MindShift Interactive Social Media Report 2012

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The Impact of Social Media on Hospitality & Tourism by MindShift Metrics. Read this report to understand how Airlines & Online Travel Agencies are leveraging Social Media.MindShift Metrics is the Research division of MindShift Interactive which helps brands understand consumers, competition & forecast trends across Social Media.

Transcript of MindShift Interactive Social Media Report 2012

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LETTER FROM MINDSHIFT INTERACTIVE...

I thank all of you for the excellent response to our Social Media Report 2011 on Consumer Sentiments, revolving around Brands leveraging their association with The Formula One 2011. It gives me great joy to see brands integrate MindShifts shared in our findings within their social media strategy. We are determined to make bold statements and create mindshifts and keeping that in mind, our Social Media Report 2012 on The Impact of Social Media on Hospitality & Tourism shows the need for businesses within this booming sector, to be on Social Media and leverage it in an insightful manner to their advantage. We have focused upon four key sectors, namely Airlines, Online Travel Agencies, Hotels and Travel Review Sites. The confidence in which we state things at MindShift Interactive is an indication of our deep understanding of not just Social Media but also of the consumers and business we touch. Yes, it is our Metrics that give us this confidence to show the way towards sustained engagements and innovations. Our Social Media Report 2011 on Consumer Sentiments which was implemented across brands that conducted Events is clear indication of the value of our findings, or as we call them, MindShifts. The result for each brand implementing our MindShifts assures sustained digital outreach that crossed boundaries of innovation and engagement. Try it for yourself if you haven’t already! This report is a must read for all those within the Travel & Hospitality Industry, as well as those wishing to offer Social Media within the Airline, Hotel, Online Travel & Travel review sectors. This report drives home the point for all to not just being present on Social Media, but making your presence felt! As always, I look forward to hearing from you on the MindShift our report creates for you or your organization. ZafarRais Chief MindShifter [email protected] Know what’s happening at MindShift Interactive: Website – www.mindshiftinteractive.com Facebook – www.facebook.com/MSInteractive Twitter – www.twitter.com/Mind_Shifters

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary 4

Hospitality& Tourism – MindShift Findings 5 - 7

Airline Industry 8 - 27

Airline Industry in India

MindShift Report Findings

Consumer Perception

Platform Wise Distribution

Sentiment Analysis

Social Media Metrics

Key Social Media Findings

Trend Forecasting

Key MindShifts

Online Travel Agencies 28 – 44

Online Travel Agencies in India

MindShift Report Findings

Consumer Perception

Platform Wise Distribution

Sentiment Analysis

Social Media Metrics

Key Social Media Findings

Trend Forecasting

Key MindShifts

About MindShift Interactive 45

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Executive Summary

Over the last decade India has transformed into a popular tourism destination in the world, largely

as a result of various initiatives lead by the government. Campaigns like “Incredible India” and “Atithi

Devo Bhavo” have showed India in a new light to overseas tourists.According to the World Tourism

Organization, India will be a leader in the tourism industry in South Asia with 8.9 million arrivals by

2020, emerging as the second most rapidly increasing (8.8 percent) tourism economy in the world,

according to World Travel & Tourism.Tourism in India is the largest service industry, with a

contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and 8.78% of the total employment in India. The tourism

industry in India generated about 100 billion US$ in 2008 and is expected to increase to US$275.5

billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate.

The increased dependancy on Social Media by

travellers is growing faster than the travel

industry itself. India’s travel category garnered

the second largest share (42%) of total Internet

visitors in Asia, with 17.8 million average

monthly unique visitors in the 1st quarter of

2011.Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are the

most popular and effective social media

networks for marketing within the tourism and

hospitality industry, catering to the need of consumers to review brands, locations and read user

experiences, whilst also responding actively to queries and comments.

In this report, MindShift Interactive audits & analyzes the Impact of Social Media on Hospitality &

Tourism Industry, tracking leading sectors associated with the industry, namely, Airline, Online

Travel Agencies, Hotels and Travel Review Sites. The basis of selection for these sectors was on the

standard experience of a traveller, starting from chosing his destination, to getting there. Brands

chosen within each sector were selected on the basis of their Active Social Media Presence and the

MindShift Metrics Scorecard© which covers the outreach across the Social Media Landscape.

This Report covers:

Leader in the tourism industry in

South Asia with 8.9 million

arrivals by 2020

42 % of Total Internet travel

inquiries in Asia are from India

Analysis of social mentions tracked across a months timeframe on Hospitality

& Tourism

Brand Ranks and their presence on various platforms

Competitive Intelligence across Sectors

Key MindShifts to shift the way the industry moves

Trend Forecasting & Global Benchmarking in various sectors

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Social Mentions - 19025

Hospitality & Tourism – MindShift Findings

Social Mentions - The overall mentions tracked during the timeframe of one month were 19,025

across various social media platforms. Conversations were monitored and analyzed across these

sectors: Airline, Online Travel Agencies (OTA), Hotels and Travel Review Websites.

Social Share of Voice–Social Share of each industry is calculated on the basis of Industry

Conversations and Overall Conversations tracked.

The below shared statistics highlight that Airlines, with 56% conversations, lead the Social Media

space, followed by OTA (25%), Travel Review Sites (11%) and Hotels (8%).

Social Reach explains the various platforms brands are present on. Twitter, Facebook and Forums

were the leading Social Media Platforms for conversations on Hospitality and Tourism. Given these

platforms are heavily used towards sharing of comments, reviewing products or services, it throws

light upon the usage of Social Media for this sector.

