📌 Hospitality Highlights: 8th July 2024
✨ Stay Ahead with the Latest Trends in Marketing, Travel, and Food & Beverage
Welcome to this week’s newsletter. I’m Dawn Gribble, your host. I'm on a mission to bring you the latest actionable insights for the hospitality industry to help you Delight Guests and Drive Growth.
Discover how Starbucks is battling a design dispute and why McDonald’s is leveraging Anime in its latest sauce campaign. Uncover the latest hotel marketing trends with insights from Booking.com and learn how wellness trends transform travel experiences.
☕ Let’s Check In!
🔒 VIP Member Resources
Instagram Strategy Series
Part One - The Platform
Part Two - Content Creation
Part Three - Community Management
Part Four - Growth Strategies
Part Five - Mistakes to Avoid
Insider's Guide to Digital Advertising in the Hospitality Sector
Design Has Rules
🚀 Marketing News
📊 X Reveals New Enhancements to Ad Analytics (SMT)
🎵 Gen Z Demands TikTokers Face Legal Consequences for Health Advice (CL)
⬇️ X Considers Implementing Downvotes for Post Replies (XD)
🤳 WhatsApp Tests New AI Selfie Generator (AA)
🔍 Meta Updates AI Labels to ‘AI Info’ Tag (FB)
👻 Snapchat Introduces Fresh Features for Snapchat+ (SC)
🖥️ YouTube Allows Removal Requests for AI-Generated Content (TC)
🍽️ Restaurant Marketing News
☕ Starbucks Fights Design Dispute Over Cannabis Dispensary Logo (CB)
🍔 Shake Shack Launches Party-Ready Burger Promotions (TH)
🎌 McDonald’s Leverages Anime in Latest Sauce Campaign (NA)
🏆 NRN Unveils Series on Emerging Restaurant Chains (NRN)
👕 KFC Launches New Merchandise Line with BoxLunch (PH)
🏅 Chipotle Partners with American Olympians for Menu Collaboration (SBJ)
🐾 Island Fin Poké Co. Announces Dog-Themed Social Media Contest (QSR)
🍟 Sonic Joins Fast-Food Value Wars with $1.99 Menu (SN)
🛎️ Hotel Marketing News
🏨 Starbucks Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy Team Up for Cross-Promotion (HT)
🚀 Next-Level Hotel Loyalty Insights from NAVIGATE (HN)
🌍 Climate Researchers Call for New Destination Marketing Approaches (SK)
🧘 How Wellness Trends Are Transforming Travel (4H)
📝 TripAdvisor Launches Brand Ad Campaign Highlighting User Reviews (YH)
💡 Digital Trends in Hotels: Insights from Booking.com and DMA (HO)
🧁 Food & Beverage Trends
🍳 Start Your Day with Panera Bread’s New "CinnaScrambles" (FB)
🍪 Broken Oreos Become Japanese Art Masterpieces (CB)
🍍 Pepsi Pineapple Returns Exclusively at Little Caesars (BI)
🥗 Harvest Kitchen Debuts as a Healthy Restaurant (TH)
🍷 Red Wine Ice Cream: The Summer Treat of 2024? (TDB)
🍝 Vodka Sauce: The Perfect Social Media Sensation (RH)
♻️ Coca-Cola Introduces Bottle Return Incentives at UK Theme Parks (PI)
📋 Menu Tracker: New Items at McDonald’s, Arby’s, and Whataburger (NRN)
🌴 Travel Trends
🚤 Uber Expands Boat Services Across Europe (UB)
✈️ IATA Data Shows Significant Increase in Air Passenger Demand for May (MD)
📈 WTTC Report Highlights Strategies to Boost Sector Growth (HN)
🇯🇵 Japanese Travel Sector to Break Records in 2024 (HNR)
🎟️ Trip.com Partners with Prioticket to Enhance Travel Experiences (SK)
🌞 Top Summer Travel Trends for 2024 (TWG)
👀 Hospitality Industry Insights
🥤 Gatorade Marketing Boss on Supporting Grassroots Sports (TD)
🎙️ Consumer Loyalty Trends Podcast Featuring Marriott (DE)
🛤️ A New Path for the Tourism Industry (MK)
⚠️ UN Warns of Urban Food Insecurity Crisis (FI)
🐾 Five Global Trends Shaping Pet Food in 2024 (PFI)
🏆 Tripadvisor Unveils Travelers' Choice Awards Best Things To Do (HN)
📱 Chipotle Enhances Convenience and Growth with New App (QM)
🤝 Doordash in Talks for Potential Takeover of Deliveroo (HI)
📝 Will AI Deception End Authentic Restaurant Reviews? (TS)
An oldie, but a goodie this video is a great reminder of how to promote your eco-friendly credentials without greenwashing.
⭐ Dawn’s Picks of the Week
🇫🇷 Satirical French Ad Encourages 'Eat Chic, Not Tragique' (TD)
🚪 Accessibility Still a Major Barrier in Travel (BT)
🌱 Rethinking Food Production Design (DZ)
🛤️ Educating Travelers to Combat Overtourism (PW)
💼 How Starbucks Boosts Local Economies (LM)
🍗 Inside Chick-fil-A’s First All-Digital Restaurant (RB)
😰 A Psychologist Explains the Rise of ‘Hangxiety’ (FO)
🍴 The Effects of Competitive Eating on the Body (TM)
🍽️ Loungers Restaurant Chain Aims to Attract Disadvantaged Youth (BL)
❓ Ask Dawn Gribble
Each week I answer your marketing questions
Dear Dawn,
Lately, our email open rates have been low; it appears that all of our emails are going into spam. Google Postmaster now shows my domain rating as Bad (it used to be high).
How can I fix this, or am I screwed?
All email providers have made a number of changes to spam thresholds and processing this year. Here are some steps you can take to improve your email deliverability and restore your domain's reputation:
Make sure you are up-to-date with Gmail's Sender Guidelines to maintain a good sender reputation.
Don’t send newsletters or marketing emails from Gmail or Yahoo addresses. Use a professional domain email, as this adds credibility and avoids spam filters.
Set up DKIM for your corporate email and any email-sending platforms you use. DKIM authenticates your emails, making it easier for providers to verify your mail as legitimate.
Configure SPF Records to specify which mail servers can send email on your domain's behalf. This helps prevent spoofing and improves your email's trustworthiness.
DMARC settings tell mail providers what to do if an email fails authentication checks. They are essential for protecting your domain from abuse and are now a requirement for many email providers.
Link your domain to Google Postmaster Tools for feedback on your email performance. It provides insights into whether Gmail considers your emails spammy or not.
Only send newsletters to recipients who want your emails. High engagement rates signal to providers that your emails are legitimate. To avoid issues, keep Spam Complaints below 0.1%.
Purchased or third-party lists often have higher complaint rates and lower engagement, negatively impacting your sender's reputation.
Include clear and easy-to-find unsubscribe links in your emails.
Don’t focus on avoiding the Promotions Tab in Gmail. Instead, concentrate on creating compelling content your subscribers want to read, regardless of the tab.
These steps should help improve your domain rating and email deliverability. Consistency and adherence to best practices are vital to maintaining a good sender reputation.
Do you have a marketing question you’d like me to answer?
Comment below or Reply to this Email