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As part of a global strategic realignment at Talon, from today Plexus will become Talon International.

The same trusted team of experts you know, the same high-level service you expect and the same global independent OOH network that is still the biggest in the world.  All brought to you more efficiently and effectively under one unified brand synonymous with pioneering innovation and quality in Out of Home – Talon.

The world of Out of Home media is changing fast, and Talon is proud of our contribution to driving this evolution over the last decade. Talon’s ongoing dedication to offering our clients best-in-class planning, buying, creativity and technological solutions, ensures we deliver the best experience and outcomes for our clients on a global scale.

Nothing defines this global commitment more than the Talon International team who serve as a centralised hub connecting over 20 Talon and partner offices around the world, enabling us to plan, buy and execute client campaigns in over 100 markets worldwide.

We are excited to take this next step on our journey with brand partners both new and old – to discuss the new opportunities this future holds, contact the team at

firstname.lastname@talonooh.com

Alternatively head to the Talon International page to see first-hand what this new direction has to offer.

Talon Group’s Plexus – a leading independent out-of-home (OOH) global network – today announced a strategic partnership with Mediaplus Group to provide OOH services to Mediaplus clients.

The partnership opens up new opportunities for both sides to implement cross-border OOH campaigns. 

Headquartered in Munich, Mediaplus is the largest independent and partner-managed agency in Europe, and develops multi-market strategic plans that are adapted for local markets, and enhanced with local media expertise and insights.  Leveraging Plexus’s full-service offering across digital and traditional outdoor media will further deliver on their ambition to link traditional and digital media planning with brand-specific target group models and media strategies. 

Part of the Talon Group, Plexus is the fastest-growing independent global OOH network, with over 20 Talon and partner offices around the world. Plexus plans and buys international campaigns in more than 75 markets worldwide for clients such as HSBC, Chanel, Bacardi-Martini, Airbus, Diageo, Virgin Atlantic, and Peroni.

Winfried Karst, managing director Europe, Talon Germany says: “We are delighted to have Mediaplus as like-minded entrepreneurial partners working closely together in the area of global OOH.”

Dr. Andrea Malgara, managing partner, Mediaplus Group commented: “Out of Home is a very regional medium that requires experienced specialists with knowledge of each market. Partnering with Plexus on cross-market campaigns enables us to deliver consistent, best-in-class OOH solutions for our growing portfolio of international clients.” 

Adrian Skelton, managing partner at Talon Group added: “We are really excited to be working with Mediaplus, and look forward to raising the bar with creative and innovative international OOH campaigns and demonstrating leadership in the ever-evolving space of programmatic OOH.”

From Adrian Skelton, Managing Partner in charge of Plexus at the Talon Group. 

Part of the Talon Group, Plexus is the largest independent global OOH network, focused on delivering smarter, creative, technology-led and integrated OOH communications. Combining independence with a collaborative approach, Talon and Plexus promote open working between agencies, clients and media partners. 

With offices in London, Manchester, New York and Frankfurt, plus several other US cities, Talon has built up an OOH planning and buying network covering US, Europe, Asia and Latin America spanning 75 markets. International business is handled by the Plexus business, our global network with dedicated planning teams in London and New York acting as hubs for our Talon and partner offices around the World. 

With intelligent targeting, use of global data and specialist on-the-ground knowledge, we deliver consistent and impactful OOH campaigns. Through technology, creativity and effective measurement, we are driven by bringing campaigns to life around the world that are always Smarter as Standard. 

On the recent partnership with Hivestack… 

While still a relatively small part of OOH, the programmatic digital OOH sector is rapidly expanding across the world and as part of our “Smarter as Standard” philosophy. It’s important that the Talon Group are at the cutting edge of this sector and whilst we continue to invest in our market leading UK DSP – Atlas – our partnership with Hivestack expands our global capabilities in key international markets including the US and Germany where we have established Talon operations. Hivestack’s platform and technology will enable the Plexus team to smartly plan, buy and execute client campaigns in over 100 markets around the world, cementing our position as the leading independent international OOH Specialist and ensuring we can apply smart thinking, automation and coverage. 

On the ideal client… 

Plexus works with a diverse range of clients, whether they advertise across two markets or 50! It is important they all receive an excellent service from the team no matter what size the budget. We plan and buy content in all environments and locations, from city centres to airports. The client that will get the most out of Plexus is a client that embraces data-led planning, creativity and innovation.  