© MindShift Interactive

Airline Industry dominated the Social Media Presence (56%) due to the crisis revolving

around Debt & Bailout, Safety Issues and Staff Concerns amongst various Airlines.

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Social Reactions–7% of the overall conversations were official updates from the Brand itself,

informing the consumer about the current happenings or offers and news. The remaining

conversations were reactions/ interactions or individual discussions from the consumers. A clear

indication that consumers realize the effect of their voice on Social Media, and a point for brands to

start creating routes of channelizing these opinions on specific platforms and creating engagement

channels that ensure grievances are kept at bay. Truly, the rise of Social Influencers would be key

here.

Hospitality & Tourism

accounts for 93% Social

Media Conversations by

the Consumer

+82% Conversations

on Facebook and

Twitter

Top Conversations /

Platform:

Twitter - Current News

on Brand / Industry

Facebook - Brand

Presence

Forums - Reviews &

Queries

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Consumer Perception– 83 % of

consumer sentiments were

positive or neutral towards the

industry. Positive conversations

were primarily lead by an

experience that the brand

helped toward enjoying or

happy customer reviews of

their journey. Queries, sharing

of information by the brand

were neutral conversations that

were shared. Negative

sentiments were identified at

17% of the overall

conversations, with

conversations dominated on issues related to airline delays and crisis.

TG Profiling - Men dominate the social conversations at

79%, with women holding a 21% share of social voice. This is

an indication that men are actively involved in making travel

decisions and reviewers of the experience. Learning for

brands to capitalize on them whilst also creating

experiences for women to ensure participations from them

increase in tandem.

Conclusion - Airlines dominate conversations on Social Media primarily because of the involvement

of brands in various controversial issues along with the start and end of the holiday season for

travellers. The need to ensure this part of the industry creates a positive experience is vital, whilst

also ensuring the overall Hospitality & Tourism Industry provides for positive sentiments.

Brands must provide for experiences to consumers which are favourable towards changing their

sentiment when they receive announcement of a delay or the shift of a room in a hotel. The rise of

Social Media Influencers, the correct usage of every platform & innovating on the basis of

understanding the consumer pulse will help leverage the industry as a whole and help them ensure

consumers interaction is sustained and not contest lead.

©MindShift Interactive

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Hospitality & Tourism Industry:

Airline Online Travel Agencies Hotels Travel Review Websites

Airline Industry Analysis

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Airline Industry in India

The Indian aviation sector is a major economic driver for prosperity, development and employment, with a growth rate of 18 per cent in the domestic market expected to open up various opportunities on the global front. According to Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM), the Indian aviation industry holds potential to soar high on a growth curve in 2012, poised to emerge as the third largest aviation market in the world by the end of this decade.

One of the key factors that will define the growth of the Industry is how each brand builds and nurtures online communities, leveraging social media networks as effective marketing tools. The Industry can engage with its consumers right from the information stage, leading to quick responses, sales and also acting as an effective online reputation manager to resolve complaints or acknowledge customer feedback.

Globally, airlines have integrated Social Media in their marketing campaigns leading to an adoption of an integrated 360 degree marketing strategy.

MindShift Interactive conducted a study on the top five social media savvy Airlines, tracking conversations to gain insights on various social media patterns within the industry.

Industry Snapshot

56% Conversations on Airline Industry

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MindShift Report Findings – Indian Airlines

on Social Media

Air India boasts of being the most

talked about brand on Social Media

with 50 % share

© MindShift Interactive

Top 3 Platforms in the Airline

Industry:

1. Twitter

2. Facebook

3. Forums & Blogs

Conversation Topics on Each Platform

7391

Conversations

2140

Conversations

Spice Jet had the highest Positive: Negative (4:1) Conversation Ratio

1151

Conversations

© MindShift Interactive

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Consumer Perception

The chart displays the

positive, negative

sentiments of consumers

towards each brand, along

with neutral sentiments,

displaying that Air India

received maximum

conversations on Social

Media followed by Jet and

Kingfisher.

Although Air India

experiences the highest

amount of conversations,

they rank with more negative than positive experiences. The same is the case for Kingfisher Airlines.

Both the airlines remained in the news due to issues like debt, bailout, frozen bank accounts and

employee/ staff related concerns.

On the other hand, although conversations related to Spice Jet are low, consumers seem to have the

higher positive experience with the brand as compared to others. It is important for Spice Jet to

build upon this by nurturing their influencers, and for others lagging behind to create instances for

consumers to feel good and voice their thoughts about the brand.

TG Profiling– With 83% conversations, men

dominate the social media conversations for Airlines.

Women occupy 17% of the social media space.

Consumer discussions largely show Men being

responsible for taking travel decisions when it comes

to booking& chosing the right airline. Clear indication

that marketing activities need to create targeted

efforts towards both.

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Ratio of Positive: Negative Conversations – Brand Analysis

The chart below shows the ratio of Positive: Negative conversations by consumers on Social Media.

The findings reflect that the most talked about brand may not necessarily be spoken about for the

right reasons. Key to balancing this is to constantly stay active and ensure you respond to

consumers, even on negative responses, gracefully.

SpiceJet has the

maximum Positive:

Negative Ratio of 4:1

implying that for every

four Positive

Conversations, they

witnessed one negative

conversation. All others

equate the

conversations.

Though SpiceJet was the 2nd least talked

about brand, the ratio of Positive:

Negative Conversations was the highest

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Platform Analysis

The below statistics help us understand the presence of the top three brands in the Airline Industry,

over various Social Networks. The charts highlight the number of conversations for each brand on

Social Media, strengthening the MindShift Audit and Analysis.

