What you can learn from three of the most inspirational travel campaigns of 2018

2018 was a year full of advertising innovations: ads became more personalized, more dynamic, and more targeted than ever before.

Travel advertising was no different; hotels, airlines, tourist organizations, cruises and rental cars delivered emotionally engaging, inspirational and fun campaigns.

Looking back on 2018, we’re sharing some of the award‐winning digital ad campaigns that effectively tapped into strategic media collaborations to achieve business goals and unlock innovative potential.

These travel brands from around the world worked with Expedia Group Media Solutions to engage travel shoppers through novel and compelling campaigns, delivering spectacular results along the way.

Experiences are everything

Younger and emerging travelers book trips based on available experiences, and more seasoned travelers are following suit.

In 2018, we saw an influx of startups designed to connect travelers with activities and experiences, and online travel agencies, metasearch engines and other providers featured new ways to engage in experience‐based travel.

It’s no surprise then that some of the most innovative travel campaigns of the last year focused on activities.

Exhibit A: Destination Gold Coast’s "Create Your Escape" campaign

The Gold Coast Tourism Corporation set out to widen traveler perceptions of the region, which was primarily known as a destination for surfers and theme park goers, through the innovative campaign, “Create Your Escape.”

An immersive, choose‐your‐own‐travel‐adventure style microsite and engaging video content encouraged users to experience the destination first‐hand, capturing their imaginations as they selected different scenarios – such as an early morning bike ride on the beach or jet skiing to a remote island.

After choosing their final activity, users received a personalized, bookable itinerary of their travel selections, with links to exclusive campaign deals.

In addition to the interactive video, users were also presented with inspiring and informative content that allowed them to further explore and learn about the Gold Coast regions. By sharing their custom itineraries on social media, users had the opportunity to win a holiday to the Gold Coast.

The “Create Your Escape” campaign drove a significant percentage increase in year‐over‐year passenger and air ticket demand across markets, as well as an impressively high number of total impressions.

Shifting traveler perceptions

People have so many options when it comes to travel. And when first planning a trip, travelers often don’t have a specific destination in mind and are open to inspiration.

Digital experiences led by creative campaigns are inspiring travelers and helping them discover new experiences, whether in unknown locations or one they may already be familiar with or have their own perceptions of.

To challenge common misconceptions that Texas is all about cowboys and country music, Travel Texas, with its advertising agency, Proof Advertising, created a unique interactive campaign that encouraged U.S. travelers to experience the unexpected side of Texas via a virtual road trip across the state.

Powered by Twitter’s ‘Instant Unlock Card’ functionality, “Discover More Texas” engaged users through rich content and exclusive video clips tied to four travel themes that highlighted the diversity of the state – family fun, food, outdoors, and city experiences.

Each theme was individually revealed along a four‐week digital journey as users tweeted the campaign hashtag, #DiscoverMoreTexas, to reveal exclusive content and enter for a chance to win a trip to Texas.

For example, imagine seeing an image of a steak, an expected Texan dish, and then, after sending a tweet containing that image, you unlocked a short video on the fine dining and international cuisine available in Texas. The campaign generated over 7,000 user sessions and more than 3,600 sweepstakes entries.

Technology connects travelers to destinations in new ways

New technology should be fully‐integrated into a campaign and additive to the consumer experience, and an increasing number of brands are effectively leveraging emerging technologies and other immersive mediums to engage with travelers in new and exciting ways.

Palace Resorts, the Central American leader in the luxury all‐inclusive resort market, is always innovating to stand out among the competition and trumpet the joys of their properties.

To engage potential travelers and inspire them to plan their perfect vacation at any of the resort brand’s 10 oceanfront properties in Mexico and Jamaica, the “Never Lift a Finger” campaign was born.

This highly‐personalized campaign leveraged bespoke eye‐tracking software and a custom microsite, taking visitors through a visual series of activities and amenities offered at the resorts, and ultimately providing a recommended resort and itinerary based on the content users were immediately drawn to, and paid the most attention to, determined by the direction of their gaze.

As of September 2018, the campaign produced a 19:1 return on advertising spend and resulted in over 36,000 page views, 16,000 user sessions and more than nine million impressions.

What can we take away from these examples?

Campaigns that leverage interactive experiences and emerging technologies in immersive environments can empower travel brands to tell their story in a unique way and allow people to experience firsthand what different destinations have to offer.