Dragon Trail Interactive Corporate Background

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Dragon Trail Interactive
Corporate Background

Contact us for more information:
info@DragonTrail.com
www.DragonTrail.com

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Reach and connect with affluent
Chinese consumers online

BEIJING – SHANGHAI – XI’AN

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Client Testimonials

"As a global hotel group we recognize the importance of maintaining unique social media strategies for each target market. The Chinese social
media landscape is unlike any other in the world, and for that reason we sought the expertise of Dragon Trail. With years of social media marketing
experience combined with an in-depth understanding of the Chinese travel industry, Dragon Trail has been instrumental to our social media
success in China.“

Kristin Ruble, Vice President Marketing
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

"China is a very promising but also complex market and we are happy that we have partnered with Dragon Trail to build and maintain our brand
presence and engage with the Chinese online community. They created a comprehensive online marketing program for our destination, including a
captivating and flexible website, presence on major social media sites, engaging online contest and much more. The Dragon Trail team's high
efficiency, passion and knowledge of Chinese web and social media space is invaluable for the success of our online presence in China."

Julie Canning, President & Chief Executive Officer
Banff Lake Louise Tourism


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Awards


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Dragon Trail is an award-winning digital marketing agency and next few years, and it is important for companies to build their brand
travel technology company focused on helping travel, tourism, and awareness now.
hotel companies to reach and connect with affluent consumers in
China. Dragon Trail achieves its goals by leveraging technology, In order to better service the needs of our clients and more
digital marketing, and social media, and focusing on the trends of the effectively target the Chinese consumer market the company has
growing importance of the Internet, and changing consumer created four key strategic divisions.
behaviour trends, as well as the shift of traditional group travel to
more individual and experiential travel, both domestic and outbound a) Digital Marketing Agency
China. b) Technology Solutions Provider
c) Consumer-facing travel websites
With offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi’an, Dragon Trail was d) Education and Evangelism
originally started by an expert team of Chinese and international
online travel professionals, and has been recognized with various This allows Dragon Trail to stand out from other agencies in the
awards for its innovative approach, as well as for relevant Chinese market and drive the business forward more effectively. Dragon Trail
websites and viral digital campaigns for its growing client list, is also leading the field in terms of technology development. It is not
ranging from tourist boards to hotel companies from all over the just a digital marketing agency but an innovator in the field of travel
world. As a technology-driven marketing company, Dragon Trail technology. By constantly researching and monitoring the market
leverages its proprietary technology applications and platforms for trends Dragon Trail is aware of the need for new technologies which
clients, which are also licensed to travel companies, including can be integrated into a travel companies’ operations to make the
Chinese tour operators, such as CITS. workflow more efficient and stream-lined as well as increasing the
overall marketing impact for the business. Dragon Trail is now
As a digital marketing agency and technology solutions provider, developing new travel technology solutions and tools (online portals,
Dragon Trail does not replace the travel agent, either online or applications, social media products etc.) that can be used by its
offline for transactions, but increases the awareness of the brand by clients to maximize efficiency and marketing value.
leveraging social media channels, and digital marketing initiatives.
The goal is to make sure there is a buzz about products and services D ra g o n Tra i l r u n s a i n d u st r y re s o u rce p o r t a l a t
via online influencer marketing and content penetration. The www.chinatraveltrends.com and publishes a booklet titled “Essential
competition for Chinese travellers is expected to increase over the China Travel Trends.”

Page 01 BEIJING – SHANGHAI – XI’AN

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Dragon Trail started as a Beijing-based R&D house for US online travel companies and has subsequently developed into a full service digital
marketing agency with a strong background in online travel technologies.

·2005 - Dragon Trail Co-founder returned to Beijing from Silicon Valley to set up the company

·2005 - Helped launch Search Party, one of the first hotel meta search engines in the US, based in Mountain View, California

·2005 - Launched Go10000.com, one of the first two travel meta-search engines in China

·2007 - Helped launch Groopvine by Groople. Groopvine was one of the early travel social networking sites in the US that focused on collaborative
group travel planning

· 2007-209 - Dragon Trail evolved into a digital marketing agency and started signing up clients from tourist boards, hotel companies and tour
operators, and was appointed as the digital agency of record for the Canadian Tourism Commission in China in 2009

·2010 - Helped launch Expotia.com by Hubs1, the official hotel booking engine of the WorldExpo 2010 in Shanghai

·2010 – Opened its Shanghai office

·2010 – Won its first Adrian Awards, including a gold award for web site development and a silver award for online marketing campaign

·2011 – Opened its third office in Xian

·Was appointed as a Preferred Partner of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)

·2011 - Won additional awards for clients, including Best e-Marketing Campaign by Travel Weekly for the “Hello Canada” campaign

·2012 – Plan to launch new social media applications TripShow and ChinaTravelBuzz


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Dragon Trail was founded by international leading experts in social
media, e-tourism and travel technology and is recognized as the
most innovative new service for China Outbound Tourism.

The Senior Team, led by the founders, consists of top experts that
have worked in leading social media sites in China, headed
PR/Communications for global luxury hotel brands in China, and that
have spearheaded the expansion of western travel businesses into
China. Advisors include the most senior experts in travel and tourism
for China and globally.

The composition of the senior team differentiates Dragon Trail from
other companies as it brings in critical components from travel
technology development in China and USA, market entry of
international companies into China, intimate relationships with travel
and online media companies in China and abroad, and Chinese and
global online marketing expertise.