Our ideal client isn’t one that fits to an established perceived ideal audience for international OOH or airports, but one that fits our values and shares our ambitions to push the envelope of connected international OOH planning.  

A client who shares ambitious KPIs based on being at the forefront of tech development, but not prioritising ahead of key business performance indicators; each party operating on a transparent and collaborative basis from ideation, brief writing and planning to delivery and evaluation. This means understanding each-other’s strengths and areas for development and collaborating to deliver exceptional work through smarter planning and creative execution.  

On our international services… 

Speed, Simplicity and Trust are the founding principles of Plexus, as executing smarter OOH campaigns across multiple international markets doesn’t have to be complicated. The centralized teams based out of London and New York act as a single point of contact liaising with our network offices around the world to deliver a consistent end to end solution for our clients. Combined with Atlas and our propriety OOH data platform, Ada, our partnership with Hivestack now gives our clients the opportunity to access the growing programmatic OOH sector across the world in a smart and efficient way.  

We are committed to ongoing investment in data and insight, covering mobility tracking post-covid, audience segmentation through proved behaviours, past and future air passenger movements, and wider market economics.  

Our ability to simplify this breadth of information in to a simple centrally delivered strategy, based on local market on the ground knowledge is a key feature of our people-first, data-driven, future-facing business. We will continue to invest in travel to ensure that we’re able to effectively evaluate propositions and maintain our ongoing commitment to our local market partners.  

On what to expect from Talon Group in next 6 months… 

We have a very clear vision to drive growth across the Talon Group and into Out of Home, to cement our position as an unmatched global OOH agency. Being independent allows us to be agile in investing in areas that will drive this growth, whether through acquisition, Adtech, data, partnerships or expanding into new markets. International growth remains a key focus with our US operations, the UK business and Plexus acting as an important hub for growth. Critical is that we continue to expand our adtech proposition globally through deeper investments in technology and by collaborating with innovative partners to scale our capabilities for our clients around the world. 

We strongly believe that 2021 will be the year that OOH will Reset, Recover and Rise across the world, and the Talon Group will be at the forefront of this recovery – demonstrating leadership to our clients in this exciting time of change for the OOH industry. As we seek to accelerate our growth in 2021, we are building an unmatched full-service Out of Home agency to serve clients in the changing media marketplace, led by technology, collaboration and smarter ways of reaching audiences out of home.

As the world starts to emerge from lockdown, Plexus are this week launching a series of webinars that explore OOH’s recovery around the world. 

 Week one sees a focus on the US, with guest speakers from Talon US, The OAAA and Geopath.  

Register to attend this weeks webinar here

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User-generated messages of love and unity are being displayed on digital Out of Home screens worldwide with social media amplification ensuring the messages are also seen by millions – at home.

Today, Talon launched “#SendingLove” a new global initiative to promote messages of love that unite communities all over the world during the fight against the effects of COVID-19. The socially enabled DOOH campaign is facilitated by The World Out of Home Organization (WOO) and many of its member organisations and runs on advertising space donated by over 70 media owners across 153 cities making it the biggest User-Generated-Content campaign ever to run on digital Out of Home.

Created by Grand Visual, the campaign encourages participants to send love to those in places they cannot travel to, by getting creative with the heart-hand symbol and uploading their pictures and locations to www.sending love.to. Participants are then invited to donate to the global COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund before receiving a photo of their picture playing on-screen in their chosen city to share with friends and family across social channels.

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#SendingLove is facilitated by Plexus, Talon’s global OOH network, who along with their partners have built a campaign with true international reach and a total OOH media value of US $15 Million. The creative automation system developed by Grand Visual geotargets messages to the chosen city, connecting communities to messages of love from afar in a show of global strength and solidarity.

Frank Bryant, Group Chief Operating Officer, Talon said:

“It’s great to see an initial idea to share love between countries grow into a powerful multi-channel concept. Centrally coordinated by our Plexus team, the collaboration from our global network, and the industry as a whole, has been truly inspirational. The willingness to make this happen by all has delivered a media first for user generated OOH creative whilst raising money for the global COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.”

Dan Dawson, Chief Creative Officer, Grand Visual said:

“We set out with one thing in mind, to provide people with the opportunity to send love to their favourite places around the world. With an internationally understood heart shaped hand signal at the centre of the creative – we could share the love in cities the world over despite the constraints of lockdown, with shareable content further extending the message via social channels.”

