Dawn LaMattina Asher is the founder and creative director of The Olive Jar, an experiential marketing studio focused on vacation rental design, amenities, and media content creation for visionary hosts. With 20 years of experience in experiential storytelling across entertainment media, hospitality, and brand marketing, Dawn helps hosts transform ordinary stays into unforgettable guest experiences that foster loyalty and connection.
“Experiential marketing builds brand loyalty.” That’s the powerful truth Dawn shares in this value-packed conversation. More than good design or amenities, what your guests feel during their stay creates lasting emotional bonds with your brand. We dive deep into what makes a stay memorable and how those emotional experiences convert into direct bookings and repeat guests.
🔍 Key Takeaways for Direct Booking Success
1. Experiences = Loyalty
“The stronger the bond, the longer they’re gonna stick with you. That’s brand loyalty.”
Emotion is the anchor of memory. Dawn shows how sensory-driven design and subtle storytelling throughout a home can turn guests into lifelong fans.
2. Co-host Marketing Pitfalls
Many co-hosts or management companies claim they offer marketing, but it often stops at SEO and pricing tools. According to Dawn, “Marketing is so much more than social media.”
3. Brand Clarity Before Design
Before even placing a bed frame, hosts should define their brand voice and ideal guest. Dawn’s team creates branding guides that set the emotional tone for the entire guest journey.
4. Visuals Are Non-Negotiable
Photography and videography aren’t just visual assets—they’re storytelling tools. Dawn emphasizes, “We’re never layering in amenities without thinking how it’s going to be photographed.”
5. Give Guests a Voice
One of her favorite tools? A dog guestbook where owners write from their pet’s point of view. “When you give someone a voice, they suddenly have ownership over the experience.”
🧠 Rapid Fire Questions
📚 Book Recommendation: JOYFUL: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee
🧭 Mindset Advice: “Generosity is generative.”
🛠 Tactical Tip for Direct Bookings: Know the story you’re trying to tell. You have seconds to make that first impression on your site.
📲 Follow Dawn Here:
- Instagram: @theolivejar.co
- Website: theolivejar.co
- Quiz: What’s Driving Your Bookings?
- Summit Blog: Level Up Your Listing
- Book a Discovery Call
Want to stop relying solely on OTAs? This episode is a masterclass in connecting your design and storytelling to build brand equity. If you’re ready to invest in your guest journey, you’re not alone.
👉 Join the CraftedStays community for more episodes, resources, and personalized support on your direct booking strategy.
Let your next guest feel something worth remembering. And if you loved this episode, share it or tag us with your top takeaway! 💬
Transcription
Dawn: A phrase I haven’t mentioned yet, but is wildly an important part of this. It’s really the core of what we’re doing is that experiential marketing builds brand loyalty. And as you invite and engage your guests into the experience that they want to create, right, they’re building a bond to your brand.
Dawn: The stronger the bond, the longer they’re gonna stick with you. That’s brand loyalty. It’s a lifetime. It’s a relationship that is built over a lifetime. I say that emotions are the essential to connectedness and hosts who lean into that, they’re gonna build a loyal following.
Gil: Hey folks. Welcome back to the Bo Solid Show, the podcast where we bring on top operators to discuss marketing, revenue management, and guest experiences to drive towards being Bo solid. On today’s show, I have Don LaMattina Asher. She’s the owner of the Olive Jar and STR consulting firm that specializes on crafting lasting guest experiences.
Gil: On today’s show, we have a very fun show, really talking about experiential marketing, which is really her focus. We talk about really the entire guest journey and how we can really think intently. About the experiences that your guests want to have and turning that to really crafting that through seating.
Gil: we also talk quite a bit about the importance of some of those smaller details. We went into great depth, much more than I would have expected on this show, so I’m really excited to have her on. So without further ado, let’s bring her in.
Gil: Hey Dawn, welcome to the show.
Dawn: Hi, . Great to be here. Thank you for the invite.
Gil: Yeah, I’m so happy to have you on the show. For folks listening in, this is Dawn Laina Asher. I met her at Level Up Your listing and I, we just had a follow up conversation and we just really hit it off. So I’m really happy to have her on and really share really what she’s doing specifically in our industry.
Gil: But I would love for you, Dawn, to introduce yourself. Who are you?
Dawn: Yeah. So yeah, I am the founder and creative director of the Olive Jar. We are an experiential marketing studio, special specializing in vacation rental design amenities and media content creation. And we say for visionary hosts, because the work that we’re doing, um, is quite nuanced. And so we work with hosts who are really thinking on a, on a different, uh, in a different dimension of hosting.
Dawn: And that layer of connectivity with their guests and their traveler, um, that really is, is not, uh, the status quo. So we say visionary host and we really pride ourselves in that.
Gil: Yeah, and I think like nowadays, at least the folks that I’m starting to, to be surrounded with are hosts that are actually graduating from just seeing the properties as investment vehicles and they’re trying to build stronger brands and they’re trying to be a lot more independent from the OTAs as part of that.
Gil: So I’m guessing that you’re actually starting to see a shift in the industry towards being that visionary host or trying to like get towards that in, in some phase. I’m not sure if you see the same trend on your side.
Dawn: Oh yes, for sure. And, and I, I love it. I’m, I’m, I’m all for it. And, um, you know, I, I think it’s interesting, you know, the language, you know, language really evolves as an industry evolves. And so, you know, I would say around the pandemic, you know, there was a shift in. Uh, you know, I would say maybe really two years after the pandemic, when it was very clear that, um, this gold rush, um, was, was not going to be, you know, long lasting.
Dawn: And, um, those who got into it at that stage, you know, thought they could just throw up a listing and, you know, that, that, that these bookings, these these year-round bookings were gonna last when all of that started to subside and, you know, the world was coming back. Um, you know, I think it became abundantly clear that this is a business that requires all cylinders working like any other business does. Um, and that in order to compete in this market and, and an ever evolving market with so much innovation, um, it’s the wild west, you know, I would say, um. uh, you really need to treat this not as a side hustle and not as, um, you’re saying, you know, a design a, an investment that just looks pretty on the page. Um, it really has to, uh, be a, a full, a full-time running business with, with all of the, you know, all the departments that a business, you know, requires. So, um, yeah, I, I think, I think that shift is still very fresh, but it is happening for
Gil: Yeah, and I think like, maybe even like going a few steps back into what you just said here of like a business and all the structures that goes around it. A lot of people that get into this, they, they, especially in the, the, the quote, go rush period there, they got into this because it’s, they wanted to have an investment, um, an investment that pays off.
Gil: So we talk a lot about really in the very beginning, doing your underwriting, making sure you’re buying the right property, furnishing it well, and then what hosts don’t realize until they launch their first property is that there’s actually a lot more layers behind it all than just launching a property that looks really good.
Gil: You’re thinking at, at revenue management, you’re thinking about guest communications, you’re thinking about design, photography, all the tools that you use, your tech stack automations like you end up having. Quickly in the span of whatever it takes for you to launch your properties. It could be two or three months learning how to start a business on your own.