In-house execution teams made up of technology developers, as well
as content, social media, and online marketing account teams
provide in-house quality control, cost savings, as well as speed to
market, and flexibility.


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Senior Management Team

George Cao, Co-Founder & CEO

George leads an international team of travel and tourism industry veterans in digital marketing, social media and travel distribution as
well as aspiring young software engineers, product managers and internet marketing specialists to provide Best in Class solutions in
helping travel organizations to reach Chinese consumers online.

Prior to co-founding Dragon Trail, George founded or co-founded two travel meta-search engines, based in Silicon Valley and Beijing.
As co-founder of Mountain View, California based Search Party, George led product development for the internet based service that
helped users perform Total Price Comparison on tens of thousands of hotels in the US, across hundreds of supplier-direct and OTA
channels. As founder of Go10000.com, George helped introduce the concept of travel meta-search into the Chinese market.

Previously, George worked in Silicon Valley for Rich Internet Application software company Altio Inc. As Director of Solutions at Altio,
George worked closely with Fortune 500 clients to implement the most advanced web technologies at the time. Also, in Silicon Valley,
George worked as a staff product manager for one of the earliest hotel B2B distribution platform companies, WorldRES.

George spent many years in revenue management, first as a corporate manager of revenue management at Choice Hotels and then as
a business consultant at Talus Solutions (DFI/Aeronaumics). He has extensive experience in revenue management systems and
business processes for hotels, casinos and events. Earlier in his career, George worked for Hyatt Hotels and Holiday Inn in China.

George holds a Master’s Degree in Hospitality Management from Cornell Hotel School.


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Jens Thraenhart, Co-Founder & President

Specializing in digital and social media marketing for the global travel and tourism industry, Jens has over 15 years of international hospitality
marketing and operations experience. His career spans from positions in rooms and food and beverage operations, to revenue management, to
strategic planning, and to e-business for such companies such as Four Seasons, Ian Schrager Hotels, Kempinski, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, and
Marriott International.

Prior to co-founding Dragon Trail, he was the Executive Director of Marketing Strategy and Customer Relationship Management for the Canadian
Tourism Commission, where oversaw e-marketing, campaign management, and customer relationship management. Under his direction as Director
of Internet Strategy for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts as well as Marketing and CRM for Fairmont’s Vacation Ownership division, the company won
multiple prestigious awards in website design and online marketing. Regarded as a thought-leader by his peers, he was listed as one of the ‘Top 25
Most Extraordinary Sales and Marketing Minds in Hospitality and Travel’ in 2004 and 2005. He was also recognized as one of the ‘travel industry top
100 rising stars’ by Travel Agent Magazine in 2003.

He is frequently quoted in industry trade magazines, and speaks at travel and tourism conferences all over the world. His blog
“TourismInternetMarketing.com” is widely respected and frequently quoted, and he is the co-founder of the “Tips from the T-List” travel blogging
community.

He founded the HSMAI Travel Marketing Special Interest Group (2003), the HSMAI Internet Marketing Strategy Conferences (2003), the Canadian e-
Tourism Council (2006), the Online Revealed Canada Conference (2006), the Canada-e-Connect Strategy Conference (2007), and the Canadian e-
Tourism Awards (2007). He has been on various advisory boards, including the Global and Americas Board of Directors of the Hospitality Sales and
Marketing Association International (HSMAI), and the International Federation of Information Technology in Tourism (IFITT). Presently, Jens is the
chair of the PATA China Chapter. A dual citizen of Germany and Canada, Jens now lives in Beijing, China.

Jens holds an MBA-accredited Masters of Management in Hospitality from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, and a joint
Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the University Center ‘Cesar Ritz’ at
Brig, Switzerland.


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Qing Chen, General Manager, Shanghai Office

Qing Chen, a native of China with over ten years of experience in Germany, is a well-known figure in the development of China’s online
travel industry. Mr. Chen manages Dragon Trail’s Shanghai office, and leads the development of critical travel trade relations in China to
further help our international clients connect with Chinese consumers.

Mr. Chen joins Dragon Trail directly from his previous post as managing director for Care Insurance China, which is owned by the second
oldest health insurance provider in Germany, Hanse Merkur. He established the company in the Chinese market, and developed its
Chinese online presence.

Previously, Mr. Chen was the Managing Director China for Finland-based leading online travel agency Hotelzon, where he established the
company’s Chinese online presence and market strategy, developed a 24/7 toll-free call center, and generated 15% sales growth for the
company.

In 2002, Mr. Chen was in charge of operations of one of the earliest travel distribution companies in China, 4Oceans, which was later
acquired by Blackstone. 4Oceans connected global hotels via its booking platform to over 3,000 travel agents in China. Before joining
4Oceans, Mr. Chen established the Chinese presence for the leading German online travel agency, HRS (Hotel Reservation System), first
as a Product Manager in Cologne, Germany, and later as Chief Representative Asia.

With deep roots in the China outbound travel market, Mr. Chen started his career 20 years ago as a tour guide and translator for Chinese
tour operator, CITS. Fluent in Chinese, German, and English, Mr. Chen was educated at the Foreign Language University of Tianjin, China
with a Bachelor in German Literature, and with a Masters in German Literature and International Communications from Germany’s
prestigious Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich.


