best travel pr campaigns

Five of the Best Travel PR Campaigns

Despite the 2020 pandemic, travel and tourism remains one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. It’s also one of the most congested. Due to the rise of low-cost airlines, ecotourism, and online etailers such as Tripadvisor and Expedia, the options are endless, and competition is fierce. You need to do something pretty special to stand out.

This is where travel PR comes in. Whether you run a tour operator, travel agency, cruise line or other travel-related business, glowing coverage in a national newspaper, industry magazine, or on the blog of a high-profile traveller can set you apart, get eyeballs on your brand and send bookings soaring.

All you need is a genius travel PR campaign.

Need some inspiration? Here are five of the best travel industry PR campaigns.

Tourism Queensland’s ‘best job in the world’

This one dates back to 2009, but it’s made the list as it’s still widely regarded as one of the greatest travel PR campaigns in history.

To raise the profile of the Great Barrier Reef, Tourism Queensland launched a global publicity campaign to attract more visitors. They placed a job advert in newspapers around the world, titled ‘The Best Job in the World.’ The tourist board were on the hunt for a caretaker for the stunning islands. The successful candidate would live on Hamilton Island for six months and be responsible for cleaning the pool, feeding the fish, exploring the islands, and reporting back to the world via blogs and social media .

The winner would earn £73,000 for the privilege.

Applicants were asked to post a one-minute video on the Queensland Tourism website explaining why they should be chosen for the job. And the response was astounding. Within six weeks, they received 34,000 applications from 200 countries.

Following an X-Factor-style whittling-down of candidates, 16 finalists were flown to the Great Barrier Reef for an interview and in May 2009, Ben Southall, a charity worker from Northampton, was appointed.

Over the six months, Ben posted around 60 blogs, 2,000 photos and 47 video diaries. He also fielded 450 media interviews and presented a six-part documentary series on the National Geographic Adventure Channel, which aired in more than 135 million homes.

Why did this PR campaign work?

The travel PR campaign exceeded all expectations as it was aspirational. Who wouldn’t want to live on a paradise island and be paid a hefty sum for the privilege?

Also, the whole thing played out online, giving it the viral factor. Within two days of the campaign going live, word had spread around the globe, generating 46,000 mainstream media stories, 230,000 mentions in blogs and vlogs, and a BBC documentary. Add to that the 34,000 video applications on YouTube, and Tourism Queensland had a heap of fabulous publicity for the islands.

No other medium could have achieved results like that.

In total, the campaign garnered over £50m in earned media , putting the islands of the Great Barrier Reef firmly on the map as a must-see destination.

Virgin Holidays Hypno-pods

Holiday blues are a real thing. Which is why millions of us book our summer holiday on the first day back at work after the Christmas break.

The folk at Richard Branson’s Virgin Holidays are all too aware of this phenomenon, which is why they teamed up with celebrity hypnotist Paul McKenna at the beginning of 2015, to run a series of ‘holiday hypnosis’ sessions at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent .

McKenna hypnotised willing participants for 20-minutes in a purpose-built hypno-pod, from which they emerged feeling like they had been on a relaxing two-week holiday.

The brand launched the stunt as part of its #FlauntIt campaign to counteract the January blues.

Why did this campaign work?

This PR campaign was simple, but brilliant. After all, nothing beats the feeling of an amazing holiday. Virgin tapped into it at prime booking time, leaving the brand top of mind for holiday-starved travellers. It also bagged Virgin coverage in the mainstream and trade press.

British Airways’ ‘Magic’ campaign

In 2017, British Airways launched a heart-warming travel PR campaign, ‘ BA Magic’ . The initiative saw the airline carry out acts of kindness for passengers, to make their journeys even more special.

The airline asked the public to nominate family or friends to receive a bit of BA magic as they passed through the airport. Nominations came flooding in and BA arranged everything from marriage proposals and reuniting loved ones, to arranging money-can’t-buy experiences for terminally ill children.

One of the most emotional events was for Marjorie, a 13-year-old girl with Hodgkin Lymphoma disease. Her biggest wish was to be an air hostess. BA made her wish come true in the most spectacular way. Watch Marjorie’s BA story .

All the acts of kindness were captured on camera and posted on BA’s website. The tear-jerking videos have generated over six million views on social media.

The campaign was a roaring success on two fronts: It solidified British Airways’ reputation as a brand that goes the extra mile for customers. It also earned them loads of column inches in the industry press.

Emotional marketing is a powerful tool. It can increase your engagement tenfold. Find out how you can use it to your advantage in Hubspot’s ‘ Ultimate Guide to Emotional Marketing’ .

Finavia: Trapped in Terminal 2

Whether it’s a delay, cancelled flight or missed connection, we’ve all been stuck in an airport for longer than we wanted. So, spare a thought for Ryan Zhu, a Chinese actor and influencer, who spent 30 days in Helsinki Airport, in October 2017.

Zhu lived in a cabin in Terminal 2 for a month, as part of a creative PR stunt by Helsinki Airport operator Finavia.

This creative travel PR campaign aimed to challenge the preconception that spending time in the airport is a ‘hellish’ experience. To prove it, Zhu experienced different aspects of airport life, from shopping, to dining, and reported back on his experiences. He was also given daily challenges to complete. On day one, he had to find his cabin within fifteen minutes. Day two involved buying five items in 30 minutes. And on day nineteen he left the airport to spend eight hours in Helsinki.

The challenges were posted on #LifeinHel website, in a series of short videos, and on all the usual social media channels.

Why this travel PR campaign worked

Zhu, a celebrity in his native China, gave the airport a glowing review, resulting in a ton of positive coverage and legions of new fans in the form of Zhu’s followers.

The campaign also gained traction in Europe, winning a Bronze Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

A survey carried out by Edelman in 2019 found that 63% of consumers trust what an influencer says about a brand over what a brand says about itself. If you team up with the right influencer, it can do wonders for your reputation and win you legions of new fans.

The Faroe Islands: Closed for Maintenance

The Faroe Islands is a beautiful remote archipelago between Scotland and Iceland. Wild and rugged, it rains 300 days of the year and sheep outnumber residents.

In an effort to put the archipelago on the tourist map, the ‘Visit Faroe Islands’ tourist board came up with a cunning travel PR campaign.

In 2018, the Faroese Prime Minister launched a ‘closed for maintenance, open for voluntourism’ campaign, via a video statement . He announced that the archipelago would be closed to tourists over the weekend of 26-27 April 2019, with the exception of 100 volunteers, who would be given free food, lodging and transport, in return for helping with practical projects such as maintaining hiking pathways, creating signage, and improving facilities and access to beauty spots for visitors.

All people had to do was sign up and book their flights. 100 people were then picked at random to volunteer.

One day after the message went out, the story had received widespread media coverage and more than 1,000 people had signed up. By the closing date, over 6,000 people had applied.

Why this PR activity worked

As with the ‘Best Job in the World’, this PR campaign tapped into the scarcity principle. By limiting these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to a select number of people, it made them more valuable to consumers.

By closing the country’s doors to all but 100 people, the Faroese tourist board prompted thousands of people to consider the Islands as a holiday destination and boosted their desire to visit.

It also captured the imagination of journalists, leading to coverage across Europe in the mainstream press .

How to create outstanding travel PR campaigns

These top travel industry PR campaigns made headlines as they did something different. Here are a few simple things you can do to make your travel PR campaign stand out.

Give away free stuff

Who doesn’t love a freebie? Giving something away is a great hook for your travel PR campaign. Whether it’s an extra free night’s stay at a hotel, a complimentary spa treatment, or a free upgrade, a juicy promotion can incentivise travellers to choose your brand over others. Take Thai Airways for example. The airline showed its support of the Thai government’s efforts to combat COVID-19 by rewarding travellers who stayed at home.

To qualify, members with active frequent flyer membership could download a ‘Stay Home Miles Exchange’ app on their phone. The app used geolocation technology to determine their location. Users were given one mile for every four hours of staying at home during the campaign period.

Offer unique, immersive experiences

If you really want to stand out, offer your customers an immersive experience. Marriott Hotels did this to great effect to promote some of its prime destinations.  Using Oculus Rift and 360-degree live-action video, the Marriott Teleporter enabled people to ‘visit’ Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach in Maui or take in the views from the top of Tower 42 in London. They could even feel the ocean breeze and the warmth of the sun, thanks to sophisticated 4D sensory technology.

As a result of the immersive stunt, Marriott bagged a load of coverage in the trade press and saw an increase in web traffic and bookings.

Innovate in times of crisis

Another way to distinguish your brand is to innovate in a time of crisis. This is what low-cost airline easyJet did, following the easing of travel restrictions during the COVID-19 crisis.

The brand teamed up with Irish artist Will Sliney to create lion and pilot-themed face coverings for young passengers, in order to reduce their anxiety around wearing masks on flights, one of the new requirements.

This simple ‘no-frills’ campaign won easyJet lots of coverage in the national press . It not only drew attention to the fact the airline was taking to the skies once again, but also highlighted the new safety measures for passengers and crew, while communicating its concern for its youngest passengers.

Want to join the PR revolution? Call me now on +44 (0)77604 70309

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7 awesome travel PR campaigns of 2022

by Elizabeth Wilkens | Jan 5, 2023 | Public Relations

What is a PR campaign?

To begin, let’s define our terms. Public relations (PR) campaigns consist of coordinated efforts to raise awareness about a certain organization or product. Whether it’s increasing website traffic, bringing awareness to a new product, or raising funds for a good cause, most public relations efforts are there to achieve particular commercial objectives . With a PR campaign in place, companies can schedule activities that contribute to the greater in advance. Furthermore, a solid plan of action for the dissemination of information is essential for every public relations effort. Companies need to develop a message that resonates with their target market. That is why they need to pick the best avenues for spreading their message. Strong PR campaigns can help brands build strong relationships with the public.

Why a PR campaign is necessary

The best public relations campaigns provide a welcome break from the constant barrage of sales pitches and calls to action that customers face on a daily basis. A public relations campaign provides consumers with information on a company’s products without any sales or promotional pitches . When companies remove obstacles (such as typical marketing), customers’ defences are down, and they are more open to business.

According to experts at moverstech.com , if companies implement good PR campaigns, they can help customers overcome their personal “ad barriers.” In fact, campaigns are about much more than simply the goods and services companies provide. Therefore, without further ado, here are the seven awesome travel PR campaigns of 2022.

1. Iceland’s Out-Horse Your Email Campaign

Since the end of the Covid 19 crisis, millions of people have resumed their travel plans. This has allowed Iceland to capitalize on the people’s desire for a tranquil getaway . As far as tourist PR campaigns go, Out-Horse Your Email is the undisputed champion. The country’s tourist agency trained horses to walk on a gigantic keyboard that was sturdy enough to support a horse. As visitors enjoy their time in Iceland, they may kick back and let the horses handle their emails. The point is to demonstrate the paramount significance of taking a break from one’s hectic life at home in order to reward oneself with a relaxing vacation abroad.

Iceland’s Out campaign demonstrated the power of email marketing with their campaign.

2. British Airways—Weird Reasons Why People Travel

British Airways’ A British Original campaign, which debuted on more than 500 billboards around the UK in 2022, aimed to highlight the unusual motivations for international travel. Everything from “because this weather stinks” and “I’ve had a ring in my pocket long enough” to “mischief” and “olives the size of my real fist” falls under this category. The campaign’s goal is to show that there are numerous valid reasons for individuals to travel and to stress that each one is significant.

3. United—Juneteenth Flight

For the second time, the United States recognized Juneteenth as a national holiday in 2022. United’s celebration included renowned personalities like Opal Lee, an activist who is 95 years old, and Captain Tomica Adams, a pilot who launched the first Black flight instructor training program in the US Air Force . Once again, the airline sought to inspire people to celebrate diverse cultures and to encourage people to appreciate diversity within their own communities. This PR campaign has proven that brand affinity extends beyond a company’s services or goods. It showed that conveying what a brand stands for may be just as vital as the commercial aims.

United demonstrated that a brand’s message is just as important as its product or service.

4. Tourism Quebec—Blind Tourist

The province of Quebec is known for its robust culture of outdoor recreation. However, the objective of Tourism Quebec was to show that there is more to a vacation than what meets the eye. With their PR campaign, Tourism Quebec intended to provide a smorgasbord of sensations , with sight playing a secondary role in the experience. This advertisement has a great storyline that goes along with it. It challenges travelers to explore the world with an open heart and an unrestrained curiosity, regardless of their limitations.

5. Travel Oregon

The PR campaign that Travel Oregon has produced has received widespread acclaim. One example of Travel Oregon’s innovative use of print, sponsored posts, social media, banner advertisements, and video is a robotic fish that acts as a tour guide. Additionally, they have created a video in which they reimagine the US State as an “adventure dreamland.” That being said, what makes this video idea so good is that they created it in the style of Studio Ghibli animation. This campaign showcases how important brand storytelling can be for creating great PR.

6. Preply—Most Mispronounced Travel Destinations

It’s part of the adventure to explore a new place, chat with the people, and eventually muller the pronunciation of a word so horribly that they have no idea what you’re saying. To address this issue, Preply launched a campaign that mines Google search data to identify t he most often mispronounced tourist locations of 2022. The French city of Cannes came at the top, followed by the River Thames in the United Kingdom and Yosemite National Park in the United States. This travel PR campaign is hilarious, but it also serves a useful purpose by teaching people how to pronounce some of the world’s most exotic travel destinations.

Mispronunciations are amusing and can be used to create an interesting PR campaign.

7. Hong Kong Tourism Board—Timelooper

And the last of the seven awesome travel PR campaigns of 2022 is The Hong Kong Tourism Board’s Timelooper. This virtual reality (VR) time travel experience demonstrates to potential visitors that time travel in Hong Kong is an exciting and interesting activity . Through this VR experience, viewers may visit Hong Kong in the 1960s and see kung fu fights on Hollywood Road, planes arriving at Kai Tan Airport, and more.

Now that we have covered the seven awesome travel PR campaigns of 2022, you can see how powerful they can be. With the help of a stellar PR strategy, companies may get more respect from their target demographics . But not just that—they also help strengthen and increase the recognition of Brands among their respective consumer bases.

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The ultimate guide to travel PR

Are you thinking that you could really do with some travel PR ideas to set your business apart? But aren’t quite sure where to start? Read on for ADPR’s ultimate guide to creating the best travel PR campaigns by raising brand awareness, increasing traffic and ultimately increasing profitability.

I’m sure you don’t need us to tell you that the travel industry, like many others, has changed dramatically over the past 15 years, with travel trends evolving rapidly. The digital revolution has changed the way that people travel. Now, thanks to breakthroughs in technology and high speed internet, travellers are able to see and experience a place online before they even make a booking, and search online reviews to ensure that what it says it does on the tin, it does.

Whilst digitalisation has given us the power of choice, it means the internet is a crowded marketplace for travel brands who have had to adapt as consumers’ expectations rise. Once we could have only have dreamed of finding and booking a hotel or flight, checking in and even opening your hotel door from a mobile device.

However, technology has also made way for new opportunities for small businesses in the travel sector. Anyone in the world can now find an independent B&B in Cornwall or a restaurant in the British Virgin Islands through the power of a search engine, online review sites, social media and the company’s own websites.

Travel brands now, more than ever, need to concentrate on building their brand awareness and personalising service with their customers in order to stay competitive. If you’re not happy with your SEO ranking, conversion rate or ROI, then it’s time to take action with a strong travel PR campaign.

From SEO to blogs and content creation, and from newsletters to media coverage , it can all seem like a bit of a minefield. So we’ve put together our top ten tips and tactics for implementing a travel PR campaign to raise brand awareness, increase traffic and increase profitability.

1.   Know your objectives

Before you do anything else, be clear on what your objectives are. Otherwise, how will you know what you’re working towards? What you’re doing well and what you’re not doing so well? Objectives should be tangible and achievable within a year or two.

The best plans for travel PR campaigns will contain two sets of objectives. The first to outline the company’s overall business objectives and the communication objectives that will help achieve them. It is only by setting objectives that you will see if your travel PR plan is working for you.

2. Build your value proposition

Competition is fierce. PR enables you to explain why the services you offer are valuable for your customers. Be clear on what your value proposition is. Do you specialise in a certain area? Do you offer destinations or types of trips that are harder for the average person to know about? Highlight what your strengths and expertise are and what makes you different from your competition. Who wants what you have?

3. Make sure you have a good website

It’s likely that most potential customers will find you via the internet and therefore it is the best way to network and advertise what you do. Ensure that your website is easy to navigate and filled with content that shows potential customers how knowledgeable you are in your area of tourism and how easy you are to work with. Your company’s value proposition should shine through to highlight your strengths and differences.

Ensure your website is offering a 360-degree experience with photos, videos and customer reviews . Don’t forget to publish regular interesting content to increase your website’s search engine rankings.

4. What questions are your potential customers asking? Answer them

First of all, who is your target audience? Do you cater for families, older travellers, young singles, adventure travellers or business travellers etc? Understanding your target audience is the key to a successful travel PR campaign.

Once you understand who you are targeting, then you must create leads for them to find you. Is there a certain question you are often asked, or travel advice that potential customers are often looking for? Answer it! This could be in the form of a blog post (hosted on your website) or an infographic or video content that you share on your social media channels.

5. Launch a social media campaign

Get people talking and sharing with your travel PR! Everyone loves to brag about their travels via the power of social media. Build pages on sites such as Facebook and Instagram where customers can upload their photos, videos and post details of their adventures. Social media is also a great way to promote special deals and showcase customer reviews. Be prepared for negative reviews as well and ensure you respond – removing negative reviews or ignoring them can have a worse impact than the review itself! Plus, one person’s negative review may be another’s positive. For example, a negative review on a hotel not being ‘child friendly’ would be a couple looking for a romantic getaway’s dream.

Competitions are a great way to get people engaged and motivate them to enter. Don’t just ask a simple question or enter by supplying an email address. Ask them to upload a photo of their best holiday, or ask them to write a piece about their dream get-away.

Social media networks also enable you to share tips and travel information to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field, as well as connect with potential clients, answer questions and build a reputation.

When exhibiting at events such as World Travel Market, ensure you use social media to maximise your presence . And don’t forget that partnerships and collaborations, for example with tourist boards, can provide great content for your social media campaign.

6. Start a blog

A blog is a great element to include in a travel PR campaign. Hosting a blog on your website will help drive traffic to your site. When updated regularly, having a blog helps significantly with the ‘fresh content’ requirement from Google. And if the content is interesting enough, it will also get read by your customers and potential customers and acts as another touch point to encourage conviction to purchase.

People love to read about the exciting adventures others have been on to get inspiration for where they think their next adventure may take them. Create a blog that features the beautiful destinations you have to offer. You can write these blogs yourself or encourage customers to write about their experiences and feature them as guest posts.

A blog is not the place for promotional offers or a hard sell, people enjoy reading interesting articles. Over promotional pieces can steer many people away. Think of content that will help customers visualise their next holiday. Pictures of your destinations, exciting things to do there, experiences they can have, something they can learn whilst they’re there, suggested itineraries, off the beaten trail ideas….

7. Generate media coverage

It’s important to get your message out to the media about the value and services that your travel company provides to gain awareness of your value proposition and drive enquiries. You can do this by identifying and effectively communicating with the right target media. It is essential that you research first to ensure the media you are targeting will be receptive to your message. Find out who the editors or producers are, what stories they are interested in and what they actually cover.

Once you’ve identified your key media targets, develop a relationship with them by getting in touch. It’s a tough task as journalists are just as busy as everyone else. But convince them that you are a great source for your area of travel and they’ll come back to you time and time again when they need an interview, comment or background for a travel related story.

The best travel PR campaigns are the ones that tell a good story. Take a minute to step back and think ‘although this story is important to us as a company, is it newsworthy?’ The answer to this can vary – a travel trade publication will be interested in very different news to a national newspaper. Trends in your area of travel expertise are always a winner!

Be sure to keep your news or pitches brief and to the point. There is no need to be ‘fluffy’ or too descriptive. Stick to the facts, the journalist will decide how they want to use the facts to turn it in to their ‘house style’. Make sure you offer more resources, links to photos, videos, surveys or your own social media outlets etc, so journalists have everything they need to pull the story together.

Physical experiences, such as press trips, to truly experience a destination is also a fantastic way to generate positive and engaging media coverage.

8. Don’t neglect reviews

When it comes down to making the decision to book, a positive customer review is almost as influential as price or special offers. Reviews are also the most common form of online research and can increase browsing on your website by 50 – 100%. Reviews also drive additional traffic to your website from other social media sites. Travel companies that regularly share reviews with their Facebook page see an increase in traffic back to their company website.

9. Focus on existing customers

As well as trying to attract new customers, don’t neglect existing ones. You can’t always assume a happy customer will come back to you once they are ready to book another trip, no matter how good your services are. It’s far easier to earn another booking from an existing customer than it is to reach a new one. Keep in regular contact with them via an email campaign. Offer a discount for repeat bookings – keep yourselves front of mind and ensure they have a reason to come back.

Decide on a PR strategy for your travel newsletter. Will it be weekly? Will it be monthly? You want to keep your company at the forefront but you don’t want to bombard customers so much that you become annoying.

Your newsletter should be used as a tool to promote seasonal packages, new destinations, travel news and hot deals, as well as helpful hints and tips that position you as an expert in your field.

10. Measure your efforts

Just as importantly as implementing a travel PR campaign, is how you measure the success of it. PR’s effectiveness can be measured using a range of different methods, from coverage in the media to website traffic, engagement, clicks, views or downloads and ultimately sales results.

Be sure to analyse and measure how your PR is working. By using the right tools you can see what elements have been successful and which haven’t quite worked. For example, using Google Analytics for your website makes it possible to see the most common ways that people are being driven to your site. This might be via a link on social media or by searching related terms on Google. Delving deeper you can also see how long people spend on each page and what pages they move between – allowing you to build a picture of your customer behaviour.

Even if the results show that some of your PR ideas haven’t been successful, don’t get disheartened. Try a different approach, switch things up and keep trying until you find a method that works.

A successful travel PR campaign can cover a host of topics. It’s important to pick the methods and strategies that work best for you. We know how complex and time consuming it can be to manage, but put in to practice it will generate leads and help your business grow!

Or, if you’re sold on all of the above but simply don’t have the time to implement it yourself, contact us to discuss further. We’ve worked with lots of travel companies on an array of campaigns. You can see a case study for a recent travel PR campaign we ran for the British Virgin Islands, or simply read more on the PR agency services we offer.

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10 of the Best PR Campaigns of 2022 & 2023

Dec 6, 2023

16 min. read

Getting your brand noticed and not just seen is arguably becoming harder. The bar to entry for new brands is lowering, thanks to digital technology and talent access across borders. Consumers are constantly bombarded with advertising messages—as many as  10,000 ad impressions per day —which leads to overstimulation and a reluctance to retain information. But a strong PR campaign can be game-changing for brands that want to break through the noise and be remembered. 

Unlike traditional advertising or marketing , a PR campaign is designed simply to get people talking. It’s a way to put your brand in the spotlight, drum up some press, and make a lasting impression on your audience. 

What exactly goes into a PR campaign? Let’s look at some specifics as well as some of the best recent PR campaign examples from 2022.

Table of Contents:

What Is a PR Campaign?

Why should campaigns be part of your pr strategy, how does a pr campaign work, best pr campaign examples of 2022, best pr campaign examples of 2023.

Let’s start with a definition . A PR campaign is a series of planned activities designed to give a company or brand publicity . Most PR campaigns have specific business goals, such as driving website traffic, getting notice about a new product, or drawing attention to a cause. Activities are carried out in a specific time frame relevant to the overarching goal. 

A successful PR campaign hinges on a strong communication strategy . Create the right message for your intended audience. Choose the right channels for your message. Know who else might be listening (e.g., your competitors). With communication as your foundation, your brand can start to make a positive connection with the public.