Tom Goddard, President of the WOO added:

“It is great to see Out of Home companies coming together to respond to the crisis, and tackle the often profound effects of social distancing with messages of love, community, and reassurance during this worrying time. The World Out of Home Organization is determined to play its part in supporting members and we thank the global OOH community for playing their role during this pandemic. Together we can make a difference.”

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Positive signs from China spark future hope for the luxury market

The question on many advertisers minds across the world now is not will consumers spend again post Covid-19, but when.

The global luxury sector is inevitably one of the first to get hit when an economy suffers a financial blow and this has been no different, with an initial 35% drop in sales predicted this year. However, it is often one of the first sectors to bounce back as people treat themselves as conditions return to normal.

It is then no surprise that according to China Daily, JP Morgan’s Vice Chairman of Global Banking and Asia-Pacific has predicted that the Chinese economy will grow by 15% quarter-on-quarter, April to June, an optimistic sign for the remainder of the year.

China is ahead of Europe on its way to recovery and there are strong learnings we can take from developments in the region. This past week has seen the first sign of lockdown restrictions begin to ease in many European countries, or at the very least an announcement of when they will. A global consumer sentiment study undertaken at the beginning of April showed that whilst consumers in Italy are still cautious about spending, the situation is slowly stabilising. For a country that has not yet had any restrictions lifted, this is a positive sign.

Recent consumer sentiment research from McKinsey demonstrated that whilst many countries expected an income decrease over the next two weeks, China didn’t – a positive sign that the road to recovery is well underway in this region. There was also a strong correlation between those who are optimistic for the future and those who are planning to increase their spending post Covid19, another sign that this won’t last forever.

As the outbreak spread across the world, luxury brands were at the forefront of the fight against the disease, with Burberry creating face masks and gowns whilst also funding research into a vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford. Hermes donated $20million to Paris’ public hospitals alongside manufacturing 30 tons of hand sanitiser and 31,000 face masks. In times of deep crisis, this is how people want to see brands react, and what will drive brand warmth for years to come.

GWI (Global Web Index) also shows us that those have bought from a luxury brand in the past year are over 65% more likely to fly in business or first class at least once a month. Learnings from the return of spending in the luxury sector suggest that although airlines will likely be one of the last services to resume business as lockdown restrictions lift across the world, they will see a surge when they do.  What we do know, is that at the beginning of the crisis, commercial airline travel was impacted a lot worse than private aviation travel and actually saw an increase of passengers until mid-March. It is highly probable that we will see the same pattern emerge as restrictions begin to lift, with private aviation likely to resume earlier than commercial aviation.

From experience we know that at the beginning of the crisis, commercial airline travel was impacted a lot worse than private aviation travel, where we saw an increase of passengers until mid-March. It is highly probable that we will see the same pattern emerge as restrictions begin to lift, with private aviation likely to resume earlier than commercial aviation. Those who are frequent luxury shoppers will be the same audience that already do, or are able to travel via private aviation.

This is the same for many other sectors. Those who buy luxury fashion are 20% more likely to have an interest in the theatre, museums, and live events, they are 33% more likely to regularly eat out at a restaurant and they are almost 15% more likely to watch sport (GWI). Showing a clear correlation between the return of spending in the luxury sector is a clear indication that the return of spending in many sectors will shortly follow.

Another recent report from Kantar showed us that consumers in China were unsurprisingly looking forward to returning to the ‘new normal’ and travel is at the top end of the “freedom” list, with 45% of the population looking forward to travelling as soon as possible (GWI).

With a handful of European countries beginning to slowly lift lockdowns and announce exit strategies, brands will be thinking about how they can reach audiences in the future, as people return to city centres and resume life outside of lockdown.

The expertise of the Plexus team has been utilised now more than ever before, as brands are looking to adjust their global campaigns in local markets based on the current Covid-19 situation. It is our job, as International planning experts, to advise and lead our clients through this process. What would have been the norm before, may well be different now, but this doesn’t mean the same people cannot be reached through advertising. Advertisers within the luxury sector don’t need to drastically change their behaviour, they just need to make smart adaptions based on ever evolving audience behaviour, something we are at the forefront of. 