Gil: And a lot of folks, they’ll, they’ll bring in all the expertise that they have, but no one is a Swiss Army knife and is good at every single one of those departments and they’re learning it over time. And I think what you’re probably seeing is now that people have figured out, okay, if I put in the right operations, um, I can make sure that I deliver a quality stay over and over again
Dawn: Right.
Gil: respond in this manner.
Gil: I can really make sure that I’m delivering the right guest experience when someone’s messaging me. And they’re, they’re really upleveling their skillset across all these different domains. And I think what we’re seeing now is now that we’re maybe three years past that go rush period, and people have much larger portfolio, they’re thinking about how do I actually uplevel myself?
Gil: How do I uplevel my portfolio to be standalone? And I think that’s probably why you’re starting to see that shift there.
Dawn: right. Yeah. And then there’s also one of the variables in, in maintaining a cohesive, um, brand and and experience, guest experience is that, um, you know, so many hosts now have co-hosts, and as they build their portfolio, they can’t necessarily manage, you know, three plus properties. And so they bring in a co-host, and now the co-host has their own language and has their own brand.
Dawn: And how do you marry the two? You know, it’s, it is a, it is a real, I, I would say a, it’s a. It’s a point of conflict, um, a pain point that I don’t think a lot of people are addressing and, and maybe not, you know, may not even realize at this stage. So,
Gil: Yeah.
Dawn: more about that later too, if you like.
Gil: Yeah, and I, I’m guessing, maybe just touch on a little bit on that. That host may even lean or rely on the co-host or whoever’s taking on their property as that new brand themselves, and they almost like forfeit the brand that they’ve had started to create.
Dawn: yes, yes. That’s, that’s you’re spot on. Yeah. And, and that’s why, you know, it’s, um, it’s tricky when you find a co-host who, um, mentions and, and commits to, uh, marketing as a portion of their offering because, you know, their marketing, marketing package may not actually encompass. All of the marketing strategies that this host needs to be, um, you know, practicing and implementing, um, across, you know, all the different channels.
Dawn: And, um, you know, it’s, it’s just marketing is, is very much a vague, uh, has very much a vague definition when it comes to this industry. I think, um, because the players who are promising those things are likely not actually checking all the boxes that encompass, um, a marketing strategy. And that’s okay. I mean, and that’s okay.
Dawn: I’m not saying that I. You know, a co-hosting company, a management company, um, should be, because, you know, their, their price point, service fees would have to double if that was the case, you know? But, um, I think that a lot of hosts go into co-hosting agreements, not fully comprehending what that deliverable actually is and, and how it, it does probably fall short of what’s necessary, you know, as, uh, if as a marketing for their marketing strategies.
Dawn: So,
Gil: What’s some of the, I mean, not getting like too deep into it, but what’s some of the common pitfalls you see in terms of co-hosts claiming that they’ll market and they have marketing specifically for your properties
Dawn: Mm-hmm.
Gil: and possibly overselling it? What, what’s the common pitfall that you see?
Dawn: Yeah, I think that, um, co-hosts who are. Who are communicating marketing are more likely, um, focusing on the technical side of things. SEO you know, what they’re doing with dynamic pricing and listing optimization. That I think is sort of become like a, that’s a standard, you know, deliverable for a co-host. But what’s lacking is that they most often don’t have control over again unless they are actually given the attention and covering the cost of your visual assets. So, unless they are the ones actually going and reshooting your property, if you’ve come on with a co-host and your, and your photography is really subpar, really needs to, um, really needs to tell a stronger story. Um, most management companies, they’re not paying for that. So, um, and even if they are, they’re not, they just don’t have the bandwidth and even the skillset to do a deep dive branding guide. For this host that gives di, that gives the creative direction necessary to go into a photo shoot, to go into, you know, if they’re, if any of them are, are doing videography. Um, you know, I haven’t met one who has to be honest, but, um, so yeah, I think like it’s just, it’s, in order to go and shoot any property you have to know. The creative direction that, that you are, um, that, that you’ve, that you’ve established. And so, um, they just don’t have the funds, the skillset to, to, to work deeply into that development with hosts.
Dawn: And so that’s why, you know, hosts, know, they do need to build a team and a creative team, you know, encompasses what I think, you know, um, constitutes as experiential marketing. Um, that’s in addition to your designer we, we design as well. And so we we’re a whole, we’re a whole pic, a whole pic picture package. Alliteration there. But, um, so, um, but um, yeah, it, that I would say is one of the pitfalls is that hosts, hosts think that, oh, this is gonna include storytelling, the things that are gonna really engage. Um, the viewers that are really going to, um, yeah, draw out the feeling and emotion of my, of my property, tell this story.
Dawn: But yeah, that, that’s just generally not something that, um, a management company or co-host can deliver. So
Gil: In, in contrast, have you worked with or have seen co-hosts or management companies has done really well in this and that has figured out at scale or even even small scale, how to bring on new properties and really try to think of it as in like a fresh perspective and really give the attention that it deserves.
Dawn: yes, I will tell you those, the management companies that have done that are still hiring out. So, um, you know, they are, they are bringing in an expert like myself to actually be an extension of themselves. That’s when it works, because again, they just don’t have the bandwidth or the skillset. So that’s, that’s usually how it works.
Gil: Interesting. Okay, so, so you, so in a, in a typical case, the co-host is really more focused on what you have at least observed on the operations and making sure that it, operationally the property runs itself really well.
Dawn: Mm-hmm.
Gil: a lot of times their expertise is not in brand marketing or market marketing in general.
Gil: And that’s where they rely on external help, um, to really make sure that they’re delivering the quality that you would wanna expect outta this.
Dawn: Right, and their websites might be strong. Their, their booking, their own booking sites might be strong. They might have a really strong Instagram, um, you know, uh, page. But, um, and your, your, your, your listing, you know, your property, you know, would likely be featured in their feed and all of that. Um, but again, it’s very limiting to think that Instagram is your marketing channel and is where all of your brand, you know, comes to life. And it is the only space is. Is, is definitely another pitfall. Yeah. Um, and I think sometimes again, like that, that word marketing is just, it’s so, it can be so vague and I think that we make, it’s easy to make these very quick, you know, um, definitions of what marketing is in this space.
Dawn: Especially, especially in this industry. It’s like, oh, marketing, okay, that means social media. It’s, it is so much more. Um, so yeah. Um, I, I, I will say recently, um, when you were talking about speaking specifically to scaling, um, you know, I just started working with, uh, a management company who, because they are scaling. They have, um, they’ve begun to sort of lose a little bit of creative control over their photo shoots. Now this is a company that actually does, you know, cover that, um, that photography. Um, but as they’re scaling, they just don’t have the bandwidth to maintain. A high touch, you know, connection to what’s happening on site, uh, who’s guiding, you know, the photographer who’s giving that direction.
Dawn: And, you know, especially when, you know now they’ve got properties all over the country. So I came in recently to, um, you know, came on site to work with one of their photographers that they had already hired, had already committed to the project. Um, they had a property listing that they were taking over, and, um, and I came on as a creative director.
