Working with a platform that centralizes multiple (often multi-format) sources of data into a visualizable, actionable “dashboard” has long been a dream. My guest, Keith Jensen, Chief Comms Officer at Engine (whose site tagline is “Make Work Travel Less Work”), explains how the platform simplifies the process of business travel (which, sadly, remains overly complicated).
Keith is an experienced marketer who emphasizes the importance of centralizing data for effective marketing and leveraging direct response channels before exploring less trackable ones. He also highlights the need for accurate data integration and the use of media mix models for large-scale initiatives.
Engine offers free travel booking services, saving businesses an average of 26% on hotels and up to 60% due to its large user base. The company caters to both large corporations and small to medium-sized businesses, providing a platform for group bookings and partnerships with hotels.
Discussion points include:
- How Engine’s platform allows users to set travel policies, consolidate invoices, and access data analytics.
- The challenges small to medium-sized businesses face with traditional travel management companies (TMCs) and how Engine provides a free, user-friendly alternative.
- The use of media mix models to understand the impact of different marketing channels, despite the challenges of obtaining accurate data.
- The importance of connecting marketing data to revenue data to track the full impact of marketing efforts.
- The use of clean rooms for privacy-compliant data matching and the importance of understanding media mix impacts.
- The importance of centralizing data in a single platform to get a comprehensive view of marketing performance.
- The potential of AI-driven platforms to automate data analysis and generate insights.
- The challenges of reconciling data from different sources, especially when multiple platforms report on the same events.