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Sojern Reveals First Of Its Kind ‘State of Destination Marketing 2024 Report’

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SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Sojern, the leading digital marketing platform built for travel, is excited to announce the launch of the “State of Destination Marketing” report for destination marketing organizations (DMOs). This first-of-its-kind report, produced through a partnership between Sojern and Digital Tourism Think Tank (DTTT), and supported by Brand USA, Destination Canada and the European Travel Commission, sheds light on the latest industry trends and challenges.

Based on insights from nearly 300 DMOs, government departments and affiliated tourism entities worldwide, it explores effective marketing strategies for engaging travelers and offers a glimpse into the future of destination marketing. Sojern commissioned this report to ensure its global destination clients have access to the most comprehensive marketing insights.
The report found that economic uncertainty, inflation, and the cost of living are all having a significant impact on strategies, with more than 50% of respondents considering these to be areas that require careful planning. “As the travel industry undergoes rapid transformation, we remain committed to empowering destinations to navigate these changes effectively,” said Noreen Henry, Chief Revenue Officer, Sojern. “The insights uncovered in our report highlight destination marketers’ strategic priorities and overall approach to digital marketing, while also highlighting the significance of promoting sustainable and diverse tourism and meeting consumers’ increasing desire for unique experiences. Working with strategic technology-powered partners like Sojern ensures success in an increasingly dynamic and competitive environment.”
Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Disrupting DMOs
AI is revolutionizing marketing and will have a monumental influence on how destinations market to travelers. According to the findings, DMOs anticipate that AI’s impact will be most pronounced in content creation, with nearly half (49%) foreseeing significant impact. A growing number of AI tools are transforming creative processes, from long-form content to social media posts.
In addition, 40% of DMOs see significant potential in AI for predictive analysis and forecasting, 38% for data analysis and interpretation, and 37% for marketing content personalization. However, 71% are currently less confident and see little potential impact in AI’s ability to shape their teams’ web, app and platform creation, and 63% in conversational marketing. DMOs perceive the least impact when it comes to AI on campaign creation and optimization (29%), creative media (25%) and web, app, platform creation (25%).
Prioritizing Digital Paid Media Investments as Meta Dominates
Ninety-six percent (%) of DMOs are making significant investments in paid media as an essential component in achieving their marketing objectives. Notably, 58% take an always-on approach, investing year round, while 38% invest seasonally and only 21% invest when specific opportunities arise. Social media advertising maintains its prominence, as does Search Engine Marketing (SEM), with 96% and 95% of DMOs rating them as having a high or average importance, respectively.
The most important channel formats comprise 94% native advertising or sponsored content, 85% display and video advertising, and 78% in-stream video ads. Additionally, Connected TV (CTV) shows promise, with more than half of respondents considering it of mid to high importance.
Instagram and Facebook remain the most important platforms when it comes to prioritizing media and content investment, with 45% and 35% respectively of all respondents ranking Meta’s channels as their top channel of importance. While TikTok has become a global sensation, media investment hasn’t yet grown to the level some might expect, with only 5% ranking it as their most important channel. 
Shifting Strategies Around Data and Privacy