Whilst the luxury sector may be suffering now, it’s encouraging to see mounting evidence showing us there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Author: Finty Barton, International Client Manager, Plexus 

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It’s very early days, but with some restrictions starting to be lifted at different stages across Europe, close analysis of key data sources and a smart reassessment of campaign delivery means we can start to get brands thinking about communicating again in the right places and moments – some clients already adapt their messages / artwork quickly to the current situation

Germany has delivered a measured and controlled approach to the COVID-19 crisis, but patterns of movement are changing as we slowly see restrictions being relaxed across the country. Analysis of data across the country is already revealing some recovery in OOH audiences from both a pedestrian and vehicular point of view, which will only continue in the coming weeks.

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Source: Apple Mobility

Offices are not all closed although most of the workers stay at Home (Home Office) leaving OOH in residential areas and key points of interest most relevant. Working with several of our clients, we have re-evaluated individual OOH locations on the changing movement patterns, meaning a focus on a more localized role for OOH.

These include main road sites, with use of public transport severely restricted; food, retail, drugstore, pharmacy locations, now attracting significant audience traffic; and residential areas, parks and leisure locations, where the immediate local neighborhood is more important than ever and often well served by OOH.

Importantly, the market remains flexible and very willing to shorten cancellation periods. Brands that can adjust copy to fit context and location are better placed for competitive advantage as the market returns – albeit gradually – to normal ahead of many other European and Global markets.

Working with our global network, Plexus we will continue to monitor and analyze learnings from other European countries as well as from around the world to ensure our clients are best placed to understand the shifting landscape of OOH as we come out of the other side of the COVID-19 crisis.

Let’s keep moving!

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Winfried Karst

Managing Director, Talon Europe

There is no doubt that this is a scary time. The world has never faced a pandemic like this before with business closing their doors and employees losing their jobs.

In these confusing, and to be honest, scary times, brands need to make sure that they are adapting their language and reassuring their customers. Now more than ever, communities need to see support from their favourite brands and OOH, as a trusted medium, is playing a key part in the fight against the negative spiral.

At the forefront of this crisis has been China, with many businesses and brands in the region already having had to adapt to a new ‘normal’. During the lockdown, giants such as WeChat remained active, adapting their OOH activities to display messages of support, solidarity and hope. Across the globe we have seen similar messages of support for frontline healthcare workers or the millions of staff that are allowing us to eat, receive mail, buy food or medicines. The OOH industry has not only demonstrated the power of its platform but the strength of its community by coming together. United behind World Out of Home Organisation, media owners, agencies and specialists  are helping shifting behaviours with the “stay at home” message.

As international OOH experts, COVID-19 has been keeping the Plexus team up at night for a while now. Our experience of working in the APAC region is giving us hope that this terrible outbreak has a pattern we can learn from and with light at the end of the tunnel. As China begins to show signs of recovery, we can look at how consumers are behaving.

After 75% of the Chinese population were isolated for eight weeks, it isn’t surprising to see reports that 80% of them are longing to spending time outdoors and 75% want to resume their lifestyle as soon as possible (GWI). A recent report from Kantar showed that everyone is looking forward to returning to the ‘new normal’ with out-of-home dining, gathering, shopping, entertainment, exercise and travel at the top of the “freedom” list. 
 
Traffic figures are already picking up, as businesses open their doors and workers begin commuting again. Shenzhen Metro usage has been gradually increasing as the city reopens but remains well below normal footfall figures at about 34% compared to the same time last year. In Beijing, bike share schemes saw users increase by roughly 150%.
 
On top of this the numbers of domestic flights are starting to increase. According to the OAG, the last two weeks saw a 5.4% increase in scheduled flights, with flights at circa 60% loading capacity, far above the government’s initial predictions.
 
The travel industry will take a little more time to recover but GWI survey data shows 45% of the Chinese population are looking forward to traveling as soon as possible. Hardly surprising considering some families have been apart since the start of the Chinese New Year! 
 
Nevertheless, the global aviation sector is undoubtedly facing huge challenges. Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to seek a government bailout as airports remain at reduced capacity. However, it isn’t the first global crisis the industry has faced. Historical figures show that there was a huge decline in flights during the 2003 SARS outbreak, shortly followed by 9/11 attacks and the financial credit crunch in 2008. The growth demonstrated by the sector and ability to recover after these events, gives us confidence the industry can bounce back once again. During this time of reflection for the aviation industry, they have an opportunity to look to further ‘future proof’ their businesses by looking to new methods of fleet management, airline consolidation, investigating cleaner energy and new technologies. 
 
