When it comes to the right marketing mix for her brands, a combination of print and TV represents a “perfect combination”, says Debra Fox, Chief Commercial Officer at APT Travel Group.

Speaking on a panel at Mumbrella’s recent Travel Marketing Summit, Fox told the audience the return on investment of traditional mediums like print and television was clear for her to see.

“Who said print is dead? Print is core to us,” Fox said. “It is always going to be part of our platform for any of our brands. TV also plays an important role. Television combined with a print campaign, through both the brand and tactical retail communication, with some digital, is the perfect mix.”

APT Travel Group is Australia’s largest locally owned tour company, with 90 years of heritage and an extensive portfolio of touring and cruising brands including Travelmarvel, Captain’s Choice and Botanica.

Fox went on to support her comments by sharing the success of APT’s partnership with Nine’s Travel Guides speaking about the need for brands to back themselves when considering partnerships.

“When Travel Guides came to us last year we thought it was a bit odd and a bit of a risk, but we knew we had to do something disruptive with our new brand platform. You’ve got to back ‘yourself when you know you can deliver incredible experiences.”

“Travel Guides has just been this breath of fresh air.”

Adrian Swift, Nine’s Head of Content Production and Development, joined Fox on stage to explain how, in his experience, there was a powerful synergy between television and travel.

“The relationship between travel and television is a close one. The good thing about television is that there’s a really good, healthy symbiotic relationship between media and how it delivers for travel brands and the industry itself,” Swift said.

“We enjoy doing integration. If you have a great product with a good brand and agency willing to work with you, you can come up with a brilliant solution.”