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Sentiment Analysis -Top Positive Conversations

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Top Negative Conversations

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Social Media Metrics

We tracked the Social Media presence of the five airlines, analyzing the objective, activeness of the

brand and the strategic approach chosen, with respect to campaigns, platform integration and

response management, resulting in a thorough Social Media Audit.

The MindShift Metrics Scorecard® shares insights on each brands Social Media presence, via pre-

defined and proven Metrics. The scores aligned to each metric provide for a sustained and insightful

digital outreach for brands which come from an understanding of the consumer and business.

Metrics defined for each platform take into consideration the qualitative (content, creative’s, etc)

and quantitative (fan numbers, outreach, interactions, etc) features of the platform.

The sum of all scores together aligns a Rank to the Brand thus leading us to the insights of which

brand dominates on social media and the reasons behind the same.

The table below displays the MindShift Rank* for Airline brands, highlighting that Jet Airways leads

the social media space followed by SpiceJet and Kingfisher. Air India and Go Airare at the bottom of

the chart, showing their need to get onto the bandwagon and make their presence felt.

*For a detailed understanding of the Ranking process, please refer to our Research Design – MindShift Metrics Scorecard

Section.

MindShift Metrics Scorecard® and our Social Media Audit helps

you gain deeper insights on the following:

1. Platform Analysis

2. Strengths and Weakness of each brand on Social Media

3. Global Trend Analysis and Forecasting

Airlines MindShift Metrics

Rank

MindShift

Scorecard®

Jet Airways 1 52.5

Spice Jet 2 49

Kingfisher 3 41

Air India 4 23

Go Air 5 16.5

©MindShift Interactive

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Jet Airways - MindShift ScoreCard®

Rank - 1

Score – 52.5/100

Airlines

Social

Reach

Jet

Airways

7

19

12.5

4

4

4

2

NA

NA

Jet Airways leads the Social Media Space with the highest rank of 52.5 – MindShift

Scorecard®

Leaders on Social Media with Higher Outreach, Innovators & Active Presence

across Platforms

Facebook Insights – With over 3, 18,000 Fans, Jet Airways leads the way on Facebook –

LOW Engagement Ratio of 2.4%

Content Mix - Intelligent & Interestingly postedAir Schedules, Fares, Corporate

Information, Awards, Jet Privilege, JetEscapes, Festive Wishes, Popular Destinations &

Travel Tips

Campaign Strategy – Big Campaigns are missing, though the brand balances the

presence with helpful information for the customer. Integration of innovative campaigns

could help increase the engagement ratio on Facebook.

Twitter, with more than 11,000 Followers is positioned as a CRM

Platform.

Objective: Effective Response Management within a

Timeframe, taking the conversations off the timeline via DMs and

Customer Care

Key Focus:

Redirect traffic to

Website

An active Foursquare Account with over 2700 Followers and 552 Tips shared. The ONLY

ACTIVE airline brand on Foursquare

Early Adopters on Social Media, with usage of QR (Quick Response) for the Smartphone

users

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SpiceJet - MindShift ScoreCard®

Rank – 2

Score – 49/100

Airlines

Social

Reach

SpiceJet

7

20.5

12.5

4

1

2

1

1

NA

Second Most Active Airline on Social Media with a Rank of 49 – MindShift Scorecard©

Creative Innovation on Social Media, with customized look on various Social Media

Properties

Facebook Insights – With over 3,07,000 Fans, SpiceJet is the second highest brand with

a high Facebook Reach – Engagement Ratio of less than One Percent – VERY LOW

Content Mix - The updates are more Informative and more updates are leading to lesser

reactions on each update

Information about Flights, Destinations – Linked to Website

Campaign Strategy – Innovative Travel Campaigns + Interesting Content Mix + Regular

Campaigns could lead to higher engagement on the Fan Page

Twitter, with more than 2200 Followers is positioned as a CRM

Platform.

Objective: Handle Queries on the timeline and Public

Domain within a timeframe

Twitter CRM

Approach differs

with each Airline

Brand

86,000 Views over 12 Uploads - SpiceJet YouTube Channel includes TVCs and some on

ground videos from the Airlines

Social Media Presence across 7 Platforms – BUT Active only on three platforms

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Kingfisher Airlines - MindShift ScoreCard ®

Rank - 3

Score – 41/100

Airlines

Social

Reach

Kingfisher

5

14.5

12.5

4

NA

4

NA

1

NA

Kingfisher Airline ranks third on Social Media, with a score of 41 – MindShift

Scorecard®

The Social Reach of the Brand extends to FIVE Platforms

Facebook Insights – With over 1, 24,000 Fans, Kingfisher does have a considerable

share of Fans on Facebook – Engagement Ratio of approximately 1% indicates LOW

RESPONSE

Content Mix - Daily 1 -2 informative updates ONLY Brand Specific are done. Information

about Flights, Destinations – Linked to Website

Brand needs to work on Content Strategy with Interesting, innovative & engaging content

Campaign Strategy – Concepts like Wonderful Wednesdays and Earn King Miles are

communicated via the updates.