As the rest of the word is fighting the outbreak in parallel waves, China may see a decline in manufacturing orders but some domestic industries like retail and luxury fashion are already showing encouraging signs of recovery. According to China Daily, Jing Ulrich, JP Morgan’s Vice Chairman of Global Banking and Asia-Pacific, predicts that the Chinese economy will grow 15% quarter-on-quarter from April to June. After falling as much as 80% at the peak of the outbreak, there are reports of customers lining up to visit a Chanel boutique at a luxury mall in Hangzhou, a very encouraging sign that business is starting to pick up. 
 
Globally, many brands have understandably taken the decision to cancel their media activities. The current mood and wider environment require them to quickly adapt media strategies, however by exiting the market completely brands are at risk of losing equity and awareness amongst consumers. More than ever before brands need to embrace change, be brave and engage consumers with positive messages to restore trust, confidence and leadership.

Communities are ready to take on the streets as soon as they are safe again and brands need to start thinking now about how they will celebrate being out-of-home with the rest of us. As for me, I will be on the first Eurostar to see my family and then on a sunny, sandy beach.

– Jonathan Everaere, International Business Director.

On a recent visit to Future Travel Experience (FTE) EMEA in Istanbul, I was inspired and encouraged by some of the dynamics driving the future of the connected consumer, as outlined by futurist Rohit Talwar from Fast Future. His glimpse of our 2024 destination journey presented an interesting set of challenges and opportunities for advertisers. The trends he presented, led me to consider what the real opportunities are for advertisers and in particular, the ways in which they can capitalise on connectivity and how AI-led advances will affect the travel space. 

Overall, they paint a picture that ambitious, forward-thinking advertisers would do well to capitalise on quickly, and would allow them to sponsor, fund or co-fund huge chunks of travel that they can only dream about today. As you can see outlined below, each trend comes with incredible possibility and scope to truly influence and alter the way advertisers communicate with the connected traveller:

Trend 1. 
No longer do we have to simply come up with an idea. Through wearable tech, AI monitoring of our physical profile could indicate when we need a break. Stressed, anxious? Time to book a holiday.
Holiday ads served to you individually through your digital profile, and on an automated basis in the real world on your way to the office – either in your driverless car or through public transport.

Trend 2.
AI will notice what have you enjoyed recently. Any association to a given country – e.g. Mexican food, watching a film featuring an African landscape. 
Sensory ads served through personal devices allowing AR previews of this experience will allow immersive experiences close to real life. More of a trailer for a movie than a search for a hotel.

Trend 3.
AI will build a package based on all your conscious and indeed unconsciously identified preferences and give you the option to book.  
There is certainly the likelihood of advertisers being able to bid to be key booking partners for these experiences – either immediately travel related, or products and services included in the proposed holiday.

Trend 4.
When getting ready to leave, there will be no need to carry luggage around. Your specified wardrobe will be 3D printed to be ready for you upon your arrival. 
Clear potential here to use digital inflight to serve ads for clothes to buy and be printed prior to your arrival at your destination. A whole new e-commerce industry to consider! 

Trend 5.
Driverless car bidding for other cars to move out the way in traffic.
Ever since driverless cars have been around there has been debates over the role of roadside OOH media. In the future more than ever, creative will be king. To gain attention of passengers, advertisers will need to stand out through personalisation and context, but most importantly, impact. Billboards will not go away. Through real time digital delivery, creative is likely to be more in tune to that unique individual, and their mood at that part of the journey.

Trend 6.
Checking in through biometrics, as with all airport transactions including security, shopping, passing through security. 
What does this mean to ad placements? In theory less dwell time, more relaxed time moving around the terminal. Could digital screens replace all walls- constantly evolving surroundings and association opportunities for advertisers.

Trend 7.
Killing time having passed through security is likely to be easier and easier. Experiences through VR will become near real-life.
In-lounge VR gaming has been trialled in Germany, Elisabeth Huber from Munich Airport suggests passengers are willing to pay… but there’s a catch. At present only 1st person shooters have sufficient demand for monetisation. As content develops and more captivating (non-violent) experiences improve, this is a huge opportunity for both traditional gaming companies, and any other advertiser who wants to showcase an experience of their product or service. 

Trend 8.
Sleeping in flight- choosing dreams – moving on from the blurring of the online and offline world.
The futurist Ray Kurzweil has elaborated on this, and his hypothesis is that once our knowledge of artificial intelligence, technology, biology and neurology are sufficiently advanced, we will be able to ‘sleep hack’. Ethically whether advertisers would want to enter this world is another question all together. 

