Digital is the way to go as far as promoting and marketing the offerings of Victory Liner is concerned.
In an e-mail interview with the BusinessMirror, Victory Liner marketing PR Superintendent Mark Conrad Salvador said the iconic bus company opted to pursue the digital road map in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Yes, definitely. The pandemic has forced everyone to go digital, that’s why it is now the new normal in marketing. We are currently focusing on enhancing our digital marketing because that is the direction we see in promoting our services,” Salvador said.
Salvador added social media played a great role in the success of Victory Liner for its Drop&Go Cargo Padala, opening of new routes, travel advisory, promos and much more.
The result was it gave Victory Liner the capability to reach and engage more with their customers and passengers, as social media has become a primary tool in informing the public.
Moreover, Victory Liner is currently upgrading its online booking platform for bus tickets and cargo. Aside from being contactless and safe, Salvador said the company chose this initiative to provide a seamless and convenient experience to their customers and passengers.
“We are also offering cashless payments through GCash and our Victory Liner Premiere Prepaid Card,” Salvador said.
“Tourism activities in the routes that we serve pre-Covid are still very limited because of ensuing travel restrictions. That’s why we are adamant in promoting it outright in our social-media pages,” Salvador added.
Further, Salvador said Victory Liner is still active in its Know Your North campaign, a video documentary series that is uploaded in Facebook and YouTube that showcases the untold stories and features of Northern Luzon. He said the campaign intends to give the viewers and passengers to appreciate and experience the beauty of the North despite the ongoing travel restrictions because of the pandemic.
Salvador said Victory Liner is optimistic and already anticipating the slowly easing of the travel restrictions in the provinces. He said one initiative of the company is to boost their existing online booking platform and cashless transactions (through GCash) to provide seamless and safe travel.
In response to the lower demand, Victory Liner shifted its business model into providing terminal-to-terminal cargo service through its Drop&Go Cargo Padala.
“We saw that there is a large demand in transporting goods and products from Metro Manila to the provinces and vice versa, because of the community quarantine that limits their transportation,” Salvador said.
Moreover, Drop&Go enabled their customers to send and receive their cargo within two days in all of their branches in Metro Manila, Central and Northern Luzon. Currently Victory Liner is operating 34 branches and still expanding.
Salvador admitted that the Drop&Go Cargo Padala service sustained the operational expenses of the company during the pandemic.
“We will definitely provide promos once tourism is allowed in the north,” he said.