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Sam Woollard, Director of Client Relations

Sam has almost 10 years’ experience in the China market and wide knowledge and understanding of China’s business and travel environment.
His background and specialities vary across a large number of fields including marketing, public relations, advertising and sales, editorial and
research, China corporate establishment, business advisory, accounting and tax.

At Dragon Trail, Sam manages all client relationships, and is heavily involved in the firm’s marketing and sales activities. Sam helps manage
the coordination of service delivery teams in social media, digital marketing and technology development across three locations.

Prior to joining Dragon Trail Sam directed the Asia marketing operations of a specialist Asia foreign direct investment practice providing
business advisory services to multinational companies investing into Asia. As the Asia Marketing Director, Sam successfully developed the
company’s marketing operations in China, India and Vietnam as well as internationally. He also helped to create and launch a media
publishing platform providing Asia business news, regulatory information and reports to business executives based in over 165 countries
worldwide.

Prior to moving China, Sam lived and worked in Australia for three years on a number of different projects encompassing marketing, sales
and public relations thus gaining a wide knowledge of Australia’s business and travel environment. Sam has also previously worked for the
British Airways Executive Club as part of the European team assisting over 2 million corporate members with business travel and carrying out
marketing, sales and promotional activities worldwide.

Sam brings with him extensive media experience, in both new media (online) and publishing and a strong skill set related to multiple areas of
marketing, public relations and sales, event organisation, and assisting companies in doing business in China.


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We apply strategic thinking and storytelling across a spectrum of marketing to execute Dragon Trail’s “China Influencer Marketing
communications execution in China to get brands noticed, increase System” (CIMS), with the goal to capture permission-based targeted
marketing exposure, enhance reputation and help our clients to and relevant consumer data that will lead to a sustainable business
reach the Chinese consumer. Ultimately, our job is to help companies to drive sales, compared to a campaign and advertising driven
generate, and increase the amount of travelers and break into the strategy, which will not be sustainable on its own.
booming Chinese market.
Content development is a critical and mostly overlooked component
Dragon Trail leverages its proprietary Multi-touch point Ring when developing a Chinese language website. Dragon Trail does not
Strategy to develop a customized “China Online Marketing Platform” solely employ straight translation, and does not use any translation
companies (which do a great job if you are looking for translation, but
cultural relevance is the key). In short, Dragon Trail writes content
optimized for Chinese search engines, writes content in a way which
really focuses on articulating the brand message, and packages the
content so it makes the most sense and is also very relevant to the
SALES
Chinese market.

SRM-CUSTOMER
Within its range of services including website development and
RELATIONSHIPS
digital marketing, Dragon Trail also fills content gaps. Dangerous
CIMS-CHINAINFLUENCER content gaps are created by translation agencies that do not
MARKETING SYSTEM understand the travel industry, the Chinese market, and the brand.
Chinese people look for various pieces information that are important
COMP-CHINA ONLINE to make a decision, however these pieces may not be important to a
MAEKETINGPLATFORM
European or North American audience, for example Chinese food.
DRAGON TRAIL TRSIL PROPRIETARY
MULTI-TOUCHPOINT RING STRATEGY Dragon Trail also takes into account market-specific content
infrastructure differences when carrying out its work especially in
(COMP), which goes way beyond a traditional website. This
website and technology development. In a market like the US, UK,
engagement platform is the foundation for social media and digital
and many non-English European countries, most tourism suppliers


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have English websites, so it is a given to link off to partners so the lifestyle publications is also of importance in order to put the brand
consumer can obtain additional information or even transact. When into the consideration set of tourism destinations and hotels to be
developing a Chinese language website for example, this content visited.
infrastructure is not in place, as many tourism partners may not have
a Chinese language website, so linking off from the Chinese website Dragon Trail helps to lay the foundation of a highly effective online
to an English website will not convert. So Dragon Trail makes sure marketing platform in China. The new Chinese language web site
that some of this external information which is important is included becomes the center of concentric rings of online touch points
on the new Chinese website, however these critical information strategically placed in China’s web and social media environments.
would not be included as it would simply be linked to the partner This platform is augmented by a new consumer database of pre-
website (in English). Chinese consumers associate an irrelevant qualified travel consumers, combined with existing CRM databases,
website with a bad offline experience, therefore engaging and which can be leveraged in future campaigns and promotions. On all
culturally relevant websites are critical. touch points in the new online marketing platform, call to action will
be prominently featured which will either drive traffic to the new
This philosophy also translates across the broad spectrum of Chinese web properties, and/or generate sales leads to approved
services that Dragon Trail offers. Attention to detail is critical and trade partners.
understanding the Chinese consumer and the travel market is of vital
importance if you really want to succeed in this market. We also work with influential bloggers and media agencies that have
a unique sphere of influence in the upscale segment of Chinese
Dragon Trail believes that spreading the word about a brand is best travel market. We run specially designed campaigns that make use
achieved through a combination of traditional marketing & PR, viral of online communities and interactive digital technology, developing
campaigns, direct consumer engagement and influencer marketing. content around mini-travelogues fronted by influencers. The
Dragon Trail will help establish direct relationships with Chinese travelogues are shared through a range of online platforms;
travel consumers by engaging them on various social media including blogs, social media sites and through the Chinese-
platforms, including exclusive SNS’s for affluent Chinese consumers, language website.
and by communicating with them throughout the campaign (and
possibly beyond) via blogs, micro blogs, video sharing, e-newsletters While traditional advertising activity in China can build awareness, it
and other means of communications. While exposure in travel is essential to start telling a more detailed story of what the brand
publications, both online and offline is critical, presence in related can offer to Chinese visitors. By sharing the experiences of real


