20: How Priceline.com Uses Social Media to Listen to Their Audience

How does Priceline seem to always keep your attention?    Whether it's a funny commercial or a Twitter chat, Priceline always has an answer to what their audience wants. How do they do it? Listening of course! Today, social media manager, Karianne Stinson, joins us and discusses exactly that. Andiamo! About Karianne Stinson Karianne is the Social Media Manager at Priceline.com. She is a lover of coffee and wine, a karaoke superstar and has an incurable case of wanderlust, which fits her well, considering where she works. Tweet with her: @karianne About Priceline.com Priceline first became known for its Name Your Own Price system, where travelers would name their price for airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals and vacation packages. While the purchaser can select a general location, service level and price; the hotel, rental car company and/or airline (as well as the exact location of the hotel and the exact flight itinerary) is disclosed only after the purchase has gone through, with no rights to cancel. Priceline's cut of the proceeds is the difference between the price an individual named and the price charged by the service establishment. More recently, it has added a more traditional model, called Express Deals, where travelers are presented prices but are not told the name of the establishment. Travelers can still choose to name their price for airline tickets, hotel rooms and rental cars. The number of airlines, hotels and car rental company participants in the name your own price program has increased as these suppliers utilize this opaque market Priceline created to sell their perishable inventory without lowering prices through other traditional sales channels. Priceline now also sells discounted cruises, as well as tours and attractions. In 2002 Priceline licensed its "Name Your Own Price" travel system to eBay. During November 2007, Priceline “permanently” eliminated all booking fees on published airfares. In April 2014, Priceline.com Incorporated announced that it has changed its name to "the Priceline Group Inc." This corporate name change was intended to create a clear delineation between the global Priceline business. Now, Priceline.com is one of six primary brands of the Priceline Group. Priceline announced in May 2015 that it would invest an additional $250 million in Chinese online travel company Ctrip to tap the fast-growing China market. Vincenzo’s Italian Lesson of the Day: "Non vedo l'ora" = I can't wait.   Literally, “I can’t see the hour,” this is the phrase you use for looking forward to something. As in, non vedo l’ora di tornare in Italia — “I can’t wait to go back to Italy.”    About Vincenzo Landino: Vincenzo Landino is a brand correspondent, speaker, and live streaming strategist. He has worked with brands such as Applebee’s, Barilla Pasta, DC United, Tinder and more! Voice Over Artist, Rachel Creveling Rachel owns Belle Strategies, a social media marketing company specializing in turning followers into customers. She has been providing voice over talent for 6 years and has recorded for TV, Radio, and Podcasts. Find her at www.bellestrategies.com.   The Brand Boost Podcast mission The Brand Boost podcast is the show for brands looking to create the