With over 14, 200 Followers, Kingfisher leads the Twitter

Presence amongst Indian Airlines

Content Mix – Customer Care, Facebook Updates synced,

Retweeting Quotes from Kingfisher Authorities & Sharing News

Kingfisher

Airlines is the

No. 1 Indian

Airline Brand on

Twitter

The Brand leverages Twitter to keep its customers updated about the current happenings /

clarifications on controversies about the company

No Individual YouTube presence for Kingfisher Airlines, content shared over

Official Kingfisher Channel

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Air India - MindShift ScoreCard ®

Rank - 4

Score – 23/100

Airlines

Social

Reach

Air India

4

7.5

3.5

5

NA

3

NA

NA

NA

Air India ranks fourth in the Social Media Race, with a score of 23 on MindShift

Scorecard©

Air India is the ONLY Government owned Airline, with a LOW Social Media

Presence

Facebook Insights – With over 770 Fans, Air India still needs to reach out to its TG and

develop a Fan Base on Facebook – An Engagement ratio of 4% is due to low reach on FB

Content Mix – No routine/schedule is followed on Social Media and updates

Latest news from the industry or the airlines is the only shared content on the fan page,

leading to fewer interactions on the fan page

Campaign Strategy – Brand needs to explore the medium and capitalize the medium

with innovative ideas and campaigns. The current approach has Campaigns MISSING in

the plan

A Basic Twitter Presence with over 340 followers and ONLY 5 Tweets till date

No Bio or Description to describe or validate its presence on the platform. Zero Response

Management or Customer Care activities are done via Twitter.

Air India had expressed last year

on April, 2011 to have an Active

Social Media Presence. As we

complete a year after the

announcement, the Airline seems

to be moving at a slow pace

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GoAir - MindShift ScoreCard®

Rank - 5

Score – 16.5/100

Airlines

Social

Reach

Go Air

3

7.5

5

NA

NA

1

NA

NA

NA

Go Air ranks the lowest amongst the Indian Airlines with a score of 16.5 – MindShift

Scorecard©

Brand seems to have an UNDEFINED Approach on Social Media

Facebook Insights – With over 2400 Followers and an Engagement ratio of 2% the brand

yet needs to explore Facebook, with respect to Fan Base and Consistency on the platform

Content Mix – Less Activity & Poor Response Management on Fan Page, leading to a sense

of agitation among the customers

No specific themes or campaigns have been integrated on social media

Campaign Strategy – MISSING Aspect by the Brand

A Basic Twitter Presence with over 445 followers

Unlike other airlines, Twitter does not manage or address any grievances online.

Tweets only redirect followers to Facebook and then to their preferred service, thus

increasing the steps in a consumer’s surfing pattern.

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Social Media Findings – MindShift

Metrics

Twitter is the leading platform

with maximum Social Media

Conversations

Air India is the most talked about brand

due to Aviation Regulations/ Controversies

Twitter is primarily used as a CRM platform, though each brand

adopts a different communication route

Consumers

prefer Social

Media

Platforms

over Forums,

due to quick

response and

engaging

activities

Jet Airways leads the Social Media Universe

with an active presence on 7 Platforms

Social Media Platforms are a MEDIUM for Airlines

to lead customers to their WEBSITE

YouTube is the least leveraged Social Media

Platform by Indian Airlines

Effective Engagement on Facebook

is MISSING!

Jet Airways leads Twitter due to its active

presence and response mgmt

SpiceJet leads the

Facebook Presence

through effective

integration of

platforms, creatives

and intelligent

Content Mix

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Trend Forecasting

Globally, airlines are one of the most active sectors on Social Media. Key business goals such as

Customer Care, identification of loyal customers, increase in sales via E-Commerce and engaging

with fans are catered to on Social Media. The medium serves as a heavy consumer care platform.

Unlike Indian airlines, global players have realised the true potential of the medium and evolved into

integrating it across other marketing channels whilst also adopting innovative campaigns to truly

generate an ROI.

We studied the global presence of a few International Airlines like Southwest, American Airlines,

Delta and Virgin America to share a few insights that could serve as learning by Indian Airlines.

Global Trends-

1. Social Advocacy: Most of the brands track conversations on Social Media, segregating them

into Positive and Negative Conversations. The negative conversations are flagged instantly

but the positive conversations only make it to the reports/testimonials sections. Taking a

leap ahead, Global Airlines have leveraged the concept of Social Advocacy by rewarding their

loyal fans with virtual points, which can be redeemed in the real world. Social actions like

tweeting about your experience, writing

a review or checking in via Foursquare,

can lead to discounts, free admission to

the lounge or various additional

benefits from the airlines.

Virgin Atlantic revamped its Social

Media Community Vtravelled and

rewarded its frequent flyers using gaming mechanisms to engage with their 1.8 million flying

club members. Air New Zealand incentivized its loyal flyers by free admission to the Lounge

by showing their Mayor Status and Boarding Pass. Virgin America and Jet Blue have also

banked on the same concept. Miles Millionaire was another concept explored by British

Airways & American Airlines where loyalists were rewarded 20,000 Bonus Miles with a

contest connect to the activity.

The Reviews and Testimonials act as

a referral system, extending the

brands reach and trust circle on

Social Media. Thus tapping the

influential network of your loyal and

frequent flyers is one of the

strategies adopted by Global

Airlines.

MindShift Insights – Did you know that

75% of frequent flyers would fly an

airline if it is recommended by a friend,

rather than flying the cheapest one.

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

2. Conversations on Each Platform:

Identifying the need and customizing each platform as per its capability is a prerequisite

before aligning social media strategies. Facebook is used as a One Stop Medium for

Information, Innovation and Integration, syncing it with other platforms.

Brands like Southwest and American Airlines have integrated a Recommend Us feature as

soon as an individual ‘Likes’ the fan page, thus leveraging the opportunity and increasing the

fan base.