Fifty-four percent of all respondents stated that data provides the most value in marketing planning. Demographic data (88%) is used most frequently to guide decisions, followed by behavioral data (79%). However, increased reliance on data also brings its challenges. Given the three most pressing obstacles to success are the lack of data integration across channels (52%), the high cost of acquiring data (46%) and limited access to quality data (42%), it becomes clear why demographic data currently serves as the primary proxy for decision making in digital marketing.
With Google’s deprecation of third-party cookies scheduled for mid-2024, 37% reported a significant impact, while 15% of respondents said that these changes have a small impact on their current strategies. DMOs are taking actions to mitigate the effects of these data privacy changes, with 60% planning to focus on social content and 58% prioritizing obtaining more first-party data. The report found that the inability to track the right data is a significant issue, with the importance of obtaining first-party data now higher than ever. DMOs can capitalize on the current focus on demographic data and data-related challenges by partnering with a trusted travel marketing expert who offers high quality data that can be seamlessly integrated and activated across channels and devices.
Prioritizing Environmental and Social Goals
DMOs are adapting their strategies in response to trends such as sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion. European DMOs are leading in prioritizing environmental sustainability (62% for climate change, 56% for biodiversity) compared to Canadian (29% for climate change, 24% for biodiversity) and US DMOs (8% for climate change, 33% for biodiversity).
Many DMOs are emphasizing both social diversity and sustainability in their strategies, with figures showing that 42% of all those surveyed prioritize gender equality, and 45% of European and 40% of US DMOs strongly prioritize accessibility for visitors with disabilities. Around 35% of all respondents said that LGBTQ+-specific strategies (i.e. sexual orientation) were strongly prioritized, with similar importance (34%) placed on promoting social and economic diversity.
Embracing Co-op Marketing Priorities
Seventy-eighty percent of global DMOs are actively investing in industry partner campaigns, or co-op marketing, a collaborative approach where DMOs partner with local business stakeholders to promote travel destinations.
Motivators for co-op campaigns include boosting overall marketing investment (58%), expanding audience reach (54%) and cost-sharing (46%). Notably, 70% of DMOs are embracing “full funnel” marketing campaign activities. As the travel industry keeps changing, DMOs need to remain adaptable, focus on data and cultivate robust capabilities with their destination marketing strategies. 
To see the full survey methodology, download the “State of Destination Marketing 2024” report here.
About Sojern
Sojern is a leading travel marketing platform designed to boost growth and profitability for the travel industry. The Sojern Travel Marketing Platform is a set of easy-to-use software and services that delivers unrivaled traveler insight, intelligent audiences, multichannel activation and optimization, and a connected guest experience—all in one place. More than 10,000 travel marketers rely on our platform annually to find, attract, convert and engage travelers. Founded in 2007, Sojern is headquartered in San Francisco, California with teams in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific.
About the Digital Tourism Think Tank
The Digital Tourism Think Tank has been working for over a decade on digital transformation together with DMOs from across the globe. It is recognised by the industry as a leader in destination digital transformation and work with a wide range of destinations. DTTT Members are on the leading edge of change, creating more competitive destinations, underpinned by a strong approach to digital, putting sustainable innovation at the core of everything.
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Reliance Cyber and Google Cloud Security unite to transform cybersecurity for UK businesses