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people – who are well-known and respected by our target market in
China – we can fill in the knowledge gaps in the minds of potential
visitors. We often propose running online contests that will mobilize
bloggers to help spread the word about the client’s services and
website, as well as the brand in general. Furthermore, we provide
real-time coverage of their entire trip via blogging and micro-
blogging, as well as uploading of pictures and videos. Dragon Trail
will then syndicate the content to the various Chinese media, social
media profiles, and the Chinese website. The content will be tagged
so it will be optimized for local search engines in China. By creating
both online and offline buzz via these targeted contests and by
effectively channelling the true marketing value of the social media
landscape in China, Dragon Trail is able to capture valuable data that
can be used for future campaigns and reach the target consumer
much more effectively that a traditional PR agency.


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Travel Industry experiences social media landscape and generated a huge response from the
Chinese consumer resulting in over 1.2 billion overall media
Dragon Trail has a lot of experience working with NTO & DMO clients impressions as well as 3.3 million visitors to the campaign website,
including Canadian Tourism Commission, Tourism Malaysia, Banff which was integrated into the main Chinese portal of the Canadian
Lake Louise Tourism, as well as the regional tourism offices for Tourism Commission. Dragon Trail not only understands the trends
Alberta, Quebec, Edmonton, and Jasper, among many other clients. and behavior of the Chinese tourists in this specific industry but also
From the very beginning, Dragon Trail chose to focus 100% on travel leverages all its strong marketing channels and tools to engage with
and work exclusively with travel clients to reach and connect with the consumer and increase the overall impact and of each initiative
affluent consumers in China. Dragon Trail has and continues to across multiple areas.
leverages travel technology products and digital marketing to
successfully penetrate the China market for multiple clients Chinese and global Internet marketing experience
including hotels, tourism boards and tour operators.
Having been recognized by the industry on many occasions with
For many of it’s travel clients, Dragon Trail has successfully various awards for its innovative approach, and development of
increased their branding and exposure in China through a relevant Chinese websites and viral digital campaigns for its growing
combination of powerful and effective digital marketing strategies client list, Dragon Trail’s technology team is consistently studying and
including social media campaigns, email marketing, design and analysing the China travel market as well as developing new tools
development of a China portal, as well as management and execution and applications which can be licensed to travel companies and the
of strategic digital marketing campaigns. When working closely with like.
these clients Dragon Trail is able to fully comprehend the needs of
the client, and effectively leverage the marketing channels and align As the Chinese outbound market continues to grow at breakneck
them with the Chinese consumer behaviour and changing trends in speed the competition for Chinese travellers is expected to increase
the travel market. over the next few years. Companies need to align their marketing
strategies and branding with the China market and adapt accordingly.
The hugely successful “Hello Canada” campaign for the Canadian Dragon Trail offers high-level consulting services to travel and
Tourism Commission designed and executed by Dragon Trail tourism companies to promote their travel products and services to
demonstrates our understanding of both the client and the market. the fast changing and lucrative Chinese leisure travel market, by
This multi-phase campaign leveraged the very active and engaged leveraging digital marketing and Web 2.0 techniques, including social


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networking to connect with Chinese consumers. consumer voices in social networks towards a brand, product, or
service within a certain market, including travel intentions, with
Dragon Trail has a wide experience in a number of areas. This is the benefit to optimize campaigns and listen to the community
includes but not limited to the following:
· Leveraged innovative travel technology planning and consumer
·Developed and maintained an online presence in China for multiple engagement tools to increase exposure of multiple clients
clients including translation, web copy writing, content
syndication, web development, social network sites, and blog · Leveraged influencer marketing, from design to execution.
management Established strategic relationships with Chinese celebrities and
key opinion leaders, including actors and bloggers.
· Planned, developed, executed, and analysed digital marketing and
social media campaigns for multiple clients including consumer Sepecific Capabilities
market research, technical development, business development,
content creation, content syndication, identifying metrics, and Dragon Trail is a competent market leader in the China, digital, travel
measurement of success space and boasts and number of strengths and advantages over the
traditional firms. Our key competencies include:
· Technology Development, specifically designed for the travel
·Complete focus on China, travel, and digital marketing
industry to engage consumers in China, from trip planning, meta-
search, to social media and mobile applications, customized for
·Intimate relationships in China’s tourism and digital industry
clients, and developed in-house.

· Global client base from Europe, Middle East, North America, Asia,
· Leveraged extensive relationships with the Chinese celebrity
including China
blogging community to organize highly targeted and specific
Blogger Familiarization Trip Tours of Chinese bloggers to
·In-house technology development and execution capabilities
destinations globally including Dubai, Canada and the US, in order
to tap into networks of influencers to increase brand awareness
·Experience in tourism, hospitality, luxury, and online travel, both in
China and globally
· Leveraged innovative brand insight tools in order to gather


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influential bloggers, journalists, socialites, and celebrities to
· Reliable handling of government regulations and applications in stimulate content generation and syndication
China (like domain name registration and management;
applications to setup social media profiles; etc) · Access to preferred pricing of proprietary travel technology
· Offering expert advice on relevant and engaging content for applications (booking engine, trip planning, meta search, e-
website, social media profiles, and blogs Learning, online community, social media applications, etc.)