Campaigns, Contests

and Videos are created

on a regular basis to

create sustained

engagements.

Twitter is used as a

CRM Platform where

each brand has a pre-defined approach. American Airlines has three Twitter handles, each

dedicated to cater to a set Target group:

@AmericanAir - Thanks for checking in! Send your praise, concerns and suggestions to the link below to ensure an appropriate response from American Airlines.

@AAdvantage - The official AAdvantage Twitter feed, a community dedicated to all the ways to earn AAdvantage miles!

@AdmiralsClub - American Airlines Admirals Club membership lounges span the globe and provide a respite from the concourse

The response time taken by Global Airlines to respond to a query on an average is an hour. The quick response strategy demonstrates that airlines are certainly taking Customer Service seriously on Twitter.

Tapping the potential of Video networks such as YouTube is seen effectively through

Southwest Airlines who have a dedicated YouTube channel called NutsAboutSouthwest.

With over 316 Uploads, 7 million views and 4000+ Subscribers the airline uploads videos of

their experiences, testimonials, campaign ideas and contests.

Foursquare integration is seen through a successful campaign by KLM Airlines - An

experiment on how happiness spreads to surprise their customers. KLM installed a “Surprise

Team” who would track the Check-Ins at various airports, Counter-Google about the person

via their Social Profiles, decide on a creative gift and surprise them by giving it to them

before their journey starts. One of the most innovative campaigns with an integrated

foursquare plug-in, KLM Surprise Campaign merged online concepts with an offline connect

to spread their acts of kindness.

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

3. Innovation is the key: Southwest Airlines welcomes its Fans on Facebook with a Fare Play

Concept, where the Airlines talks

about its No Change Fees and

Bags Fly Free services. Driving

home the core point and giving

you reasons to join makes for the

perfect welcome tab.

Having been in the social media

space longer than most players

allows them with the ability to

innovate further and use the

medium to greater advantage.

Content created by the brand

also showcases the thought-

through approach and an

underlying reason behind them.

Attributes which truly come out of having matured in the industry.

4. Research & Insights:Global brands understand that Social Media offers vast amounts of data

which could be used to their advantage. They understand that sentiments cannot be

gathered simply through a tool and hence incorporate it with their campaigns and content

which translates into an analysis for future strategic approaches.

A trend worthy of adoption in India by the Airline Industry on Social Media will be towards

customer redressal, with brands enticing them to voice out their positive experiences, even

if it requires constant gratification. This, we feel, will only be possible when brands learn to

understand their consumers on social media before creating strategies towards marketing to

them.

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Key MindShifts

Social Media Opportunities keep evolving, changing the perception of hundreds of people who

communicate and share information. It would be crucial for brands to monitor this fast evolving

process and leverage the data sourced through Social Networks. Brands would be expected to lead

rather than follow, listen rather than dictate and create a social community of trusted influencers.

Our analysis concludes with 8 Key Takeaways for the Airline Industry that would help brands

leverage Social Media.

1. Be Approachable: Brands need to identify the value that Social Media offers, and

accordingly integrate the medium in its marketing plan. Creating an outreach which offers

consumers with a two-way communication model is the need of the hour and is only

possible when they begin to understand the pulse of the consumer and deliver strategies

accordingly.

2. Different Platforms.Different Objectives: Every social network caters to needs to every

business separately, and hence, it is important to customize usage. For the Airline Industry,

Twitter plays a vital role in customer relations, engagement while their customers are at the

airport as well as while offering specific deals to targeted users. Similarly, YouTube plays a

role in showing consumers an experience visually, prior to experiencing it live, satisfying an

important channel of decision making.

3. Consistency is the Key: Once a brand enters Social Media and creates a considerable klout, it

is important to maintain the same on an ongoing basis, in a thought-through manner.

Brands who get lost mid-way or fail to engage their consumers after the end of a contest

tend to stop activities and go back to the drawing board. This may harm brands more than

they can imagine. Hence, keeping a consistent engagement pattern is the advisable route to

take.

4. Avoid a Crisis! Social Media can help you resolve a crisis and even avoid one. A socially

active presence where queries are heard, complaints are resolved and feedback is used

constructively is key to managing and maintaining the reputation of a brand, whilst also

creating a happy experience with the consumer.

5. Define an ROI: Everything requires deliverables to be aligned with well defined goals and

key performance indicators to assure a satisfactory ROI. KPIs may be Higher Engagement

Ratio, Lower Response Time, High Outreach content, etc.

6. Explore Location Based Platforms: Location Based platforms are the least explored within

India but have amazing potential within the Airline Industry. Looking at global players

leveraging this medium to the optimum, it’s a learning we must adopt and build upon.

7. Listen – Control the medium by listening and analyzing the conversations that take place and

the tonality that suits your brand before you start talking. People will talk to you if you

understand their sentiments and the way they prefer to talk on Social Media. Constant

tracking of conversations via tools and analysing the same through social research specialists

is the way to a successful Outreach.

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

8. Social Loyalty Programs – Your audiences are experiencing your brand day in and day out on

Social Media. Whilst they love to share negative experiences, their mentions of the positive

ones are rare. Create instances for your consumers to “share” via loyalty programs and

special associations. Build a healthy base of influencers & nurture them into the voice of

your brand.

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Hospitality & Tourism Industry:

Airlines Online Travel Agencies Hotels Travel Review Sites

Online Travel Agencies –

MindShift Analysis

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Online Travel Agencies in India

E-Commerce in India has been growing exponentially in the last decade and is likely to grow year on

year, leading to a growth in the trade market. One dominant factor in this growth journey has been

the contribution of Online Travel Agencies (OTA). With more than 80% of the transactions in this

sector, Online Travel Agencies contribute a major share in the E-Commerce Industry.