Dawn: And so I was there for a day, um, you know, prepping to, um, you know, prep the space, stage moments, um, and get a real sense of, okay, what’s the shot list here? What, you know, how are we going to convey what this property, um, uh, wants to offer as an experience? And so. that was a very quick one. Normally I would do a little bit more time, I would give a, a little bit more time leading up to, um, to plan outside of just being on site.
Dawn: But, um, but that’s just a really good straight, you know, as, as, as a model that was, um, a way that I was able to come in and support this management company, um, as they scale. So, um, that creative direction is, is that missing component, um, if we wanna call it something it’s creative direction.
Gil: Yeah. You, you mentioned something very interesting earlier. You used a, a phrase that I don’t hear all too often. You, you said your experiential marketing. What did you mean by that?
Dawn: Yeah, so experiential marketing, um, does, does not just apply to, um, the hospitality industry. I know it’s really easy to think about it as well. Yeah, of course. It’s an experience, right? This is what we’re doing where travel is an experience, but experiential marketing is an industry that’s been alive for 20 plus years, no, probably 30 years now.
Dawn: Um, and you know, the brands that you are interacting with every day. They are, they have their experiential marketing programs in place, um, running year round. Um, experiential marketing defined, um, is really the, the act of creating these, um, connective experiences that invite and engage your traveler into, um, an experience where they can really co-create and co-own the experience that they want to have for themselves.
Dawn: That they, um, that they want to, um, you know, really create a seemingly out of thin air. You have provided the space. You provided this beautifully designed home. Okay, now what? Right? are you doing to invite your guests into an interactive experience with each other? And it’s different than saying, oh, here’s like a set of amenities.
Dawn: Here’s a hot tub. Sure, they’re gonna interact with those, those features on the property. But. strongest, our strongest memories are actually built by multisensory experiences. And so when you combine a multisensory experience with human connection, where you are inviting your guests to engage with each other, right?
Dawn: Or themselves, if, if this is a solo retreat still, how are you guiding them to build memories with each other in a, in a really connective way that, um, builds a relational bond? that relational bond now gets attached to your brand. You know, your, your strongest memories of travel are likely not just by yourself, and if they were by yourself, your strongest memories, tie around people you met, food you ate, where you broke bread with other people, even strangers, right? And so, um. Um, experiential marketing is really about finding those touch points where your guests are interacting and owning the experience for themselves. Creating something we, you’ve probably heard of UCG right? User,
Gil: Yep.
Dawn: user generated UGC, user generated content, right? That’s experiential marketing, right?
Dawn: So what are those brands doing to inspire their following, inspire their customer to create their own content out of the brand, right? That’s experiential marketing.
Gil: I think that, that, that’s actually a really good point because I, I was trying to figure out like, how do we take this from a, the abstract as a concept of experiential marketing and really take it to what folks may be exposed to on a regular basis? Because we don’t think of it, we don’t have that definition already in a vocabulary,
Dawn: Right?
Gil: there’s that bridge that, that we need to, we need, we need to cross there, there, as you’re kind of telling really this definition of what experiential marketing means.
Gil: It reminds me of one of the stays that one of my close friends have. Um, he has a, a, a cabin down in Southern California. It’s in, I forget the mount. Big Bear, I believe it’s in. Um, and the, the property, he really staged it really well. It has this really cozy feel to it. He gave it a really, I forget the name right now, but he gave it a very unique name that as you kind of walking through the property, you can see essence of, of that.
Gil: Um, I know that he actually uses sense in, in, in the property as well too. And I think one of the things that I notably remember is that he actually has, uh, it, it has like this really like mid-century modern feel to it. And he, rather than having that refrigerator that’s either stain as steel or white or whatever it is, he brought in this really retro green refrigerator there.
Gil: And on the side of the refrigerator, he leaves a, actually on the countertop, he leaves a Polaroid. With a pack of film already there and he encourages folks to really take pictures and then post it onto the fridge. And that kind of, it reminds me of like just bringing people into the story that you’re trying to craft.
Gil: And it’s, it’s bi-directional like you mentioned there, where
Dawn: Yep.
Gil: one the host gets to see and have interactions with the guests themselves, but also
Dawn: Mm-hmm.
Gil: to share what their memories are and what they’re feeling when they’re there as well too. So that, that’s probably like the biggest or strongest correlation I have with experiment experimental marketing and what I’ve seen in the, the, the real world with one of our stays.
Dawn: That’s great. Yeah. Um, similarly, uh, one of our recent clients, um, when we came in, um, to, to layer in more character to the space, create more of that engaging experience, um, we knew that she was attracting and, and, um, hosting, uh, dog lovers. Dog owners, there was a whole, in, its in the, the original design of the home, there was actually a dog house that was built into, um, like near, near the stairwell.
Dawn: Um, and so dogs have their own accommodations, you know, and um, but we were just like, okay, that’s beautiful and that’s so sweet and a great, you know, photo op, right? But. What can we do to really make the dogs feel, and I say make the dogs feel like the VIP of this, of the, of the experience. And when we say that, what we mean is how do we make the owners feel like their dog is the VIP of, of the experience.
Dawn: And so, um, we, uh, we concepted just, it’s, it’s, it’s simple, but I can’t tell you how powerful, um, it’s a dog guest book and the owners can take a Polaroid of their dog, put it in the guest book, and they write their experience through the POV of their dog. And their dog tells their experience of their stay at the shack in Basey, Virginia. And it, it was instant. I don’t think that she’s had. Um, a, a guest come with their dog who hasn’t written in this guest book, and it was like within the first, you know, four or five bookings she had. Her book was already filling up. And, and it’s, it is so fun to see what these owners, what these dog owners are writing.
Dawn: And it like, really, it’s almost like the guest got to live the experience of the shack through the lens of their dog, which is, you know, one of their closest loved ones, right? So, um, that bond, you know, becomes, especially when written, you know, when you write something down, you are truly committing it to memory.
Dawn: That’s actually. Um, something that’s a, that’s a part of our psychology, right? So I ha I have a lot of feelings around, um, around inviting guests into the act of actually writing something down because, and that beyond your five star review, because, um, there is something that happens that makes a connection, um, with the active writing. Um, and actually on that same note, one of the, um, products we actually offer, I, I’ve designed like a set of DIY. Templates, and one of them is what we call it, it’s our, it’s our guest message board, and it’s printed. Um, well, you can print it in a few different ways and present it to your guests in a few different ways, but one way you can do it is print it, um, and put it in like a, um, an acrylic frame that guest can actually write on.
Dawn: And it has three prompts that you can, you can actually update yourself. Like I said, it’s a DIY template, so you can customize it. And what you’re doing is you’re, you’re providing an opportunity for your guest to write a message to the next guest. And it’s three lines. One is like, take time to celebrate at, fill in the blank guest writes that in, um, you know, found, surprise and delight in, fill in the blank. And, um, you know, it’s, it’s really been an effective tool. And what happens there, um, is that guests to use their voice. Those hosts are actually giving their guests a voice. When you give someone a voice, they suddenly have ownership. Experience. Right? That’s why like we are now living in the Yelp world, right?