·Access to in-market expertise, relationships, and ongoing research In summary, by working closely with experienced industry partners
(i.e. changes in regulations) in PR, event marketing and traditional marketing, and combined with
digital, social media and technology capabilities, Dragon Trail is able
· Ongoing research of new social media sites, travel sites, lifestyle to offer a comprehensive one-stop shop for all China marketing
sites, portals, blogs, that are relevant to the both the client and needs for global travel clients.
consumer

· Access to Dragon Trail partners (DT has formed and will continue
to form strategic partnerships with social media sites in China,
some of these partnerships give DT exclusivity over the travel
category)Leveraging of preferred advertising pricing negotiated by
Dragon Trail (corporate access to Chinese social media sites is
paid most of the time, compared to free access on sites like
Facebook)

· Ability to execute campaigns (based on budget) that create buzz
and drive traffic (Dragon Trail focuses on building an online brand
platform and only uses campaigns to stimulate demand and create
buzz)

·Execution of influencer campaigns (based on budget) to familiarize


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Dragon Trail is still the only agency that solely focuses on China, Dragon Trail feels it is well suited to deliver innovative and culturally
travel, and digital. As such, Dragon Trail is well positioned in the relevant solutions and marketing services in China for the following
market, and recognized by global industry associations, from PATA, reasons:
to HSMAI, to UNWTO. Dragon Trail founders are frequently consulted
and invited to speak at industry conferences about digital marketing 1. Complete focus on China, travel, and digital marketing
and social media in China.
2. Intimate relationships in China’s tourism and digital industry
Dragon Trail has also been frequently recognized for digital
marketing results in China, either due to achieving high ROI, 3. Global client base from Europe, Middle East, North America,
delivering innovative solutions, winning awards for clients, or a 100% Asia, including China
client retention rate. Dragon Trail has been the digital marketing
agency of record for the China market for various tourist boards and 4. In-house development and execution capabilities
hotel companies, and has conceptualized and executed the award-
winning “Hello Canada” Campaign for the Canadian Tourism 5. Experience in tourism, hospitality, luxury, and online travel,
Commission in 2011. both in China and globally

In order to really position and market your brand effectively in China, Dragon Trail also has advantages over traditional marketing agencies
it is vital that your agency has an in-depth understanding of both the due to its extensive expertise and contacts with key industry players.
travel industry and the consumer. Dragon Trail’s senior team has This allows Dragon Trail to streamline much of the workflow and as a
years of experience in the travel sector and not only understands the result the marketing activities can be executed better and have a
client’s needs much better than a traditional agency but also more bigger overall impact. Specifically, Dragon Trail differentiate
understands how to dig deep and reach the Chinese consumer more itself wih the following expertise :
effectively.
Travel and tourism industry expertise - globally and in China
Dragon Trail fully appreciates the inner workings and operations of
the travel sector and knows how to best target the marketing · Hotel Management expertise at companies from Hyatt Hotels,
channels in China and reap the most benefits. Choice Hotels, Fairmont Hotels, Marriott International, and Four
Seasons (Americas, Europe, Asia)


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·Tourist Board experience at the Canadian Tourism Commission
·Online Travel Experience at Go10000.com (China), WorldRes (USA), · Online Travel Ventures including Go10000.com (China), WorldRes
HotelZon (China), HRS (China), Wow.travel / Kiwi Collection (USA), HotelZon (China), HRS (China), Wow.travel / Kiwi Collection
(Canada), MyLeisureTime (USA) (Canada), MyLeisureTime (USA)
· Served on various industry boards including HSMAI (Americas &
Global), IFITT (Europe & Global), PATA (China), IH-RA (Europe), China based
UNWTO (Global)
· Organized and chaired various travel industry conferences ·Headquartered in Beijing with offices in Shanghai and Xi’an
including Canada-e-Connect (Canada), Online Revealed (Canada),
China Responsible Tourism Forum (China), Mekong Tourism Forum Online media relationships, globally and in China
(Laos), HSMAI Internet Strategy Conferences (USA), Middle East
Online Travel Forum (Egypt) · Relationships with the main online media player in travel and
·Online Travel Blogger, both industry and consumer consumer in China, USA, Canada, as well as key players in Asia,
·Frequent speaking engagements at travel industry conferences Europe, and Middle East

Strong marketing expertise – globally and in China Online travel relationships, globally and in China

·Hotel Companies including Fairmont Hotels, Choice Hotels, as well ·Relationships with the main OTA (Online Travel Agencies) in China,
as consulting projects with various hotel companies USA, Canada, as well as the key players in other markets globally
· Tourist Boards including Canadian Tourism Commission and
Tourism Malaysia, as well as consulting projects at various tourist In-market campaign development and execution capabilities in China
boards including European Travel Commission, Tourism
Vancouver, Mekong Tourism · Developed campaigns in China for clients including CTC, Travel
· Online Travel Ventures including Go10000.com (China), WorldRes Alberta, Banff Lake Louise Tourism, Atlantis the Palm Dubai, and
(USA), HotelZon (China), HRS (China), Wow.travel / Kiwi Collection others.
(Canada), MyLeisureTime (USA)
China content creation expertise
Online travel expertise – globally and in China


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· Developed content in China for clients including CTC, Travel
Alberta, Banff Lake Louise Tourism, Atlantis the Palm Dubai,
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Malaysia Tourism, Langham
Hotels, Tourism Calgary, Tourism Quebec, PATA, and others.