Online Travel Agencies sell travel products and services on behalf of suppliers that include bookings

for hotels, airlines, railways, sightseeing tours, etc. According to Government of India, Ministry of

Tourism, India witnesses more than 740 million domestic tourism visits annually. An avid traveller

always looks for bargain opportunities while purchasing/booking hotel or air tickets, thus

emphasizing the role of Online Travel Agencies that provide services/ offers at competitive pricing.

The term "Online" on its own implies how important it is for Online Travel Agencies to leverage

themselves on the social media arena to stand out from the crowd and, ofcourse, garner new

business. The OTA portals can achieve new heights of conversations in Social Media, bridging the gap

between consumers and travel agencies.

MindShift Interactive conducted a study on the Top 5 Online Travel Agencies in India that are active

on Social Media, observing their social media patterns & social media optimization strategies to

increase traffic/leads/sales, etc.

Online travel

Agencies have

gathered 25% of

the Social Media

Conversations

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

MindShift Report Findings – Online Travel

Agencies on Social Media

Most Talked About - MakeMyTrip

(29%)

Least Talked About - Cox & Kings

(10%)

Facebook, Twitter & Blogs were the

top three platforms that defined

conversations in the OTA Sector

Conversation Topics on Each Platform

1690

Conversations

2910

Conversations

27 Conversations

47 Conversations

Most Interactive Sector in the

Tourism Industry

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Positive: Negative Ratio – OTA

MakeMyTrip – 3: 1

Yatra.com – 9: 1

Cleartrip – 2: 1

Ixigo – 16: 1

Cox & Kings – 12: 1

Consumer Perception

MakeMyTrip has the highest number of

conversations in the Sentiment

Analysis. The Positive to Negative ratio

shows higher Positive sentiments,

drafted out of a strategic route of

ensuring consumers share their

experience as well as due to the

consumer acceptance and appreciation

towards the OTA sector which makes

online booking an easy experience.

The chart besides shares the Sentiment of each brand,

reflecting that Ixigo had the Highest Positive ratio

followed by Yatra and Cox and Kings.

TG Profiling for OTA – With 77% conversations, men

dominate the social media conversations and women

occupy 23% of the social media space with their

thoughts. A category dominated by men as influencers

and decision makers when it comes to finalizing and

booking online. Identifying & nurturing such influencers

is key to creating evangelists for a brand and standing out

from the massive number of brands offering online travel

solutions.

Most Interactive Sector in Hospitality & Tourism: The

below chart highlights that Online Travel Agencies are the most interactive and responsive, as

compared to Airline, Hotels & Travel Review Sites. When it comes to responding to complaints or

guiding consumers towards specific packages, they were the most active and spontaneous.

Industry leader with 837

conversations with consumers

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Platform Analysis

The below statistics help us understand the presence of the top three brands in the Online Travel

Industry over prominent Social Networks. The charts also highlight the number of conversations for

each brand on Social Media, strengthening the MindShift Audit and Analysis.

It is visible from the above that Makemytrip.com over powers all social networks but fails to make a

mark as impressive as Yatra.com, on twitter.

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Sentiment Analysis -Top Positive Conversations

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Top Negative Conversations

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Social Media Metrics

We tracked the presence of five online travel agencies, analyzing the objective, activeness of the

brand and the strategic approach chosen, with respect to campaigns, platform integration and

response management, resulting in a thorough Social Media Audit.

The MindShift Metrics ScoreCard® shares insights on each brands Social Media presence, via pre-

defined and proven Metrics. The scores aligned to each metric provide for a sustained and insightful

digital outreach for brands which come from an understanding of the consumer and business.

Metrics defined for each platform take into consideration the qualitative (content, creative’s, etc)

and quantitative (fan numbers, outreach, interactions, etc) features of the platform.

The sum of all scores together aligns a Rank to the Brand thus leading us to the insights of which

brand dominates on social media and the reasons behind the same.

The table below displays the MindShift Rank for Online Travel Agencies in India, highlighting that

MakeMyTrip leads the social media space followed by Yatra.com & Cox and Kings. Cleartrip and Ixigo

are at the bottom with a very basic presence on social media.

MindShift Metrics Audit below justifies the ranking of the Social Media Presence along with platform

wise content and campaign analysis for each brand.

MindShift Metrics ScoreCard® and the Social Media Audit helps

you gain deeper insights on the following:

1. Platform Analysis

2. Strengths and Weakness of each brand on Social Media

3. Global Trend Analysis and Forecasting

Online Travel Agencies MindShift Metrics

Rank

MindShift

ScoreCard®

MakeMyTrip 1 59

Yatra.com 2 54

Cox and Kings 3 46.5

Cleartrip 4 38

Ixigo 5 36.5

© MindShift Interactive

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

MakeMyTrip – MindShift ScoreCard®

Rank - 1

Score – 59/100

Online

Travel

Agency

Social

Reach

MakeMyTrip

8

22

12

6

3

3

2

1

2

MakeMyTrip has the maximum reach with presence on 8 Platforms

Independent page termed as MakeMyTrip Deals to leverage Social Media opportunities

Facebook Insights– With over 3, 35,000 Fans, the page has an Engagement Ratio of

less than 1% - LOW as compared to Industry standard of 5 – 10%

Content Mix - Packages Information, Just for Fun Updates, Guess the Destination, Photo