Dawn: The Yelp. It’s more than just a single generation of Yelps, right? Um, people love to share their opinions, right? And when you share your opinion, especially publicly, somehow get a sense that you own a part of that establishment, right? Because you’ve been given the opportunity to share your voice and to share your opinion. And so, this is a really unique way to connect guests to each other without a photo, right? That I love that idea. But this is like, it’s almost more invisible, right?
Gil: Yeah.
Dawn: it’s their way of leaving their memories behind and, and, um, and inviting the next guest to experience a piece of what they experienced, right? And so there’s like this, like beautiful connectivity that’s happening, even if invisible, that’s building your community. And one thing I haven’t. A phrase I haven’t mentioned yet, but is is wildly a, you know, a, an important part of this. It’s really the core of what we’re doing is that experiential marketing builds brand loyalty. And as you invite and engage your, your guests into the experience that they want to create, right? They’re building a bond to your brand. The stronger the bond, the longer they’re gonna stick with you. brand loyalty. It’s just, it’s a lifetime. It’s a, it’s a relationship that is built over a lifetime.
Gil: Yeah.
Dawn: I, I say that emotions are the essential, um, are essential to, uh, connectedness and, um, hosts who, um, who, who lean into that they’re gonna build a loyal following,
Gil: Yeah, and it sounds like there’s not one single way to approach this. You do X, Y, or Z and then, um, of course there’s a lot of tactics and, and things that you can borrow that has worked in the past, but it’s not like you can copy and paste everything over and, and, and be able to create your brand there.
Gil: It, it takes a lot more.
Dawn: Absolutely.
Gil: I know folks that. Bill Faith talks about this a lot where he will call people after someone has booked with him and he would actually have a conversation or he’ll drop a voice recording just to introduce himself. And that’s really starting to create a connection between
Dawn: Yep.
Gil: and the guests.
Gil: And it’s just so different than what guests are expecting when they’re booking a stay.
Dawn: Mm-hmm.
Gil: starts to build this brand equity there that you’re, that with every single interaction. You’re hoping to really build that brand equity to a, to a, to enough where they’re starting to talk about you. They’re starting to commit you to memory where you’re not just this fleeting thing that they just experienced and they’re forgetting about it.
Gil: You’re building that, that long lasting memory, and hopefully that starts to translate into from the business world, repeat bookings and revenues and all that stuff too.
Dawn: And, you know, we’re with, with short term rentals, you know, you’re not, you, you lose a layer instantly with host connection because you are remote. Imagine, you know, when you walk into a hotel, you have someone opening the door, you have someone, you have the concierge greeting, you, the check-in desk, you know, re greeting you, you have people checking in with you along the way.
Dawn: They are working around the clock, you know, with hundreds of employees. And I’m just speaking to like a boutique hotel experience too. I know, I know a lot of boutique hotels are also adopting the remote model. But if we go more traditional for a second, just imagine, like, remember you have human beings actually guiding you through your experience, right? Um, they’re, they’re handing you a freshly, you know, rolled towel to, to take out to the pool or whatever it is. You know, they’re there at the bar, you know, they’re making you, that makes cocktail. You’re getting to have a conversation with them. With short term rentals, you have to, you have to actually design an experience where guests feel like there is an invisible host guiding them every, part of the way. Um, and, and as, and again, as you know, as, um, attractive, as remote, you know, a remote, uh, host, you know, um, is, there will nothing, there will be nothing that ever beats that human connection with the person who’s hosting you. Um, somehow I always look back at this story. It’s like my, I was traveling with, uh, my kids.
Dawn: My husband and I were traveling with our two kids. My youngest was maybe like three at the time, and we were staying in a short term rental, and I’m putting her to sleep and I’ve read her story and I, you know, we’re, we’re about to turn off the lights. And then like, I see her, like, she’s got like wheels turning and, she’s suddenly like. Whose house is this? She is just like, wait, like where are we? You know? And that was in the pandemic. So, you know, there, there it was like her, one of her first experiences, um, in a short-term rental. But she even, even as a child is like, wait, like are we just squatting here? Or like, is there someone who’s actually hosting us?
Dawn: Like, where are we? And I just think it was just so insightful. It just was such a reminder to me how we want to know the person on the other side. So that story of Bill Faith, that’s all I’ve, I’ve heard that about him and I’ve always really admired that. Um, you know, my, my journey actually, I know we didn’t like, you know, start off with, with how I got started, but, um, my journey in experiential marketing, not even just the Olive Jar, just my work in experiential marketing over 20 plus years now.
Dawn: It really started straight outta college. On a train in Italy. Um, you know, I was traveling like, um, you know, like a college kid would just blowing money on whatever I wanted. And, uh, this time it was too much gelato and cannoli and, um, I found myself all of a sudden with a, with a zeroed out bank account. And I still had like three days left to my journey, uh, to my stay. I was in Sicily, Italy that time, and I was gonna be finishing my, my journey in Palermo. um, at that time I’m in Taraina, which is the Northeastern, um, it’s in the northeastern corner of Sicily, one of the most majestic, um, towns, um, on the coast there. Um, but I realized I’d run out of money and I was like, okay, how am I gonna get to Palermo next? I mean, I, I guess I’ve just gotta like, hop on a plane and like, you know, rebook my flight or whatever and just get outta here. And, um, and I was like, okay, but how am I even gonna get on the first train? I had to beg my way onto this train just to get into Palermo.
Dawn: And so was able to beg my way onto this first train. I get into the Palermo International Airport, find out very quickly, oh, you can’t just like, rebook a flight without spending $3,000 that you don’t have. And you know, this is just like my, I’m just like so naive, so young. Um, and um, I was like, okay, I, all right now this is like my. This is my moment where I really start to pray and I’m like, how am I going to get outta the situation? Where am I gonna stay? How am I even gonna, know, um, how am I gonna live for the next three days? I had one credit card that was American Express, and let me tell you, at the time, it was not everywhere that you wanted to be. And, um, it was not accepted in many towns of Italy that I, that I’d spent time in. So that’s why I couldn’t even get on the train, that first train in the first place, because my American Express wasn’t taken. So that point I’m like, okay, I’m gonna have to beg my way back onto a train just to get into the center of Palermo.
Dawn: And then, okay, I’m gonna, I’ll be begging my way into a hostel or something, right? And then begging my way through food or whatever. And, um, I get to the back, to the train. And, um, and I, and I just start to speak to the, the, um, one of the train attendants in my very broken Italian, really mostly English. Um, and, uh, and he’s only speaking Italian. Um, we are totally lost in translation. And he’s pointing me to the kiosks saying, you know, use your credit card, you know, to buy a ticket. I was like, I can’t. And I’m like, American Express, it’s not everywhere you wanna be, you know, whatever. I could. And at that point, like now I’m just, I’m just in tears because I’m like, what am I gonna do to get outta this?