Tip: Want to learn how to create a PR campaign? This guideline will help you . Also, consider taking a look at our free PR in the Age of Influence Report .

In a world driven by sales messaging and calls to action, your public relations strategy can be a breath of fresh air for consumers. The brand isn’t asking for anything in return from the public. Instead, a PR campaign gives the audience a chance to learn more about the brand without marketing or sales pressure .

Taking this pressure away allows consumers to lower their guards and be more receptive to your company. A well-designed campaign breaks through their internal “ad blockers.” Campaigns aren’t just about the products or services you sell, but rather your brand identity.

As a result of a great PR campaign, brands can establish greater credibility with their audiences and build stronger media relations . Brand identities become stronger and more memorable. And in many cases, sales naturally follow.

Tip: Learn about the differences between marketing and PR .

We have already published another dedicated blog telling you how to create a PR campaign , but in general, they work like this:

Every PR strategy begins with a goal . Maybe you want to call attention to a new product or a rebrand. Or maybe you want to put your brand in a positive light after  receiving some negative publicity . Whatever your goal,  start your PR campaign  with a goal and work backward to decide the best approach for sharing your message.

Some PR campaigns are nothing more than a well-written press release distributed on large media networks - for example via our press distribution service . News media outlets, blogs, and other publishers may pick up the press release and share it on their channels. You can share this same press release on your channels, too, such as a website , blog, email subscriber list, and social media. 

Or, you might choose to launch a solely social PR strategy . Social media PR targets your social audiences and relies on likes, shares, and comments to help you spread the word. You can also pay for ads to expand your PR campaign’s reach.

Other campaigns take publicity to new heights, though. For example,  Red Bull’s New Moon event  showed wingsuit-clad stuntmen descending from the sky with sparklers, creating the image that UFOs were landing on Earth. In the UK,  a nude art installation  promoted Sky Arts and its milestone in becoming a free-to-air television channel.

Whether a written press release or a live publicity stunt, a PR campaign’s role remains the same: to intentionally attract attention from an audience to promote a brand (and ideally receive some sort of response).

For help planning, executing, and measuring the impact of a PR campaign while minimizing their time and cost investment, get in touch to learn more about Meltwater's media database  and  PR reporting .

Ready to  launch your own PR campaign ? Glean some inspiration with some of the best PR campaigns we’ve seen in 2021-2022. 

1. Airbnb.org for Ukraine Campaign

For most of 2022, Ukraine has been plagued with war, unrest, and plenty of uncertainty. Millions of people have lost their livelihoods. With the war’s end nowhere in sight, many brands have stepped up to support refugees and those who have stayed behind to support and defend the country.

One brand campaign that stands out is Airbnb.org . The short-term rental company hit the ground running in partnering with international and regional nonprofits and governments to secure housing for up to 100,000 refugees. The company has been coordinating efforts to offer shelter and safety free of charge . More than 28,000 people have signed up through Airbnb.org to offer temporary housing to others, while Airbnb founders have committed to match donations up to $10 million.

In addition (and thanks in large to user-generated social media PR ), people around the world starting booking rooms at properties in the Ukraine as a way to support hosts during the conflict. This movement started as a way to send immediate assistance to those whose travel businesses had been impacted.

2. Penguin Random House’s Unburnable Book

In response to schools banning and burning books, publisher Penguin Random House launched an unburnable copy of Margaret Atwood’s acclaimed dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. The book represents one of many works that has notoriously been the target of book bans. Wrapped in a black cinefoil jacket, the book features white heat shield foil pages , nickel wire binding, stainless steel bands, and high-temperature adhesives to protect the freedom of expression. The book was placed on Sotheby’s auction, with proceeds promised to PEN America to continue protecting free speech.

3. Iceland’s Out-Horse Your Email Campaign

With travel back on the menu for millions of tourists, Iceland is taking advantage of people’s wanderlust and encouraging them to disconnect from work . The Out-Horse Your Email campaign is a clear winner in tourism PR. The country’s tourism board build a giant working keyboard – big enough to hold a horse! – and taught the horses to walk on it. Tourists can l et the horses handle their inbox while they sit back and relax on their Icelandic vacation. The idea is to show that nothing is more important than taking time to disconnect and enjoy a well-deserved trip abroad.

4. IKEA’s Seed Ball Campaign

A fun PR and social media campaign , IKEA created a playful take on its famous Swedish meatballs with its release of the IKEA Seed Ball – at least, the instructions on how to make one.

The Seed Ball is a savory, nutritious treat for bugs created in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund . Using simple ingredients like clay, dirt, and wildflower seeds, IKEA fans can craft their own seed balls to nourish the insect community.

5. LEGO's MRI PR Campaign

LEGO has always been focused on childhood development and fun, so it’s no surprise their public relations strategy includes a little something for younger audiences. The company recently donated 600 LEGO magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner building kits to help children overcome fears of getting an MRI scan . Through play, role-playing, and interactive building, LEGO and hospitals can help children to build confidence while learning and having fun in an otherwise nerve-wracking environment.

6. Coinbase Super Bowl QR Code

It’s bold of a brand to promote themselves so subtly on such a huge national stage like the Super Bowl. But the stunt paid off in spades for crypto brand Coinbase. The company paid nearly $14 million to show a black screen with a colored floating QR code . Curiosity seekers that scanned the code were directed to a link to receive $15 worth of free Bitcoin.

The ad proved so popular that the resulting website traffic crashed the company’s app. It racked up more than 20 million hits shortly after airing.

7. ITV’s Second-Hand Wardrobe Campaign

While many TV stars enjoy top-rated wardrobes from designer brands, ITV decided to take a different approach with its newest season of Love Island. The channel recently teamed up with eBay to announce that the show’s contestants would be wearing second-hand items in an effort to promote sustainable fashion .

With the fashion industry often coming under fire for their wasteful practices, this PR campaign encourages the practice of buying used, even when you’re a celebrity.

8. Dove #TheSelfieTalk Campaign

PR and social media go hand-in-hand , especially when it comes to gaining a response from your audience. Getting your audience involved in a communication campaign leads to user-generated content that can naturally strengthen the impact of your campaign.

As a leader in body positivity for women, Dove stays true to its brand with its latest social PR movement, #TheSelfieTalk . Aimed at young girls and women, the campaign is a smaller piece of the larger #NoDigitalDistortion movement that is working to improve body image .

The brand features two digital download kits as part of its campaign: one for parents and one for teachers. Each kit includes ways to talk to kids and teens about selfies and how to embrace individuality and body positivity.

Are you interested in more Dove campaigns? Learn how Dove raises the bar with its #ArmsUp campaign .

9. Gymshark’s Mental Weight Campaign

A champion of physical and mental health, Gymshark brought awareness to the often-secretive nature of mental illness in a communication campaign. In a series of weightlifting photos the brand posted on social media, subtle statements on the sides of free weights remind us all that the loads we carry in our minds can often be as heavy as the weights we lift at the gym .

10. CPB London’s International Women’s Day Campaign

Combatting gender pay gaps and promoting inclusivity have been common trends among PR campaign examples. One creative agency sought to expose gender biases that many people have but don’t always recognize it with a recent poster campaign. The team researched common gender biases according to how children perceive men and women in the world. The company then turned those insights into colorful posters that were displayed throughout London. By helping to uncover unconscious biases, the company brought awareness to gender issues at a critical time – International Women’s Day.

Tip: Learn how to hire a PR agency and how to hire a marketing firm .

The best PR campaigns are those where creativity knows no bounds. Best of all, any brand can benefit from a little PR, whether you’re executing a local campaign or running a national promotion.

Let’s look at 10 brands that have nailed the art of PR in 2023.

1. Coca-Cola’s “Create Real Magic” 

When the clock struck 2023, AI seemingly landed on everyone’s minds. The likes of ChatGPT and AI art generator Dall-E shone a game-changing light on content creation, inspiring one of the most recognizable brands to leverage the publicity of these new tools.

The result was the “Create Real Magic” campaign, which encouraged customers to create their own AI artwork for the brand. Using popular tools like Dall-E, fans could add their own spin to how they envision the brand — regardless of design skills.

Not only did Coca-Cola find a fun way to engage and connect with fans, but it also amassed a large volume of user-generated content to share on social media and use throughout its marketing.

2. Oatly’s “FckOatley” Website

Many brands tend to shy away from potentially bad publicity. But Oatly decided that since bad publicity happened anyway, the brand should lean into it and take control of the narrative . 

In light of boycotts and online criticism, the brand created a website for people to air their grievances and learn more about the why behind the company’s decisions and the backlash (such as the Glebe Farm lawsuit ). 

This tongue-in-cheek approach allowed the brand to acknowledge the public outrage but also control it , to a degree. The brand used the website to share its side of the story and show it truly does listen to its customers. The website carries multiple domains, none of which were promoted by the brand but rather discovered organically by the customers.

3. French’s Mustard-Flavored Skittles

America’s favorite mustard brand isn’t quitting its day job any time soon, but the past few PR campaigns indicate they have a serious sweet tooth that mustard just can’t satisfy. 

Take the latest PR stunt, for example. Earlier this summer, you might have seen bright yellow Skittles appear along the famous red flag logo. It wasn’t a trick — the brand really did collaborate with Skittles to create a mustard-flavored treat. 

Comments rolled in, spouting everything from, “This wasn’t on my 2023 Bingo card” to “Is this April Fool’s Day?” And it’s not the first time the brand has successfully sweetened its PR. They’ve also collaborated on mustard doughnuts and mustard ice cream!

4. Tito’s in a Can

PR campaigns aren’t always what they appear to be — and that's part of what makes them so effective. That’s the story with Tito’s in a Can, which as it turns out, isn’t exactly Tito’s in a Can.

Rather, it’s Tito’s in a Can. See the difference?

The website gives customers a clear breakdown of how it is — and isn’t — what you think. Rather than bottling Tito’s famous vodka in cans, it created a can-like koozie to keep your Tito’s cold. It’s an empty can until you add your Tito’s, at which point it becomes Tito’s in a Can. 

Lots to unpack there, but that’s enough to get people talking and enjoying the brand in a whole new way .

5. Dove’s “Stand Up for #KidsOnlineSafety” Campaign

Dove is no stranger to social advocacy, body positivity, and helping people feel good about themselves. Their recent hashtag campaign is no different, this time focusing on kids and their growing use of online channels. 

Partnering with Common Sense Media and Parents Together Action, the campaign aims to draw attention to the Kids Online Safety Act, which is legislation to help protect kids from online content that may be detrimental to their mental health.

The campaign tracks with Dove’s previous commitments to caring for the whole person, not just how they look and smell. It also demonstrates that PR efforts can be powerfully effective with the right partnerships .

6. Casper’s “Get Paid to Sleep”

Studies show that more than half of Americans have napped on the job. Your current boss might not approve, but if sleeping sounds like a dream job (pun intended), mattress brand Casper has your back.

The company offered a cushy job to a lucky few people—sleep your normal sleep for $25 per hour. The sleep participants also earned free Casper products , plus they could wear their pajamas to work. Sounds like a win/win.

7. Who Gives a Crap’s “Flush Your Ex”

Throwing a flaming bag of dog poo on your ex’s front step is so old-school. Cheeky toilet paper brand Who Gives a Crap found a better idea, and it’s way less messy. 

As part of a Valentine’s Day PR campaign, the company offered to “turn your ex’s empty promises into something that’s actually useful.” Customers could mail their old love letters to the company and have them turned into 100% recycled toilet paper. 

8. VisitLEX’s “Horse Kicks”

New York City is known for the Statue of Liberty, Philadelphia for its cheesesteaks, and Boston for its beans. When people think of Lexington, there’s no mistaking it for anything other than the capital of horse racing. So when the city’s tourism department needed a campaign idea, it naturally involved the city’s iconic history of horses.

The resulting campaign was a fake line of designer horseshoes , called Horse Kicks. These specialty sneakers began as a stunt to promote the city, but growing interest from the public turned it into a real collection of shoes, a storefront, a website, and lots of eye candy.

The campaign racked up more than 3 billion earned media impressions , millions of new social media followers, celebrity shout-outs, and even brand collaborations and custom orders from NFL and NBA teams and others. 

9. Walker’s “Heart-Shaped Crisps” Campaign

If you’ve ever thought your potato chip looked like a heart, a dog, or the shape of Florida, you’re not alone. Most chips aren’t perfect circles, and Walkers decided to call out that little detail just in time for Valentine’s Day. 

The brand opted to give away £100K to anyone who found a heart-shaped crisp in their bag of Walkers. Customers were encouraged to send in a picture of their finds for a chance to win some cash. The PR stunt was a huge hit, but it got even better when one unlucky customer missed his chance at the cash since he ate his special chip before he could redeem it.

10. Vimto to Vimpto

English is hard, so it’s no surprise that there are several words that people commonly mispronounce: acai, GIF, and cache, to name a few. Bbrand names can be easily mispronounced too, but one company decided to roll with it for a PR campaign.

Vimto, a popular brand of drinks in the Persian Gulf states, heard one too many people pronouncing its name as “Vimpto,” which inspired a new campaign. The company added a “P” to its logo along with a new tagline: ‘Changing our name to Vimpto… seeing as you all pronounce it that way.’

It was relatable, honest, and humorous , making for a successful campaign — so much so that many Vimto drinkers thought the change was real! At least it got people talking, which is the point of every good PR stunt.

How will you create your next PR campaign? Meltwater can help you shine when you need it most. Our PR strategy tools and expertise help you create and manage your PR campaigns from end to end. Request a demo today by filling out the form below.

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Travel Industry Media & Digital PR Trends for 2023

Travel is back in full swing in 2023.

You’ve seen the celebrities and VCs back in Italy this summer, showing off their fancy Positano wedding photos.

Citizens of the world are continuing their 2022 revenge traveling and filling the flights, trains, and cruise ships around the world like never before throughout 2023 and into 2024. After a few long years, we can all breathe a collective breath and move on with a greater appreciation for the industry.

Our agency has experience in the travel tours and hotel booking areas within travel, and dearly love helping consumers get out and have real experiences.

To get a complete picture of the resurgence of the industry, we looked at the publications, headlines, and digital PR ideas that are trending currently and with future growth looking interesting. Let’s dive in.

Video: How to Find Travel Digital PR Ideas Now

How do we generate digital PR ideas in the travel industry? This video goes through our approach of using Google News in combination with search operators and common frameworks to see what’s working now.

• How Google News is the place to start
• What search terms to use to find campaign ideas
• Where recency search operator come into play
• How to spot the travel brand in the news coverage
• Why bigger publications are easier to land on than small ones
• Intro to some frameworks that are popular.

Start with the Top Travel Publications for Pitching Ideas

We recommend pitching top-tier travel publications instead of going after travel bloggers, when you want earned, not paid coverage.

Sponsored posts have their place, but true media coverage via PR pitching for travel publications is at once very hard and very valuable.

Thankfully there is a rich bounty of travel media that can be pitched, and they’re hungry for stories. Start with this list from Muck Rack :

Beware: there are some travel publications that are digital-only, fly-by-night “travel magazines” without a true audience. They will look decent for a half-second, but when you dig deeper you’ll see they are worthless content and PR mills. We recommend sticking with trusted travel magazine coverage, paired with some lateral industry publications, like food, business, and cities.

Standout Publication: AFAR – the fastest-growing travel magazine

According to Statista , AFAR was the fastest-growing magazine publication in the United States in 2020, with a 59% increase in their monthly audience. 

This is especially impressive considering that AFAR is a travel magazine and 2020 was the start of a global pandemic. Statista’s source attributes Afar’s growth to a spike in mobile web viewers, while runner-up, WIRED , earned a 51% increase in their monthly audience mostly from unique video views.

AFAR’s success seemed to be on track from the get-go. In 2019, the magazine celebrated its 10-year anniversary in which the founders Greg Sullivan and Joe Diaz reflected on their rapid growth in the past decade, attributing it to thie unique perspective they had on what a travel publication should look like.

​​ “We wanted to avoid the conspicuous consumption that travel magazines at the time were doing. I always say it’s the supermodel on the elephant on the deserted beach. That’s the fantasy of travel. We love elephants and pretty people and deserted beaches, but we don’t see that on our trips. We wanted to do something that spoke to seeing the world as it really was and celebrating that.” – Joe Diaz

Media is ever-changing and audience attention changes faster than you can spell “PR”. Kudos to the publications that successfully pivot their focus to meet the general public’s attention where it’s at in real-time. AFAR has proven successful in keeping up with current trends while sticking very strong to their core values and being genuine above all else.

Here’s a roundup of some of AFAR’s direct competitors and how their companies are currently growing according to LinkedIn data.

Top travel publications see 1-year headcount growth, but down vs 2020

How did AFAR fare vs other travel magazines?

AFAR leads the group in 1-year growth in employee headcount, yet like most of the group is down vs April 2020, right in the throes of pandemic chaos for the travel industry.

Most surprising is the success AFAR is seeing with a relatively small headcount compared to related publications. Digging further, when we look into organic SEO traffic we see numbers that further support AFAR’s growth:

Most surprising are the cuts across the board in page counts for these sites, which have mixed impacts on their resulting traffic numbers:

These publications must have fully bought into the idea of cutting their content cruft . The theory goes that by removing unnecessary pages on your site, the quality of the site improves overall. When that happens, pages being linked to and from are higher quality. This also preserves Googlebot crawl budget for very large sites. It’s not always perfect, however, as we see Lonely Planet had both the deepest page count cuts as well as the largest traffic loss. 

Overall, it’s fascinating to see parallels in general audience reports, employee headcount, and organic SEO metrics that are largely correlated.

Not shown here are social media, newsletter, and video growth numbers that can also have a massive impact on company performance.

Seasonal Story Trend to Watch: Insane Airline Travel Prices 2023-2024

This trend started in Summer 2022, but we have witnessed a fluctuation in airline flight prices this year, depending on the season and destination. Journalists, consumers, and the industry at large are fascinated by flight fluctuations.

If you’re looking to insert yourself into the story of the season and follow the news cycles, this is a good evergreen trend to watch. Evergreen because: flight prices will fluctuate for a very long time, including the future rocket trip to mars prices. However, there can be temporary fluctuations throughout the based on seasonality, but also micro-cycles and super-cycles based on macro trends.

There are also one-time trends like the pandemic. If you operate in travel and are impacted by flights, which is most travel companies, then this is one to watch out for.

There are a few ways in which we like to determine whether or not flight prices are trending in the news:

• Look at what major news publications are reporting on.
• Look for spikes in content keywords in the media using the SEO search tool, Ahrefs.
• Look for keyword search volume in Google Trends to validate that consumers are interested in the subject as much as the media is.
• Analyze past digital PR campaigns on the topic that have done well.

With these validation tools in mind, we may decide how to feature topics like flight prices if they might turn out to be a top hit this month. There’s always talk of big trips in any one season, and destination prices change depending on the season as well. Pay attention to keep tabs on when you have a story to touch on and pitch.

#1: What major news publications are reporting on

NPR – Airline ticket prices are expected to keep rising for several reasons

This aired on NPR’s Morning Edition  and is worth a listen if you have three minutes for a briefing on why you probably should just stay home this summer.

Thrillist – What is Revenge Travel & Why Is It Driving Up Flight Costs?

Yes, “revenge travel” is a real term floating around in the media right now and you may even be feeling it yourself. Coined for the pent-up need to travel now that we finally can, some people are willing to spend ridiculous amounts to get outta Dodge.

ABC News – The airline pilot shortage is real and will cost all of us

Pilots are humans too! And just like humans, they need a day off. The cost of fuel isn’t the only thing driving flight prices through the… sky?… as airlines are facing staffing issues and having to cancel more flights. Tread lightly when booking your next getaway.

#2 & 3: Spikes in keywords from both media and consumer search trends data

The SEO tool, Ahrefs Content Explorer ,  is a great tool to get a general idea of how newsworthy your topic is because it’ll give you a glance at the volume and headlines of recent articles online that mention your search keywords. Think of it as peer validation – other people like you thought this was a good topic to write about.

Google Trends shows that consumers are actively searching for this topic online, so there is a market for the content that you’re about to produce. Not only can you use this as idea validation, but you can also create an entire campaign around Google searches, as a lot of publications have successfully done before . 

Looking at our trending airline/travel topic, Ahrefs Content Explorer shows recent spikes across the media for terms like “travel costs” and “pilot shortages”. Furthermore, both the media and consumers are interested in “why are flights so expensive right now” according to Google Trend reports.

#4: Successful past digital PR campaigns on the same topic

The ideal digital PR campaign topic is as creative as it is evergreen. Finding successful campaigns in the same topic that have been done before can be one of the best ways to validate that an idea will perform well, even if the campaign was done years ago.

We found three similarly-framed campaigns from three different companies that were each as successful as the last:

• The World’s Best Airports for Business Travellers (Globe Hunters). 5 dofollow backlinks with a DR over 50, placement on PhilStar Global (DR 81) and Smarter Travel (DR 78).
• The World’s Most Relaxing Airports (My Voucher Codes). 1 dofollow backlink from Canadian publication, La Presse (DR 86).
• Revealed: The World’s Most Family-Friendly Airlines (Play Like Mum). 8 dofollow backlinks with DR over 50 including Zendesk (DR 92) and The Sun (DR 90).

Each of these is very simple in its presentation, showing that if your campaign is centered around a lot of different data factors, it’s sometimes best to keep the data the focus of the article. The World’s Best Airports for Business Travellers and The World’s Most Relaxing Airports articles both rely on only an interactive table to visualize their data, while The World’s Most Family-Friendly Airports includes a static table with a brief explanation of the overall campaign as the sole image.

Stepping a little further away from the airline talk and focusing more on the vacations themselves, here are two very successful digital PR campaigns worth shouting out, both having earned backlinks from CNBC and 70 other publications with domain ratings (DR) 50 and above:

The Fastest-Growing Vacation Hotspots (ParkSleepFly)

This campaign is a great example of how to use Google search trends to create an entire campaign. They looked at the most popular vacation spots on three different levels – by country, by city, and popular by US state, and formatted the highest-ranking hotspots as a listicle. ParkSleepFly earned dofollow backlinks from 12 publications with a DR above 50, including CNBC and MSN which are both DR 92.

The 50 Most Searched For Bucketlist Travel Experiences (Unforgettable Travel Company)

In another successful search trends article, Unforgettable Travel Company listed the top 50 most popular travel experience searches and categorized them by the country that the experience is in. CNBC also covered this campaign, as well as Apartment Therapy (DR 87) and 13 other publications with a DR above 50.

Another way to get involved with the conversation is honing in on one of the greater economic reasons why travel is costing more this summer and adapting that reason to your specific beat. Take this moveBuddha article for example, that adapted the bigger issue of rising gas prices to a campaign that made sense for their product: Rising Gas Prices will Blow up your Moving Costs this Summer – Here’s how to Fight it .

Unused Campaign Ideas

Because we’re generous and full of great ideas, we’ve even come up with a few potential digital PR campaigns waiting to be claimed.

Idea: The World’s Most Hated Airlines

Best for: Travel, transportation, or customer reviews companies (but could really be adapted to anyone).

Details: Inspired by the RAVE campaign, Most Hated Brands in Every Country . This campaign is straightforward and bound to give readers that “So relatable.” feeling. Take the most popular airline companies around the world and use tools like Google Trends and Twitter language analytics to tally occurrences of negative talk about each airline. There really should be no shortage of angry tweets to any of the airlines so data collection will be a breeze.

Idea: Is being a pilot worth it right now?/10 careers better than being a pilot right now.

Best for: Career/economy beats.