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LONDON, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Leading Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), Reliance Cyber has been selected as one of only four MSSPs to partner with Google Cloud Security (GCS). This collaboration is set to make cybersecurity more effective and less complicated for businesses throughout the UK and Ireland.

Why this matters:In today’s complex security environment, businesses face a multitude of challenges, including escalating cyberattacks, an overwhelming number of security alerts, rising cybersecurity costs, and a critical shortage of skilled professionals. The partnership between Reliance Cyber and Google Cloud Security provides organisations with improved security postures through insightful, data-driven analytics, which underpin Reliance Cyber’s XDR service. For businesses facing diverse economic, social, and technological changes—such as the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, the transition to hybrid and remote work, rapid technological advancements like AI, and budget pressures from the cost of living crisis—this partnership represents a significant step forward. It enhances cybersecurity without the usual challenges of high costs, complexity, or the need for specialised staff. It’s about making world-class security simple and available to a wider audience.
What’s changing:
Support for growth: The partnership will expand the reach of state-of-the-art security services to more businesses, helping to protect organisations without the stress of financial and operational barriersEnhanced visibility, lower costs: Leveraging Google’s SOAR capabilities and Chronicle’s powerful telemetry, Reliance Cyber’s tailored ingestion approach means organisations can achieve enhanced visibility across their digital environments at a reduced cost. This approach enables proactive prevention and detection of threats, ensuring better security with less expenditure.Key benefits of the strategic partnership include:
AI and automation: Automation is at the core of Reliance Cyber’s offering. Every alert is enriched with threat intel from leading vendors, automatically correlated, and grouped into cases, reducing mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR). Google’s additions enhance this with lower data ingestion costs, superior threat intelligence, curated detections, and advanced anomaly detection using machine learningSimplified security operations to support staff: Integration of Google Cloud’s SOAR capabilities simplifies the security management landscape, allowing CISOs to focus on strategic planning rather than daily operational hurdlesScalable security for business growth: The partnership supports business expansion strategies by providing scalable security solutions that grow with the company, crucial for organisations driving technological advancementData-driven insights for better decision-making: Boards will gain unparalleled visibility into their digital environments, fostering smarter, faster decision-making to preemptively address potential security threats.Rob Walton, Chief Revenue Officer at Reliance Cyber, on the transformative impact: “We’re thrilled to partner with Google Cloud Security. This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver comprehensive, advanced security services to the market, making top-level security accessible and manageable for businesses of all sizes. Ultimately, it’s about creating predictability and peace of mind in an area that can often cause businesses and their boards sleepless nights, particularly due to concerns about attacks and the financial constraints that dictate risk appetites.”
Do you want more coverage, at less cost, with zero compromises? 
Enquire about a proof of concept. Visit: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H09bKtG0.
About Reliance Cyber
Since our founding in 2003, Reliance Cyber has established itself as a leading Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP). By combining deep cybersecurity expertise with a true partnership ethos, we enable organisations to concentrate on their core business.
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Eficode acquires Jodocus and reinforces Atlassian Cloud skills and Atlassian partnership in Germany

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HELSINKI, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Eficode has acquired Jodocus, the first cloud-native Atlassian Platinum partner in Germany. This acquisition further reinforces Eficode’s role as an Atlassian partner in Germany and expands its skills and services in Atlassian Cloud.

“Atlassian is moving to the Cloud, and the related know-how is essential to speed up this transition. Jodocus was originally the first Atlassian partner in Germany to focus fully on the Cloud. Their broad expertise in Atlassian tools and cloud migrations helps our customers in their journey to the cloud and complements our mission to build the future of software development,” says Ilari Nurmi, CEO of Eficode. “We welcome Jodocus’ employees and customers to Eficode.”
Founded in 2019, Jodocus is an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner with extensive expertise in Atlassian Cloud. In addition to focusing on the Cloud, the Jodocus team offers support on business processes, Application Lifecycle Management, and DevOps. Their customer base is in Germany, with well-known names such as Otto Group and Fricke. Jodocus has 45 employees, and its revenue in 2023 was 11,5 million euros. “Together, Eficode and Jodocus will form a more significant entity and have even more international customers, which opens possibilities for deepening and broadening our relationship with our customers,” says Werner Krandick, CEO of Jodocus.
Eficode has enabled countless businesses with DevOps and digital transformation to adopt new technologies and practices to create software better. Its full spectrum of digital services can now be extended also to Jodocus’ customers. Eficode ROOT provides software development tools as a managed service in a Software-as-a-Service manner. In turn, with Total Support, we manage the tools and offer support, coaching, and mentoring for Atlassian solutions as a subscription.
In recent years, Eficode has grown strongly both organically and through acquisitions. Eficode’s compound annual growth (CAGR) during the previous four fiscal years has been 70%.
Media contactsIlari Nurmi, Chief Executive Officer, Eficode. [email protected], +358 40 577 5084 Lauri Palokangas, Chief Marketing Officer, Eficode. [email protected], +358 50 486 4918 
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
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New first of its kind UK legal-tech recruitment platform aims to put an end to overseas worker scams

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Unique UK-based legal technology platform, Immpact, helps unite the global talent market to fulfil UK skills shortages across healthcare, construction, engineering, life sciences and hospitality Immpact directly connects employers, recruiters and regulated legal experts with pre-qualified global talent – and aims to help eradicate profiteering job scammersREADING, England, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — A unique new legal-tech recruitment platform has launched in the UK to help put an end to overseas worker scams and directly connect UK employers and recruiters with pre-qualified overseas global talent. Immpact will help fulfil acute skills shortages across sectors including healthcare, construction, engineering, life sciences and hospitality, while ensuring full legal Home Office compliance.

