Are you sick of hearing your friends same old travel stories? Well… next time they launch into a tired old tale you’ve heard 50 times, point them in the direction of Way2go and ask them to tell someone who cares. Way2go is a new niche user generated site/magazine for the traveler community, and is backed by NRMA Motoring & Services. Rather than relying on journalists to produce tales of travel, the Way2go team have handed all writing responsiblities over to the masses. Today I have the exclusive opportunity of speaking with Shane McClelland, General Manager of Corporate Communications at NRMA, about this ambitious new project.
Disclaimer – I’ve not received a single penny for this post. I’m covering it as based on its relevance to digital media.
Q: Why has NRMA decided to launch the Way2go concept?
A: NRMA has been publishing its member magazine – Open Road – for more than 80 years. In recent years NRMA has expanded its portfolio of publications focusing on niche segments and now also publishes Australian Classic Cars and Australian Caravan & RV. Way2Go fits this strategy of developing publications that appeal to particular segments of our membership base and help to build communities around specific areas of interest. Real-life stories are the largest growth area both in magazines and TV programs. The growth of blogs, MySpace and Facebook underpin this publishing concept.
Q: Do you see social networks such as Facebook as a competitive threat given that users have the ability to post travel photos, videos and stories?
A: We see social networks as a tool that we can use to help drive user generated content to the Way2Go web site. Way2Go will develop its own identity and style over time and is truly focused just on travel and those who have a passion for travel.
Q: Were there any hesitations launching the concept at this time given the state of the economy and the tourism market?
A: There are challenges to be faced; no question about it, with the current economic climate, and its impact on the travel industry however people are still interested in travel regardless of the economic climate. Way2Go is all about real travelers sharing their real travel experiences with others.
Q: How will Way2Go differ from TripAdvisor, Trav Buddy and other established (global) user driven travel sites?
A: Way2Go differs from the other travel sites in that it also has a printed magazine which includes more in-depth stories than those on the website. There are also opportunities for travelers to win prizes if their stories are published in the magazine. Way2Go will be a source of reliable, truthful, accurate, trustworthy advice and will not feature advertorial.
Q: Given that user generated content is almost exclusively the domain of the web, why was the decision made to take Way2go to the print market as well?
A: There are a number of real life magazines in the marketplace at the moment and they are quite successful. Current publications like That’s Life! magazine – with a distribution of 320,000 weekly – and Take Five magazine, – with a distribution of 250,000 weekly -demonstrate an appetite for reader-generated content. Way2Go is the travel equivalent of these magazines and unique in the travel magazine marketplace.
Q: User generated sites live and die by the quality and frequency of contributions. What plans are in place to foster contributions from the traveler community?
A: We will be leveraging our other titles, websites and staff to drive contributions to the Way2Go site. We are also looking at how we can leverage our associated travel businesses to encourage their customers to contribute content. We have also employed the services of a digital PR agency to drive travelers to our website.
Q: What are the goals in terms of user participation? How many stories, photos & videos are you hoping to receive in the first few months of operation?
It will take some time to get the website up and running, but we expect that number of contributions to increase as the magazine and site becomes better known.
Q: The site itself looks like it will be information rich if travelers adopt it (and free). What motivation will people have to subscribe to the hard copy publication?
A: The Way2Go magazine will feature more in-depth editorial content, prizes and puzzles. It has a strong focus on entertainment and will be a good read for subscribers.
Q: User generated content is typically difficult to monetise (ala YouTube & Facebook). How does NRMA plan to generate revenue via the Way2go site?
The site will be monitised using a traditional online advertising model to generate income. We are able to sell packaged advertising across all our titles and website properties.
Q: Many travel sites include hotel info & reviews (often driving commissions and revenue). Are there any plans to introduce hotel reviews to Way2go?
Not at this stage however if members of the site post reviews of hotels, airlines and accommodation the site will carry them provided they are genuine user generated reviews.
And my thoughts on the concept…
I can’t wrap this up without having my own 2 cents on the topic. I’m thrilled an Australian organisation has the kahunas to launch a true user generated site. I know from experience just how hesitant most Aussie businesses are towards user generated content/social media projects. Indeed, I can’t think of too many advanced user generated sites that have hatched from our shores. So kudos to NRMA for having the courage to launch the project.
My main question for now is the business model itself, and the blending of new and old media. Is it a meatball sundae? Should a new media format (user generated content) be mixed with a traditional print media business model of subscriptions/advertising? I’m not sure… but Shane has managed to round up a few hundred pre-launch subscriptions already… so perhaps he knows a bit more about the game than me.
Aside from that, I wonder whether people will warm to the journalistic content format. When I look for user generated feedback online I generally seek weight of opinion. I want to know that a specific hotel has an average rating of 4 stars from 113 different people. To me, that gives it credibility. Way2go departs from this traditional style of quantifiable user feedback, relying instead on the power of stories. That’s not necessarily a bad thing… but they’re going to need some good story tellers.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Shane for his time and input. Way2go is a bold new project and it’s exciting to see big businesses that are willing to be innovative and take a risk. I’ll be watching Way2go closely over the coming months to see exactly how it evolves. Good luck Shane.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
James,
Great post – and good to get the inside thoughts on the project. I think your Meatball Sundae normally would struggle – but if the NRMA can somehow leverage its monstrous customer base there just might be a chance.
Packaged in with a membership, creating an instant subscription base and a regular readership to package and sell to advertisers. I think there’s a bigger issue (which many large organizations face) in that its how NRMA engage it’s audience in the digital space as a whole which will have a huge impact.
Keep up that momentum.
Thanks Brett. I think you’re right, most organisations would struggle with the business model. But NRMA has enormous assets to leverage, not least of which is their massive customer database. So they’ve got a head start others could only dream of. It’ll be interesting to see exactly where it goes…
its great that an aussie organisation has done this. I dont think there’s that many, if any Australian organisation have been using UGC that effectively. You hear about it a lot more in the US. I guess we’ll wait an see how it goes.
That’s exactly right Matt… I was racking my brain trying to think of a high profile Australian organisation that had launched a true user generated site. I couldn’t think of any. Let’s hope it’s a success so that it builds confidence in social projects.
Hi James and Matt…
Along these lines, take a look at http://www.myinsuranceideas.com.au for another attempt at a UGC site in Australia.
This is an attempt at involving insurance customers directly in the design of a new online experience and product… meatball sundae avoided if you start from scratch.
[Interest declared: I help eVentures / IAG with this site]
I have read so many articles or reviews concerning the
blogger lovers but this piece of writing is genuinely a pleasant article, keep
it up.