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Auto and travel are growing up.

By Client Leadership Team

Cars cannot fly. Yet, the ‘smarter’ ones today have roughly seven times more code than a Boeing 787. (McKinsey) As cars innovate, their emotional feats of conversation and awareness are proving to be as complicated (if not more) than the physical feat of flying. Years back, my therapist told me the same thing.

What once was a metal box with no power steering has adapted into a cybernetic learning-machine that’s attune to you, to the road, and actually able to make conversation with other vehicles around it. In so many signals, your car has the power to say, “Hello, I’ve noticed you’re driving closer to my lane than I’m comfortable with, please adjust your path or I’ll deviate from mine,” or “Excuse me, kind driver, I sense you’re a bit drowsy so it’s high time you quit dozing off or I’ll promptly shut off my chassis from you, lasse.”

Cars are machines and we are humans. Innovation however intends to blur the lines between us. Cars today aren’t just smarter, they now take emotion and their environment into context. In essence, they’re growing up—and that’s hard to do.

At the same time, and in a universe not so far away, the travel industry is also changing. Our thrill of discovery is happening closer to home. Services like Airbnb are bringing back community and care to young travelers—shifting the staple ‘beige-colored hotel room’ to experiences more personable. Year over year, ‘staycations’ are up 10%, and most popular vacations become the ones closest to us. (Google Think) New Yorkers’ top travel destination is New York. The same goes for Washingtonians, Atlantans, Angelons, Chicagoans and the rest of us scattered across the states. Instead of the hallmark 11-hour caravan to some beachhouse, we are rekindling our sense of place with trips to the zoo, cheering for minor league teams, taking river walks or simply enjoying a kale smoothie at Starbucks. (ReutersStarbucks)

THE TECHNOLOGY AND BRANDS THAT ENHANCE BELONGING WILL WIN.

It seems the further we push into an overstimulated, internet-of-things lifestyle, the more dependent we are on the most basic powers of human touch and belonging. The cities and cars of the world are constantly growing smarter as people yearn to stay connected. Belonging is the new freedom. And in it, staying in touch means connectivity, touchpoints mean business, and a communal sense of care unlocks new profit-centers for auto in the future—taking us far beyond the metal box with wheels that got us here today.

Key Takeaways For The Auto Business:

  • Where will your business be in 5-10 years?
  • How can your business capitalize on care?
  • What meaningful connections will unlock new profit centers for your business?
  • Are you pushing products or serving solutions?
  • Is your care short-lived or does it span across a lifecycle of service?
  • Where can your brand give your business an edge?

EXTENDING THE RIBBON OF CARE IN TRAVEL:

 

We are no stranger to helping brands make the right connection at the right time. See how we helped CVG Airport extend their ribbon of care with timely, helpful prompts via the nation’s first mobile airport tracking system—A win for travelers and for CVG’s top-line revenue growth. After all, at CVG you don’t fly into an airport, you fly into a community.

Cover image by Steve Jurvetson, First Drive of Samburu Warriors in a Tesla via Flickr.

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