Creating Demand in a Commoditised Travel Market, with Lottie Norman | 004

In this episode, Lottie Norman, VP of Brand Transformation & Strategy at The Travel Corporation, explains how to build commercially successful travel brands in an increasingly commoditised market — and why separating brand from performance is one of the biggest growth mistakes CMOs still make.She reveals why performance marketing converts demand but brand creates it, why legacy travel brands must shift from brand-led to consumer-led decision making, and how emotional storytelling — grounded in real experiences — becomes a strategic growth lever, not a creative luxury. From scientifically measuring happiness on youth tours to transforming a heritage brand like Trafalgar for the next decade, Lottie shares what it really takes to evolve without losing your soul.This is essential listening for CMOs navigating short-term performance pressure while trying to build long-term brand equity — particularly in categories where differentiation is shrinking and consumer expectations are rising.Lottie has spent over a decade operating at the intersection of brand, content, performance and transformation. She previously led marketing for Contiki and served as CMO of The Travel Corporation’s in-house marketing lab before stepping into her current role leading strategic transformation for Trafalgar. Her work spans global brand building, DTC acceleration, and embedding customer-centric thinking across large organisations.Flipping the Playbook is a podcast for CMOs in enterprise businesses, featuring conversations with marketing leaders who are challenging conventional wisdom and navigating the transformation of marketing.Hosted by: Reza Moaiandin, Co-founder of SALT.agency https://salt.agency/contact/Guest: Lottie Norman, The Travel Corporation: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lottienorman/?originalSubdomain=uk