunday travel section newspaper advertising with the closing message to see "your travel agent." In fact, most cruise lines did not include their telephone numbers in their advertisements. Travel agents were the "gatekeepers" for consumers. That paradigm changed, however, not only for the cruise industry but for all types of business categories, with the new technologies driven by the internet and the consumer’s ability to have direct access to the company/manufacturer.