Fridays, Offers & Trivia

Campaign Strategy - Concepts like Fan of the week, Top 100 Fans (Integrated

Application) and Trip Planner keep activities alive

Twitter - Combined Reach of over 2500+ Followers through Two

profiles (@MakeMyTripDeals& @MakeMyTripCare)

FOCUS – Sharing Information + Website Links + Customer Care

ONLY Brand in

OTA to have a

dedicated Twitter

handle for

Customer Care

With over 29,000 Views on 136 Uploads, YouTube Channel is updated with TVCs, Hotel

and Destination Videos

An active Foursquare Account with 1028 Followers and 102 Tips shared, further shared by

followers

Presentations & Pictures of Tourist Attractions & Must Visits for Domestic/ International

Destinations shared via Slideshare

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Yatra.com – MindShift ScoreCard®

Rank - 2

Score - 54/100

Online

Travel

Agency

Social

Reach

Yatra.com

7

21

14

5

NA

2

1

2

2

Yatra.com has a Social Reach across 7 Platforms

Facebook Insights– Yatra.com has over 2,17,ooo fans on Facebook, with 4% of

Engagement Ratio

Content Mix - Trivia about Destinations, Questions with Options, Campaign updates

linked to Application, Travel Packages Information

Campaign Strategies - Creating #MindShift with ideas Learning Europe (Innovative,

Informative & Relevant), Happy Travel Movie Application, Yatra Travelometer and

Integration with Booking Services

An active Twitter Presence with over 2200 Followers. Synced with Facebook Activities,

with a customized approach for Twitter shows the right balance of cross marketing &

customized marketing.

Popular Hash tags - #HappyTravel & #TravelTip

Platform is leveraged to respond to queries or complaints

YouTube Channel features 36 Videos and over 6,000 views till date with content such as

TVCs, Campaign Videos (Travel-O-Dance), Domestic/ International Destinations. A

platform still awaiting further exploration by the brand, and industry.

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Cox & Kings – MindShift ScoreCard®

Rank - 3

Score – 46.5/100

Online

Travel

Agency

Social

Reach

Cox and

Kings

6

19.5

12

4

NA

2

NA

1

2

Facebook Insights - 33,000 Fanswith 2 fan pages, Cox and Kings India (for brand outreach)

&Cox and Kings Deals (for promotions), with engagement ratios of 3% & 32 % respectively

Content Strategy is similar on both the pages and redundant at times. Diversification of

properties also leads to Confusion amongst Consumers. Brand needs to focus on one property.

1310 followers on Twitter - Interaction and Engagement is key

Cox and Kings India – Social Reach across 6 Platforms

YouTube has over 8,000 Views across 29 Uploads with interesting content on domestic and

international destinations.

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Cleartrip – MindShift ScoreCard®

Rank - 4

Score - 38/100

Online

Travel

Agency

Social

Reach

Cleartrip

4

20

12

4

NA

2

NA

NA

NA

Cleartrip has a Social Reach across 4 Platforms

Facebook Insights – +46,000 Fans with an engagement ratio of Approx 17%

Content Mix - Trivia about Destinations with every alternate update focussing on Packages,

Cash Back Offers and Deals.

Innovation is high in linking onto the website, and the brand seems to understand the

consumer pulse although platform integration & campaigns are amiss.

YouTube Channel has the highest views in the OTA Sector, with over 2 lakh views on 52

Uploads due to the Every Trip Has a Purpose video, as well as UGC videos.

4900+ Followers makes their outreach the highest on Twitter.

Twitter Strategy – Content themes on twitter are not travel or package related only. From

latest technology, website designs, innovations and travel news, the brand covers it all.

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• w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

Ixigo– MindShift ScoreCard®

Rank - 5

Score – 36.5/100

Online

Travel

Agency

Social

Reach

Ixigo

3

18.5

10

3

NA

1

NA

1

NA

Ixigo has a Social Reach across 3 Platforms

Facebook Insights – Ixigo has over 1,54,793 fans with an engagement ratio of Approx 0.1%

Content Mix includes albums, facts and guess about Destinations. Ixigo’s engagement ratio

on Facebook is very low, even after gaining a decent fan base. An increase in updates that push

users towards interaction would be the way forward.

Ixigo doesn’t seem to push their Facebook fans to their website, as there were very few updates

that redirect to their website.

Twitter –2021 followers used for interacting with their consumers and sharing their

experiences via tweets. Unlike other agencies, Ixigo tweets generic updates as well apart from

travel updates on their twitter account.

YouTube has not yet been explored by Ixigo yet.

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Social Media Findings – MindShift

Metrics

Facebook& Twitter are two

priority platforms for Online

Travel Agencies

Cleartrip has the highest Engagement Ratio

of 17% on Facebook

Twitter is primarily used as a CRM platform, though each brand

adopts a different communication route

Key

Objective of

Social Media:

1. Outreach

2. Bookings

MakeMyTrip – Only OTA with a dedicated

Twitter Account for Customer Care

MakeMyTrip has the maximum Social Reach with

presence on 8 Platforms

Foursquare and YouTube are the least leveraged Platforms

Cleartrip leads Twitter due to its active

presence and response management

Ixigo ranks the lowest due to its lesser active presence on various

platforms, apart from Facebook and Twitter

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Trend Forecasting

1. Personalization is the BUZZ Word – Online Travel Agencies need to integrate a personalized

approach in their offerings. Social Personalization, as a concept needs to be explored to

connect and assure a positive,

customized experience for the

customer.