Dawn: And just the, the future tripping of what’s gonna happen here, he calms me down, you know? And, um. He pats my back. He lets me onto the train and he sits me down. And, you know, I, um, you know, in those prayers, at some point I was like, ah, just like, I need a savior. Like, I need to literally be saved from this experience.
Dawn: I don’t, I dunno how I’m gonna get outta this, but I, he lets me on and I’m like, oh my gosh, I’m relieved, I’m grateful. Um, and I think that’s the last I’m gonna see of him. He, he pats me on the back again. He’s just this old, gentle, kind man, you know, would’ve been my grandfather, right? And he leaves, he steps off the train and I’m just like, thank God for him.
Dawn: What a, what a man. You know, so blessed. And, um, he comes back on the train moments later he is holding, um, a sandwich that’s like clearly wrapped, made from home. His wife probably put it in his lunchbox and sent, sent him off with it for the day. And he unwraps the sandwich and he takes the sandwich and he breaks it in half. He hands me half. And I’m shocked. I’m in complete shock that this man, this host, suddenly a train attendant now hosting me, is feeding me. And I say, thank you so much. I take a bite. It is the best, uh, salami and provolone sandwich I’ve ever had my entire life at that time. and I ask him what his name is, is, and he, and he says his name is Salvatore. I say, thank you, thank you, thank you. I do, the only thing I know that my mom would tell me to do, which is write him a thank you note. And I ask him to write his address down in my notebook, and he does. And then he leaves. And as I’m like, continuing to eat my sandwich, I’m like, Salvatore, what does that mean?
Dawn: And I look up, I take out my dictionary, my, uh, you know, Italian dictionary. I look up the word Salvatore and it means. Savior. And I never, I just, I, I mean, I was just dumbfounded, you know? And what I really pulled from that, it just stuck with me forever, is that, you know, we’re gonna move through this life, interacting with people along the way, having the smallest yet most powerful exchange, that we, we don’t know until we do how it’s gonna impact our future. And what Salvatore did for me was he hosted me and he surprised me. He delighted me. And really what he did was he extended a part of himself that he wasn’t even paid to do. And that was one of the greatest acts of generosity. I am still talking about him today, right? years later. 22 if we’re counting.
Dawn: But anyway, you know, um, I share that story because. Experiential marketing is not a tactic. It’s not checking off a bunch of boxes. Yes, yes. We need to use very smart language. We need to be wise with, you know, our strategies, building good hooks and all of that stuff, right? We need to use SEO and all that stuff, but at the end of the day, we are building human connections and that is not something that you can fake, And, um, really the strongest experiential marketing strategies you can come up with come out of just the goodness of your heart. A generous from a generous place, you know? And so, um, it’s, it’s really, um, that, that moment like continues to teach me something every time I come back to it. Um, and, and I think that our travelers, today’s traveler, is looking for human connection in a very remote and disconnected world.
Dawn: And that’s why I started the olive jar. You know, we were. I, I was coming out of experiential marketing in the event space. Is it okay if I, if I actually share a little bit
Gil: Yeah. Yeah, please.
Dawn: Yeah. Um, like my long-winded story can, I’m not great with brevity. It’s, it’s, um, be a lifelong journey, but, um, so, um, yeah, I, I was, uh, we were, we were, you know, stuck.
Dawn: We were stuck in the middle of pandemic. I was coming out of experiential marketing in the event space. I was working with brands, doing what I do with hosts now for their travelers. I was doing that for brands, corporate brands with their following, with their customers, even with their teams in-house team experiences, creating these really curated connective experiences where, you know, their followers are, it’s all the things.
Dawn: It’s, it’s giving them ownership of the experience. Think like art installations or chef inspired meals that would tell a story at the table. Every course had a different meaning behind it. And creating conversations where, you know, an intimate room of, of people were building bonds all connected to that brand, right? Building those lifelong relationships, uh, that lifelong relationship to the brand. Well, um, I had one, um, I had an event lined up with Tommy Hilfiger for International Women’s Day. I was gonna be speaking on a panel that day too, as of, and simultaneously producing this whole pop-up experience for, um, for women, you know, coming for this like shopping experience and that week. The CDC shut down events that were, you know, first it was like 200 plus and I was like, okay, we’re safe. ’cause this is gonna be a smaller event. Right? And then it came down to a hundred plus and, and Tommy Hilfiger’s like, we have to shut this down. And I was like, there goes my industry. And, and so it really, it propelled me into, um, the space that I’m in now. as I watched and experienced myself, travelers wanting to get away to escape, escape this pandemic escape isolation, um, what I really discovered, and what what I think is true for our travelers before and after pandemic, right, before, during, and after pandemic, is that we’re not just trying to get away to escape.
Dawn: We’re trying to get away to reconnect. And so minute that I, I made that, I, I, I just, I. I made that, um, that connection. Um, I said to myself, I know there are hosts want to create these experiences that are layered with these nuanced touch points that build a relationship with their traveler, build memories for their traveler. That last a lifetime. I was like, I have to do everything I’m doing in events with brands and film and tv, like all of that. Um, I, I have a background in film and television as well with production design and, and, um, uh, was like, this is the space. These are my people even because I loved, I love working in intimate spaces and creating these, you know, fostering these really intimate spaces where really. Um, travelers can find belonging wherever they go. And that’s, that’s, that’s how I launched the olive jar, was to design these getaways, to reconnect, um, all out of that, that sense and that, I just think that human core need that we have to, to reconnect, not just escape.
Gil: Yeah, as, as you’re kind of walking through. Your experience and how you’ve worked with your clients and really even your own storytelling. I’m trying to piece together what are the elements that our listeners can really take away and really figure out, like if they’re doing this themselves,
Dawn: Mm-hmm.
Gil: do they actually step through it?
Gil: And I’m trying to pick together all the different pieces that we’re, that we’re talking about. And there’s definitely, I think one, kind of like epicenter is really around really designing these experiences with, first your heart and mind is really thinking about like, how do you care for the space? Um, and as I kind of step through that, the next logical thing that I think about is who actually are you trying to target?
Gil: Like who are, who’s actually, who do you want to stay in your place? Who are you imagining on the other end of it that’s going to receive the experiences that you’re crafting for them? And it was like, I think when you specifically talked about the stay of the dogs living like VIPs.
Dawn: Right,
Gil: You can’t really create an experience that goes for everybody.
Gil: And in, in that particular scenario that host decided, I’m making my stay specifically for the dogs. And you really have to craft the entire experience around that specific avatar type there, because
Dawn: Right.
Gil: if you try to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, it’s really gonna have a very diluted brand story there.
Gil: And
Dawn: Yes.
Gil: as we’re thinking about this, I’m, I’m thinking maybe if you could help me understand, we talked about really creating this brand first from your heart to really understanding who your ideal guest avatar is and who you want this experience to be built around. But what are the other foundational pieces that you think about as you’re working with your clients?
Gil: And I know again, like there’s a bunch of tactics that you can and can do and try to execute on, but I’m more interested in really like, what are the foundational pieces that people should be thinking about as they’re creating this, this experience.