The launch of Immpact follows over two years of advanced legal-tech development. Using the immigration law expertise of Founder and Managing Director, Jonathan Beech, and his team of specialists, the platform will help unite a previously disconnected global talent market with under-resourced UK employers and transform global workplace migration. Immpact has also been developed through discussions with hundreds of employers, industry bodies and overseas talent.
With job scams – from fake jobs to illegal fees for sponsor licences – ongoing, particularly in the social and healthcare sector, Immpact will ensure only pre-qualified talent, employers and recruitment firms are placed on its platform following stringent multi-layer checks. This will ensure that all jobs and talent are qualified and genuine along with thoroughly regulated employers and recruiters, to provide a global marketplace for talent.
Jonathan Beech, Founder and Managing Director of Immpact, said: “Through my existing business running Migrate UK, I’m acutely aware of the issues that UK employers and recruiters are having in trying to fulfil talent shortages across sectors such as care, healthcare and life sciences. I also regularly hear terrible stories of genuine overseas job hunters being ripped off in their home countries or the UK by job scammers, often running to thousands of pounds.
“I knew there had to be a better way to match pre-qualified overseas talent with genuine work opportunities and responsible UK employers – effectively a ‘talent’ match-making site which is designed to eradicate scammers to provide a global, trusted marketplace for talent.”
Following the latest government immigration rule changes, overseas recruitment costs are continuing to rise for businesses struggling with talent shortages. From 4 April 2024, the minimum salary for entering the new skilled visa worker route for the first time increased by 48%, from £26,200 to £38,700 a year. There are different rates for those already holding a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship prior to this date and discounts are available for key shortage roles on the Immigration Salary List (ISL).
Immpact will benefit employers and recruiters by saving them time and money. Working with recruitment experts to analyse existing overseas recruitment workflows, Immpact has calculated that it will save 50% of the time involved in managing overseas recruitment, helping to cut down the time-consuming filtering of applications traditionally needed.
For employers traditionally looking to recruit overseas applicants, previous data from industry recruitment software specialists show that 30% of overseas applications are rejected as they do not have the right to work, while 64% are rejected due to CVs being unclear or requirements not being met. This leaves just 6% of applications remaining, which results in about 2% then being interviewed. Immpact will automatically present only suitable pre-qualified applications to employers or recruiters, eradicating wasted time on unsuitable or unqualified applicants.
Beech continues: “Following thousands of hours of development and utilising the latest advanced technology which can adapt to evolving Home Office requirements and procedures, we’re proud to launch Immpact. Our unique new platform takes care of the entire process – from pre-qualifying processes, searching and shortlisting, down to arranging interviews, successful appointments, onboarding, the provision of regular content and guidance, and access to regulated immigration legal professionals.
“Our new technology will transform global migration for both UK organisations and businesses struggling to recruit and global talent looking to work in the UK. Immpact has been thoroughly tested at every stage and is both user-friendly and, crucially, compliant, so qualified overseas applicants and UK employers and recruiters can be confident that only genuine UK jobs and overseas applicants match and proceed. Quite simply, we want Immpact to simplify the whole migration process by putting the right talent in the right place at the right time, and for UK employers to fulfil critical talent shortages which will help them not only survive, but thrive.”
The platform has a free trial or low-cost subscriber options for search-matching and more for employers and recruiters. For talent, the platform has zero costs for creating a profile, using the pre-qualifying tools or searching for opportunities. For further information visit www.immpact.ai.
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