Editor's note: Karolyn Cooper is senior project director at communications strategy research firm Artemis Strategy Group, Washington, D.C.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), an international travel company, wanted to use global research to further demonstrate its position as a leader within the industry. The CWT corporate communications team engaged Artemis Strategy Group in February 2017 to help them reach their goal of building name recognition in this competitive sector.
One strategy CWT opted to employ to accomplish this goal was the creation of a stronger thought-leadership presence that focused more directly on the business traveler audience.
Effective thought-leadership programs help marketers earn trust, engage with market influencers, build credibility, raise awareness of their company or brand and expand their market. Primary research is a great foundation upon which to build a program.
“We are changing the narrative within our company to focus more on the business traveler and not as much on the travel manager,” says Julian Walker, head of external communications, Carlson Wagonlit Travel. “The travel industry is competitive, with a number of players frequently in the news, but with a tired narrative. We love the idea of leveraging thought leadership to share findings that are relevant to the work we do and to anyone with an interest in travel. It’s a great way to stay relevant with the media beyond regular business updates.”
To this end, CWT commissioned Artemis to conduct a global thought-leadership study among business travelers in order to understand how they stayed connected to both work and home while on the road. They surveyed business travelers who had traveled four or more times in the previous 12 months, either domestically or internationally.
Given CWT’s global scope, Artemis recommended conducting the survey in several countries and reporting at the regional and ...