As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how travelers discover and plan trips, travel marketers face new questions about where to invest their advertising budgets and how to measure the results. Traditional performance channels such as search remain important, but their role is changing as consumers move between AI assistants, social media and other sources of inspiration.
For travel brands, that shift is prompting a reassessment of the balance between driving immediate bookings and building awareness and trust earlier in the customer journey. At the same time, companies including Booking.com, Marriott, Uber and United Airlines are developing advertising businesses that capitalize on their first-party customer data, creating new opportunities for marketers.
In this discussion with Phocuswright senior vice president of content Mitra Sorrells, Kelly Covato, general manager of global business development for travel at The Trade Desk, explores how these developments are changing travel advertising. She discusses the growing importance of connected TV and other channels beyond traditional advertising platforms, the rise of travel media networks and why marketers need to look beyond last-click attribution to understand the incremental impact of their investments.
Watch the full discussion below.