Dawn: Right? Yes. Yes. Um, I think that it’s, um, I think it’s a combination of things. And so I’ll guide you through, let’s take that, that host as an example, actually that property, beautifully designed space, um, designed by one of the most, you know, renowned designers in our industry as well. Beautiful space. Um, when she launched about, I wanna say it was like three months in, four months in her question was I. Okay, I’m getting people here, but what else? Right? Like, what are they grabbing onto? What, what more, how, what, what do I do to engage with them beyond this beautiful, you know, wallpaper that I’ve put up?
Dawn: Right. Um, they’re, they ask me about my couch all the time. You know, where, where did I, where’d you get this couch? You know, but beyond that, it’s, there’s something that they’re not, they’re not grabbing onto in a, in a meteor, in a meteor way. So, the first work that I, the first part of our work that we did with her was to build a branding guide. It’s working, you know, in this case we were working with existing designs. Beautifully done. We gave language to it. We actually gave her language, we gave her brand filters. We gave her sort of like a thesaurus, a story, a visual narrative of what her ideal guests. Is going to be coming for the feelings that they want to leave with and the moments that are going to, that are going to accomplish that.
Dawn: Right? So considering we need to create those moments, what are we then putting in the home, layering in, in order to Yes. Go from that point A to point B, right? So we’re gonna integrate the brand with these small touch points. We, we decided that, okay, if we’re, if we’re going after dog lovers, what do dog lovers, these dog lovers love to do?
Dawn: We know that we’re gonna have small groups of friends attending, like staying here. There’s, she can stay up to six adults. Um, you know, what, what are they coming here for? We, with a chef’s kitchen that she had, we, we decided let’s integrate some details in the kitchen that draw them in, stay a while. And also with where she’s located, there are not, there were not a lot of, um, restaurants. and yeah, just, it just, um, you know, eating out there, there’s just not a lot of options there. All of her experiences that, um, in the area are more like an hour in every direction. Now, I did design three different day trips for her that would take them to those, you know, to those places. Um, and, and design sort of like, yeah, like I said, a day trip of experience all built around what this target traveler would love the most. Um, but when they’re in that house. What are they doing? Where, what spaces are they leaning into? Where is that interaction really happening and which interaction is gonna be the strongest? Right? So we thought about the kitchen. Um, she had a, um, she had a fondue pot that she had brought in at one point. Um, and guests like seemed to really love that, but we weren’t doing anything to equip them with that.
Dawn: Or, you know, she’s got these great, she’s got all these great baking tools. Well, what are we doing to, to, to bring them into that and, and equip them, um, to, to bake there? So, you know, we, I went through and curated a cookbook collection. We placed one on the counter and opened it up. Okay? You would not believe what an open cookbook does when somebody enters that kitchen instantly.
Dawn: It’s just like zeroing in like a focal point, right? Drawing them in. Oh gosh, these cookies look really good. And I’m gonna start flipping through. You know, I would really love to make these, you know, so there’s, there’s all kinds of details like that, that we implemented the kitchen to just really invite, and you could say, oh, well anyone can just throw in a cookbook collection, right?
Dawn: But cookbooks are going to get them to engage with the tools that you have in your kitchen? And one of the things we wanted to do, because one of our biggest brand filters was Joy, was how do we bring this childlike sense of joy into the experience? Well, we brought in, we, we implemented a Popsicle mold, you know, super simple purchase. And you know, then when we went to photographing the experience, we shot popsicles, we made popsicles, put them on ice, shot them in all different ways. I have my hand in one of them holding it out. You know, I mean, just some really fun. Fun ways to draw, you know, the viewer in to, to, to give them a picture of what they could be doing in the space.
Dawn: So our branding guide work started with yes, our ideal, identifying who that target traveler was, the ideal guest, the avatar, whatever you wanna call it. Um, and then what were those details that we’re gonna draw them in? We, I talked about the guest book, um, for the dogs. Um, we also, um, you know, provided, we also provided, uh, dog leashes as well, sort of built out that dog kit, right?
Dawn: Because if they’re the VIPs, they need to be taken care of. So what are we doing to build out that dog kit even, even more? There are a few other details I won’t, I won’t go into right now, but, um, but every component that we were implementing into the home, we also had to think about how are we gonna convey this? From a story standpoint, how are we gonna do that in photo and video? And so we are never, um, designing a space, we’re never, um, layering in these amenities and details touchpoint without thinking about how it is gonna be photographed. And so my second set of work with her was actually building that shot list, spending time in the space. Um, while virtual, you know, work is all a part of this. There is nothing that beats being in the space. You don’t know what it feels like if you’re a designer designing, um, designing a home, you’ve never been there before. You don’t know what it feels like when you open the window and feel the breeze come through.
Dawn: Is there a breeze? Is this home on a, you know, like, what, what does it actually feel like? Right? And so all of those, um, those sensory experiences, um, have to be experienced on the property. That’s me. That’s my approach, right? So I was there on the property for, um, for about four days. of those days I was out driving.
Dawn: I probably worked 18 to 20 hour days because I just, I was like, I gotta soak in every second I have. And she said to me, you have done more around the shack in, in our area in two days than I have in the entire year and a half that I’ve been working on this property. And I was curating all of those local details.
Dawn: Um, one of the local details, we, we now, um, she now like brings to her guest’s attention is a winery that is closer, um, about 20 minutes out from, her property. Um, that it, it’s a, it’s a winery that actually has, uh, a mascot and their mascot is a dog. And this winery allows dogs and they have trails that you can take your dogs on, you can bring your dogs inside, you sit outside, whatever. Um, and so, you know, we’re pulling out detail like that and building a partnership with. Winery even. Right. Um, so what we did in, in the shot list was went and grabbed a couple bottles of wine, set that up from that winery, set that up on the table, and that becomes a part of our shoot as we’re, as we’re capturing the outdoor dining experience on her open deck that, you know, is just gorgeous under the stars and, and all of that.
Dawn: So, um, does that help make, does that make sense a
Gil: Yeah.
Dawn: like, the
Gil: It,
Dawn: being layered in along the way?
Gil: yeah, it, it definitely does. And I think like the, the kind of the. Summary or the essence that I’m, I’m capturing from all of this is really what you’re trying to do is you’re trying to create, actually, actually lemme change that. You’re trying to curate the story that you want your guests to actually experience as they’re going your property.
Gil: And it’s really those small little details that nudge them towards the experiences that you want them to feel. So, like you mentioned, it’s not really about having the cookbook there, but if you can imagine what a three night stay would be and you want them to bake cookies in your place and you want them to, um, make popsicles with their kids there, you really have to plant those seeds throughout your entire stay and almost stage it in a way where it’s, you’re naturally nudging them towards that call to action.
Gil: It’s really a call to action. Um, and it’s, it’s their choice whether or not they, they hit that button or open the book or whatever it is.
Dawn: know.
Gil: But if you don’t really.
Dawn: tap, right?