Details: With everything going on in the airline industry, being a pilot these days does not seem as glamorous as it once was. The idea here would be to look at elements from a handful of other careers and compare them to everything that comes with being a pilot to determine whether or not it’s really worth the trouble right now. Career factors to consider could include: salary, years of education required (plus potential cost of that education), typical time off, whether or not you have to work weekends, the average age of retirement, etc.

Here is an example for formatting inspiration of what the infographic comparing different jobs could look like:

Idea: The cost of a 100, 1,000, and 10,000-mile vacation

Best for: Family, travel, personal finance.

Details: Choose a starting point (like LA or NYC) and calculate the basic cost of a week-long vacation to each of those places. The idea here is that the airline fares will far outweigh the closer destinations and prove that road trips may be the way to go this summer.

The image below from Orbitz is a great example of a vacation budget breakdown infographic. It would be smart to also include a bar graph comparing the cost of each vacation distance for this variation of the campaign.

Do any of these ideas speak to you? Let us know what you’re feeling!

Dive more into how we think about the travel industry and marketing and SEO strategies here .

About this series:

We wanted to give back to the world we love – the world of ideas, stories, and commerce – with our take on the trends and publications we’re seeing growth in recently.

This will be a regular series where we focus on one publication that’s making waves – whether it’s a startup news publication, industry magazine, or breakout blog.

We’ll also drop in a few trends we’re observing.

We hope to inspire journalists, digital PR practitioners, and brands alike to help produce interesting work.

Editor’s note: reviewed and updated by Joe Robison for fall and winter 2023 travels. Updated some 2022 sections for 2023 to 2024 predictions, as well as more link resources. Thank you to Mercedes Martinez for the original draft and research.

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A Guide to Digital PR for the Travel Industry

The global travel market is massive, and in today’s world (especially as we navigate into a post-Covid one) digital marketing and PR for tourism are constantly changing. With its spiralling audience growth, the travel sector is becoming much more competitive, which means brands will need to be constantly coming up with fresh and innovative campaign strategies to stay ahead of the game. 

This is why we’ve created a big old guide to give you some inspo and help you stand out. From in-depth outreach tips to taking complete advantage of social media, let’s take on the exciting world of digital marketing for the travel industry.

Make sure your target audience is clear

It’s actually surprising how many campaigns lose sight of who their target audience is and who it’s designed for. So, we’ve written out a quick crash course on how to avoid this:

Identify your target customer

Go back to the drawing board and think about the travel products or services you or your client offer. Are they strictly aimed at solo travellers, young couples, families, etc. or can they be appealing to a mixture of these demographics? Once you’ve identified this, you can start drawing characteristics from your target audience to create the persona of your customer.

Be specific

So let’s say your established audience is young couples. This could include people under the age of 35, childless, or those who have recently got married or engaged. In the case of the latter, the honeymoon market is ideal, so it would make sense to focus some of your campaign strategy on this niche. 

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes

Being empathetic can be really helpful when trying to stay focused on your target audience. For example, if your customers are families, think about the best destinations that are child/family-friendly. Are they good value, is there around-the-clock entertainment, is there a good mix of activities? 

If so, you can then start thinking about where this target audience would look for this information, i.e. where would they find out about your/your client’s service or products? So, on top of the obvious Google search, we’re talking Facebook groups, reviews, and even online forums. 

Having your target customer firmly identified is crucial before you start any other part of the marketing process. 

Use Every Part of Social Media

It’s no secret how important social media is and the impact it has on digital marketing. When it comes to the travel industry especially, platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest are literally there to provide inspiration for holiday destinations, attractions, activities, hotels, etc.  And because prospective buyers are already on these platforms, it’s vital you’re there, too. 

This means you can’t simply just create an IG account and repost content from other travel pages. Your content needs to be unique to your brand/client’s brand and you need to be prepared to engage with your potential customers by replying to comments, starting discussions, answering questions and providing quality customer service. 

Leveraging visual media is also crucial because social media has become more competitive than ever. But, there are creative ways you can stand out, including using dedicated hashtags and posting images or videos that encapsulate the types of atmosphere and experiences your audience is guaranteed to encounter. 

Is your outreach top-notch?

In any digital marketing strategy, outreach is important. This is why we’ve put together five top (and non-negotiable) tips that will help you increase your chances of success:

Read the news. As obvious as it sounds the best way to find out who will cover your story, is to read the stories they write. Set aside a few minutes each morning to research travel stories, paying close attention to who’s writing what. 

Filter your database. Whether you’re a PRowly, Gorkana or Roxhill team, make sure you’re selecting travel on the filter options to find relevant journalists. Remember to do your due diligence checking their most recent articles or Twitter pages to ensure they’re still appropriate and active. 

Check backlinks. Search the news for campaigns similar to yours, find the original link and input it into Ahrefs. Click onto existing backlinks and sieve through the articles to find relevant contacts to add to your media list. 

Pay attention to time zones. A recent campaign by Minty listed the top 40 happiest destinations in the world. So, we reached out to news titles across the globe. We scheduled our emails to ensure they reached international journalists at the optimum time.

Translate, translate, translate. Whether you have a bilingual person in your team or not, a good way to extend the reach of your campaign is to send it to international-speaking news titles with high DR’s. UpWork is a great site to find people to translate your content. 

We actually launched a campaign recently with iVisa , a company that ‘provides the simplest solution to process your travel visa’. One of our goals was to secure coverage in a range of different, high-quality, international titles, and part of the process of achieving this was translating all of the content so that it would be relevant to both English and Spanish-speaking media outlets. Some of the international results we ended up obtaining included 51 pieces of coverage, and 747K estimated views. You can read our campaign case study here to learn more about it and see the rest of our achievements.

Get to know travel review sites

TripAdvisor is one of the biggest influential travel review sites. Along with other important websites, get to know them so you can feed them into your digital marketing strategy. 

You should even consider a free listing, as it can really help with the promotion and visibility of your/your client’s business – especially if what you offer comes under categories such as “things to do”, “hotels” or “restaurants.” 

Don’t be afraid to email past customers or guests and ask them if they wouldn’t mind leaving a review, too. Or, see if they’ll use free automated tools like Review Express – these will manage the review process and send out reminders.

Stay on top of existing customers

It’s important to not neglect your existing customers when you’re trying to attract new ones. This is because it’s way easier to earn another booking or sell another product to an existing buyer than it is to a new one. So, make sure you have email campaigns running to keep in regular contact with them, offering discounts for things like repeat bookings. Basically, jump back into your empathy bubble and ask yourself if you would come back for the service or product you provide. 

You’ll also need to decide on the strategy for your email campaigns. For example, will you send newsletters weekly or monthly? You want to still be on your customer’s radar but you don’t want to bombard them with too much info that it becomes spam territory. Also, make sure your strategy is used as a tool to promote seasonal offerings – seasonal PR is imperative in the travel industry. So, what new deals, travel news, or destinations do you have to share, or do you have any helpful tips or hints that solidify you as an expert in your field?

Monitor and measure your efforts

And last but not least, monitoring and measuring the success of your travel PR campaign is just as important as the prep, launch and process. You can track the effectiveness of your efforts in a variety of ways – from engagement, clicks, media coverage, website traffic, views, downloads, and sales results.

You can use certain tools to find out what’s worked and what’s not, which can help you to make improvements. For example, Google Analytics allows you to see the most common ways people are finding your website. It could be via a social media link or via related terms on Google. When you look into these aspects, you’ll also be able to see how long people spend on your page, or what pages they typically move between. This then lets you create an image of your customer behaviour.

And even if your results sometimes show something hasn’t been successful, use this to your advantage and try a different approach. 

Up your digital marketing game

As we said, the travel industry is ever-changing when it comes to digital PR and marketing, which is why you need to be constantly on the ball. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or you’re new to the game, taking note of these tips and tricks will help you to make a success of future campaigns!

Content Executive

Digital PR / Campaign inspiration

Creative travel campaigns that made quite a splash, travel seo, content marketing and digital pr strategies.

Here we’ve rounded up some of our favourite creative campaigns for brands who make us want to travel the world.

Like a 5-star resort in the Bahamas, the best marketing campaigns welcome you with cocktail-filled coconuts and promises of an experience like no other – or something like that. The travel industry aims to make you step outside your door, your phone and your comfort zone by playing on our desire to be excited and entertained. And you can’t do that without creativity. 

Join us and escape your workday for a moment as we introduce you to the travel and tourism marketing campaigns that inspire us, filling us with a sense of wonder and adventure without fearing for our marketing budgets. 

What they did

Airbnb is always finding new and creative ways to not just get homeowners and holidayers to click, but to become a truly beloved brand. One way has been by showcasing its most unique and iconic pop-culture related places to get fans in the door. This has involved Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse , Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania and even the last existing Blockbuster for 90s nostalgia. It’s easy to see why people would share and write about these campaigns, but the stories are relevant to what Airbnb does.

The Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse was a one-time reservation for just $60 per night so it was hardly meant to be a money-maker. The campaign itself, however, got AirBnB, Mattel and Barbie in the news and links from publications like Fox News, New York Times, Ad Age, CBS, AOL, and many more.

Why it’s achievable

• At its core, all that was needed for this was to source a property (their product) to temporarily rent, good photography, a video tour, and a vibrant themed idea to tie it all together. Yes, they teamed up with Mattel, but this isn’t what made it a success, it was the idea. 
• It helped that Airbnb took an upcoming pop culture event that was sure to trend on social media: Barbie’s 60th anniversary and piggybacked off of that. 

What you can do

Tap into the power of nostalgia. Admittedly, Airbnb has a lot to offer strategic partners and hit a marketing goldmine with countless content possibilities to play with, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do something similar. Apartment Hotel MIMARU launched a series of Pokemon-themed rooms with themed decor and a vision. 

Art Series Hotels

For one time only, Art Series Hotels invited its guests to stay the night and take place in a high stakes heist. The grand and only prize? A signed and authenticated Banksy masterpiece, No Ball Games, worth $15,000. You simply had to leave with the art without being caught. The only thing that would have made this better is if Banksy themself had stolen it back.  

The heist was so successful that another Banksy was brought in for part two. Thanks to this, 1500 rooms were booked in 4 weeks, 50% over targets and this resulted in a 300% return on investment. 

• Treasure hunts or heists like these can be possible for any budget, although the higher value the prize is, the more participation you can expect. 

Experiences, in general, are a great way to bring your brand to life, engage with potential customers, get talked about on social media, and earn coverage (and links) from newspapers, magazines and popular websites. Treasure hunts, in particular, have been used time and time again from planting relevant sculptures around cities (e.g. Wallace and Gromit in Bristol and BFG dreams around London) or when Mini once gave away a car to those that could find the Mini and keep hold of it for long enough. This is all about using what’s already there, providing guides and maps of local attractions, like finding the filming locations or where something happened.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Not everyone can be home with their friends and family for Christmas dinner, especially if you do a lot of travelling. That’s why KLM welcomed lonely travellers at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to their Bonding Buffet. There were twenty chairs around a table, with the buffet lowering every time someone took a seat meaning no one could eat until twenty complete strangers came together to enjoy a meal. 

As a social experiment, it was a resounding success and took no time at all to fill the seats. The video has been seen by more than 1.75 million people, plus it surely created incredible brand loyalty for those involved. 

• KLM used the holiday season to be topical. There are tons of holidays and themed days throughout the year for you to use.
• Stunts like this get noticed, particularly where there is a high volume of footfall, like an airport or shopping centre. Often, people walking by start a buzz.
• KLM smartly focused on being alone during the holidays, which is something that everybody can easily relate to.
• When you break the stunt down itself, technically it wouldn’t be complicated to replicate.

Tell a compelling story at the right time. The success of this stunt is down to the idea and good editing. It’s a bit like watching a task on the 90s game show The Crystal Maze – you’ve got to watch until the end. The video is relatable, has enough mystery to hold the viewers’ attention and due to the theme fits into the news cycle that time of the year.

Oyster made it its mission to expose “perfect” hotel marketing photos in its Photo Fakeout campaign. Everyone has experienced the expectation vs reality pitfall of booking a holiday, so Oyster visited hotels in their destinations to take real, unfiltered, unstaged photos without the flattering angles marketing photography uses to make it look amazing. They posted these images alongside each other on their website as a cautionary tale. 

Our #photofakeouts are legendary! Check out the latest from our hotel investigators: http://t.co/QR7BKVo1 pic.twitter.com/8MED78F4 — Oyster (@OysterHotels) December 13, 2012

This campaign was a hit among travellers looking for honest reviews and, from a PR perspective, the story was picked up by the likes of HuffPost, Insider, CNN and the NY Times.

• Essentially, all this needed was a local photographer and to pay for an overnight stay. 

Be honest and be bold. Oyster leaned into its own industry’s bad stigma and made it their strength. It’s a risky move, as it could be considered defamation to expose other brands in this way, but when done right ie: not doing anything illegal, this shows how this can really pay off. Controversy grabs attention when done in the right doses.

Helsinki Airport

In 2017, Chinese influencer Ryan Zhu was challenged to spend 30 days in Helsinki Airport in a wood cabin after it was named the best airport in the world. The campaign named #LIFEINHEL was part reality show, part game show and part social experiment all broadcast online each day as Zhu competed in daily challenges for rewards, all while learning about Finnish culture and showing off the airport. With an open return ticket, he could return home at any time or stay and endure the 30 days to win a trip to Lapland.

#LIFEINHEL won several awards for being globally unique and innovative as a campaign. Plus, a byproduct was that any feedback from Zhu’s experience was useful in making their comfort and services as an airport even better. 

• YouTubers make challenge-based content like this all the time and it’s a tried-and-true form of entertainment. Anyone can create it on any budget.
• Realistically, all it needs is streaming equipment: a camera, microphone, a streaming platform and the right software.

Showcase the experience you offer. Customers want to know what they’re getting. Carefully angled images (as Oyster demonstrated) are not enough anymore, so get creative and use different mediums like live streams – which is a format that will likely only increase in popularity. Alternatively, find a relevant influencer. YouTubers for example are always looking for interesting content ideas.

Ottawa Tourism

In 2018, to prove Ottawa is anything but vanilla (or bland), Ottawa Tourism worked with Rethink Canada to open its free Not Vanilla ice-cream pop-up in popular Toronto. The ice cream had a simple 360 box exterior, but with a vibrant interior, logo and shop design. Inside were a choice of five tasty flavours including ByWard ByNight, a smoked caramel and bitters flavour inspired by ByWard Market. The idea was to give people a taste of the capital’s exciting experiences.

A new Ottawa ice cream brand is launching and it’s flavours are all based on the city. Find out more via @NarcityCanada https://t.co/mZGMiSDw5x #MyOttawa pic.twitter.com/J3Se95OT7w — Ottawa Tourism (@Ottawa_Tourism) June 29, 2018

The pop-up was popular with passersby and foodies alike, getting Ottawa the right kind of attention. 

• Everyone loves free food, especially foodies, and thankfully it’s a highly accessible marketing tactic. Whatever your budget, anyone can cook or bake something delicious to market your brand, even if it’s a simple bake sale.
• If a tourism department can use free food as a marketing tactic, anyone can, whatever the industry, it simply depends on how you put your own creative spin on it. 

Think about what you can offer the public to improve brand awareness. Food is a universally loved option and even more popular if it’s sweet and colourful. Consider what your budget allows for and start from there. Tate & Lyle also understood the power of sweet treats when they transformed a SoHo space into an edible, sweet-covered high-end hotel .

Graubünden Tourism

In the heart of Zurich Station, a mountaineer from Graubünden spoke directly to passersby through a live billboard and invited them to come and join him in the mountains with a free train ticket. He offered to speak to bosses and teachers, arrange daycare and more for those who wanted to take him up on his offer. The campaign was designed to tackle the stress levels of city-dwellers as research suggested a day trip to the countryside could have a positive impact on that stress. 

30 people were encouraged to make the trip to Graubünden, while at least 20,000 people in Zurich Station saw the campaign live, not to mention it received plenty of media coverage. 

• The effectiveness of this campaign comes from it being heartwarming and personalised to each individual. Being friendly is something absolutely anyone can do.
• There are now plenty of ways to talk to your customers virtually, face-to-face – you don’t have to be able to afford a live billboard. A well-placed tablet could do the same.

Get personal with your customers. Interactivity is great, but it’s made even better with real human interaction (virtual or not). A friendly face goes a long way, especially if you’re trying to get someone to leave their comfort zone and experience what you offer. SNCF captured this too with its amazing Europe. It’s Just Next Door campaign connecting cities across Europe.

Virgin Holidays

Virgin Holidays teamed up with celebrity hypnotist, Paul McKenna, to offer hypnosis sessions in Bluewater Shopping Centre, Kent to help people with their January blues as part of their #FlauntIt campaign. Those interested in the uplifting experience were hypnotised for 20 minutes in purpose-built hypno-pods. Once awake, they had the unbeatable feeling of having been on a relaxing two-week holiday – without the holiday blues.

Virgin received plenty of coverage in both mainstream and trade press, reaching lots of holiday-starved readers (and writers). 

• It’s a very simple idea that really only needed a hypnotist. Sure, Virgin could afford a celebrity hypnotist, but if you have a creative idea, you’ll always be able to find professionals to help you. 
• Setting up a stand or booth in a shopping centre is a great way to reach a large audience. Large brands like Sky do it all the time, so why shouldn’t you?

Time your campaigns perfectly with your business’s cycle. Virgin’s success came from its timing: targeting holiday blues in January, which is prime booking time for holidays. For the travel industry, January will always be a good option, but take a look at your own data and insights to see when your sales are at their highest and create campaigns around that.

Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau

Working with Edelman, Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau created six bespoke residences across Hawaii’s six islands specifically designed for workers from New York’s top six professional industries to relocate to. The idea was to encourage city workers to take a break and try remote working somewhere incredible. The successful applicants were followed to Hawaii where their experiences were captured for inspiring ads.

Six New Yorkers will get to live the dream with these ‘Work From Hawaii’ residencies: https://t.co/zNNeXPV3Kp pic.twitter.com/omPBrfjBIl — AdFreak (@AdFreak) April 30, 2018

There were thousands of applications to work from Hawaii and the campaign encouraged over 61,000 first-time visitors to make the trip. From a coverage perspective, they earned more than 50 million media impressions across 300 media organisations. 

• The campaign is essentially a competition where the prize is a more pleasant work day experience. This is completely scalable, even without having villas available. You just have to work out what this means for you. 
• With competitions, you only have to offer a small amount of people a prize. Ideal for those on smaller budgets. 

Understand exactly who you’re targeting. To get applicants, Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau targeted advertising across LinkedIn, WeTransfer, WeWork spaces and popular commuter locations as they knew exactly who and where their audience was. They knew that workaholics wouldn’t necessarily want to take time off, but could be persuaded to work from Hawaii. Hilton’s Vacationitis campaign had a similar theme and target audience.

Air Canada hosted its own poutine pop-up restaurant in London’s Spitalfields Market to celebrate Canada’s national dish. Londoners could enjoy gourmet poutine (chips, gravy and melted cheese curd), with each dish inspired by the airline’s destinations. People could also experience being on board an Air Canada flight through virtual reality (VR) and win flights to over 200 destinations.

Our pop-up poutinerie landed in Washington today to celebrate the more than 200 destinations we fly to from DCA, IAD and BWI! We gave Canada’s classic dish a global twist, with poutines inspired by Dubai, Paris, Shanghai, London, and more 🥔😋 #AirCanadaFliesThere #FlyTheFlag pic.twitter.com/6fgGvIa4Rc — Air Canada (@AirCanada) November 9, 2018

In the first year, the pop-up sold 2,133 meals and reached 47 million people. The proceeds also raised money for Great Ormond Street Children’s Charity. It was so successful that they did it the next year in London and again in Boston, Washington and Tokyo.

• As we said before, food sells. The younger generations are full of foodies looking to experience flavours across the world – perfect for travel brands to take advantage of.
• Having a good central location and strong social media presence is also something that anyone can do, but really contributes to the success of these campaigns.

Celebrate the culture or cultures you represent. If you’re a travel brand, this is your bread and butter. Air Canada is proud of its national dish and wanted to share it with the world, giving a taste of culture to those who are looking for it. And, as a bonus, if you can donate to a local charity, you’ll be sharing goodwill around the world. 

DoubleTree by Hilton

As part of their Little Things Project, DoubleTree by Hilton took to social media to ask nearly 5,000 travellers what little things would make a difference to their stay. They received requests like free WiFi, exclusive deals, charging points and, of course, free chocolate chip cookies. From here, DoubleTree created Swarm Cars to deliver real-time “little things” requests that were requested on Twitter. 

Our Swarm Car delivering @emhuo #LittleThings request for cookies today to surprise her office! pic.twitter.com/HvFb3iWv — DoubleTree by Hilton (@DoubleTree) July 25, 2012

The Little Things campaign encouraged almost 9,000 new Hilton Honors memberships, 7,000 more Twitter followers, 24,500 more fans on Facebook and more than 650,000 entries into their sweepstake.

• This is a very simple campaign concept. It uses social media which is free and accessible to everyone and then had deliveries of chocolate chip cookies made to its hotels to giveaway.

Ask your customers what they want. If you can action just a few of them it can make a difference with the right publicity and media presence behind you. Of course, there will be outlandish requests (which make for fun stories/content), but at least you show that as a brand, you actually listen. 

Tourism Queensland

Tourism Queensland opened applications for ‘The Best Job in the World’ as caretaker of Hamilton Island in Queensland, home of the Great Barrier Reef. The job application was advertised in newspapers around the world. To apply, applicants had to submit a one-minute video and then 16 finalists were flown to the Great Barrier Reef for an interview before Ben Southall, a charity worker from Northampton was chosen and rewarded with £73,000. 

The job posting received 34,000 applicants across 200 countries. At the time, back in 2009, the campaign generated 46,000 mainstream media stories, 230,000 mentions in blogs and vlogs, and a BBC documentary.

• While not everyone has the Great Barrier Reef as an incentive, this is still a relatively simple campaign – an enticing job application and a reward larger than the average annual salary. 
• This was done over a decade ago and is still one of the greatest link building campaigns, but technology and PR have come a long way since then, making campaigns like this easier than ever.

Give your customers something more than just a holiday. Like Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau’s Work From Hawaii campaign, people are looking for life-changing experiences, not just a quick holiday. What else can you offer people? Even if it’s just a single person, thrill-seekers, adventurers and travellers alike are typically very vocal online and can generate a lot of buzz.

HotelTonight

HotelTonight ditched the traditional family togetherness theme typically associated with Christmas ads and added relatable humour in its Visit, Don’t Stay campaign. It plays on the irritating aspects of staying with your family that you probably want to avoid – something every family has. The ads and social media posts were lighthearted and funny, rather than being too anti-family, but promising a room if you need it anyway.

Ready for the holidays? Grandma’s inflating your air mattress & checking it twice. Maybe this year you should visit, not stay. #HotelTonight pic.twitter.com/gWZUU8T8qg — HotelTonight (@HotelTonight) November 22, 2016

HotelTonight saw a 30% increase in mobile room bookings over the holiday season as well as receiving plenty of media coverage.

• This is an example of how a super creative, engaging idea is all that’s really necessary for a campaign. Anyone can come up with relatable experiences to joke about – that’s why they’re relatable. 

Create and solve a problem all at once. The relatable humour of this campaign is simply a lighthearted way to remind you of an all-too-real problem you’ll soon be facing: family time. But, in an instant, HotelTonight provides a quick and simple solution to book with them. Satisfy your customers by making them feel like they’ve just solved a problem – everyone loves to be productive.

Now-closed student travel agency, STA Travel created a three-part cinematic video campaign for TV and online that became a viral sensation. The three short firms, Move , Eat and Learn follow a man’s journey through 11 countries, collecting over a terabyte of incredible footage of what you could experience including an exploding volcano. The ‘Move’ video is the most successful and compelling, switching between destinations in the blink of an eye.

