MILWAUKEE, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ — Blogging is emerging as a powerful means to interact with broad customer bases as well as more specific communities of interest. Based on consumers’ growing interest in blogging, Midwest Airlines recently launched its own blog to promote travel to the cities it serves. But unlike other corporate blogs that mainly promote their companies’ services, Travels With Tish – Girlfriends Getaway Guide provides unbiased travel tips and tourist information based on the personal travel experiences of the blog’s author, Tish Robinson. The blog clearly identifies Robinson as a Midwest Airlines employee, but the airline itself is essentially absent from the site. Robinson is a writer in Midwest Airlines’ Marketing department and writes the blog in addition to her other job responsibilities.
“In our research about blogs prior to launching Travels With Tish – Girlfriends Getaway Guide, we found that the most popular ones provided useful information to an underserved group,” explained Scott R. Dickson, Midwest Airlines senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “The best blogs were personal, frequently updated, highly interactive and transparent regarding any affiliations. By providing useful and fun information about the cities to which we fly, we expect the blog to garner greater readership that will lead to increased passenger travel on those routes.”
Since the blog’s launch on September 1, Robinson has posted commentary about her travels to New York City, San Antonio, Kansas City and Minneapolis. On average, Robinson posts comments three times a week and features four to five posts about each city she has visited. “I tell readers about the airport and ways to get around and give my personal opinions about shops, hotels, museums and restaurants,” says Robinson. “Readers interested in traveling to cities on the Midwest route map come away with some very specific tips on what to see and do.” Among her many postings, she has described the Tenement Museum in Lower Manhattan, touted the comforts of a bed and breakfast in San Antonio, extolled the fashion finds in Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza, and explained the ease of riding Minneapolis’ light rail. Occasionally, Robinson offers special Midwest getaway fares, and if she particularly liked a shop or hotel, she will ask them to give a special deal to her readers.
As with most blogs, Travels With Tish – Girlfriends Getaway Guide is interactive and invites readers to add comments about content or make suggestions.
Travels With Tish can be accessed at girlfriendsgetaway.wordpress.com . Midwest publicizes the blog through other blog sites and search engines. The airline also links the blog through its own Web site and has mentioned it in marketing materials. Readers may add an RSS feed to their computer’s home page or have a notification automatically e-mailed to them when a new post is published.
Midwest Airlines features jet service throughout the United States. Skyway Airlines, Inc. — its wholly owned subsidiary — operates as Midwest Connect, which offers connections to Midwest Airlines as well as point-to-point service between select markets on regional jet and turboprop aircraft. Together, the airlines offer service to 47 cities. More information is available at midwestairlines.com.