China social media expertise

· Managed social media presence in China for CTC, Travel Alberta,
Banff Lake Louise Tourism, Langham Hotels, Small Luxury Hotels
of the World, Tourism Malaysia

In-house travel technology development capabilities

· Developed campaign platforms for CTC (Hello Canada Campaign),
websites for various clients including Banff Lake Louise Tourism,
Interstate China, Travel Alberta, Atlantis The Palm Dubai, Tourism
Quebec, official travel planning website for the EXPO 2010 in
Shanghai (for Hubs1), and meta search engines (Go 10000)
(


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Select Dragon Trail Clients


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Case Study 1: Banff Lake Louise Tourism
(Online Website Presence & Marketing campaign)

Background
Banff Lake Louise Tourism (BLLT) wanted to increase brand awareness of the Banff National Park region in Alberta Canada.
BLLT does not have an office in China, however collaborates with the Canadian Tourism Commission on various in-market
initiatives.

Scope of work
Dragon Trail developed a China-hosted culturally relevant Chinese website, by not translating the content, but rather re-writing the content for
relevance, and search engine optimization. In order to be more relevant to the Chinese market, the website was also rebranded as
“CanadianRockies.cn” in order increase awareness, and leverage key icons, based on extensive research, that Chinese consumers were more
familiar with. While the look and feel of the BLLT website was kept, the site was designed to suit an affluent Chinese target audience. Dragon Trail
also set up social media profiles for BLLT, and the Account Director for BLLT visited Banff to develop content (including video content that received a
many views on Chinese video sharing sites). In order to launch the website, on the exact same day as Canada received Approved Destination Status
(ADS) from China, Dragon Trail executed an innovative campaign without any advertising spend, and only drove traffic by leveraging influencers and
social media websites in China, including Kaixin001 (social networking), Sina.com blog, and Youku (video sharing).

Results
During the length of the six week campaign, the website attracted almost 200,000 visitors, and over 80,000 consumer
data records (mobile phone, email, name, and residence) were captured. A viral spread (registered users inviting new
participants) of over 90% was also recorded. The campaign received lots of offline media attention, and was recognized
for various awards, including the best digital marketing campaign by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC)
Tourism Excellence Awards, best campaign by the Canadian e-Tourism Awards, and the Gold Award at the HSMAI
Adrian Awards. The consumer records were leveraged to launch the BLLT e-Newsletter in China and execute further
marketing initiatives.


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Case Study 2: AtlantisThe Palm Dubai
(Online Website Presence & Marketing campaign)

Background
Atlantis The Palm Dubai (ATPD) originally wanted to enter the Chinese market, mainly due to the fact that its main competitor Jumeirah had been receiving
an increasing number of Chinese tourists. With nearly no brand awareness in China, ATPD did not have an office nor a GSA or PR representation in China,
and the digital initiatives were tests to see if China should be pursued as a market going forward (two years later, ATPD has increased its budget and hired
new staff focusing on the China market).

Scope of work
Dragon Trail developed a culturally relevant, yet brand identical Chinese website for ATPD. While the look and feel was the same as the other global websites for ATPD, the content was
completely re-written for relevance and search engine optimization in China. Minor modifications were also made from a design stand-point (such as the integration of Chinese social media
profiles), and more content below the fold to satisfy specific Chinese web user behaviour. Dragon Trail set up social media profiles for ATPD on the major Chinese social media websites, and
managed them in order to track and engage with users.

Dragon Trail developed a digital marketing campaign to position ATPD in unique way due to the huge awareness that the Dubai icon, the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab had been generating in the
Chinese market. The campaign was focused on families and leveraged the Chinese social media space. Before the actual campaign was launched, Dragon Trail executed small social media
campaigns on Sina Weibo (the main micro-blogging platform in China) by giving out small prizes from ATPD. The increase in followers (over 10,000 in a two week period) was then leveraged to
drive traffic to the main campaign by reducing advertising cost. Chinese web users were asked to submit a picture of their family and asked friends and family to vote for themselves.
The major social media platforms in China were chosen to engage users to participate in the campaign. People spread the word on social media, from micro-blogging, social networking, as
well as their own blogs.

Results
Over 10,000 registered families participated and uploaded pictures, as well as invited friends to vote for them, for a chance to win a trip to Dubai. The
website received a lot of visitors leading to increased brand awareness, as well as increased followers on Sina Weibo. The campaign as well as the
ATPD Chinese website received various awards due to its innovation and ROI.


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Case Study 3: Canadian Tourism Commission
(Online Marketing Campaign)

The “Hello Canada” campaign () was the first of a multi-phase
campaign execution in China by the Canadian Tourism
Commission, followed by the second phase of the overall
strategy, Explore Canada (). The campaigns leveraged the very
active and engaged social media landscape, and featured a
highly interactive and engaging, social media driven online
game, built on Dragon Trail’s proprietary TripShow platform.
Chinese consumers virtually traveled to Canada by flying from
Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou to Vancouver or Toronto to
complete one of three virtual itineraries in Canada to either
explore Canada’s west or east coasts or complete a coast to
coast trip. Each completed virtual trip was eligible to win one of
three ‘real’ Canada trips. Various components in the game were designed to increase viral spread, and social media engagement on China’s
social media sites including SNS, micro-blogging, video and photo sharing websites.