‘Move’ has just under 3 million views on YouTube and was shared across tons of publications around the world. It was even the number 1 trending topic on Reddit briefly.

• It follows the classic travel model of inspiring plus educational but adds its own stylistic choices. With the right concept, creativity and videography skills, this is more than doable for many (minus the travel costs). 

Give a unique insight into your destination(s). Anyone can make a travel vlog or capture beautiful panoramic views, but it’s all about going a little further than that. Have a think about what concepts haven’t been done before. Another great example of this concept done well is VisitNorway ’s #SheepWithAView campaign, and so is Tourism Australia ’s movie-like Dundee Superbowl Ad from 2018 starring Chris Hemsworth.

Inspired yet? It’s time to let your marketing teams spread their wings and travel the world (wide web) in search of coverage, links, shares, subscribers and customers.

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Top Tourism Campaigns of 2021

Happy 2022! At BTI, we typically end our year with a round-up of the top tourism campaigns of the year. Reviewing those destinations and hospitality businesses going above and beyond to share their creative approaches to visitor attraction. This year, we flipped that on its head and decided to kick off the new year with our annual round-up blog of the top tourism campaigns of 2021 instead. New year, new ideas.

Here are our five favorites, standing out over the last 12 months in another challenging year:

#1 Visit Iceland: Icelandverse

There shouldn’t be any surprise about our first “Top Tourism Campaign” of the year. Mark Zuckerberg made national news with Facebook’s name change to Meta in 2021 and the unveiling of his virtual Metaverse . Riding quickly on the coattails of the announcement, Visit Iceland news-jacked the story with their own version – the “Icelandverse.”

Featuring a Zuckerberg lookalike as the host, the “Icelandverse” shares “how to connect our world without being super weird,” which pretty much sums up public reaction to the Metaverse and accompanying video. It talks about the lights you can see, waterfalls you can visit (for real) and horses you can ride … with real hair you can touch. While striking a sarcastic tone and poking fun at the virtual world – it also does a nice job reminding us that nothing can truly replace reality. Travel offers the chance to have real, meaningful and memorable experiences.

#2 Visit Scotland: Yours to Enjoy – Responsibly

We’ve seen a shift in tourism marketing over the last several years from some of the most popular travel destinations. Even as visitation has slowed due to COVID, many are still struggling with the effects of overtourism on their wildlife, natural resources and within their communities.

In inviting travelers back, Visit Scotland’s 2021 campaign strikes a delicate balance – a welcome and a request to travel responsibly. Stunning drone and nature footage are set against messages of conservation and sustainable tourism with peaceful background music. The video does a nice job of demonstrating what responsible travel looks like (e.g. “take only pictures and leave only footprints”) and the impact it can have, while still making visitors feel like this is the Scotland of their dreams.

#3 Visit Israel: Welcome Back to Israel!

The pandemic remains a huge topic of conversation in the global travel sphere – and destinations would be remiss if they didn’t address health and safety in their tourism campaigns in 2021. Visit Israel’s newest campaign “Welcome Back to Israel!” brings the topic to the forefront of their message to travelers – while still making the destination sound open, active, and full of fun.

The video calls attention to Israel’s “new landmark” as one of the most vaccinated countries on the planet. It highlights masks, green (vaccinated) passports and sanitization methods, while also showing off the local beaches, historical landmarks, cuisine and shopping. By employing upbeat music and a charismatic host, the campaign plays like a special on the travel channel. It’s easy to forget you are watching a piece of brilliant marketing, while imagining yourself lounging with a drink in hand.

#4 Airbnb: Made Possible by Hosts

Pet travel is poised to be one of the major travel trends of 2022. Airbnb saw the signs and hopped on the bandwagon early. Unveiling a series of commercials set to familiar songs (like Dolly Parton’s rendition of “I Will Always Love You” or “Wild Thing” by The Troggs) and featuring real trips, the brand showcased some of its gracious hosts and unique properties – and the two- and four-legged guests who came to enjoy them.

The videos are masterfully done in the sense that they aren’t overly produced – in fact, they feel more like going through vacation photos with a good friend. The slow pace reminds travelers that pets are travel partners as well as at-home companions and that Airbnb hosts are more than willing to accommodate. The cute kitty in one video and adorable golden retriever featured in another doesn’t hurt the brand’s cause either.

See the full “Made Possible by Hosts” series in this playlist:

#5 Visit Sweden: Discover the Originals

It seems that Sweden has a bit of a branding problem when it comes to the names of its towns, lakes, mountains and communities. The problem being that Ikea has commandeered them and assigned these names to some less desirable products – everything from a gaming chair to a toilet brush. In the digital age, this causes a true SEO nightmare – and quite the conundrum for a destination trying to stand out among the conveniently priced furniture.

In Visit Sweden’s 2021 campaign, they encourage travelers to “Discover the Originals” and go beyond the Ikea names to learn more about the country that they came from. While the video is masterfully done, the destination goes beyond a one-minute spot with a companion website and map that breaks down the name (“Stubbarp – more than IKEA cabinet legs”) and then shares the special meaning behind each place in a tongue-in-cheek way (“If you’re happy to use your own legs to explore…”). Not only does it bring attention to the destination in a hilarious way, but it also truly makes you want to explore each and every stop on the map firsthand.

See Sweden’s “Discover the Originals” website and start shopping for a Sweden getaway .

These are the top tourism campaigns of 2021, now go back in time for more inspiration! Check out our Top Tourism Campaign round ups from 2018-2020 and our blog where we break down the elements of a Top Campaign:

Top Travel Campaigns of 2020: Tourism Marketers Get Creative in the Face of Adversity

The 5 Top Tourism Campaigns of 2019

2018’s Best Tourism Campaigns: Our Five Favorites

Elements of Top Tourism Campaigns

Sarah martin.

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Collaboration Toolkit

Our first research study confirmed that collaboration is a constant in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. It is not a matter of if, but when and how, organizations will collaborate together. Our latest study reveals how organizations are putting collaboration into operation and how they are setting up systems and processes so that collaboration becomes a strategic part of the organization.

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19 Successful PR Campaigns from Innovative Companies

• December 28, 2023

Successful PR campaigns come in as many different forms as there are brands. What could be innovative and on-point for one company may be totally off-key for another.

Despite that, looking at other companies’ PR successes can still be helpful when developing a comprehensive PR campaign for your brand . So let’s look at 19 major PR successes over the years from companies across various industries and key takeaways to strengthen the impact of your next PR campaign.

1. The “Summer of Barbie” Campaign

The “Summer of Barbie” campaign, associated with the 2023 Barbie movie, created a global buzz. This vibrant campaign included painting mansions pink and setting up life-sized Barbie boxes for photo ops, leading to a surprising pink paint shortage. The campaign’s success was monumental, contributing to the movie’s staggering $2.9 billion global gross.

The Barbie campaign tapped into the nostalgia of a beloved brand while aligning it with contemporary trends. Brands can learn to blend nostalgia with modern elements to appeal to both long-time followers and new audiences.

By weaving a compelling narrative around Barbie and integrating it with real-world experiences, the campaign created a story that people wanted to be a part of. Brands should focus on crafting stories that are not only engaging but also offer opportunities for the audience to participate and contribute, creating a shared and more impactful brand journey.

2. Reinventing Financial PR with Dwolla

Dwolla, an established player in the modern payments platform sector, sought to rejuvenate its image and boost brand awareness in 2022. Zen Media’s approach was a dynamic 90-day PR blitz, focusing on forward-thinking announcements and unveiling new partnerships. This comprehensive strategy also highlighted unique case studies and proactive podcast pitches, cementing Dwolla’s position as a fintech thought leader. The outcome was impressive: over 170 media pieces and 250+ social media engagements, significantly raising Dwolla’s profile and exceeding their expectations in brand visibility.

Dwolla’s campaign also underscores the importance of innovation within industry norms. In the financial sector, where trust and reliability are paramount, Dwolla managed to inject freshness and dynamism into its brand image without losing sight of these core values. Brands in other sectors can take note of this balance between innovation and adherence to industry standards.

3. Lego Rebuild the World 

Their first global PR campaign in decades, Lego’s Rebuild the World was focused on inspiring creative thinking in kids—but also adults. As part of the public relations campaign, Lego asked customers to submit pictures of their creations, aggregated onto a 3D globe on the brand’s website. Users can move and spin the globe to see what people worldwide have created. 

The best part is that Rebuild the World struck the perfect balance between inspirational and playful—an exact fit for Lego’s overall brand personality.

4. Kamua’s Product Launch campaign

Our client Kamua, an AI-powered video editing platform, wanted to establish itself as an authoritative voice in the video editing industry and rapidly expand its base of dedicated users. 

We worked with them to create a comprehensive, strategic public relations strategy that included bylined articles by Kamua founder and CEO Paul Robert Cary; multiple monthly mentions including in tier-one publications; and, most importantly, a Product Hunt launch campaign that would get Kamua’s name and product in front of thousands of tech-savvy users and influencers. 

Kamua became one of the top three most-hunted products on Product Hunt, was featured in Product Hunt’s email newsletter , and was named Best Product of the Week by Product Hunt the week of its campaign. Just one outcome of this PR campaign? The platform gained 400 new users literally overnight.

Related read: Product Launch Marketing: Strategy, Plan, and Execute

5. Dove’s #TheSelfieTalk Campaign

A decade after the women’s skincare brand launched its Real Beauty campaign, it’s still going strong. 

Why? Because they’ve involved real women (and girls) every step of the way. Their latest campaign is a commentary on how social media affects girls’ self-esteem. Their #TheSelfieTalkCampaign shows a young girl editing a photo of herself to post online. To make their point, Dove shows this process in reverse. The advertisement ends by showing the girl’s natural face without makeup or filters. 

From honest conversations on beauty standards to what it means to “throw like a girl,” Dove’s public relations campaigns have evolved and adapted to the times by staying sincerely in touch with what its customers are experiencing in their daily lives.

6. BBC’s Peaky Blinders fan art campaign

Fan art is a world unto itself—but surprisingly few brands embrace this “unofficial” view, even though it’s probably the best possible source of user-generated content a brand could ever ask for. 

An exception to this was the show Peaky Blinders , which issued a call to fans to create art for their new season’s imagery in 2019. Not only did this generate interest among casual viewers and those who were not yet fans, but it also strengthened the relationship between the show’s creators and the viewers who love it—a win-win. 

Related read: How to Take Your User-Generated Content from Good to Great

7. Caldwell’s newsjacking campaign

Caldwell, a law firm specializing in high-growth startups and early-stage tech and life sciences, aimed to extend its brand beyond its founder’s reputation. The firm worked with Zen Media, and our innovative strategy involved a newsjacking campaign, seizing real-time opportunities for Caldwell’s attorneys to comment on global cases. This proactive approach led to numerous features in trade magazines covering tech and biotech cases, enhancing Caldwell’s visibility and establishing its lawyers as industry thought leaders.

Caldwell’s approach illustrates the effectiveness of creating a multi-dimensional brand identity . By showcasing their expertise on various platforms and media, they not only enhanced their brand visibility but also added depth to their brand’s persona. Brands should strive to create a diverse yet cohesive image that reflects their multiple strengths and areas of expertise.

8. The Eras Tour — More than just a concert

Can we call a concert tour a campaign? Why not! Taylor Swift took over the world in 2023 with her Eras Tour. She not only blasted through global attendance and revenue records for a tour and had a direct impact on local economies where she performed (and released multiple albums and a film), but she also created a widespread culture that consumed the market. 

The Eras Tour exemplifies the power of a holistic marketing approach. By integrating various elements—music, visual arts, storytelling—into a cohesive campaign, Swift managed to create a brand experience that was both immersive and memorable. Brands can learn to integrate different marketing elements to create a more comprehensive and engaging campaign.

Another critical aspect of the Eras Tour’s success was Swift’s strong fan base. Brands should focus on building and nurturing a loyal community around their products or services—it can be a powerful tool in amplifying the impact of campaigns.

9. State Street Global Advisors Fearless Girl 

The Fearless Girl statue that the Wall Street firm State Street Global Advisors firm placed to face down the famous Wall Street bull became a symbol of the financial sector’s lack of gender diversity, and the women who have been at the forefront of trying to change that. 

But in addition to its symbolic importance, it’s also a carefully crafted advertisement—one for the firm’s exchange-traded Gender Diversity Index SHE fund. 

The firm has faced some criticism over the years since putting up the statue, as it hasn’t always been clear whether State Street Global Advisors is making gender diversity a true priority. 

And this brings up another important point when it comes to creating successful PR campaigns: Your brand needs to put its money where its mouth is. If you say diversity, or sustainability, or another issue is important to you, make sure you’re backing that up with real action. 

Related read: Negative Public Perceptions and Other PR Problems: How To Change The Narrative

10. Calian IT & Cyber Solutions—Blending brands for a bigger impact

Following its acquisition of Computex, Calian IT & Cyber Solutions faced the challenge of merging brand identities and penetrating the U.S. market. They partnered with us at Zen Media, and we created a strategic PR roadmap, including curated proactive pitching topics to position two of Calian IT & Cyber Solutions’ senior executives as thought leaders in their areas of expertise. 

Zen would also help secure the executives Forbes Technology Council memberships and launch a regular cadence of published bylines. This robust campaign led to significant media coverage and awards, with Calian’s IT & Cyber Solutions division reporting double-digit revenue growth, largely credited to their expanded U.S. presence.

In merging two brands, it’s crucial to balance innovation with the preservation of core values and strengths that define each brand. This balance helps in maintaining loyalty among existing customers while attracting new ones.

11. New Cosmos USA’s community-first approach

New Cosmos USA, committed to preventing natural gas explosions with their DeNova Detect alarm, took a unique community-centric PR approach. In response to a gas explosion in West Reading, Pennsylvania, they collaborated with Zen Media for a rapid community support and media outreach strategy. This involved donations, local PSA publications, and educational materials on gas safety. 

The campaign, replicated in other locations, not only bolstered community safety but also positioned DeNova Detect as a leader in natural gas safety, leading to increased sales in those areas. By positioning the DeNova Detect alarm as a solution to a community issue, New Cosmos USA effectively aligned their product with community welfare, enhancing the product’s value proposition. Brands should evaluate the success of their campaigns not just in terms of sales but also by their impact on community welfare and social awareness.

12. Gender Pay Gap Bot Fights For Fair Wages 

As we’ve stated, many companies like to raise awareness of social issues and fight for change. The Gender Pay Gap Bot is an automated Twitter account that advocates for women’s rights to equal pay—and on International Women’s Day, the bot ran a PR campaign to hold companies accountable. 

Their slogan: “Stop posting platitudes. Start fixing the problem.” 

As companies in various industries filled users’ feeds with empowering messages, the Gender Pay Gap Bot responded with data revealing the inequities in compensation between their male and female employees. This PR strategy sheds light on these issues through transparency and neutral messaging. Today, the Twitter account has over 240,000 followers. 

13. McDonald’s ‘We Hire People’ Campaign

Companies that emphasize the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are paving the way for a kinder, more inclusive world. Promoting these brand values through public relations strategies is a great way to show your commitment to welcoming all of your employees and customers. 

McDonald’s ‘We Hire People” Campaign does just this. The fast-food chain introduces viewers to many individuals with various cultural backgrounds, passions, and ages. The advertisement shows that McDonald’s doors are open to everyone. These messages are essential in 2024. 

14. Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ Campaign

This campaign has been one of the most successful PR campaigns of all time. The tagline “Just Do It” is simple yet powerful and has become synonymous with Nike’s brand identity. The campaign’s success is due to its inspirational message that encourages consumers to push themselves beyond their limits and achieve their goals. Nike has used the campaign to showcase its products as tools that help people achieve their athletic potential. The “ Just Do It” campaign has also featured famous athletes, such as Michael Jordan and Serena Williams, who embody Nike’s brand values of determination, perseverance, and excellence.

15. Google’s Year in Search

Google’s “Year in Search” campaign is an annual PR campaign that showcases the top trending searches of the year. The campaign has been successful because it taps into people’s emotional connections to current events and showcases Google’s ability to capture the pulse of the world through search data. The campaign is also highly shareable and creates a sense of community around the shared experience of looking back at the year’s top moments. The campaign reinforces Google’s brand identity as a company that is at the forefront of technology and innovation.

16. Red Bull’s ‘Stratos’ Campaign

In 2012, Red Bull sponsored Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking jump from the edge of space called the “ Red Bull Stratos. ” The campaign was a massive success, generating over 52 million views on YouTube and millions of dollars in earned media coverage. The campaign was successful because it showcased Red Bull’s brand values of extreme sports and adventure while also breaking a world record. The campaign was a testament to the power of experiential marketing and how brands can leverage events to create memorable and impactful campaigns.

17. Chipotle’s ‘Food with ‘Integrity’ campaign

Chipotle’s “ Food with Integrity” campaign was an innovative marketing campaign that aimed to differentiate the company from other fast-food chains by highlighting its commitment to sourcing sustainable and ethically produced ingredients for its menu. The campaign featured a series of advertisements that showcased Chipotle’s use of fresh, locally sourced, and sustainably-raised ingredients and its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

What made the campaign innovative was that it was not just a marketing gimmick; Chipotle really did change its sourcing practices to live up to the promises it made in the ads. The company worked directly with farmers and producers to develop sustainable farming practices, and it paid premium prices to ensure that the farmers were able to make a living wage. The success of the campaign was due to its resonance with consumers who valued healthier, more sustainable food options and appreciated Chipotle’s mission as much as its food.

18. Patagonia Says ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’

Patagonia’s “ Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign was an innovative marketing campaign that aimed to encourage customers to buy less and reduce their environmental impact. The campaign was launched in 2011 and featured a full-page ad in The New York Times that showed one of Patagonia’s best-selling jackets with the headline “Don’t Buy This Jacket.” The ad went on to explain the environmental impact of the jacket’s production and encouraged customers to think twice before making a purchase.

What made the campaign innovative was that it went against the traditional marketing strategy of encouraging customers to buy more. Instead, Patagonia wanted to use its platform to raise awareness about the environmental impact of consumerism and to encourage customers to make more conscious choices. The campaign also reflected Patagonia’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and its belief that the company had a responsibility to minimize its environmental impact. The campaign was a success and helped to solidify Patagonia’s reputation as a leader in sustainability and environmental activism.

19. Airbnb’s ‘Belong Anywhere’ Campaign

This PR campaign was an innovative campaign that aimed to position the company as a global community that offered unique and authentic travel experiences. The campaign focused on Airbnb’s ability to connect people from different cultures and backgrounds, highlighting the role of welcoming and knowledgeable local hosts. The campaign was successful because it tapped into the growing trend of experiential travel and emphasized the community aspect of travel. It helped establish Airbnb as a disruptor in the travel industry and drove significant growth for the company.

Creating an innovative, successful PR campaign requires a team of experts who know your brand inside and out. If you’re looking for help making your next PR campaign stand out, get in touch with Zen ! 

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With Google running up to 200 trials on its search engine results at any one time it is easy to miss many of their changes, however the evolution of Local results promises to have a very real impact for businesses who rely on being found by their location. Knowing how to improve your position in Google’s Local listings is an essential skill to learn.

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Is Banksy the saviour of the UK travel industry?

Now that Dismaland has closed its gates, how much of a PR windfall did Banksy’s theme park provide for Weston-super-Mare?

Is Google+ (Google Plus) important for businesses and brands?

Almost 18 months after launch, Google+ (Google Plus) seems unable to crack the social media market which is still ruled by Facebook and Twitter, but does that mean Google+ can be ignored by businesses and brands?

Cool content tips for travel PRs

I spent a recent afternoon at Cool Content Coming Soon , a show dedicated to the power of good content with an array of speakers from Government departments, public bodies and content agencies.

Here a four key points that were raised by speakers that have stuck with me as being important to travel companies:

Content tips for travel PRs

11 SEO pointers for online travel PRs

I was lucky enough to attend a training session with travel SEO expert Mark Hodson. Here are 11 takeaways from the day – I think all of them are quick and easy to action:

11 SEO tips for travel PRs

Travel PR – great public relations ideas and issues of the week

These are a selection of interesting public relations (PR) led travel stories that appeared in the travel press in the past few days – good, bag and ugly.

The Maldives will be thinking long and hard about future Twitter campaigns after their PR company’s efforts to get posts about the holiday destination trending on Twitter. The campaign, which uses the hashtag #sunnysideoflife,  was latched on to by critics of the Maldives’ military rulers who posted comments and links to information about the suffering of ordinary citizens, using the same hashtag. The issue was compounded when the Guardian picked up on the comments and published their own article about the backlash to the Twitter campaign. The negative responses helped #SunnySideofLife trend, but probably not with the message they were hoping to convey.

More travel PR: Virgin, Boo and OATs

Link building: quality or quantity?

Traditional link building strategy says that the number of links into your website is one of the key criteria to grabbing a good ranking in Google. It makes sense that more incoming links mean more votes of approval for your website, which must be a good thing, right?

Of course not.

As soon as this correlation was made, an army of online marketeers set about twisting the link building landscape to their favour and conning the system, grabbing links from anywhere and everywhere to boost their site.

This was not the outcome Google wanted. The goal of the search engine giant is to put the most informative and appropriate information in front of its users, and websites which fool the system are not in line with this aim.

So Google set about finding ways of tipping the balance back to good quality websites. And how does Google measure quality? One key way is to count links from influential websites – ie, those sites that Google knows are well read, informative, respected.

So the balance has changed and one link from a good quality website is worth more than lots of links from poor sites.

This link building infographic from Quaturo illustrates the point brilliantly:

So, how do we go about identifying quality websites?

This is actually much easier than it seems and common sense plays a big part. What does the site look like, how interesting is the information, how many people comment on the articles, how current is the site, how easy is it get round, have you heard of the site before?

Securing coverage on good quality sites is much more difficult – but the results are infinitely most important.

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Privacy Overview

10 Apr 15 BEST TRAVEL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

The human spirit craves exploration. From the earliest voyages to uncharted territories to the modern-day weekend getaway, travel has woven itself into the fabric of our existence. But in a world saturated with stunning destinations and endless travel options, how do travel companies capture attention and convert that yearning for adventure into actual bookings? Enter the captivating world of travel marketing.

15 Best Travel Marketing Campaigns

Yodel Ay Hee Hoo – Switzerland Tourism (2017)

100% Pure New Zealand – New Zealand Tourism (1999 – Present)

Inspired by Iceland – Visit Iceland (2010)

Hello World, It’s Me, Tomorrow – Portugal Tourism (2017)

Live There – Airbnb (2017)

The Swedish Number – Sweden The Swedish Tourist Association (2016)

Best Job in the World – Queensland Tourism (2009)

Your Singapore – Singapore Tourism Board (2013)

Fly Emirates. Keep Discovering – Emirates (2016 – Present)

 Alaska – Built for Adventure – Alaska Travel Industry Association (2018)

  Malaysia – Truly Asia – Tourism Malaysia (2008 – Present)

Wilderness Safaris – &Beyond – AndBeyond (Ongoing)

Icelandair – Stopover in Iceland

#BeautifulDestinations – Booking.com (2016 – Present)

G Adventures – Make Travel Matter

What is Travel Marketing?

Travel marketing encompasses a broad range of activities aimed at promoting travel experiences and igniting the spark of wanderlust within potential travelers. It’s a multi-faceted strategy that can be broken down into three key areas:

• Destination Marketing:

This focuses on highlighting the unique appeal of a specific location, be it a bustling city, a secluded island paradise, or some country rich in history and culture. It’s about showcasing what makes that destination special and why it should be on a traveler’s bucket list.

• Product Marketing:

Here, the focus shifts to specific travel offerings provided by a company. This could include tours and activities, curated travel packages, unique accommodation options (like luxury cruises or boutique hotels), or even transportation services like airlines. The goal is to paint a picture of the incredible experiences a traveler can have by choosing a particular product.

