Issues & Trends – April 2011

OETG: NEW 1TRAVEL BRAND IS A ‘GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD’
Manwaring pitches revamped 1ndependence at agents wary of franchise burdens

ORIENT Express Travel Group (OETG) chief executive Tom Manwaring has unveiled the national brand his
company will offer members of its 1ndependence chain.

The new “1Travel” brand will be on display to existing 1ndependence agents plus potential new members of the chain and suppliers in a national roadshow timed for early next month.

Manwaring announced his intention of including a branding option among a suite of services for 1ndependence agents late last year (travelBulletin, November 2010). But he has kept it under wraps until now while he finalised trade-marking and other legal issues.

When he announced the branding initiative last year, Manwaring revealed ambitious plans to treble 1ndependence membership, currently around 100 agents, to 300 over the next two years.

With the launch of the 1Travel brand, the final piece of the jigsaw is in place, and the planned national road- show will be the first step in OETG’s recruiting drive.

If Manwaring succeeds in building 1ndependence membership to 300, it will be of comparable size to OETG’s other chain, the Select group of specialist Chinese ethnic agents.

“During the roadshow we’ll be explaining how the two groups work separately but with the same culture within OETG, and how we’re also elevating the services to Select Travel Group members,” he said.

He said the roadshow will focus on the full service structure of the 1ndependence offering to agents.
He said 1ndependence is offering independent agents “a flexible, trans-parent, low-cost and non-mandatory core support service” for an annual membership fee of $500.

This core service comprises the Express Fares and Ticketing suite of products, airline contracting, exclusive wholesaler deals, technology services and operations support.

He added that they will also have the freedom to sign up for any of “a comprehensive range of optional customised partnership services” on a user pays basis.

These will include branding, marketing support, Sabre Explorer online booking engine, Sabre Red, staff training, benchmarking, annual member forum, product training and a new marketing system developed by OETG IT.

Manwaring said the new system will enable 1ndependence members to produce automated PDF flyers featuring their details and store logo as well as a comprehensive email marketing campaign tool. It will be accessible online via the 1ndependence agency portal.

Manwaring stressed that the 1Travel brand – and supporting slogan: “An 1ndependent Travel Expert … Talk to us!” – are not compulsory with 1ndependence membership.

“The only condition attached to membership is using Express Ticketing and Express Fares services,” he said, adding that a more robust “Mach 3” version of these will be launched soon.

“The brands and marketing kit are completely flexible … agents can use some of it, all of it or none of it,” he said.

“If they do use the brands, it’s their choice whether they go for a simple window light box, shop fascia, front door logo or total shop fit-out.

“It’s a user-pays business model which is what independent agents told us they wanted at our Phuket Forum last year, and that was confirmed by other research.

“But for some agents, a generic brand backed by a marketing package gave comfort, so that’s what we’ve added to the selection menu with 1Travel.”

He anticipates about 50-60 agents within the projected total membership of 300 will opt for the full brand while others will use the “1ndependent Travel Expert … Talk to us!” slogan in con-junction with their own local brand.

“We’re here to help independent agents make money and help them control their destiny in a market dominated by just a few big players,” he said. “We’re not putting any onerous and expensive conditions on being a 1ndependence member or demanding how they might use the brands.”

He claimed many agents see national franchised retail travel chains as “highly-formulated, authoritarian, costly and carrying onerous penalties”.

“The 1ndependence and 1Travel model offers a get-out-of-jail card!” he said.

• Agents can register their interest in the 1ndependence roadshow on the website www.1ndependence.com.au