Results
In the six-week campaign period, over 1.2 billion overall media impressions resulted in over 3.3 million visitors to the campaign website,
which was integrated with the Chinese version of Canada.travel, driven by a combination of media spend executed by advertising agency DDB,
search engine marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and viral spread, where participants invited friends or spread the
message on social media sites. Over 230,000 clean consumer data records were captured, and the followers on Sina Weibo increased to
almost 40,000 from 0.


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Case Study 4: Travel Alberta
(Online Marketing Strategy)

Background
Travel Alberta wanted to launch a Chinese language website, including
social media management. In order to be relevant to the Chinese
consumer, it was important not to translate the website straight from English to Chinese, and develop content that was specifically written for the
Chinese market and optimized for Chinese search engines. It was also critical to host the website in China, as well as making several design
modifications, and integrating Chinese social media channels into the site.

Scope of work
Dragon Trail suggested developing a website that, aside from the recommendations above, would become a platform that
was able to integrate other DMOs and SMEs in Alberta. Since Travel Alberta had a limited budget but at the same time was
looking to demonstrate leadership within the industry, Dragon Trail suggested a model whereby travel industry partners in
Alberta were able to buy-in to get a presence on the Chinese Travel Alberta portal. This created a win-win-win situation. Key
aspects included the following:

1. Travel Alberta saved money by sharing costs with industry partners while at the same time demonstrating leadership
by helping smaller DMOs, attractions, tours, hotels, ski resorts and others to get a low-cost Chinese web presence.

2. Industry partners in Alberta saved significant money by partnering with Travel Alberta, not only because developing a relevant Chinese website
and managing Chinese social media profiles is not cheap for a single business or destination, but also marketing the website and social media accounts
as a stand-alone requires significant resources.


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3. Chinese consumers often come into conflict with content gaps. These are areas of the website that are either not
translated correctly, but also links to non-China websites. Even though a number of international tourist boards may often
do everything fairly well when it comes to developing a relevant Chinese website etc., they commonly make the same
mistake of creating multiple links to partners from smaller DMOs to SMEs, from hotels to attractions, but linking to
English websites instead of Chinese. Dragon Trail’s different approach and attention to detail also satisfies the Chinese
consumer and allows them to have a more integrated online experience by being able to engage with the actual tourism
products and services in the Chinese language.

The social media accounts that were set up for Travel Alberta were also available to participating industry partners in
Alberta, by sending content to Dragon Trail which will be made relevant and published on the Travel Alberta social media profiles.

In addition, to developing the Chinese website and setting up the social media profiles in China, including completing the necessary government
regulations, Dragon Trail also developed a process for Travel Alberta to reach out to industry partners, and a process for the industry partners to get
engaged in the program. To date, Tourism Calgary, Jasper Tourism, and Tourism Edmonton have signed as partners in the Travel Alberta Program. The
entire Travel Alberta website is also integrated in the digital marketing and social media activities of the CTC.

Results

After the successful launch of the website, which was on time and within budget, Dragon Trail launched an innovative digital
marketing campaign driven by the major Chinese micro-blogging site Sina Weibo. The goal was to increase visitation to the
website and have visitors engage with the content. After increasing followers on the Travel Alberta Sina Weibo profile, an
online game was developed where users had to answer questions by finding puzzle pieces on the Chinese Travel Alberta
website, and then post the location of the puzzle piece on Sina Weibo for chances to win daily prizes. The result was a
dramatic increase of page views (120,000+), and doubling of the existing Sina Weibo followers.


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Digital Strategy Planning
Externally, we communicate with client representatives closely at
Dragon Trail has put in place a clear strategy and quality control every stage of project execution and solicit their feedback as early as
procedures, ensuring all goods and services are delivered in possible. Based on their feedback, we resolve issues before a product
accordance with all pre-determined requirements. is released to the public or campaign is initiated. We also employ
industry stand issues tracking software to systematically report,
Prior to project execution, expectations are clearly communicated in track, and resolve potential issues that might affect the quality of
a set of documents including project brief, statement of work, and service delivery.

possibly wireframes, in the form of stated requirements and KPI’s. To
ensure all deliverables meet predetermined requirements and KPI’s,
we employ both internal and external procedures.

Internally, all services and deliverables are checked against pre-
determined requirements and KPI’s by our Quality Assurance staff.
These include but not limited to proofing copy and content, checking
web site functionality, and checking visual design against brand
guidelines etc.


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Dragon Trail has also installed a sound process for managing the
scope of work as well as being flexible to ongoing changes and the
needs of the client. We work closely with our clients on all marketing
initiatives. Close communication can avoid misunderstandings on
requirement and expectation and thus reduce the possibility of
requests for changes. That said, there are always some areas where
scope changes might occur more often with the services we provide
including campaign execution and campaign micro site development.

At various check points during project execution, we get client
feedback and approval on key documents that determine the scope of
the project. The approved document might include a campaign brief,
campaign statement of work and micro site functional spec and
wireframes. If at any stage of project execution, client raises
additional requirement for campaign execution or micro site
functionality, we will request that a change of request form is filled in
and submitted to us either via email from client’s official email
address or via our issue tracking system.