• Brand Marketing:

This broader approach aims to build brand awareness and establish a positive image for a travel company. It’s about creating a feeling of trust, reliability, and excitement associated with the brand, making it the go-to choice for potential travelers planning their next adventure.

What is a Travel Marketing Campaign?

A travel marketing campaign is a focused, multi-channel effort designed to achieve specific marketing goals. It’s more than just throwing out a catchy slogan or a beautiful travel photo. Successful campaigns are meticulously planned and executed, utilizing a strategic mix of channels to reach the target audience and deliver a compelling message.

Here are some of the key goals travel marketing campaigns aim to achieve:

• Increasing Brand Awareness:

Sometimes, a company needs to get its name out there and establish itself within the travel industry. Campaigns aimed at brand awareness focus on making potential travelers aware of a specific destination or travel company, piquing their interest and keeping them top-of-mind for future travel plans.

• Generating Leads:

Not every person who sees a travel ad is ready to book a trip immediately. Lead generation campaigns aim to capture the interest of potential travelers, collecting their contact information (like email addresses) so that further marketing efforts can be directed towards them, nurturing their travel dreams and guiding them towards booking a trip.

• Driving Sales:

The ultimate goal of most travel marketing campaigns is to convert interest into bookings. This might involve promoting a limited-time offer on a specific travel package, highlighting seasonal travel deals, or offering exclusive discounts to incentivize immediate booking decisions.

A successful travel marketing campaign will possess three key characteristics:

Gone are the days of generic travel marketing messages. Modern campaigns are laser-focused, speaking directly to the interests, needs, and travel preferences of a specific demographic. This targeted approach allows for more relevant and impactful messaging, resonating deeply with the intended audience.

The travel industry is a visually stunning one. Standing out requires creativity in both visuals and messaging. Eye-catching imagery, engaging video content, and clever storytelling can capture attention, spark wanderlust, and differentiate a campaign from the rest.

• Measurable:

In today’s data-driven world, measuring the success of a marketing campaign is crucial. Metrics like website traffic, engagement rates, lead generation, and ultimately, conversion rates (bookings) help marketers understand how well their campaign is performing and whether it’s achieving its goals. This allows for adjustments to be made mid-campaign, ensuring optimal performance.

By focusing on these core principles, travel companies can craft compelling campaigns that not only grab attention but also translate into real-world results – more people booking dream vacations and exploring the wonders of our world.

15 Examples of Best Travel Marketing Campaigns: Case Studies in Inspiration

Travel marketing is a dynamic field, constantly evolving with new trends and technologies. To illustrate the effectiveness of various approaches, let’s delve into 15 of the most inspiring travel marketing campaigns in recent years:

1. Yodel Ay Hee Hoo – Switzerland Tourism (2017):

The “ Yodel Ay Hee Hoo ” campaign by Switzerland Tourism in 2017 is a prime example of how a travel marketing campaign can be successful by going beyond traditional advertising and creating a unique, interactive experience. Here’s a deeper look at why this campaign was so effective:

• The Element of Surprise:

Imagine your daily commute being unexpectedly interrupted by a man yodeling a catchy tune and inviting you on a day trip to the breathtaking Swiss Alps. This element of surprise is what made the Yodel Ay Hee Hoo campaign so memorable. It broke through the monotony of daily life and sparked curiosity, making people stop and pay attention.

• Highlighting the Ease and Beauty of Travel:

The campaign didn’t just showcase stunning scenery; it demonstrated how easy and accessible a trip to Switzerland could be. By whisking participants away on a whim, it emphasized the spontaneity and potential for adventure that Switzerland offers.

• Experiential Marketing:

This campaign transcended traditional advertising. It wasn’t just about showing beautiful pictures; it was about creating a real-life experience that allowed people to feel the beauty and excitement of Switzerland firsthand. Participants got to experience the yodeling culture, breathtaking scenery, and traditional Swiss activities, creating a lasting impression that a simple commercial could not.

• Social Media Buzz:

The campaign was filmed and shared online, creating a viral sensation. People were captivated by the unexpected adventure and the stunning visuals of Switzerland. This social media buzz generated significant earned media, further amplifying the campaign’s reach and impact.

• Targeting the Right Demographic:

While the surprising nature of the campaign could appeal to a broad audience, it likely resonated most with younger travelers and those seeking active, adventurous experiences. The focus on escaping the daily routine and immersing oneself in a new culture aligned perfectly with this target demographic.

The success of the Yodel Ay Hee Hoo campaign lies in its ability to move beyond static advertising and create a truly engaging experience. It captured the essence of Switzerland – a place of adventure, natural beauty, and a touch of surprise – in a way that resonated with potential travelers worldwide. This case study serves as a reminder of the power of surprise, experiential marketing, and social media in crafting truly impactful travel marketing campaigns.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Switzerland Tourism (@myswitzerland)

  2.  100% Pure New Zealand – New Zealand Tourism (1999 – Present):

The “ 100% Pure New Zealand ” campaign, launched in 1999 and still ongoing, is a masterclass in destination marketing. It’s a testament to the power of a consistent, well-defined brand message that resonates with travelers seeking adventure and connection with nature. Here’s a deeper dive into why this campaign has been so successful for over two decades:

• Simple Yet Powerful Messaging:

“100% Pure” is a clear, concise tagline that effectively captures the essence of New Zealand. It conveys a sense of clean, unspoiled nature, an ideal for travelers seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

• Stunning Visuals:

The campaign is heavily reliant on breathtaking visuals that showcase New Zealand’s diverse landscapes. From snow-capped mountains and pristine beaches to lush rainforests and geothermal wonders, the visuals paint a picture of a country offering something for every adventure seeker.

• Emotional Storytelling:

Beyond just showcasing scenery, the campaign weaves emotional storytelling into the visuals. It shows people enjoying activities like kayaking through crystal-clear waters, bungee jumping over dramatic canyons, or simply soaking in the serenity of a geothermal hot spring. This emotional connection taps into viewers’ desires for adventure, relaxation, and connection with nature.

• Focus on Activities:

The campaign doesn’t just depict idyllic landscapes; it highlights the activities travelers can experience in New Zealand. This caters to the modern traveler seeking an immersive experience beyond just sightseeing.

• Consistency and Longevity:

One of the key strengths of this campaign is its consistency. For over two decades, “100% Pure” has remained the central message, creating brand recognition and building trust with potential travelers. This consistency has allowed New Zealand to establish itself as a top destination for nature lovers worldwide.

• Adaptability:

While the core message remains consistent, the campaign has adapted over time to incorporate new trends and target audiences. The rise of social media has seen the inclusion of user-generated content, further enhancing the campaign’s authenticity and reach.

The “100% Pure New Zealand” campaign is a shining example of how travel marketing can be both simple and effective. By focusing on a clear brand message, stunning visuals, and emotional storytelling, the campaign has successfully positioned New Zealand as a must-visit destination for adventure travelers for over two decades. This case study highlights the importance of consistency, adaptability, and a deep understanding of the target audience in crafting a successful long-term travel marketing strategy.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Travel New Zealand With Me (@travelnewzealandwithme)

3.   Inspired by Iceland – Visit Iceland (2010):

The “ Inspired by Iceland ” campaign by Visit Iceland in 2010 is a prime example of how travel marketing can leverage the power of user-generated content (UGC) to achieve remarkable results. Here’s a closer look at why this campaign was so successful:

In April 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted, causing significant travel disruptions and negative media coverage. Tourism to Iceland plummeted, leaving the travel industry facing a significant challenge.

Campaign Strategy:

To combat the negative perception and reignite interest in Iceland, Visit Iceland launched the “Inspired by Iceland” campaign. This innovative approach focused on empowering travelers to become brand ambassadors for Iceland.

• Call to Action:

The campaign encouraged travelers to share their photos, stories, and videos inspired by their Icelandic adventures. Visit Iceland provided a dedicated website and social media channels for sharing this content.

• Harnessing the Power of Authenticity:

By using UGC, the campaign showcased Iceland through the eyes of real travelers. This approach fostered a sense of authenticity and credibility that resonated more deeply with potential travelers than traditional advertising.

• Building Community:

The campaign fostered a sense of community among travelers who shared their love for Iceland. This online community engagement helped keep Iceland top-of-mind and create a positive buzz.

• Turning Negatives into Positives:

The campaign cleverly used the volcanic eruption as a starting point. They encouraged people to share photos not just of Iceland’s beauty but also of the ash plume, highlighting its natural wonders even during challenging times. This approach helped turn a negative event into a conversation starter and ultimately, a positive marketing opportunity.

The “Inspired by Iceland” campaign was a resounding success. The website received over 3 million visits, and user-generated content flooded social media platforms. This positive online buzz helped restore Iceland’s image and reignite interest in travel to the island nation.

This case study highlights the power of user-generated content in travel marketing. By empowering travelers to share their stories and experiences, the “Inspired by Iceland” campaign created a sense of authenticity and community that resonated deeply with potential travelers, ultimately leading to a successful recovery of the Icelandic tourism industry.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Inspired by Iceland (@inspiredbyiceland)

4.   Hello World, It’s Me, Tomorrow – Portugal Tourism (2017):

The “ Hello World, It’s Me, Tomorrow – Portugal Tourism ” campaign, launched in 2017, showcased Portugal’s unique appeal to a specific and growing demographic – digital nomads. Here’s a deeper look at why this targeted approach was so effective:

Campaign Goal:

Portugal Tourism aimed to attract digital nomads, location-independent professionals who work remotely while traveling the world. The campaign focused on highlighting features that cater to this specific travel style.

Creative Concept:

The campaign took a creative approach with a video showcasing Portugal as an ideal haven for remote workers.

•   Visual Storytelling:

The video featured stunning visuals of Portugal’s diverse landscapes, from charming coastal towns and historic cities to breathtaking countryside and vibrant co-working spaces.

• Focus on Practicalities:

Beyond showcasing beauty, the video emphasized the practicalities of working remotely in Portugal. It highlighted reliable internet connectivity, affordable living costs, and a relaxed lifestyle, all essential for digital nomads.

• Emotional Connection:

The video fostered an emotional connection by portraying a sense of community and productivity in Portugal. It depicted digital nomads enjoying a healthy work-life balance, exploring the country, and connecting with other remote workers.

Targeted Message:

The campaign’s tagline, “Hello World, It’s Me, Tomorrow,” cleverly addressed both the digital communication aspect of remote work and the idea of Portugal being a place for a fresh start and a productive work environment.

Campaign Impact:

While specific data on the campaign’s impact on attracting digital nomads is limited, it received positive industry recognition and media coverage. It successfully positioned Portugal as a viable option for remote workers, potentially influencing a segment of the travel market experiencing significant growth.

This case study highlights the importance of targeted marketing in the travel industry. By focusing on a specific demographic and their needs, the “Hello World, It’s Me, Tomorrow” campaign effectively resonated with digital nomads, showcasing Portugal as a destination that caters to their unique lifestyle and work requirements.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Visit Portugal (@visitportugal)

5. Live There – Airbnb (2017):

The “ Live There ” campaign by Airbnb in 2017 exemplifies the power of experiential travel marketing. It went beyond showcasing rentals and instead focused on the immersive experience of living like a local while traveling. Here’s a breakdown of the campaign’s success:

Airbnb aimed to differentiate itself from traditional hotels by highlighting the unique experience of staying in unique rentals and immersing oneself in local culture.

• Focus on Storytelling:

The campaign relied heavily on visual storytelling through videos and photos.

• Authentic Experiences:

The content showcased travelers staying in various Airbnb rentals, from charming apartments in bustling cities to rustic cabins nestled in nature. This emphasis on unique accommodations fostered a sense of authenticity and connection to the local environment.

• Activities and Culture:

The stories went beyond just the rentals. They depicted travelers participating in local activities, indulging in authentic cuisine, and interacting with local residents. This approach highlighted the opportunity to experience a destination like a local, not just a tourist.

The campaign aimed to evoke an emotional response in potential travelers. The visuals and stories captured the feeling of belonging, immersing oneself in a new community, and having a more meaningful travel experience.

Targeted Messaging:

The “Live There” tagline succinctly conveyed the campaign’s essence – experiencing a destination from the perspective of a resident, not just a visitor.

Impact on Airbnb:

The “Live There” campaign is considered one of Airbnb’s most successful marketing initiatives. It is credited with significantly boosting brand awareness and highlighting the unique value proposition of Airbnb rentals compared to traditional hotels.

This case study showcases the power of experiential travel marketing. By focusing on authentic experiences, local interaction, and a deeper connection to the destination, the “Live There” campaign resonated with travelers seeking more than just a sightseeing vacation. It successfully positioned Airbnb as a platform that facilitates an immersive and enriching travel experience.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Airbnb (@airbnb)

6. The Swedish Number – Sweden The Swedish Tourist Association (2016)

The “ Swedish Number ” campaign launched by the Swedish Tourist Association (STA) in 2016 is a unique example of how travel marketing can leverage human connection to spark interest in a destination. Here’s a closer look at what made this campaign so innovative and successful:

• The Core Concept:

The campaign offered a phone number that, when called from abroad, connected people to a random Swede. This unexpected human connection aimed to create a more personal and engaging experience compared to traditional advertising.

• Breaking Down Barriers:

The campaign bypassed traditional tourist information centers and guidebooks. It allowed potential travelers to ask questions, get recommendations, and hear firsthand stories about Swedish life and culture directly from a resident.

• Authenticity and Transparency:

By connecting with a real person, travelers gained a more authentic perspective on Sweden. This approach fostered trust and a sense of genuine connection, potentially surpassing information found in brochures or online.

•         Spark Curiosity:

The unexpected nature of the campaign undoubtedly sparked curiosity. People were intrigued by the opportunity to talk to a random Swede and uniquely learn about their country. This sense of novelty helped the campaign gain significant media attention.

•   Building Emotional Connection:

The human element played a crucial role. Hearing personal stories and recommendations from a resident could evoke a stronger emotional connection to Sweden compared to traditional marketing materials.

Campaign Results:

The “Swedish Number” campaign garnered international recognition and media coverage, generating significant earned media value. While the exact impact on tourist arrivals is difficult to measure, the campaign undoubtedly boosted Sweden’s profile as a tourist destination and highlighted the warmth and hospitality of its people.

Limitations:

It’s important to acknowledge the campaign’s limitations. The reliance on volunteers meant limited call center hours and potential language barriers. Additionally, the campaign’s effectiveness depended on the enthusiasm and communication skills of the participating Swedes.

Overall Impact:

Despite these limitations, the “Swedish Number” campaign remains a groundbreaking example of human-centric travel marketing. It successfully leveraged the power of personal connection and authentic storytelling to create a memorable experience for potential travelers, sparking their interest in visiting Sweden. This case study highlights the potential of innovative approaches that go beyond traditional advertising to create a more engaging and emotionally resonant connection with target audiences.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sweden (@toursweden)

7. Best Job in the World – Queensland Tourism (2009):

The “ Best Job in the World ” campaign launched by Queensland Tourism in 2009 is a prime example of a travel marketing campaign that captured global attention and achieved remarkable success. Here’s a deeper dive into what made this campaign so groundbreaking:

• Unique Job Offer:

The campaign offered a seemingly idyllic job – caretaker of a tropical island in Australia (Hamilton Island) for six months. This unique opportunity resonated with people’s desire for escape, adventure, and a beautiful work environment.

• Viral Marketing Potential:

The campaign cleverly leveraged the power of social media and online applications. The job listing attracted widespread online attention, generating significant buzz and media coverage.

• Global Reach:

By offering the job to applicants worldwide, the campaign transcended geographical boundaries and captured the imagination of people from all corners of the globe.

• Positive Brand Image:

The campaign associated Queensland with paradise, relaxation, and a laid-back lifestyle. It showcased the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef and the appeal of island living, boosting Queensland’s image as a dream vacation destination.

• Public Relations Success:

With over 34,000 applicants from around the world, the campaign generated significant earned media value. The global media frenzy surrounding the job selection process further amplified the campaign’s reach and impact.

Impact on Tourism:

While it’s difficult to isolate the exact impact on tourist arrivals, the campaign undoubtedly boosted awareness of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. It successfully positioned Queensland as a top travel destination for those seeking adventure, relaxation, and stunning natural beauty.

Legacy of the Campaign:

The “Best Job in the World” campaign remains a landmark example of creative and effective travel marketing. It showcased the power of a unique concept, social media engagement, and global reach to generate excitement and significantly increase brand awareness for a travel destination.

The Winner:

The lucky winner of the “Best Job in the World” was Ben Southall from the United Kingdom. His experiences as a caretaker were documented and shared online, further fueling the campaign’s success.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Queensland Tourism Industry Council (@theqtic)

8. Your Singapore – Singapore Tourism Board (2013):

The “ Your Singapore ” campaign launched by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in 2013 focused on personalization and catering to diverse traveler preferences. Here’s a breakdown of the campaign’s approach:

• Shift from Mass Marketing:

This campaign marked a shift from traditional mass marketing strategies. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, “Your Singapore” aimed to provide potential travelers with personalized recommendations and itineraries based on their interests.

• Interactive Platform:

The campaign utilized an interactive online platform where visitors could answer questions about their travel preferences. This information was then used to suggest personalized itineraries, attractions, and experiences aligned with their interests.

• Focus on Diversity:

Singapore’s diverse cultural tapestry and range of attractions were central to the campaign. The platform highlighted options for history buffs, foodies, nature lovers, adventure seekers, and families, catering to a broad range of traveler types.

• Content Marketing:

The campaign went beyond just recommendations. It offered rich content like blog posts, videos, and interactive maps showcasing the various facets of Singapore. This content provided valuable information to potential travelers and helped them plan their personalized Singapore experience.

• Social Media Integration:

The campaign leveraged social media platforms to encourage user-generated content and foster a sense of community. Travelers were encouraged to share their “Your Singapore” experiences using a designated hashtag, further amplifying the campaign’s reach.

Impact of the Campaign:

While specific data on the direct impact on tourist arrivals for 2013 might be limited, the “Your Singapore” campaign was well-received within the travel marketing industry.

• Increased User Engagement:

The interactive platform reportedly saw significant user engagement, suggesting a growing interest in personalized travel experiences.

• Positive Industry Recognition:

The campaign earned recognition for its innovative approach and its focus on catering to diverse traveler needs.

The “Your Singapore” campaign serves as an example of how travel marketing can adapt to the evolving needs of travelers. By prioritizing personalization, user interaction, and rich content, the campaign aimed to empower travelers to create their own unique Singapore experience. This approach remains relevant in today’s travel landscape, where travelers increasingly seek customized and authentic experiences.

Voir cette publication sur Instagram Une publication partagée par Singapore Tourism Board (@stb_sg)

9. Fly Emirates. Keep Discovering – Emirates (2016 – Present):

The “ Fly Emirates. Keep Discovering ” campaign, launched in 2016 and still ongoing, is a successful example of an airline marketing strategy that goes beyond simply selling flights. It focuses on inspiring wanderlust and positioning the Emirates as the gateway to exploring the world in style.

Campaign Pillars:

• Luxury Travel Experience:

The campaign emphasizes the luxurious travel experience offered by Emirates. This includes showcasing their spacious cabins, award-winning in-flight entertainment systems, and impeccable service.

• Global Network and Destinations:

Emirates boasts an extensive global network, connecting travelers to a wide range of exciting destinations. The campaign highlights this vast network, showcasing the diverse cultures and experiences awaiting travelers at their chosen Emirates flight’s end.

• Experiential Focus:

While luxurious travel is a key theme, the campaign doesn’t stop at onboard comfort. It also focuses on the experiences travelers can have at their destinations. This can include showcasing iconic landmarks, cultural activities, and breathtaking landscapes, all accessible through Emirates flights.

The campaign aims to evoke an emotional response in potential travelers. Vivid visuals and captivating storytelling inspire viewers to dream about exploring new destinations and create lasting travel memories.

• Slogan – “Keep Discovering”:

The campaign’s tagline, “Keep Discovering,” encourages a sense of exploration and the joy of uncovering new places. It positions Emirates as the travel partner that facilitates this continuous exploration of the world.

 While measuring the campaign’s direct impact on bookings can be challenging, it has undoubtedly achieved positive results for Emirates.

• Brand Awareness:

The long-running campaign has helped maintain Emirates’ brand recognition as a premium airline globally.

The focus on luxury, diverse destinations, and enriching experiences fosters a positive brand image for Emirates, appealing to travelers seeking a sophisticated and enriching travel experience.

• Social Media Engagement:

The campaign is likely integrated with Emirates’ social media channels, potentially encouraging user-generated content and fostering a community of passionate travelers who choose Emirates for their journeys.

Overall, the “Fly Emirates. Keep Discovering” campaign demonstrates the effectiveness of airline marketing strategies that go beyond selling flights. By appealing to travelers’ desire for luxurious experiences, diverse destinations, and the joy of exploration, Emirates positions itself as the preferred choice for globetrotters seeking unforgettable adventures.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emirates (@emirates)

10. Alaska – Built for Adventure – Alaska Travel Industry Association (2018)

The “ Alaska – Built for Adventure ” campaign launched by the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) in 2018 aimed to position Alaska as the ultimate destination for adventure travelers. Here’s a breakdown of the campaign’s strategy:

• Target Audience:

This campaign targets thrill-seekers and adventurous tourists. The tagline “Built for Adventure” and the focus on outdoor activities leave no room for doubt.

• Highlighting Alaska’s Unique Landscape:

Alaska boasts stunning natural beauty with mountains, glaciers, forests, and diverse wildlife. The campaign likely showcased these breathtaking landscapes to entice potential travelers seeking adventure amidst untouched wilderness.

• Focus on Outdoor Activities:

Alaska offers a plethora of adventure activities like hiking, kayaking, fishing, glacier climbing, and wildlife viewing. The campaign presumably highlighted these activities, appealing to travelers who enjoy an active vacation.

• Action-Oriented Messaging:

The campaign’s title itself is action-oriented, using verbs like “built” to suggest that Alaska is specifically designed for adventure. This messaging likely resonated with travelers seeking a physically and mentally stimulating vacation.

• Potential Marketing Channels:

The campaign details from 2018 are limited, but it likely utilized a combination of marketing channels to reach its target audience. This could have included online advertising, travel brochures, social media marketing, and partnerships with adventure travel companies.

Campaign Effectiveness:

While specific data on the campaign’s impact on tourist arrivals might be difficult to find, it likely resonated with adventure travelers seeking an active and adrenaline-filled vacation.

• Positioning Alaska:

The campaign likely helped solidify Alaska’s image as a premier adventure travel destination.

• Appeal to a Specific Niche:

By focusing on adventure, the campaign effectively targeted a specific audience segment within the broader travel market.

Overall, the “Alaska – Built for Adventure” campaign serves as an example of a travel marketing campaign that caters to a specific niche. By highlighting Alaska’s unique natural beauty and its abundance of adventure activities, the campaign effectively targeted thrill-seekers and positioned Alaska as a must-visit destination for those seeking an active and unforgettable vacation.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Allen Marine Tours (@allenmarinetoursak)

11. Malaysia – Truly Asia – Tourism Malaysia (2008 – Present)

The “ Malaysia – Truly Asia ” campaign, launched in 2008 and still ongoing, is a successful example of a travel marketing campaign that captures the essence of a destination’s rich cultural tapestry. Here’s a deeper look at why this campaign has resonated with travelers for over a decade:

• Celebrating Diversity:

Malaysia is a multicultural nation with a blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous influences. The “Truly Asia” tagline effectively conveys this diversity, highlighting the unique cultural experiences awaiting travelers in Malaysia.

• Appeal to a Broad Audience:

By celebrating its multicultural heritage, the campaign appeals to a broad range of travelers interested in exploring different cultures, cuisines, and traditions. This inclusivity allows Malaysia to attract visitors seeking experiences beyond just beautiful beaches and rainforests.