Gil: Yeah, but if you don’t, if you, if you don’t curate in such a way, they’re very unlikely to, to, to make that step there. And I, I kind of bridge it to like the software development world where I’m very into it with, which is like all the Silicon Valley re really big tech companies.
Gil: We really do a lot of testing and analyzation and we really try to figure out like, okay, we want this user to activate and we need to put, this is the step, this is the ideal path. And how do we remove those blockers so that they have all the information that they need and they feel really comfortable.
Gil: It’s almost analogous to that where you’re really trying to make sure that as of from a guest experience, they’re coming onto your property and you want them to get to that activation point and that activation point is really that experience that you want them to feel and you almost have to guide them through the entire path there.
Gil: And they may have their own plans and so, or whatnot, but hopefully they got to experience much of what you thought. They might enjoy there.
Dawn: Right. Yep. That’s, I mean, the word you’re, you’re almost, I think you even said it, activation. That’s, that’s what brands are doing. In live event spaces, uh, at Coachella, you know, at a conference where they’ve got a, a booth set up, the most boring booth visit is just talking to somebody at the, the stand.
Dawn: I mean, like, really the strongest experience interacting with that brand of the booth is gonna be something that activates, um, the attendee. So, yeah, that’s, that’s it. Yeah. It’s that activation.
Gil: Um, for folks that are just getting started in this, they’ve launched their property, they’ve had it for a little while. What’s that first step that you kind of nudge them towards to really think about like, going down this path? Because it is a commitment. It is, it does take time and energy, um, and also the mental space to really put yourself to create such an experience there.
Gil: But what’s those first few steps that you encourage folks to, to start thinking about or doing?
Dawn: Well, I’d say, um, get in a time travel machine and go back to before you launched your, before you launched your property, right? So start before you launch, start before you ever, you know, lay a single bed frame down, right? Everything that we are going to talk through your design. It informs the space that will nurture and will activate your guest right now.
Dawn: It doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. This was a, this, the, the case study. I’m like sharing with you, by the way, with that, with that property, one of the biggest, um, shifts in, um. That occurred after doing the work with her was, um, detailed reviews where guests were literally saying, you know, wow, there’s, you know, it was beyond the design.
Dawn: There were details in the home that were luring me in and, you know, my dog was so welcome and so I felt so welcome. I mean, word for word. Those were the kinds of reviews that, that she’s getting. Um, and, um, so, you know, it doesn’t mean that we can’t do this work after you have launched. Absolutely. But that first step is working on that branding guide.
Dawn: Even if like you have a sense of who your target traveler is, we’re going to really narrate. That experience in a full branding guide that establishes your, um, that establishes your brand filters. It establishes key moments, feelings, um, you know, the takeaways that your guest is gonna have, uh, your, your mood, mood boards, um, color palette.
Dawn: It could be that we’re implementing another color into your palette, right? For whatever reason. If it’s attached to a different brand filter we’re bringing in it’s all metaphor. That’s, you know, storytelling is metaphor, metaphor, metaphor, right? And so are, we can build upon what you have as well. Um, and um, and then there can be layers to the branding guide too that we do, where, you know, it could be that we’re also identifying your influencer profile. Who are the influencers that are gonna be right for making that trade? No influencer, you know, not all influencers are made equal. You’re not gonna always get the same return on that investment. Even it’s a trade, obviously, you’re giving up, you know, a paid stay. Um, so we can, um, really build out who that influencer profile is.
Dawn: The other layers could be like those day trips, something like that, working on your, um, working on your welcome guide, you know, your, your actual guidebook and what’s in there. But I would say like that’s the first bit of work. It’s that branding guide because it becomes our, your blueprint, but our blueprint too, that we’re working from to make these decisions so we’re not just like shooting off the hip. Oh yeah. Doggy guest book is not gonna work for every, every property that has a dog, right? So, or that, that hosts dogs. So, um, that’s the first step. It could be also, um, that you are, you know, maybe you’re, you’re in a really good place, but you need to build you need to build with stronger storytelling.
Dawn: And so another entry point for working with us would be photography and videography, to really help you tell that story in key strong visuals. And if you’re gonna be investing in a direct booking site, need to be optimizing every chance you have to tell that story. So photography, videography, copywriting as a part of that, um, as well.
Dawn: Um, so those are, I would say it’s like those are two entry points right there. Branding guide and your visual assets.
Gil: Nice. Nice. Do you have any resources that folks can go to to really understand the different parts of a brand guide and kind of what pieces that they should be thinking about?
Dawn: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, we, I mean, I’ve done, I have a blog that I do, and there are a couple blogs I’ve done that have pointed to the branding guide. Um, the branding guide work that we do. So I can shoot you a couple of those blogs that, so that you can get a real sense of what that looks like. But generally, um, I don’t give out my branding guides, um, because again, they have to be, they’re, they’re so customized.
Dawn: Um, and so usually I walk, um, I walk, uh, host through our branding guides in a discovery call. So I would say just book a discovery call with me. It’s, you know, it’s free, you know, um, you know, I’ll say, I’ve said it at 30 minutes, I can, I, like, I can never keep it 30 minutes. There’s just too much to talk about.
Dawn: So I’m very generous of my time. Um, so, and that’s just a really great way to actually get a personalized walkthrough, um, to, to those branding guides. And then that way I can also say, I know I get a sense of what your property might need, who you are as a host. Okay, let me pull up this branding guide.
Dawn: This is probably gonna be most relevant to
Gil: Hmm.
Dawn: I’m, I, I love to be able to give you that personalized tour.
Gil: Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Don, we’ve,
Dawn: So, yeah.
Gil: I think this conversation, usually we do an intro and, and we get a chance to talk about you and, and we just dove right into just the meat of it. And, and it almost got to a point where I, I felt like it was wrong to kind of go back, but I’m actually glad that you kind of resear some of the conversations towards really like.
Gil: Why you started and why you got to this in the first place, and kind of your background into what makes you strong in delivering this, these types of experiences coming from different experiences there. So that’s a lot. A lot of the same word.
Dawn: I didn’t even give you my hyphenated past. It’s like production design trained me to know how to tell a story to camera, how to style for camera, you know? I mean, it’s, it’s amazing. I never imagined. That my hyphenated, you know, career would suddenly fit, be the perfect fit for filling a gap in this industry.
Dawn: You know, and that’s, that’s what I’m really proud of in what I’ve built with the Olive Jar. I really believe that I’m filling a gap, um, and especially when it comes to this ominous, scary thing called marketing, right? So,
Gil: Yeah. Um. We usually tie up the show with three questions. Um, so kind of the, the first question there, I’m a big book book reader. I’m part of the STR book club. The folks that aren’t aren’t part of that, definitely check it out. Um, but I’m always looking for new books. What is a book recommendation that you would have for, for me?