Trend 9.
Facial recognition on entry to destination.
Advertisers will be able to tap in to unique preferences and individual behaviours – travellers most likely getting reduced rates for advertiser involvement in the stay.

Trend 10.
Fully digital walls, connecting with work/family.
Brand sponsorship of connections brings an offer of a quality service, delivering tangible value to consumers. E.g., “this full room experience is brought to you by Samsung, this conference call is managed through Cisco”.

Trend 11.
Both from a reading and a listening perspective, traditional language translation will be a thing of the past. Wearables will allow us to see and hear our native language in real time when travelling.
From a creative perspective, and a global standardisation of copy, this offers huge potential for OOH, both in terms of creative application, and then based on placement based on new consumer expectations. 

Trend 12.
No longer posting holiday snaps on Facebook. A full AI review of the trip, posted to your social profile – with others experience it through AR, potential for holiday experiences to go viral. Moving on from the influencers of today to those of tomorrow.
With the lines between the online and offline world becoming more and blurred, virtual ads and sponsorships may become as valuable as physical ads in the real world. We’re already seeing this with billboard placements in gaming today. A natural development in what’s an industry with great potential. 

What is certain from these trends is that change in behaviours and a buoyant marketplace, will create an ideal environment for brands to capitalise on connected travel experiences.

Ambitious and forward-thinking advertisers have the opportunity to sponsor, partner, fund or co-fund any of these ideas. Actually, making many of these ideas a reality is our collective challenge, but one that we should embrace.

With Latitude, Plexus’s Connected Traveller offering, we ensure that our partner advertisers take these trends in to account, whilst always being at the forefront of ambitious plans for targeting the connected consumer of the future. 

Written by Tom Perrett, International Client Services Director, Plexus.

Identifying trends to drive change 

I recently attended Future Travel Experience (FTE) EMEA, an event co-located with FTE Ancillary and The New Airport Show in Istanbul.  

This event was significant for a number of reasons, but primarily because it allowed us to learn more about how technology will influence behaviours, with a compelling focus on the consumer journey of the future.  

Following the launch of our Latitude brand within the Plexus network earlier this year, I was further encouraged by how we’re positioning our view of the connected traveller.  

Inspired by futurist Rohit Talwar from Fast Future, a speaker at the event, and very much aligned with our vision for the future, some of the key global travel trends to 2024 make for an exciting and evolving space.  

For example, as flight numbers grow rapidly, we’re seeing the emergence of new global middle classes and a higher frequency of travel in developed markets. Opportunities persist in end to end trip curation, connected working practices and the expanding influence of social media. And of course, airports as destinations themselves driving ancillary (non-ticket services) revenues. 

At Plexus, this means considering advertiser change dynamics embracing biometric development, seamless experiences, robotics and AI, real time language generation and alternative transport options (hyperloop, drones), all whilst considering the implications of a carbon backlash. 

For the future consumer journey, we are now contemplating things like how we can influence passengers on the way back before another trip, whilst incrementally improving the experience each time. In other words, moving from a linear to a circular journey. 

Talwar brought this to life outlining some of the following factors that will have a major influence on our comms strategies around the connected traveller. These include:  

These present their own opportunity for advertisers, which I’ll explore in more detail in a second part to this blog. But needless to say, there will be both fantastic and simple technology-led opportunities for brands to connect with people in a more engaging, frictionless way. 

In an era of automation, a re-occurring feature of FTE EMEA has been seamless processes, removing friction at all points. However, as Tan Lye Tech from Singapore Changi suggests, self-service does not equal no service. Passengers will always want trained, capable, friendly humans on hand. Current studies suggest people are nervous about communicating with robots, but over time this will be normalised. 

All major stakeholders in this industry are aware of the potential ahead and will be expecting change along the way. Actually, making it happen is another story altogether. We must all adopt clear strategies and be brave. AWS (Amazon Web Services) are already looking to influence the space. Unlike the airlines and airports, they are not impacted by legacy challenges through hardware and antiquated systems, and with scale and deep enough pockets to succeed, they represent a major challenge to traditional players in this space.  

With Latitude, Plexus‘s Connected Traveller offering, we will ensure that brands are aware of the environment that they’re active in at present, but that they also take in to account every possibility for this exciting future.  

– Tom Perrett, Client Services Director, Plexus