• Authentic Cultural Experiences:

The campaign likely goes beyond just slogans and showcases authentic cultural experiences in Malaysia. This could involve traditional festivals, performances, cuisine, and historical landmarks, allowing travelers to immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of Malaysian culture.

• Visual Storytelling:

Vivid visuals showcasing Malaysia’s diverse landscapes, cultural celebrations, and friendly people likely play a key role in the campaign. These visuals can spark curiosity and entice potential travelers to experience the beauty and vibrancy of Malaysia firsthand.

• Long-Term Consistency:

One of the key strengths of this campaign is its consistency. For over 15 years, “Truly Asia” has remained the central message, creating brand recognition and establishing Malaysia as a destination offering a true Asian experience.

Attributing a specific number of tourists to the campaign is difficult. However, “Truly Asia” has undoubtedly played a significant role in boosting Malaysia’s tourism industry:

• Increased Tourist Arrivals:

Malaysia has seen a steady increase in tourist arrivals since the campaign’s launch, solidifying its position as a top tourist destination in Southeast Asia.

The campaign has fostered a positive brand image for Malaysia, highlighting its cultural richness, hospitality, and diverse offerings for travelers.

Overall, the “Malaysia – Truly Asia” campaign serves as a successful example of destination marketing that celebrates diversity. By effectively capturing the essence of Malaysia’s multicultural heritage, the campaign has resonated with travelers worldwide, positioning Malaysia as a must-visit destination for those seeking a truly Asian experience.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tourism Malaysia (@malaysia.truly.asia)

12. Wilderness Safaris – AndBeyond (Ongoing):  

Wilderness Safaris is leading provider of luxury safaris in southern Africa, known for its commitment to conservation and responsible tourism.  &Beyond was launched to offer  unique travel experiences in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

Here’s a breakdown of their marketing approaches:

Wilderness Safaris:

• Focus on Sustainability and Conservation:

Wilderness Safaris prioritizes responsible tourism practices and actively contributes to conservation efforts in Africa. This might be reflected in campaigns that showcase their commitment to protecting wildlife and their habitats.

• Luxury Safari Experiences:

They offer high-end safari experiences in pristine wilderness locations. Their marketing might emphasize the exclusivity, personalized service, and luxurious accommodations offered on their safaris.

• Unique Destinations and Activities:

Wilderness Safaris operates in various African countries, offering diverse safari experiences. Their marketing could highlight specific destinations, wildlife viewing opportunities, and unique activities like walking safaris or cultural encounters.

&Beyond might utilize storytelling to connect with potential travelers. This could involve sharing stories from guests, guides, and local communities, fostering an emotional connection with the destinations and experiences offered.

While there might not be a specific joint campaign between Wilderness Safaris and &Beyond, both companies are leaders in luxury travel and responsible tourism. Their marketing strategies likely focus on similar themes of luxury, adventure, and a deep connection with nature.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Marion Payr | Austria | ladyvenom (@marionpayr)

13. Icelandair – Stopover in Iceland:

Icelandair’s “Stopover in Iceland” program is a brilliant marketing strategy that capitalizes on the airline’s geographical location to offer travelers a unique travel opportunity. Here’s a breakdown of why this program is so successful:

• Turning Layovers into Adventures:

For many travelers flying between Europe and North America, Icelandair offers the chance to extend their journey and explore Iceland for up to seven days at no additional airfare. This transforms a layover into a potential vacation destination.

• Showcasing Iceland’s Beauty:

Icelandair likely leverages marketing campaigns to showcase the stunning natural beauty of Iceland, from glaciers and waterfalls to geothermal wonders and the Northern Lights. This entices travelers to break up their journey and experience Iceland’s unique landscapes.

• Appealing to Diverse Interests:

Iceland offers a variety of activities for travelers, from hiking and glacier walks to exploring historical sites and soaking in geothermal pools. The marketing might highlight these diverse offerings to cater to a broad range of interests.

• Cost-Effective Option:

The fact that travelers can explore Iceland at no additional airfare makes this program a highly cost-effective way to add another destination to their trip. This is a significant advantage, especially for budget-conscious travelers.

• Convenience and Flexibility:

The program’s flexibility allows travelers to customize their Iceland stopover to fit their schedule and interests. They can choose the duration of their stay and potentially book tours or activities directly through Icelandair.

• Increased Revenue:

While offering a stopover at no extra flight cost might seem counterintuitive, Icelandair benefits by potentially selling additional services like checked baggage, seat upgrades, or in-flight meals. Additionally, travelers exploring Iceland might spend money on accommodation, tours, and activities, boosting the local economy.

Overall, Icelandair’s “Stopover in Iceland” program is a win-win situation for both travelers and the airline. Travelers get the chance to explore a breathtaking destination at a minimal cost, while Icelandair benefits from increased revenue and potentially attracting new customers to fly with them.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Icelandair (@icelandair)

14. #BeautifulDestinations – Booking.com (2016 – Present)

Booking.com’s “ #BeautifulDestinations ” campaign, launched in 2016 and still ongoing, is a prime example of leveraging user-generated content (UGC) for successful travel marketing. Here’s a breakdown of the campaign’s strategy:

• Platform for User-Generated Content:

The campaign encourages travelers to share photos and videos of their travel experiences on social media platforms using the hashtag #BeautifulDestinations. This user-generated content becomes a valuable marketing tool for Booking.com.

• Showcasing Diverse Destinations:

By relying on user-generated content, Booking.com showcases a vast array of beautiful destinations worldwide. This allows them to cater to a broad audience with diverse travel interests.

• Authenticity and Trust:

User-generated content is often perceived as more authentic and trustworthy than traditional advertising. Seeing real travelers enjoying themselves in various locations can be more convincing than staged promotional photos.

• Engaging with Travelers:

The campaign encourages user participation and fosters a sense of community among travelers. Booking.com might curate and repost user-generated content, creating an engaging social media presence.

• Increased Brand Awareness:

A steady stream of user-generated content with the #BeautifulDestinations hashtag increases Booking.com’s brand awareness and social media reach. This can potentially attract new users to their platform.

• Data Collection and Targeting:

Booking.com might leverage the user-generated content and hashtags to collect valuable data on travel trends and user preferences. This data can then be used for targeted marketing campaigns, suggesting destinations and accommodations likely to appeal to specific user segments.

Quantifying the campaign’s direct impact on bookings is difficult. However, it has likely yielded positive results for Booking.com:

• Enhanced Social Media Presence:

The campaign has likely contributed to a more active and engaging social media presence for Booking.com.

• Valuable User-Generated Content:

The user-generated content provides Booking.com with a vast library of authentic visuals and potentially valuable customer insights.

The campaign fosters a positive brand image for Booking.com, portraying them as a platform that connects travelers with beautiful destinations worldwide.

Overall, Booking.com’s “#BeautifulDestinations” campaign demonstrates the power of user-generated content in travel marketing. By encouraging user participation and leveraging the beauty and diversity captured by travelers themselves, Booking.com has created an engaging and effective marketing strategy for the digital age.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Booking.com (@bookingcom)

15. G Adventures – Make Travel Matter

G Adventures’ “ Make Travel Matter ” campaign isn’t just a catchy tagline; it’s a core philosophy that underpins their approach to travel. Here’s a breakdown of what makes this approach unique:

• Focus on Community Tourism:

G Adventures prioritizes experiences that benefit local communities. They partner with local businesses for tours and accommodations, ensuring a larger portion of tourist dollars stays within the destination.

• Sustainable Practices:

The company is committed to minimizing its environmental impact. This might involve using local transportation, supporting eco-lodges, and promoting responsible waste management practices.

• Cultural Sensitivity:

G Adventures aims to foster genuine cultural exchange. They educate travelers about local customs and traditions, encouraging respectful interactions with local communities.

• Giving Back:

The company supports various social and environmental initiatives in the destinations they operate in. This could involve partnering with local NGOs, supporting conservation efforts, or contributing to community development projects.

• Small Group Tours:

G Adventures is known for its small group tours, which allow for more personalized experiences and minimize environmental impact compared to larger tour groups.

• Appeal to the Modern Traveler:

Many modern travelers are increasingly conscious of the impact of tourism. G Adventures’ focus on responsible travel resonates with this segment, offering a way to explore the world while giving back.

Benefits of G Adventures’ Approach:

Travelers gain a deeper understanding of local cultures and connect with local communities in a meaningful way.

• Positive Impact:

Tourism dollars directly benefit local economies and support initiatives for a more sustainable future.

• Memorable Travel Experiences:

G Adventures aims to deliver unique and enriching experiences that go beyond typical sightseeing tours.

• Brand Differentiation:

Their commitment to responsible tourism sets G Adventures apart from traditional travel companies and appeals to a specific niche of eco-conscious travelers.

Overall, G Adventures’ “Make Travel Matter” campaign is more than just marketing. It’s a philosophy that creates a win-win situation for travelers, local communities, and the environment. By offering responsible travel experiences that give back, G Adventures caters to the growing demand for sustainable and meaningful travel experiences.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by G Adventures (@gadventures)

What is the importance of a Travel Marketing Campaign?

In a world overflowing with stunning destinations and endless travel options, travel marketing campaigns play a vital role in the success of the travel industry. Here’s why they’re so important:

• Igniting Wanderlust and Inspiring Travel:

Effective travel marketing campaigns go beyond just showcasing locations. They use creative storytelling, captivating visuals, and targeted messaging to spark the spark of wanderlust in potential travelers. They paint a picture of unforgettable experiences, igniting a desire to explore and discover new places.

• Standing Out in a Crowded Marketplace:

The travel industry is fiercely competitive. Travel marketing campaigns help companies differentiate themselves from the crowd. By highlighting unique offerings, focusing on specific niches, and utilizing creative approaches, campaigns can grab attention and make a lasting impression on potential travelers.

• Driving Sales and Bookings:

Ultimately, the goal of most travel marketing campaigns is to convert interest into bookings. Campaigns can achieve this by promoting special offers, highlighting seasonal travel deals, or offering exclusive discounts that incentivize immediate action

• Building Brand Awareness:

Travel marketing campaigns aren’t just about immediate bookings. They also play a crucial role in building brand awareness for travel companies and destinations. Consistent, well-executed campaigns keep a company or location top-of-mind for potential travelers, influencing their travel decisions down the line.

• Understanding Target Audiences:

Travel marketing campaigns allow companies to gain valuable insights into their target audience. By analyzing user engagement with campaigns, travel companies can learn about traveler preferences, interests, and booking behaviors. This data can then be used to refine campaigns and ensure they resonate more effectively with the right people.

• Creating a Community:

Travel marketing campaigns can foster a sense of community around travel. Utilizing social media and encouraging user-generated content creates a platform for travelers to connect, share experiences, and inspire one another. This fosters a sense of belonging and excitement around travel, further fueling the desire to explore.

In conclusion, travel marketing campaigns are the engine that drives the travel industry. They play a crucial role in inspiring travel dreams, promoting destinations and companies, and ultimately, turning those dreams into reality. As travel continues to evolve, marketing campaigns will undoubtedly continue to adapt and innovate, ensuring a future filled with exploration, discovery, and unforgettable travel experiences.

These 15 travel marketing campaigns showcase the creativity and innovation employed to capture attention and inspire wanderlust. They demonstrate the importance of understanding your target audience, crafting a compelling message, and utilizing the right channels to reach potential travelers. By following these principles and staying abreast of the evolving marketing landscape, travel companies can craft campaigns that not only win awards but also achieve their ultimate goal – inspiring people to explore the world and create unforgettable travel experiences.

In today’s interconnected world, travel marketing plays a crucial role in fueling our collective desire to explore. As technology continues to evolve and consumer preferences shift, travel marketing campaigns will undoubtedly continue to adapt and innovate, inspiring us to dream, discover, and embark on life-changing journeys.

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How We Gained 124 Links With PR (A Step by Step Guide)

The basic premise of PR – informing and persuading – is a concept as old as communication itself, while the PR industry is believed to have officially set up shop circa the early 1900s.

Yet with the development of smartphones, social media and selfies, the past 20 years has arguably played host to some of the most dramatic and fast-paced changes the sector has ever seen.

Traditionally, the cornerstone of a PR success would have been a front-page headline, but as the old adage goes, today’s news is tomorrow’s fish and chip paper – and no-one wants someone eating their chippy tea off that press release they spent hours perfectly crafting.

That’s why we focus  our travel PR  efforts online, where you can continue to reap the rewards of your hard graft long after the last chip has been devoured.

You see, these days an effective PR strategy is not just about flashy headlines and brand exposure; clever PR tactics are also the ideal solution for  gaining strong links  on top tier sites, which will boost your  SEO  performance and long-term visibility to potential customers – hooray!

Sound good? Read on to find out how you can make online PR work for you by following our step-by-step process.

• 1.1 PR CASE STUDY
• 1.2 WHAT IS ONLINE PR?
• 1.3 REACTIVE PR
• 1.4 HOW TO PITCH TO JOURNALISTS
• 1.5 PROACTIVE PR
• 1.6 GETTING CREATIVE WITH PR CAMPAIGNS
• 1.7 Related Posts
• 1.8 Get In Touch

PR CASE STUDY

In just one year of running PR activity for our client –  a Rome based tour company  – we have been successful in securing over 100 links and over 300 pieces of coverage, including links on some of the strongest sites going – we’re talking  MSN ,  Lonely Planet ,  Business Insider ,  The Telegraph …to name just a few!

Not only did our PR work result in hundreds of pieces of top tier coverage for our client, we also saw traffic to the client site increase 182.59% year on year throughout the duration of our PR activity. This was through a combination of increased referral and organic traffic to the site. Referral traffic to the site grew as a direct result of users clicking through to the client site from PR coverage, while organic traffic experienced a boost due to improved visibility for the site – thanks to the SEO impact of the backlinks we achieved.

Our key goals for our client were to:

• Gain strong backlinks on top tier sites
• Gain coverage on reputable news and travel sites
• Increase traffic to the client site

And the results?

• 124 backlinks to the client site
• 76 links with a DR of 50+
• 337 pieces of coverage
• Coverage on top tier publications including  MSN ,  Telegraph ,  Lonely Planet ,  Yahoo ,  Business Insider  and  Huffington Post
• 182.59% YOY increase in site sessions
• 257.24% increase in referral traffic to site
• 159.53% increase in organic traffic to site

Read on as we break down exactly how we achieved these results, so that you can do the same for your own business.

WHAT IS ONLINE PR?

We break our PR activity down into three separate strands. These are:

When you manage to hit the right spot from each of these angles you are almost  guaranteed  a PR success story.

Read on to find out more about how we approach each of these three elements.

REACTIVE PR

Reactive PR activity is pretty simple really – while PRs undoubtedly need journalists in order to achieve results, believe it or not, sometimes journalists need us too!

Reactive PR is about capitalising on those times when the journalist needs us. This could be journalists who are looking for a quote from a travel industry expert; a package to include in a round up, or a recommendation from a destination specialist.

If you can provide a journalist with the exact missing information they need for their story, it is a pretty safe bet that they are going to use that information in their article,  which means some swanky coverage for you – easy!

Where to Find PR Requests from Journalists

Ah, we hear your cry and don’t worry, we have the answer!

First things first, it is possible to find journalist requests absolutely free. This means, so long as you are willing to put in the time and effort, you can kick off your PR activity without spending a dime!

One free resource which we have found to be useful in sourcing journalist requests is HARO.

Help a Reporter Out ( HARO ) is a free online service where journalists post requests outlining any information they need for a story they are working on.

You can subscribe to the mailing list and will be updated on a daily basis of requests from journalists, spread across topics ranging from healthcare to tech to travel – their email alerts handily break each request into relevant categories so you can hone in on your specific niches.

Another cost-effective solution for keeping on top of journalist requests is  Twilert .

For those who may not know, Twilert is an email alert which keeps you posted on any new tweets containing any specified keywords.

The most popular Twilert for keeping on top of journalist requests is the aptly named #journorequest, which is widely used by journalists and bloggers looking for story tips.

Taking this a step further, you can also set up Twilerts for more general phrases relevant to your brand – in this case phrases such as “travel industry expert” and “interview with travel specialist” which may throw up opportunities to provide expert quotes and insights for a journalist’s story.

Twilert subscriptions start from just $9 per month, but of course, if you’re on a strict budget you could cut out the middle man, and simply head over to Twitter to search for recent #JournoRequest tweets yourself.

Specialist Services

There is also a multitude of specialist paid media services, which you can use to keep updated with journalist requests.

One commonly used paid resource is  Response Source  which is one of the biggest names in the media database world, and covers a wide variety of sectors – great if you want to keep updated on requests across a variety of different niches.

There are also a number of resources specifically focused around certain niches. If you’re in the travel industry we highly recommend using  TravMedia , which is the main platform we use for our reactive PR activity.

If you’re not in the travel industry, have a search to find other similar services in your own niche.

TravMedia is a media network specifically focused on the travel industry, and is used by journalists working on travel stories to get tips and packages from travel brands.

With TravMedia you get an email each time a request is posted by a journalist, meaning you can hop straight on it.

HOW TO PITCH TO JOURNALISTS

As with any sales approach, the most effective strategy is to keep it simple and concise.

Firstly, make sure you refine down the recommendations you’re sending over to the journalist and don’t overpitch.

Your chances of success are far greater if you send the journalist a ready to use nugget which fits the brief perfectly, rather than a back catalogue of every product you’ve ever sold.

If you send over too many irrelevant requests to the same journalist you might find yourself on their blacklist.

At the absolute maximum, never send over any more than three suggestions in one email.

Often, journalists will request a specific subject header, and in some cases a particular format to the body of the email. If they do this, make sure you follow their instructions or your email will most likely end up in their trash folder.

If the journalist hasn’t set out any specific instructions, the below format typically works well for us:

Subject: TravMedia Response – Nighttime Adventures

In the subject line make it clear you are responding to their request and replicate the same title which they have used in their request, so that they instantly know your email is something of relevance for them.

Hi [insert journalist name]

Hope you’re well and had a great weekend! ← Friendly opening greeting

I saw your TravMedia request looking for night adventures around the world and I wanted to let you know about the amazing night tour of the Colosseum with Roma Experience:  ← Get straight to the point as to why you’re contacting them

Roma Experience’s Colosseum Under the Moon tour, is the perfect choice for travellers who want to explore the fascinating sight as a VIP. The Colosseum averages around 4 million visitors every year, but the exclusive Roma Experience night tour is limited to just 25 participants, meaning you can enjoy your visit free from crowds. The small group size ensures all participants feel immersed in the tour and are able to hear and interact with the expert tour guide easily.

This special tour also offers participants access to restricted areas of the Colosseum including the arena stage and the underground dungeons, which it would not be possible to visit during the day.

This exclusive new night tour is a unique and special way to see the Colosseum whether you are visiting the world-famous amphitheatre for the first time or want to explore the ancient ruins in a whole new light, quite literally. ← Brief description of product/relevant information

https://www.romaexperience.com/rome-tours/night-tour-colosseum/  ← Link to relevant on-site info/product

I hope this is of use and please let me know if you need anything else at all.  ← Friendly sign-off

[Your name]

Does it really work?

Well the above email got us a sweet link on one of the fastest growing travel news sites out there, so we’d say yes, yes it does.

Through our reactive PR work with this client we have secured coverage on sites including  MSN  and  Yahoo .

Top Tip:  An extra advantage of TravMedia is that, unlike other sources, the platform provides you with the journalist’s email address, rather than having you respond to the journalist via the platform.

This means you can keep a note of the contact details of every journalist who posts on the platform in your contacts database, which will come in handy when you move on to the next step – proactive PR.

PROACTIVE PR

When you think of PR, the first thing that comes to mind is no doubt press releases. While they may not be anything novel, press releases are the bread and butter of the PR world, and a well-crafted and well-distributed press release is still a surefire way of picking up a heap of coverage.

Just look at the coverage we got on  Lonely Planet ,  Telegraph  and  Robb Report  for our Rome client – all from press releases.

Finding Ideas for Press Releases

Just because press releases aren’t a new concept, doesn’t mean they need to be boring. Picking the right topic for your press release is one of the most important factors in ensuring your release hits the mark.

When deciding on a topic for your press release you should make sure it ticks off one of the following:

If it fits all three, even better!

To give this more context, ideas may include a new product you have just launched, a specialist service which only you can provide or an exclusive offer being run in conjunction with the release of a new movie or in celebration of a notable anniversary.

Press releases we created for our client include:

• Launch of a new VR tour (new, unique)
• Launch of underground Colosseum tour (new, unique)
• Launch of Colosseum at night tour (new, unique)
• Spooky Halloween tours in Rome (unique, timely)
• Leonardo da Vinci anniversary tour (new, unique, timely)

The most important factor when deciding on a press release angle is remembering that you are providing a journalist with a story. If you can’t see what the story is behind your release, don’t send it!

How to Write a Press Release

There are many different ways in which to write a press release, but to paraphrase the common saying, “Writing a press release is like playing the piano, first you must learn to play by the rules, then you must forget the rules and play from your heart.”

As you’re just getting started, let’s begin with learning how to play by the rules, before we start going off key.

As we mentioned earlier, the purpose of a press release is to send a journalist a story, so many of the same principles which apply to writing a news story also apply to writing a press release.

With any news story, potentially THE most important element is your headline – if you don’t have a clear headline, you most likely don’t have a story!

In news a headline is what draws a reader in, and with a press release your headline is what will draw a journalist in. If you have an enticing headline, a journalist can envision how they will frame their story and why it would appeal to their readers.

An example of a strong headline would be:

“Brand new Rome at night tour showcases Colosseum in a whole new light”

Once you have your headline sorted, the next step is making sure you cover the 5 Ws and the H – another core news principle, which should also be applied to your press releases.

Not a clue what we’re talking about? The 5 Ws and the H are the six questions which any news story should answer. These are:

Given that the journalist has to answer all six of these questions in their news story, it only makes sense that you provide them with the answers to each of these questions in your press release.

So now you know what to cover, but where do you start?

Well let’s go back to the core news principles and this time discuss the news pyramid. The news pyramid is the standard structure which journalists use to format their story. The rules of the pyramid are that you start with the most important information at the top of your piece, leading down to the least important background information at the end.

This formatting works for multiple reasons – firstly it gives the reader the must-know information right from the start quickly and easily. It also means if the editor needs to chop off the last paragraph of the story for space reasons, no important information will be lost.

When writing a press release, think of the journalist as both a reader and an editor. This means following the pyramid structure will allow them to:

• Immediately access the information they need to understand and take interest in the story
• Stop reading or chop off the end of the release without worrying about losing key facts

Essentially, writing a successful press release is all about making the journalist’s job easier – provide them with all of the information they need for their story, show them exactly how they can angle the story, and structure the story in a sensible format.

The easier you make it for the journalist, the greater chance there is that they will use your release.

We typically send out one press release per month for our client, and we use timely hooks to focus the release by keeping on top of what is new with the client; monitoring for new trends in the industry, and tracking the latest news headlines, pop culture events and momentous dates.

Top tip:  As the key goal with online PR is gaining links which will boost your SEO performance, increase the chances of having a link to your site included in the article by adding at least one link to your site within the press release. If you hyperlink a relevant phrase in the text there is even more chance the journalist will simply copy this into their own write up too.

How to send out a press release

Now, no matter how great your idea is or how well you’ve written your release, if you send it to the wrong people you won’t get any coverage – fact.

A scattergun approach of throwing your press release out into the wild and hoping it sticks, is not the way to go about your outreach. Instead you want to take a super-targeted approach.

As Liam Neeson may say, “I will look for you, I will find you, and I will have you read my press release.”

Now remember that contacts database we spoke about earlier, this is where that comes in handy.