Integrating a Social Connect on the

Website, where a member can view

his history with the agency as well as

track his travel pattern. The member

can also be requested to share a

review and recommend his friends to

become active members of the site,

leading to a chain of a Social Referral

System.

2. Offer Experiences – Global Travel Agencies follow a creative route to attract the attention

and engage the consumer with

campaigns that allow them to

experience the offers and

packages through applications,

videos or blogs. Creating a desire

to do things versus selling an

offer directly helps increase

engagements and repeat visits

to the fan page. Whilst it is

important to lead consumers to

the final objective, making the

experience fun is of key

importance.

Expedia, with its campaign You

Deserve a GETAWAY this

holiday explored new

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dimensions via the social media space. Fans were asked to create a Travel wish list on

Facebook and the brand would then share packages that are relevant with the wishes and

make suggestions.

3. Understand the Consumer Pulse – We notice that individuals book trips on websites either

for business trips, to get package deals for friends / family or to review and view vacations

suggestions at the same time. The ability to dive in and understand the consumers’

requirements before creating a strategy for the content and campaigns will ensure higher

outreach and engagement for the brand. Interestingly, brands globally have adopted certain

areas of studying the consumer pulse and delivering on platforms accordingly but a lot is to

be seen out here, in India and globally.

4. Going Niche – With the rapid increase in E-Commerce and growing sales in each sector,

OTAs are opting to emphasize on a Social Media Strategy, where services are catered to

each industry through a different Social Media Presence and Approach. The objective being

to tap each sector, identify its growth pattern along with consumer trends and launch

services which would enhance the services and experience of the customer.

5. Seamless Customer Care – For an industry heavily dependant on referals and consumer

share of voice, responding to angry customers is not the solution to a stable social media

presence, but providing a strong customer support team that is willing to handle situations

at all times is. This, therefore, cannot be a service provided simply via an automated tool and

requires the support of someone who understands the business, and the end consumer.

Creating alternate channels/platforms on social media to specifically cater to consumer

greivances, suggesstions and queries is something Indian OTAs must adopt after having

created a stable presence on their primary social media platforms.

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Key MindShifts

The Online Travel Agencies, as we’ve seen are actively involved in the Social Media space with

campaigns and content that creates an outreach for them. Our Insights 8 Key Takeaways for Online

Travel Agencies that would help brands leverage Social Media.

1. Innovative Content Strategy – Innovative campaigns are a requisite and so is an innovative

content mix. Brands must understand the content relevant to their business and their

consumers and deliver accordingly. The space you have on their News Feeds is very precious

so deliver content after you listen, analyze and learn what your audiences want.

2. CRM is the Key – Efficiently handling your consumers online is the need of e-commerce

portals. Create a seamless CRM process that ensures your customer resolves his query

online and moves back onto making that purchase. All queries, complaints and feedback

must be acknowledged, responded to and resolved.

3. Social Integration: Connecting your website with social media platforms is an important

integration to allow for a direct flow from one to another as well as allows consumers to sign

in with basic details and progress towards booking their tickets. After all, we do agree

Registration forms are a chore don’t we?

4. Assign a role to each Platform – Brands need to identify the right platforms and prioritize

the same to build an effective Social Media Plan. Goals and approach differ for each

platform and only a sound knowledge of your consumer mixed with an understanding by

your social media consultants will ensure optimization.

5. Evangelists –While you’re busy building a large fan base, don’t forget it is the ones with the

largest share of social voice on your page that need to be gratified and given the maximum

attention as they are probably the best people to convert into Influencers of your brand.

6. Optimize your Presence – Create a presence that appropriately allows your presence to be

searched and disseminated. Create channels high in SMO capability & provide relevant

searched content on them. Social Media success is inevitable for a well optimized social

media presence.

7. Social Loyalty programmes- Recommendation by family & friends is one of the major

contributors in the travel industry that affects a consumers decision while making a travel

plan. Brands need to identify this aspect and have a Social Referral Strategy to encourage

and build a referral program via social networks.

8. Monitor Conversations – OTAs cater the most to active social media users which also gives

them a stronger voice on social media to discuss positive and negative experiences. Learn to

track and respond to these at the earliest, curtailing the issue at hand earliest. Use this data

beyond response management to gain insights on your brand and consumers and work

towards changing sentiments, if required.

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About MindShift Interactive

“Experience a MindShift to deliver legendary Outreach.”

MindShift Interactive is an Insightful Digital Outreach powerhouse that provides business with a

data-centric approach towards achieving an impactful, innovative and, most of all, sustained Social

Media presence.

We recreate brands in a truly Social environment by gathering insights not only from the outlook of

your people affected by the actions of your brand, but also from a business viewpoint.

Our expertise inSocial Media and Research assures your business an insight on how to honestly

create long-term engagement with consumers that delivers a MindShift.

MindShift Interactive Private Limited is the parent company of MindShift Digital and MindShift

Metrics, our Social Media Marketing Agency and Social Media Research Company respectively.

Combined together, they give your business an insightful and innovative Social Media Outreach.

MindShift Metricshelps you make sense of the data available over digital platforms and MindShift

Digital takes over to convert insights into strategies that ensure arich Social Media presence that is

intelligent, engaging and crosses boundaries of innovation.

Get in touch with us:

MindShift Interactive Pvt. Ltd | 3, Baig Mansion | Babulnath Road |Mumbai – 400007 | India.

+91 22 2309 3980 | +91 98 2007 1517

[email protected] www.mindshiftinteractive.com

Join the MindShift:http://www.facebook.com/MSInteractive