Once a change request is received, we will evaluate the scope of the
work related to the change and provide client a confirmation on
additional cost, if any, and timeline to implement the change. If the
client approves the cost and timeline for the change, a modified
scope document and updated implementation schedule will be
provided to the client. And at the same time, resources will be
allocated to carry out the work related to the changes requested.


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Performance Indicators

In order to gage performance and results of each initiative Dragon
Trail will leverage various mediums and as well as monitor and
analysis processes and results over an extend period of time and give
constructive feedback to the client. Some key performance indicators
are as follows:

1. Dragon Trail will measure website and social media
performance, including views of posts, pictures, and videos,
comments, and clicks to Chinese website.

2. Dragon Trail will measure data capture (name and email
address) of interested Chinese consumers

3. Dragon Trail will measure referrals to travel agents and tour
operators.

4. Dragon Trail will measure the media feedback and engagement
through a series of online and offline analysis

The following table also conveys the “matrix” used to measure and
track results of each initiative.


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To best serve clients’ needs and effectively deliver the scope of work agreed, we will put the following team structure in place for most client
engagements.

The overall project owner on our side is our Director of Client Services, who will serve as the Client Relations Manager and the primary point of
contact for clients.

Under the Client Relations Manager, we will have four team focusing on various areas of project.

1. Account Management Team

The primary responsibility of this team is keep frequent communication with the client and respond to client’s service requests. Members of this
team will liaise with other internal Dragon Trail Interactive teams on service delivery.

Dragon Trail Position Project Role Notes

Sam Woollard Director of Client Services Client Relations Manager Primary point of contact

Assist the Client Relations Manager in client
Tracy Ye Account Manager Account Manager
communication and client service

Responsible for billing, invoicing and vendor relationship
Gill Shi Business Assistant Accounting support (e.g. with Chinese search engines), and government
regulation compliance (e.g. domain registration, ICP filing)


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2. Creative team

This team is called upon to determine the overall marketing strategy and brand positioning. It will also be assembled on occasions when campaign
planning takes place and when other creative brain storming is required.


Sam Woollard Director of Client Services Client Relations Manager Primary point of contact

Assist the Client Relations Manager
Tracy Ye Account Manager Account Manager in client communication and client
service

George Cao Co-founder & CEO Creative support

Hui Li VP, Operations Creative support

TBD Account executives Creative support

Donna Deng Creative Content Manager Creative support

Yong Liang Ren Senior Internet Product Manager Creative support

Leigh Xin Director of Enginerring Creative support


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3. Social media marketing team

This team manages the day-to-day operations of social media marketing for the client.


Assist the Client Relations Manager in
Tracy Ye Account Manager Account Manager
client communication and client service

TBD Account executives Social media marketing execution

Social media marketing creative
Donna Deng Creative Content Manager
content support

Social media marketing
Leigh Xin Director of Enginerring
technical support


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4. Web marketing team

This team is responsible for developing the destination web site as well as for content maintenance, hosting of the site and general technical
support.


Manages web site development project and
Leigh Xin Director of engineering Technical lead
responsible for uptime and site performance

Responsible for overall site functionality and
Yongliang Ren Senior Product Manager Web product management user experience. Responsible for search engine
marketing and media buy and ad tracking.

Web site content production Responsible for initial content production and
Donna Deng Creative Content Manager
and content translation ongoing content maintenance.

Responsible for technology development for the
TBD Software engineer Web site developer
web site and ongoing technical support of the site

TBD System Administrator Web site technical support


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5. BD & Partnership Marketing team

This team is responsible for partnership marketing and .


Qing Chen General Manager, Shanghai Partnership marketing Responsible developing local partnership in China

Ivy Yan Business Development Manager Partnership marketing support

Marketing collateral development and brand
Donna Deng Create Content Manager Marketing suppport
merchandize procurement


Appendix
Sample 90-day Execution Plan

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Activity Activity

- Brand strategy discussion
- Web marketing planning and web site user - Social media profile set up and account verification starts
Week 1 requirement analysis Week 2 - Web site wireframe design starts
- Social media planning - Launch campaign planning starts
- Marketing and campaign planning

- Social media marketing starts
- Launch campaign concept proposal and execution
- Web site wireframe design completed and draft submitted
plan submitted
- Web site content production commences
Week 3 Week 4 - Web site content production continues
- Partner development initiatives commences
- Web site wireframe design approved and visual
- Launch campaign planning continues
design starts
- Monthly reporting

- Web site visual design draft submitted - Web site visual design approved and technology
- Web site content production continues development commences
Week 5 Week 6
- Social media marketing continues - Web site content production continues
- Social media marketing continues


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Activity Activity

- Web site development continues
- Web site content production continues
Week 7 Week 8 - Web site content production continues
- SEM contracting process starts
- Monthly reporting

Week 9 - Web site content production continues Week 10
- Web site content production continues

- Web site SEM kick off
- Web site launch
- Launch campaign ongoing management
- Launch campaign kick off
Week 11 Week 12 - Social media marketing continues
- Monthly reporting (Marketing, digital & PR)

- Launch campaign ongoing management
Week 13 - Social media marketing continues
- Additional press interviews


Contact us for more information:
info@DragonTrail.com
www.DragonTrail.com

Dragon Trail Interactive Corporate Background

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