If you’re set up on a system such as TravMedia, every time a request comes in from a new journalist add them to your database taking note of their name and contact details as well as the publication(s) they write for and the general topics and style of writing which they tend to cover. You can Google their name to find out more about their writing and interests.

If you aren’t set up on a media database, or even if you are, there are other ways to find contacts to add to your database too. The simplest way is to just keep on top of the latest articles being written across your key niche publications and researching the authors. If you continue to do this on a regular basis you’ll build up a comprehensive contacts list in no time.

Of course, there’s no need to stop there. While we have a very, very full list of contacts which we will always refer to in order to find relevant contacts for each of our press releases, we also always do further bespoke research for every release we send out.

By bespoke research, we mean that we actively search to find journalists who have already covered a story similar to that which we are sending out, as chances are, they’re going to want to cover our story too!

For example, if you’re sending out a release about a new luxury hotel for Valentine’s Day it’s very easy to find a list of journalists who have an interest in writing luxury Valentine’s pieces. Simply head over to Google news, set your time period to around 1st Jan-14th Feb the previous year and search for terms such as ‘luxury valentine’s getaways’ and the ‘the best luxury hotels for Valentine’s day’ to find a whole host of journalists who wrote about this the previous year.

What do I say?

As with reactive PR, it’s best to keep your email short, sweet and to the point when sending over a press release.

We tend to follow a similar format to this: Subject Header:  Press Release Headline

Body:  Hi [journalist name]

I hope you’re well and had a nice weekend!

I saw your recent article about unique ways to explore some of the most popular European cities, and I’m just getting in touch to let you know about Roma Experience’s brand new Colosseum by night tour, which I thought would be of interest to you for [publication name].  ← Personalised reference as to why this release is relevant to them

The VIP tour allows access to areas not available during the day and offers the opportunity to see the Colosseum in a whole new light, quite literally.  ← Brief highlight of the information in the release

You can find out more about the new tour in the full release below.

I hope this is of interest and please let me know if you need anything further at all.

[your name]

{embed press release}  ← Journalists typically prefer a press release embedded within an email rather than attached, as it is less fiddly and takes up less storage in their inbox

Where to find a journalist’s contact details

About to hit send but realised you don’t actually have their email address? It’s actually pretty easy to find a journalist’s email address if you know where to look.

First up, if it’s a staff writer at a publication you’re contacting, all email formats at one publication are typically formatted the same way – so if you already have one person’s contact details from that publication you can typically adapt this to get everyone else’s email too.

Whether staff writer or freelancer, most journalists will include their email address on their Twitter and in some cases LinkedIn. Most journalists usually also have a personal website which you can find just by Googling their name, and this will typically have all the contact details you need.

Another super handy tool we use for finding journalist’s contact details is  Hunter . This simple service lets you search for individuals within a company, just by using their full name and the domain of their business. Hunter will provide you with an email address based on actual web results for the individual’s contact details or a best guess based on the typical email format for this company. Better yet, it’s totally free to get started on Hunter. Another alternative worth checking out is Voila Norberts email finding tool which works in much the same way.

GETTING CREATIVE WITH PR CAMPAIGNS

Now let us be clear, every single part of your PR activity should involve creativity – but our third strand of our PR process is where we start to think even more outside of the box.

While reactive responses and proactive press releases are typically very much focused around promoting the brand and specific products or services, our creative campaign is where we can start to think a little more left field.

You see, our creative campaign is the strand of our PR activity which is more separated from promoting the brand or product itself, and much more focused on simply bringing in those top tier backlinks through creating something which journalists are going to want to talk about. And boy, it sure does bring in those links!

To be precise, our most recent creative campaign for our Rome client gained a total of 80 links in less than one month.

So what makes up a creative campaign? Well it can be whatever you want! But typically our creative campaigns usually comprise of one of the below approaches:

• Hosting a stunt
• Offering a quirky discount or giveaway
• Creating a new unusual/themed product offering
• Launching a new initiative or petition
• Conducting a survey
• Running a competition
• Creating a shareable asset
• Teaming up for a brand or charity partnership

Our latest PR campaign

Our latest campaign for our Rome client consisted of offering an Instagram boyfriend service as an optional add-on for travellers. The campaign took off so much, the service has since developed into its own separate offering.

This quirky new product was a spin on the much-hyped ‘Instagram boyfriends’, the moniker given to those patient partners who take perfectly ‘candid’ shots of influencers racking up the likes on Instagram. With this new offering anyone could have their very own Instagram boyfriend for the day and the chance to get those sought after shots for their own Instagram page.

The practicalities of the campaign were actually very simple; the ‘Instagram boyfriend’ was nothing more than a professional photography service which customers could select as an add-on when booking their tour, however framing this with the ‘Instagram boyfriend’ tag gave the offering a current edge and tied into the recent trend and data around the rise of ‘Instagrammable holidays’, which is what made this a story for journalists.

The Results

• 265 pieces of coverage
• 36 links with DR of 50+
• Coverage on top tier sites including  MSN ,  Lonely Planet ,  Stuff ,  Business Insider  and  Vanity Fair
• 8,000+ referral visits to site from coverage gained
• 2,931% YOY increase in referral traffic to site during campaign time period
• 231.96% YOY increase in organic traffic to site during campaign time period

Brainstorming ideas for PR campaigns

If everyone else jumps off a bridge are you going to do it too? No, Mum!

But if everyone else is picking up coverage left, right and centre by  offering free products to people who get their brand logo tattooed on them  or providing a  money- back guarantee to couples who get divorced  after honeymooning with them, then you probably should do that too.

The point is, the best way to get ideas for your creative campaigns is by monitoring what everyone else is doing that is getting them the headlines and links that you want.

We are constantly tracking the top key publications in our niche – which for us includes  Lonely Planet, CN Traveller  and  Travel + Leisure  – to find inspiration for our next campaigns.

In fact, our Instagram boyfriend campaign was inspired by other similar campaigns we had seen, including a hotel offering an  Instagram sitter service , another hotel which had  trained its staff in Instagram  photography and a  private jet which was available to rent  solely for photoshoots to fool for your followers.

Pick out some of the key publications in your niche and monitor them every day to find out which creative campaigns, stunts and quirky offers are getting coverage then see how you can twist a similar idea to fit your offering.

Promoting PR campaigns

Just like with your press releases, promotion of your PR campaign should be hyper-targeted. Luckily, doing the research in the first place to find ideas for your campaign makes the targeted outreach process that much easier.

If you have based your campaign idea on other campaigns receiving coverage, your first step is to contact all of the people who covered the campaign which inspired yours.

When outreaching our Instagram boyfriend campaign we contacted all of the people who had covered the other Instagram travel campaigns which had inspired our own.

We gathered a list of all of these sites through using a paid tool called  Moz  which allows us to track every site which had linked to the original story or product. On top of this, we also ran a Google search for each campaign to identify any further coverage which wasn’t listed in the Moz database.

If you’re not in a position to sign up for Moz, simply conducting a Google search will allow you to find much of the coverage for the campaigns you are tracking.

We completed our outreach for this project by taking a wider outlook, and reaching out to journalists who had covered other quirky travel services and Instagram travel stories. Finally, we reached out to those publications with a readership which fit the demographic likely to be interested in the service we were offering, in this case 16-35 year old females.

Getting started with your own PR

Feeling inspired? It’s time to get started on your own PR activity using the steps we’ve outlined above.

Get moving by first writing a list of everything that makes your business special and unique, and a timeline of everything new that you have planned for this year.

Next, read up on the top headlines across your niche and start identifying which news has come from a PR story – no doubt you’ll find this is a lot more than you ever realised.

As you get familiar with the press coverage in your niche, it’s time to start thinking about how you can use your own USPs and insights to craft opportunities for coverage on these target sites.

And don’t worry if not every press release, journalist response or campaign hits the mark. If you continue your PR efforts over the long term you’re bound to see coverage picking up, and as you do you’ll also start seeing the long-term SEO impact for your site too.

You can also read more about how PR tied into our wider work with Roma Experience to bring an improvement of 2,800% in organic traffic  here .

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About the author

Catriona joined SEO Travel in 2016 as our PR and Content Manager, bringing a background of journalism alongside her years of experience in digital marketing and PR. She manages the content marketing and PR activity for our clients, producing creative campaigns which attract top tier links for the businesses we work with.

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Category: Travel

Date: August 18, 2023

Innovative Travel Marketing Campaigns From Around The World

Creating a successful travel marketing campaign can be a challenging task for most of the travel marketers. With numerous travel agencies, airlines, and hotels in line, there is fierce competition for brand awareness.

A lot of travel marketing campaigns try hard to capture the curiosity of travelers, but fall flat. So, our expert digital marketers at ColorWhistle wanted to give you a little inspiration for your own travel and tourism marketing in 2023 and beyond.

From social media, video content, display, we searched for some of the most compelling travel marketing campaigns that inspired people to go on their next travel adventure.

Here’s a roundup of some of the most famous travel and tourism marketing campaigns you should check out.

Best Travel Marketing Campaigns From Around The World

We have segregated all the travel marketing campaigns into social media, video content and display ads. This will help you to frame a multi-channel strategy.

14 Best Examples of Travel Video Marketing Campaigns

Here are some of the most innovative travel videos.

1. KLM – Live Hologram Bar

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has built a hologram bar where people can meet to exchange local tips when they are waiting for flights. These holograms are placed in the airports of Amsterdam, Oslo and Rio de Janeiro.

2. Turkish Airlines – The Journey

Turkish Airlines released a short film called ‘The Journey’ where 90% of the film was airplanes and scenery. This short film has done a brilliant job promoting the airline and the destinations.

3. Iceland – Explore the a-ö of Iceland

The A-Ö of Iceland, a marketing campaign uses Icelandic alphabet to increase awareness of Iceland as a good place to visit; a great place to do business; and a place that provides great food and experience.

4. Cheapflights – Drag, Drop and Go

Cheapflights and agency Uncle Grey designed an ad banner that appeared on articles about sports, art, music events and relevant publications. The user had to simply drag the article image into the Cheapflights banner and it will instantly find the best tickets. Rather than focusing on destinations, it promoted experiences that people were already interested in.

5. Van Gogh’s Bedroom – Let Yourself In

To promote the Art Institute of Chicago’s 2016 van Gogh exhibit, Leo Burnett built Van Gogh’s Bedroom and listed it on Airbnb as a place for people to stay for a night. The campaign was a tremendous success.

6. Switzerland – Yodel Ay Hee Hoo

This ad campaign encouraged busy city people to visit the countryside. A live video feed was placed in the train station where a man was sharing information about his village and even printed train tickets in real-time.

7. Tourism Ireland – Fill your Heart

Tourism Ireland asked a married couple to wear a custom-made technology which had head-mounted cameras during their holiday in Ireland. The technology tracked their response to various experiences. They wanted to use this data to show the ‘heart-filling’ effect that Ireland has on visitors. This campaign has combined storytelling with technology.

8. Airbnb – Let’s Keep Travelling Forward

Geo-politically, 2018 was not a good year. When Donald Trump imposed a travel ban during that year, Airbnb immediately released a video highlighting the brand’s belief – “to limit travel is to turn back progress.” This campaign helped to voice the brand’s message to the world while staying relevant.

9. Hong Kong Tourism Board – VR Time Travel

When the Hong Kong tourism board launched a VR time travel experience with Timelooper, it wanted to show people that this will be an engaging experience. This VR experience enabled viewers to see the 1960’s Hong Kong, the battle between two kung-fu fighters on Hollywood Road, aircraft landing at Kai Tan airport and more. This campaign showcased the location in an innovative and engaging way.

10. British Airways – Safety Video

Safety videos are usually boring. But, British Airways turned it into a marketing opportunity. They made a safety video with actors Sir Michael Caine, Olivia Colman and comedian Chabuddy G. This video created a great online buzz for British Airways.

11. Easyjet – Imagine

Easyjet launched a £12m pan-European campaign in 2018 called ‘Imagine.’ It was a TV ad which showed the many wonders of air travel. Along with this, the company also ran ads across print, digital and social. This ad campaign helped viewers associate Easyjet with imagination and experience.

12. SNCF – Europe, It’s Just Next Door

The French National Railway operator wanted to encourage people to take the train to visit nearby countries. It placed blue doors in and around Paris. When a person opens the door, it will give an immersive digital experience of what they could see ‘next door’.

13. Tourism Quebec – Blind Tourist

Quebec is a place known for its outdoor lifestyle. But, Tourism Quebec wanted to show people that traveling can be more than just visual experience. They wanted to offer a rich experience to the senses in such a way that seeing things was only a small part of the picture. This ad has a very rich narrative.

14. Northern Ireland – Doors Of Thrones

Northern Ireland used the hit show Game of Thrones to draw tourists in. They took destroyed remnants of battered trees and carved them into 10 intricate doors. All these doors resembled the 10 episodes of season 6.

15. Helsinki Airport – Life In Hel

Helsinki was voted the best airport in 2016. They leveraged this success by running a campaign featuring Chinese actor Ryan Zhu. He lived in this airport for 30 days and shared the experience across social media and other video channels.

11 Best Examples of Creative Travel and Tourism Print Ads

Here are some of the most innovative print ads.

1. LATAM Airlines used the rainbow flag in a series of print ads

2. Norwegian Airlines utilized the Brangelina split to its advantage

3. Kielo Travel – Dreaming of a Holiday?

4. Detroiter Travel Center – You Made It

5. CVC – The World Is Outside

6. Cruise Ship Centers – Dreaming of a cruise?

7. Flight Center – Forget Work

8. WWF – Exploring the ecosystem also threatens lives

9. TBWA Buenos Aires – Medical assistance for travelers

10. Shchusev State Museum of Architecture – Discover the full story

11. Staedtler – Where it begins

13 Best Examples of Travel Social Media Campaigns

Here are some of the most innovative travel social media campaigns.

1. Eurostar

This Instagram campaign from Eurostar turned heads by trying something new. They wanted to promote train travel from London to Paris. So, they split an illustration of a journey from London to Paris into 200 Instagram tile images. Some tiles were videos and others were hidden offers.

2. Alaska Airlines

At the end of the year, many companies give gifts to customers and employees. Keeping this in mind, Alaska Airlines launched a fun promotional Twitter campaign by partnering with Starbucks. They gave a free Starbucks gift card to their guests.

3. Hawaii Tourism Department

The Hawaii tourism department wanted to give first-time visitors an idea of Hawaii’s beauty and culture. Plus, they also wanted veteran vacationers to visit the island again So, the tourism department collaborated with travel Instagrammers to get users to share their favorite Hawaii memory by using the hashtag #LetHawaiiHappen. The campaign was a huge success because ordinary users shared their own experiences.

4. WOW Airlines

WOW Airlines launched a Snaptraveler program where 4 winners would get to tour across all 28 of the airline’s destinations for free. In exchange, they have to post a Snap story about all the locations they visit. The idea of this summer Snapchat contest was to create a reality television-like experience, target their main demographic and share relevant content in WOW Airlines’ Snapchat account. Here is a short video of the campaign.

5. National Geographic

National Geographic launched a wanderlust contest for aspiring travel and nature photographers. They have to submit their own photographs with the hashtag #Wanderlustcontest. The idea behind this campaign was to improve National Geographic’s reputation as the leading source for beautiful travel photography.

6. Kenya Tourism Board

Kenya Tourism Board partnered with Expedia to promote Kenya and an incredible destination to travelers. They choose a famous travel blogging couple and sent them on a one week trip to Kenya with no fixed itinerary. The people following this couple on Instagram can decide the itinerary by voting through an Instagram Stories poll. Throughout the week, the couple broadcasted their journey to their Instagram followers. The content was also repurposed on a microsite. This campaign was a huge success. Here is a short video of the campaign.

7. Cheapflights Facebook Messenger

Cheapflights Chat launched the world’s first Facebook Messenger bot which allowed people to search for flights and hotels. The bot utilized seven APIs. To promote this chat, videos of fictional conversations were created and shared across Facebook. Here is the chat demo.

8. Hotels.com

Hotels.com dedicated an entire Facebook ad carousel to promote its “Gift $50, Get $10” holiday deal. Each slide focuses on the deal and also shows the different types of trips that people can take. This is a simple and memorable ad.

10. Visit PA

Visit PA wanted to push Pennsylvania as the perfect summer getaway. They used Facebook’s carousel ads format to show one panoramic photo in parts.

Airbnb created a unique Instagram video ad that showed users how the experience of discovering each activity in the Airbnb app will look like.

12. Air Canada

Air Canada ran an ad in the US during the night of the 2016 presidential election. That night, Canada’s Immigration and Citizenship site had so many visitors that it crashed. Air Canada learnt this sudden interest and targeted the ad towards people who are looking to fly outside the country.

13. Explore Georgia

Explore Georgia wanted to position itself as the most pet-friendly state in America. So, they created a social media strategy targeting millennial pet owners. They shared lots of posts with the hashtag #ExploreGeorgiaPup to show that Georgia was the perfect place to visit with a dog. This campaign generated lots of traffic to their website and also helped them to reach 10,000+ followers on their pet-friendly travel Pinterest board.

7 Best Examples of Travel Email Marketing Campaigns

Here are some of the most innovative travel email marketing campaigns.

1. Air Canada

During email sign-up, Air Canada asks new subscribers to tell their home airport and the destinations they are interested to travel. By using this information, they send personalized emails according to the interest of the subscriber.

For example, this email was sent to a subscriber whose home airport is in Montreal.

2. Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic proved that it can promote activities that focus on the journey and not just the destination. The company created a memorable customer experience by sending them email offers for virtual reality skydiving. The name of the campaign was Virgin Experience Days.

3. Fairmont Hotels

Loyalty is hard to find in the travel business because travelers always search for the best deal rather than a specific brand. However, if there is a reward program, it will encourage loyalty and repeat business.

Fairmont Hotels wanted to persuade their subscribers to sign up for their loyalty program through an easy sign-up form which included a call-to-action. Here’s the attractive email.

4. Flight Centre

Limited period offers always create a sense of urgency and encourages people to take action. Flight Center used this idea and offered cheap deals to New York City. To convey that this was a limited-time offer, they added a countdown clock at the bottom of the email.

5. Southwest Airlines

Subscribers will feel good if you send emails appreciating them. Southwest Airlines sent an email to its subscribers by adding their customer’s name, travel history and reward points they earned. This ‘thank you’ email also had smiling faces and diverse employees.

Holidays are the time when flight tickets might go up. Mostly, people book tickets at the last time and when the rates are high, they often get disappointed. To avoid this, Hipmunk sent a simple email announcing that prices will go up.

7. Memphis CVB

Memphis CVB wanted to improve awareness of Memphis by showcasing its many attractions and key events they must attend. Here is one of the custom emails they sent to their subscribers.

Drive Conversions and Boost your Business with Expert Travel Website Development.

It’s time to start your next travel marketing campaign.

We hope that the above travel marketing campaigns will inspire you to kickstart your next one. All of these ads have gone beyond the typical boring list of destinations, images and pricing. They show the power of timing, relevance and personalization – all of which are important to create a great campaign.

To create such ad campaigns, all you have to do is get creative, think big and dig deep to find inspiration in the destination you represent. The ideas you come with today will continue to inspire travelers for years to come.

If you need any help to create a travel marketing strategy, our experts at ColorWhistle are eager to assist you. Contact us today. We will help you to stand out from the crowd.

Have you seen a better online travel marketing campaign? Do share them in the comment section below.

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About the Author - Anjana

Anjana is a full-time Copywriter at ColorWhistle managing content-related projects. She writes about website technologies, digital marketing, and industries such as travel. Plus, she has an unhealthy addiction towards online marketing, watching crime shows, and chocolates.

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The Top PR Firms in Luxury Travel

The best travel PR pros know better than to merely slice through the noise of trends that are as fleeting as a summer fling. It’s all about turning those micro-awe moments into unforgettable memories that redefine the story.

As the first true post-pandemic travel year ended, Design Hotels, an oracle of boutique hospitality trendsetting, dropped its inaugural tome analyzing it all: the Further Forecast . The 158-page report, made in collaboration with SOON Future Studies, peers into the soul of 2024's travel and culture vibe from the heady realms of healing escapes to the buzz of micro-awakenings and the psychedelic renaissance of therapy. Yet, this crystal ball doesn’t just gaze into the esoteric—it also zeros in on the everyday traveler's quandaries: the fast versus slow life paradox fueled by A.I., and a crash course in neuroaesthetics (because apparently, designing with emotion in mind is the next frontier). While the uninitiated might find it a bit much, this report is practically a treasure map for media specialists eager to whip up the next big wave in travel. And as Boeing continues to navigate its public relations Bermuda Triangle, the rest of us have a year's worth of successes to toast to—and an electrifying horizon to explore.

Public relations pros in the hotel and travel realms are already spellcasting to align with these revelations. Take the "ecology urgency" tsunami—travel's latest green wave—exemplified by GO PR 's unveiling of New Haven’s Breuer-designed Hotel Marcel , the first zero-emissions hotel in the U.S., which achieved over 11 billion impressions, not only catapulting the hotel into the spotlight but also flaunting PR's alchemy in spinning green dreams into headline gold. Founder Gizem Ozcelik ’s savvy, all-women ensemble didn't stop there, also conjuring up the Astrology Dinner Series at Society Cafe in The Walker Hotel Greenwich Village , a cosmic cure to the so-called "loneliness recession" of our times. Over at Meg Connolly Communications , the Fifth Avenue Hotel bash, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and a champagne cascade, amplified our thirst for closeness, luxury, and the elusive members-only aura we're all after. Meanwhile, Perowne International threw a gargantuan extravaganza for the nearly $2 billion makeover of the Raffles London at The OWO , redefining the art of grand openings. Not to be outdone, their Lake Como gem, Passalacqua , clinched the top spot at the inaugural World’s 50 Best Hotels Awards , proving their Midas touch isn't limited to just throwing lavish parties. 

As cozy as the post-Covid reunion tour of 2023 felt, the digital realm threw us a curveball with the ubiquity of A.I., which gave the travelverse a whole new makeover—and it’s not going anywhere. Behemoth OTA Expedia's flirt with ChatGPT even began dishing out customized travel advice, certainly just the appetizer in the banquet of A.I.'s future in our holiday plans. PR firms are riding this digital wave, flaunting their clients as the trailblazing builders of a tech-savvy hospitality world. But of course, the best of the best PR pros know better than to merely slice through the noise of trends that are as fleeting as a summer fling. It's all about turning those micro-awe moments into unforgettable memories that redefine the story. 

Visit our Power Index to view the entire 2024 PR Power Series.

The Top Luxury Travel PR Firms in 2024

August 28 studio, meg connolly communications, perowne international .

• Anne-Cécile & Kimberley Blanchot , Co-Founders/CEOs

In 2018, sisters Anne-Cécile Blanchot and Kimberley Blanchot launched August 28, a storytelling powerhouse straddling New York City and Paris that blends bilingual charm with bicultural bravado, becoming the go-to for brands seeking that transatlantic sparkle. “No U.S. agency within our competitive set boasts a French presence quite like ours,” Anne-Cécile Blanchot tells Observer. “While many have established bases in the U.K., the distinct cultural nuances and work ethic in France set it apart. Recognizing and aligning with these differences is crucial for us to effectively serve our French and European clients.” Their portfolio is replete with triumphs, like La Compagnie, the all-business-class airline that defied skeptics and soared with August 28's inventive tactics. They transformed the airline into a haven of creativity with a "Blue Friday" promo that raked in over 380 million impressions and bagged over $2 million in ticket sales. Then there's The Plaza, New York's iconic gem. August 28 crafted a media strategy for the "Defying Gravi-Tea" afternoon tea that was so magical that it not only toasted Wicked 's 20-year Broadway run but also cast a spell over the holiday season, bagging a whopping 1.7 billion impressions. Across the pond in Paris, they've made newcomer SO/ Paris the belle of the ball, thrusting it into the limelight during Paris Fashion Week 2023 with sky-high occupancy from English-speaking markets. As for the future, they're considering AI with a twinkle in their eye, ready to infuse their campaigns with a tech-savvy touch that still carries unmistakable French finesse. Bien joué, sisters, bien joué.

