Does the name ‘Wallop’ sound to you like an Australian animal? It did to me when I first heard it.
I thought, “Is it like a kangaroo?” Thankfully no but like any decent kangaroo, this marketing agency told me they can pack a punch. Hence, Wallop’s name is derived from their desire for their digital services to be impactful for their clients.
Those marketing services translate into a significantly higher margin of direct bookings for their experiential travel and luxury hospitality clients. In other words, Wallop has a direct and positive impact on their clients’ bottom-line. And as the company’s new sales director, Wallop’s one one-of-a-kind travel clients are a dream come true for me.
Imagine a client group that includes an African safari, a Polynesian island, a towering vertical resort in downtown Bangkok, a heli-ski operator in the Canadian Rockies, a top-tier dude ranch in the American West, an exquisite 19th century hotel in historic Charleston, a deluxe cruise line in the South Pacific, a group of charming boutique hotels in Old Montreal, a rugged Alaskan fly-in fishing camp, and on and on? All places I would love to experience!
It was love at first sight.
I found Wallop at a travel and hospitality conference in Canada earlier this year two weeks before the world as we know it shut down. This company is a Vancouver based company with a network around the world. Sure they are friendly and polite — in other words, typical Canadian — but it is their ‘bucket list’ client roster that really caught my eye.
And the more I looked, the better Wallop seemed: this crew is smart, motivated and everybody seems to like them — or as I say, ‘seems to like us’ for I’m now officially a ‘Walloper’!
What sealed the deal for me was Wallop’s 95% client retention rate. Imagine retaining hospitality clients throughout the pandemic. And throughout over 16 years of focusing almost exclusively on luxury and adventure travel markets.
I did my due diligence before joining the team and talked to several Wallop clients and they all gushed about how much they enjoyed working with the team, the results, and that Wallop was their ‘marketing partner’.
What I like About Wallop
I love our work. Before I arrived, Wallop had been too modest to toot its own horn but I’m here to show them off. I don’t mind saying that our numbers don’t lie and our client retention rate proves it. I’m proud that we work with clients like The Fairmont, Miraval Resorts, and Lebua in places like Hawaii, Kenya, Bangkok, French Polynesia, Canada, the USA, and beyond.
Our ‘IP’ is found between our ears and in the templates and macros we’ve built using our knowledge base on the most important digital platforms. If we were financial services consultants, we’d be a top institutional trader. But unlike a TD Ameritrade or Charles Schwab, we’d be a nimble but savvy mix of speedy day traders and long term strategists. We’d know where to bid and where to move our money and return the best results directly to our partners.
Similar to how financial services acquire most of their clients by reputation, most of ours come through referrals. We first offer new clients in-depth analysis and show them how we can maximize their profitability on their current offerings and then give them the reports they need to help improve their overall marketing strategy.
So what exactly am I selling?
I knew that the hospitality world needed another digital marketing agency like a hole in the head. But at Wallop I discovered that our digital marketing tools and strategies, eye-catching and user friendly web design and development, and content creation (in word, image or film) are all in support of a higher calling: better business results for our client partners.
If you don’t know me yet, here’s what you should know.
I grew up on an avocado ranch near San Diego. I left my small town for college, after which I lived in Mexico City, São Paulo, and then New York City for 10 years where I worked in advertising for The Economist Group. Shortly afterward, I worked at Travelzoo and Sojern where I forged many relationships with hotels and tour-based activities in the US, Mexico, and Latin America.
I am fluent in Spanish and have traveled extensively around the world (to 65 countries and counting). My background and my passion really are in Travel, Marketing, Advertising, Branding, and Digital, so this position will be a fun new challenge for me.
I am so excited for 2021, not only to leave my house again and see people in person, but to help Wallop get their name out there, and to grow, prosper, and get the global recognition I know they have earned.
Don’t be a stranger.
If you have worked with me in the past, reach out and let’s have a virtual coffee. I’d like to make sure Wallop’s on your radar and you can fill me in on your COVID realities. If we have not worked together yet, it could be worth a conversation to see if we can do an audit of your current marketing strategies and results.
Regardless, as this year of so much uncertainty, stress and anxiety comes to an end, know that we are people first and that health and wellness are the most important. I am here not just as a salesperson, but a friend and a colleague always willing to listen and engage. Wishing all of you, patience, health, and kindness and a much better and brighter 2021!
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