Dawn: Oh gosh. Um, aesthetics of Joy. And, uh, this book is written by a designer, um, named Ingrid Fatel. Um, and she proposes that, um, joy, the sense of joy that you get. Is experienced through, um, the aesthetic, different, uh, different components that make up the aesthetics of joy. And so, for example, every chapter is based off what those aesthetics are. Um, one is transcendence. One, um, is magic. Um, you know, uh, it’s, it’s all about I, what I love about this book is that she does so well, what most designers need to be doing more of. And it’s actually communicating the story of what you’re looking at, like the layers of meaning, right? So like Transcendence, for example, is identified floating objects, right?
Dawn: Or Harmony is another aesthetic, um, is represented by, um, you know, um. Uh, by symmetry, right? So when you see circles, perfect shapes, you just feel a sense of, ah, the world is right, right. Aesthetics, the aesthetic of transcendence is seen in floating objects. So that’s why when you look at clouds or a hot air balloon or, or a balloon, like there’s something that just you feel lifted, right? Or being high up on a mountaintop, you feel transcendent just literally by your, by your position in the world. So it is such a beautiful book. It’s also a part memoir, so I highly recommend it not just to you, but to everyone listening.
Gil: Awesome.
Dawn: Yeah.
Gil: Uh, question number two, what’s one piece of mindset advice that you would give to someone that’s starting something completely new? I.
Dawn: Hmm. Um, I’m gonna tie it back to my dear train attendant host Salvatore, it’s that generosity is generative and. As investors in this industry, you know, you’re constantly investing in what you’re going to for what you’re gonna get back. you can shift, maybe flip that, but marry it with what’s gonna naturally come on the other side, it’s generosity. can be more generous in your partnerships. You can be generous with your, with your travelers. If you’re a designer or you know, a service provider listening to this podcast, um, be generous with your service. It doesn’t mean give everything away for free. There are so many different ways to be generous without losing money.
Dawn: Be, you know, you can still be responsible with your, with what you’ve been given, what you have to spend. Um, but uh, yeah, it’s. There is some kind of, there is some kind of power and generosity that I don’t think you will ever be able to, um, compute to analyze, to break down into numbers. There is something that happens with generosity that moves things. It moves your vision, it moves your, uh, trajectory. It you to people. And I’d say that’s the most measurable component about generosity. It requires you are connecting with another human in a meaningful and surprising way that brings life to the space in whatever space you’re in. So,
Gil: I a hundred percent agree with that. I a hundred percent agree with that. And I, I, I follow the same on my side where, and maybe it’s the cultural side of things, but I don’t think of things as someone delivers something to me, I have to give, give them something of equal value there
Dawn: Mm-hmm.
Gil: it’s. If I don’t see a person, if I don’t see them ever again, I don’t feel like I’m in, I I’m indebted in any way.
Gil: Or, um, it, it’s, if you, I think you constantly serve other people, it’s gonna eventually come back to you. And I, I a hundred percent agree that there is this connection with people. Like, I get to spend time with hosts no matter how small they are, how big they are. I treat them very much the same, and I kind of do something similar to you where I will coach them through it, even if they’re not gonna be a customer of mine.
Gil: And I know that like over time, I’m building goodwill in kind of the entire universe as a whole, and eventually it’ll come back to me in some other way. It doesn’t have to be coming back to me specifically from this one person or this one interaction there.
Dawn: Well, and it’s, it’s not linear. It’s, it’s simultaneous, you know, I mean, uh. very much living in an impacted community from the wildfires of Los Angeles. I live, um, in Pasadena. Um, so our family has been impacted by the Eaton fire, and I can’t tell you, I mean, from day one, our family, we had to evacuate.
Dawn: We’ve had our own like, journey recovering, but, um, our home, our home is safe. Um, but we’ve been impacted in other ways, our kids’ schools and, and all of that. But, um, but just jumped in and our family decided to serve other families. Our friend, I mean, many of them are just our close friends, but even people we haven’t known and we’ve built relationships out of like thin air.
Dawn: It’s crazy, right? But every step of the way, I have never felt that I have what I needed and that I wasn’t also simultaneously being nurtured.
Gil: Yep.
Dawn: I, I had friends surprising me with, you know, gifts at the door, whatever I. I just, it, it, like, I still get chill thinking about it. Those, that first month especially, um, feeling like, wow.
Dawn: I’m like, feel like I am, I am at 30% capacity, and yet I feel like I can give more than I’ve ever given before, and I am being taken care of simultaneously. It’s just something I can’t, like I said, can’t figure out why, but it’s how it works. So,
Gil: Um,
Dawn: Yeah.
Gil: last
Dawn: last question?
Gil: Yeah. What’s one piece of tactical advice that you would give to someone that’s either starting their direct booking engine or trying to amplify it?
Dawn: Okay. Um, I would say know the story that you wanna tell. You have much time tell it. Um, know what you know, the story you want to tell. Um, if you can, uh, oh. This was a great talk from Level Up. Your listing with Katie Klein. Know your elevator pitch. If you know your own elevator pitch, you can build out from that. So, um, you know, an elevator pitch has a few parts to it. Um, you know, but if, if, if you don’t know the story you’re trying to tell, then you’re, you’re, you’re gonna lose your viewers on your direct booking site. Um, so make sure you know that story.
Gil: Nice. I love that. All right. Where Don, where can folks find out more about Jew and just connect with you in general?
Dawn: yeah. Um, you can go to the olive jar.co. That’s my website. You could follow us on instagram@theolivejar.co. Um, and then, um, a lot of times when we do a discovery call, there is like a hosting quiz that also helps before you get into that conversation with me, because it allows you to work out sort of the type of host you are in, within the framework of. Experiential marketing, kind of how are you connecting and engaging with your travelers, whether they have booked or not, right? And so it helps you kind of frame the things that we are talking about, um, and, and gives me context for going into a conversation. So I know you as well as I can going in. So there is a hosting quiz, um, you can link into, um, it’s hyperlinked at the top of my, uh, at the top of my website.
Dawn: So that’s an easy way to get there. Once you take the quiz, then there’s like an instant, you know, um, link for scheduling a call or just reach out to me, DM me, we’ll set it up.
Gil: Awesome.
Dawn: Yeah.
Gil: All right. Uh, I will drop those links to the show notes, so anyone that’s interested in either following you, checking out your website, taking the quiz, they’ll have easy access to all of those. Don, it was a huge pleasure having you on the show. I did not expect to go down the deep ends of brand marketing.
Gil: I knew that we’re gonna go pretty deep, but I think we went much deeper than I expected and I had a lot of fun just really chatting with you and really understanding how you take care of your customers, your clients, and the impact that it has.
Dawn: Oh, wow. Well, thank you so much. That means a lot. And I can’t tell you what an honor it is to do this with you. The second we connected I heard that, you know, you provide this podcast to your clients who, who are making an investment in, in your business and in, you know, in, in their sites, but you’re just continuing to equip them.
Dawn: Not everyone does that. uh, I just think it’s, it’s a real, it’s a real gift, and that is a huge act of generosity in what you are doing through this podcast. So I just wanna commend you on that, um, and, and I’m proud to be a part of it today. So thank
Gil: Love it. Thank you, Don. Talk to you later.
Dawn: All right,
Gil: Bye.
Dawn: Bye.