We hear plenty of industry gossip, happenings, goings-on, rumours…. The lengths that agents will go to and the journey they will take... in order to create an opportunity for themselves in an electronically noisy industry.

So how on earth does the title of “3 rude naughty travel agents” relate to this story?

It came from my lunch meeting with Anthony Valeriano of e Travel Blackboard. We spoke about how the online space is extremely competitive, margins are dropping and that dynamics were continuing to evolve quickly. That the bold, efficient and clever will survive.

The title of this article might get you thinking that at times, you really need to be out there to get people's attention, be innovative, be cheeky, be brave ; you need to “step out of the box” for a digital media strategy that will grow your business.

Here are three essential characteristics of those campaigns that made us remember.

1.         A positive message

One international wholesaler continues to provide a news service that leads with a negative industry headline in every one of their e-mails;   I delete the header when it arrives.

Your message can quickly whisk someone away from  their current reality and get them hooked and wanting more, not dreading reading on.  Make them want it.

2.         Visually appealing

Bold colours, saturated images, nicely laid out, easy to follow and consistently delivered. Find a format and stick to it but keep it fresh and appealing to glance at.

3.         Sex sells

What did you think when you read that title? Was there just something a little bit too intriguing to ignore. It's a cheap ploy to prove a point. You still reading?

You can't always be this brazen, subtlety is much more effective in creating a viral message

Consider the instant “make me smile and tell me more” factor; it could be the difference between your customer remembering your brand or deleting your header.