new forms of dialogue

With its “Meine Agentur” agency, Kuoni’s subsidiary Helvetic Tours is introducing an innovative concept based on a progressive combination of offline and online brand presence.

“Meine Agentur” is breaking new ground with the design of its premises, as well as with the many different forms of communication it uses. Armin Fischer developed the interior design together with Helvetic Tours, producing a youthful look and an open atmosphere tailored to appeal especially to younger people. In a specially designed bar area, guests are given a coffee and encouraged to chat informally with staff and other customers about their latest travel plans or past experiences. This idea of forming a community of travellers is seamlessly extended into the online world: “Meine Agentur” is very much of its time in the way it exploits the opportunities of Web 2.0. Communication, allowing the customer to have a voice, and stronger identification with a company are becoming increasingly important, and the internet is crucial to all three. “Meine Agentur” and its services are aimed at people whose opinions are formed – and whose buying decisions are ultimately made – in this medium. Our customers can go online not only to check out holidays and exchange views about them, but also to offer their own new product ideas or suggest new destinations. All in all, Helvetic Tours offers its customers the opportunity to get much more actively involved than usual and to help shape the travel agency’s programme. With its online tools, “Meine Agentur” also functions as a think-tank, allowing Helvetic Tours to talk directly to customers and gather unfiltered feedback to help it with its work.

Click here to read the full article in the Kuoni Brand Report 2009