• Gizem Ozcelik , Founder

In just three whirlwind years, industry maven Gizem Ozcelik has catapulted GO PR to the pinnacle of innovation. Exhibit A: the launch of Hotel Marcel, the first net-zero emissions hotel in the U.S., which snagged over 11 billion impressions across a spectrum of media realms, from travel to business. This project, alongside collaborations with eco-conscious locales like Tourisme Montréal and Visit Faroe Islands, showcases GO PR's green streak. The agency's knack for fresh, buzzworthy campaigns sparkled in 2023 with the hotly anticipated revival of Dawn Ranch near Sonoma (racking up a whopping 693 million impressions in six months), and the monthly themed—not to mention sold-out—Astrology Dinners at Society Cafe in The Walker Hotel Greenwich Village. According to Ozcelik, it’s about looking beyond traditional hospitality PR goals. “We urge clients to pursue creative programming and partnerships that aim to make them a cultural hub in their communities,” she tells Observer. From brewing up a lasagna-flavored beer collab with Don Angie and Talea to maintaining a stellar client stickiness, exemplified by their work with Bridgeton, GO PR has proven itself as more than just an agency—it's the secret ingredient in its clients' success recipes. GO PR's blend of innovation, retention and flair is set to keep the agency on its upward trajectory, leaving a trail of dazzled clients and awestruck audiences in its wake.

• Gabriele & Andreas Sappok , Co-Owners

In 2006, Gabriele Sappok launched Imagine PR , and in 2014, her partner-in-crime (and life), Andreas, came aboard as managing partner, adding his personal style to the mix. With a crew as sharp as their passports are stamped, they've transformed their portfolio into a global treasure map of luxury and experiential travel campaigns. Their magic touch turned Tswalu, South Africa's vast private game reserve, into a star, landing the March 2024 cover story on U.K. Condé Nast Traveller despite a drought of visuals. The pair's collaboration with Quasar Expeditions charted a course to a five-page feature in Travel + Leisure 's November 2023 issue, cementing Quasar's reputation as a sustainable travel titan in the Galapagos. In a world where SEO reigns supreme, Imagine PR has seamlessly blended digital savvy with classic PR flair. Their campaign for ThirdHome, inspired by the 2023 Met Gala's Karl Lagerfeld theme, not only caught the media's eye but also skyrocketed the company's search engine ranking, highlighting a property once visited by Lagerfeld himself. “As the influence of SEO and algorithms on travel content grows, we've adapted our tactics to reflect this marriage of PR and SEO effectively," Gabriele Sappok tells Observer. "Because what good is fame if nobody can find you for what you do? And what good is being found if nobody trusts your brand name?” With 35 percent of their clients sticking around for over a decade, including 17 years with Singita and 14 with Natural Selection, the Sappoks have proven they're in it for the long haul. Their secret? A dash of imagination and a whole lot of spades.

• Meg Connolly , Founder

Meg Connolly's knack for making a splash is practically in her genes, and this year, she's added a dash of champagne to the mix. Take the grand opening of The Fifth Avenue Hotel, a campaign bubbling over with the effervescence of a freshly popped bottle of Dom Pérignon. This launch has already become a PR legend, marked by MCC's genius: a multi-layered press campaign that kicked off during Fashion Week with Oscar de la Renta's showcase in collaboration with Moda Operandi. This was just the appetizer for a media feast that devoured the A-list pages of WSJ Magazine and Architectural Digest . The icing on the cake? Sarah Jessica Parker's bubbly endorsement, a champagne waterfall that spilled over into coverage from Vogue to W Magazine . With Slater Gillin, their veteran SVP & Creative Director, at the helm, MCC boasts a retention record that's the envy of the industry, with Maybourne Hospitality (which includes iconic British properties like Claridge’s and the Connaught) in their fold since day one, a bond that's lasted over a decade. This kin-over-contract approach has drawn others into MCC's gravitational pull, including their latest triumph. “We recently began working with Meadowood Napa Valley,” Connolly tells Observer, “a client that has been on our vision board since the agency was launched 17 years ago.” Looking to the future, MCC is poised to broaden its ultra-luxury brand galaxy, with aspirations that glitter like a perfectly cut diamond, ensuring every campaign is a toast-worthy extravaganza.

• Jules Perowne , Founder/CEO 

In a world obsessed with the biggest and the glossiest, Jules Perowne begs to differ, leaning on word-of-mouth fame that luxury hospitality brands dream of. Her secret weapon? A pinch of wanderlust. Perowne’s team are globe-trotters by trade, embracing the ethos that to understand truly, one must see. This approach keeps them perfectly tuned to the desires of the world's most lavish travelers. The results speak for themselves: Raffles London, a $1.7 billion extravaganza with nine restaurants, three bars and hotel suites named after iconic figures like Winston Churchill. Not to mention their Lake Como treasure, Passalacqua, snagging the top spot at the inaugural World’s 50 Best Hotels Awards.  With long-standing clients like the Oetker Collection and the 750-year-old Hotel de L'​​Europe, plus exciting new additions like the 20-year-strong JK Place and its soon-to-open Milan property, Perowne's portfolio is more dazzling than ever. They're also teaming up with Borgo Santo Pietro in Tuscany, Canaves in Santorini and the trailblazing Auric Road in the U.S., adding more stars to their already glittering sky. Perowne's mantra? Back to basics. She's slicing through the noise, not just riding trends but creating them. "I'm constantly on the move—I think last year alone, I hit 82 flights,” Perowne quips. “It's during these travels that I sense the trends. My approach? I trust my gut. And I always say to my team, 'Cut the crap. What's the story? What's the headline? Is it genuine? Is it relevant?' Now, more than ever, those words—relevant, real—are absolutely critical." For Perowne’s clients, expect to be handed the tools to deftly carve your own niche in the luxury universe and thrive.

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35 of the best PR Campaigns of 2019

By James Herring on Monday, December 16, 2019

Over the last 12 months we’ve blogged about 500+ head-turning, creative marketing campaigns from all across the globe.

Famous PR campaigns which grabbed attention for the brands behind them, inspired publicity stunts that crashed into our newsfeeds and social media timelines.

As 2019 closes it’s time to call out some of our favourites.

So in no particular order of bestness – here’s 35.

P.S looking for a creative PR agency?

#1 Campaigner installs seesaws across the Mexican border wall so kids can play together

Seesaws which allow children from the US and Mexico to play together were installed on the Mexican border. Anti-border wall campaigner and architect Ronald Rael installed three pink seesaws on the US-Mexico border to allow families on each side to meaningfully connect. [ read more ]

#2 Paddy Power pull off inspired hoax with a fake shirt

Paddy Power launched a ‘Save Our Shirt’ campaign, calling on brands to stop sponsoring football shirts – including fellow betting companies. To kick this off this they pulled off an audaciously good, hoax shirt launch. [read more]

#3 Instagram’s most liked egg revealed as part of mental health campaign

Uploaded on January 4th, the infamous yet innocuous egg challenged the world to make it the most liked post on Instagram. Reaching over 52 million likes, it quickly surpassed all others – knocking Kylie Jenner’s post off the top spot. However over the course of subsequent posts, the egg began showing cracks; appearing more fragile with every new upload. [read more]

#4 German Rail convinced Germans to Staycation

72% of Germans fly abroad for their holidays. So how to make them consider traveling within Germany using German Rail? Play the case study video. It’s a lovely piece of work.

#5 Nike’s flagship store in London introduced plus-size mannequins

Nike’s flagship store London has introduced plus-size mannequins to “celebrate the diversity and inclusivity of sport”. [full story]

#6 The Faroe Islands Closed for Maintenance

The latest Faroe Islands’ “Closed for Maintenance” campaign has attracted 5,886 people to spend 15-17 April 2020 working on the islands. Attractions in the Faroe Islands were closed for regular visitors but open to volunteers – or voluntourists – who wish to help maintain them. [read more]

#7 AeroMexico troll Texans with DNA test offer

A new ad for AeroMexico playing on middle America’s animosity towards Mexico went viral. To persuade more U.S. residents to the country AeroMexico offered “DNA discounts” on the airline for Americans with Mexican ancestry. [read more]

#8 Ikea Italy challenge public to find their products in a museum of antiques

Items of Ikea furniture were hidden amongst the 18th Century exhibits in the Museum of Romanticism in Madrid. Visitors were challenged to find the “hidden” pieces of Ikea among the antiques. [full story]

#9 Pornhub campaign to clean up ocean plastic pollution with ‘dirtiest porn film ever’

Adult website Pornhub filmed a porn movie on a trash-filled beach to raise money and awareness for ocean pollution. The video features an amateur pornstar couple that sees them getting it on – on one of the world’s dirtiest beaches. [read more]

#10 Channel 4 turned viewer complaints into a promo video 

Channel Four’s latest promo entitled Complaints Welcome – features TV stars bringing to life genuine complaints which viewers have made about them. [read more]

#11 Mothercare aim to normalise images of post-natal mothers

A new campaign launched by Mothercare intends to challenge unrealistic images of new mothers and their bodies post childbirth. [read more]

#12 Extinction Rebellion draw attention to rising sea levels.

Extinction Rebellion protesters sailed a house down the River Thames in a bid to draw attention to rising sea levels. [read more]

#13 BBC handed the marketing of Peaky Blinders to fans of the cult show

The BBC unveiled its new marketing campaign for Peak Blinders Season 5 – sourcing all the artwork from fans of the cult show. [read more]

#14 Vegemite and Marmite went head to head in advert war ahead of The Ashes

Vegemite and Marmite have engaged in a heated war of words with both brands taking out full page ads aimed at the other ahead of the 2019 Ashes cricket tournament. [read more]

#15 A Hotel for houseplants opens in London

A hotel exclusively for houseplants has opened in London offering a lifeline to ‘plant parents’ worried about leaving them to wither during the holiday season. [read more]

#16 F*CK! Nurofen have proved that swearing provides pain relief

Nurofen have pulled together a panel of science experts to carry out an experiment investigating the effect of swearing on short term pain tolerance. Volunteers were invited to test the power of swearwords, new swear words and random words while their hands were submerged in an ice water bath.

#17 Greggs, made a splash with the launch of its vegan sausage roll

Pitching it as “next-generation sausage roll technology” in a parody of an Apple product launch,

#18 Girl mocked on Tinder for her dress models for ASOS

In a brilliant piece of reactive PR, ASOS took a negative comment posted about one of their customers photos and flipped it by using her image as the centre of a unique and empowering marketing activation.

#19 Holocaust story dramatised for the Instagram generation

Israeli entrepreneurs have dramatised the plight of a Jewish teenager murdered by the Nazis by imagining her documenting her final days on Instagram. With the global community of survivors rapidly shrinking advocates of Holocaust remembrance are seeking creative ways to share witnesses’ stories with a younger generation.

#20 The smallest McDonald’s in the world is a fully functional beehive

McDonald’s Sweden unveiled a mini version of its iconic restaurant – in the form of a fully functional beehive. Complete with drive-thru windows, seating, signage and al fresco tables, the fast food company is calling the hive the ‘smallest Mcdonald’s in the world’.

#21 Netflix flaunt Thai censorship laws to promote Narcos

Netflix wanted to promote  Narcos Mexico in Thailand. However the Thai authorities are notorious for very tough censorship stance – and the show is pretty much wall-to-wall drug taking, sex and violence. So instead of deleting offending scenes from the trailer,  Netflix  just cut around the offending images within each scene – leaving the silhouettes perfectly intact.

#22 Overkill unveil jet-ski sneaker

German sneaker and graffiti store Overkill went all out to launch the new edition of the new adidas ZX8000 Aqua in Berlin.

#23 Ecover release baby-scented perfume “L’eau de bébé”

Ecover released a promo for gender-neutral perfume called ‘L’Eau de Bébé’ that smells like a newborn baby. The satirical ad claims ‘Nothing smells as good as babies. Fact. Research has found that one sniff activates the same reward centres in our brains that drugs do – only babies are way more legal.’

#24 Carlsberg announce they’re probably not the best beer in the world

Having spent years proclaiming they are probably the best beer in the world, Carlsberg conceded they’re actually ‘one of the cheapest, not the best’, and launched a brand-new campaign to address the issue.

#25 KFC called out chicken shop imitators 

KFC took  aim at chicken shops across Britain, calling them out for their blatant imitation of the Colonel led poultry power house.

High-streets up and down the UK play host to an alphabetised catalogue of chicken shops mimicking the chain’s name and logo. From the AFC’s to ZFC’s, the uncanny likenesses are undeniable.

#26 Swimming champions draw attention to plastic pollution

British synchronised swimmers Kate Shortman, 17 and 18-year-old Isabelle Thorpe took on the challenge of performing their World Championship routine in a swimming pool littered with plastic drinking bottles, containers, toiletries and carrier bags. The challenge was made by the Big Bang Fair to bring attention to how young people are using their science, technology, engineering and maths skills to address environmental issues such as the impact of plastic pollution in the oceans. [ read more ]

#27 Limited edition Heinz label illustrates optimum ketchup pouring angle

A new limited edition label design from Heinz (Canada) helps users find the perfect angle for optimum ketchup pouring.

#28 Barbie reimagined on her 60th birthday to show her real age

Lumen, a dating site for singles over 50, paid homage to Mattel’s iconic Barbie on her 60th birthday. The photo series is part of a campaign to celebrate the beauty of growing older. The iconic doll, which has captivated generations of children since her launch in 1959, has been recast as a real person to celebrate the appeal of older women.

#29 Nike celebrates “crazy” women in sport in new #justdoit ad

Following on from last year’s highly controversial advert starring NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Nike have released a new ad celebrating “crazy” female athletes.

#30 IKEA deploy supersized SMÅKRYP bath toys to clean the Thames

IKEA Greenwich unveiled a unique remote-controlled boat that clears rubbish from polluted waterways. Introduced as part of the launch of Ikea Greenwich the ‘Good Ship IKEA’ has been modelled to look like the retailer’s best-selling bath toy, SMÅKRYP.

#31 Hotel in Sweden offers free rooms to people who can stay off social media

A hotel in Gothenburg, Sweden, has launched a new policy where the room rate is determined by how much time guests spend on social media.

#32 Guinness promote tap water in responsible drinking campaign

Guinness have launched their responsible drinking campaign ahead of the Six Nations rugby championship. Styled as new product launch the spot for Guinness Clear (aka tap water) deploys every glorious beer ad cliché in the playbook to deliver the message. [ read more ]

#33 Burger King serve up a whopper of an election stunt

Burger King have served up a witty riposte to all the pre-election hype and nonsense with a witty bus campaign.

#34 VOO Telecom creates ‘modern art’ with lagged imagery to promote faster internet

To promote its faster internet, Belgium’s biggest Telco challenger VOO have created posters that look like modern art at first sight, but are in fact screenshots of failed video calls.

#35  A DIY store in Wales takes the crown for the most adorable Christmas Ad

When it comes to heartwarming Christmas Ads, names such as John Lewis, Sainsbury’s and M&S immediately jump to mind. However, a small independent DIY store in South Wales gave the big dogs a run for their money.

ALL Automotive Behind the Campaign Cause Related Christmas Entertainment Environmental Fashion Food & Drink Health & Beauty Inspiration Off the Record Other Retail Sport Technology Topical Travel

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2022 Wrapped: The Best Digital PR Campaigns of the Year

As the end of the year quickly nears, it’s that time (again!) to reflect on our favourite Semetrical digital PR campaigns of 2022.

From revealing the top stoner movies in all 50 states to ranking the best UK cities for women in tech, this year produced a whole host of exciting, creative and highly clickable content and campaigns.  

So, as 2022 wraps up, here are some of our favourite campaigns… 

#1 – Top Stoner Movies 

For our seltzer brand client, we were tasked with creating an original content campaign that would garner links across US press. With this in mind, we set out to create content that would have a strong link with the industry, while still being relevant to a range of media – whether it be regional , or national – as well as the average consumer.

With ‘stoner movies’ being a subgenre of comedy film where marijuana is often central to the plot, this campaign researched and revealed the 50 states’ favourite stoner movies. 

From the Big Lebowski and Dazed and Confused to We’re the Millers and even Scary Movie, using Google Trends data, we were able to examine the most popular and well-loved stoner movies to see the most searched-for in each state. The results? Coverage and links in everything from industry press, such as Leafly and Cannabis News World, to business publications, like Investor Ideas. 

#2 – The Most Instagrammed

Tasked with creating a campaign for our remittance client to generate links to specific country pages on their website, we brainstormed how to create a link between each of these corridors and an exciting, engaging topic. This resulted in us creating ‘the most Instagrammed landmarks’ campaigns. 

As the winter months set in, many of us start to dream of warmer weather and turn to social media for some aspirational travel content. So, through scouring thousands of hashtags, we were able to collect data on the most Instagrammed landmarks and beaches in Brazil, Mexico, India and the Philippines, revealing a fantastic list of must-see places and a wealth of inspiration for individuals planning their next trip! 

Gaining links in top-tier publications from Esquire Philippines to Travel and Leisure India, this campaign picked up coverage in highly-relevant media, while spotlighting priority countries for our client. 

#3 – The Best Cities for Women in Tech 

Across the UK and the rest of the world, diversity in the workplace is something businesses and organisations have been working towards – and is something our client FDM wanted to focus on. For this project, our aim was to create a campaign that would be relevant to the organisation and highly topical to a range of journalists and publications. 

To do this, we built a digital PR campaign around women in tech, one of the fastest-growing movements in the country. For this data-led campaign, we started by selecting UK cities experiencing the largest growth in the tech sector. From there, each city was assigned a rank based on factors, including the average tech salary, the number of current tech job vacancies, the level of tech investment they received, and the average gender pay gap. 

All in all, this campaign was able to generate links from priority publications for our client, including a range of business, female-led, and regional press. 

#4 – Weird Things Banned Around the World

As post-pandemic travel has picked up again throughout the year, this is the time to start lending fresh advice – as unusual as it may be. In creating a digital PR campaign for our international property client, we needed to think of an idea that would be both relatable and newsworthy, and tied into moving abroad. 

With so much travel and property content already out there, this was the time to think a little bit outside the box. So, we created a story revealing the 10 weirdest items that are outlawed in countries around the world – from baby walkers and plastic shopping bags to chewing gum and even vapes.

This campaign was able to generate interest from a huge range of publications – picking up coverage in the likes of MSN, The Sun, and the Daily Mirror, in addition to regional and even international press. At the same time, tying our client into relevant content and gaining links to high-priority pages. 

#5 – America’s Scariest States

As the spookiest time of the year approached, it was time to create the ultimate Halloween campaign. Across the US, each state has its own infamous horror stories, from UFO sightings to ghost encounters and everything in between, so we set out to pinpoint the scariest states. 

To work this out, we analysed data to decipher all the known serial killers in the country and the state they were from. From there, we looked at the number of haunted places in each American state, the number of UFO and ghost sightings per state, and even the amount of horror films set in each location. From these data points, we were able to conclude that Vermont is officially the scariest state in America!

This generated buzz in popular publications like TimeOut, regional publications across the states, and Halloween and horror-related press, such as The Haunted File. 

Want to start creating your own out-of-the-box campaigns? Read all about how to develop a Digital PR campaign or check out our digital PR services for more information

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• January 18, 2024

Digital PR Spotlight: 5 campaigns we loved in 2023

• Digital Marketing

Barbenheimer, the official ending of the COVID-19 pandemic, international conflicts, England’s triumph at the Women’s World Cup and sky-high inflation – it’s fair to say that 2023 was a year of ups and downs. It’s been no different in the world of marketing and PR, with low budgets (thanks, cost of living crisis), high expectations and the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence.

But from the iconic ‘Fake Moss’ at Aldi to budget travel hacks that make the cost of living crisis easier to bear, 2023 still brought us some cracking campaigns. While it’s impossible to cover them all, here are five standout PR campaigns that made a lasting impression on us in 2023:

Aldi: The great ‘Fake Moss’ lookalike

We couldn’t talk about the best campaigns of 2023 without shining the spotlight on Aldi’s iconic Kate Moss impersonation. Back in December, Chanel hosted its annual Metiers D’Art show in Manchester. Aldi took advantage of this with an ingenious PR stunt centred around a Kate Moss lookalike holding an Aldi Bag For Life.

The model was papped by a ‘fan’ (or Aldi social media manager), who shared a picture of her inside the store on X (Twitter). From that moment, the media lapped up the story of a high-fashion celebrity shopping at a budget UK supermarket. Yep, Aldi had us all totally fooled.

This campaign didn’t feature a landing page, so we don’t have a precise link count. However, it’s fair to say that the stunt grabbed hundreds of global headlines (both before and after the truth was revealed) and created a social media frenzy to boot.

Standout coverage:

• Daily Mail (DA 94): K ate Moss proudly totes her 65p Aldi reusable bag after SHOCKING shoppers by visiting Manchester branch of bargain grocery store before glitzy Chanel show… but all is not as it seems
• The Sun (DA 94): Aldi shoppers gobsmacked as they spot huge A-list star shopping in supermarket’s middle aisle
• Evening Standard (DA 93): Kate Moss leaves social media stunned as she’s spotted in an Aldi ahead of Chanel show in Manchester
• Metro (DA 92): Kate Moss was ‘spotted shopping at Aldi’ in Manchester but we may have all been fooled
• Manchester Evening News (DA 89): Fooled us all! Truth revealed after Kate Moss ‘pictured in Manchester after Aldi shop’ as celebs descend on city for Chanel show
• Indy 100 (DA 80): Kate Moss spotted in Manchester Aldi’ ahead of Chanel show

Why it worked

This campaign was perfectly executed. For one, the stunt was believable. With Chanel hosting its iconic show in Manchester, and major celebrities like Kristan Stewart already having been papped, it wasn’t unrealistic for Kate Moss to be in the area that day.

Plus, the lookalike was a seriously realistic lookalike, donning a stylish leather jacket, dark sunglasses and hair that looks exactly like the real Kate’s.

But the real hook here was the stark contrast of a high-fashion model shopping at the UK’s favourite discount shop. This simple idea had mass talkability and resonated with almost everyone, resulting in share after share and instant virality.

After all, who doesn’t wonder what Kate Moss may have picked up from the Aldi middle aisle?

Cats : The Ultimate Pet Rich List

Last year, Cats.com , which provides in-depth cat product reviews and veterinarian-written guides for cat owners, launched the ultimate pet rich list.

They found the top 50 most influential pets on Instagram by analysing the Instagrams of pets with the most followers, likes and engagement rates. The brand also wanted to look at how much these animals are making for their owners. Using Instagram data, they estimated how much each pet makes per Instagram post to find out who was the highest earner. 

It was a campaign that not only helped place the brand in front of their target audience – pet owners and animal lovers – but also had widespread appeal to boost brand awareness in general.  The campaign was a resounding success, with 473 links to its landing page built from a mix of national (US), international (UK), news and lifestyle titles.

• Independent (DA 94): Taylor Swift’s cat is reportedly the third-richest pet in the world, worth $97 million
• Rolling Stone (DA 92): Taylor Swift’s Cat Olivia Benson Is Richer Than All of Us
• Cosmopolitan (DA 91): Every Wild Fact About Taylor Swift’s Cats: Olivia Benson, Meredith Grey, and Benjamin Button
• Parade (DA 88): Everything to Know About Taylor Swift’s Cats
• Men’s Health (DA 88): Netflix’s ‘Gunther’s Millions’: How This Man Fooled the World With The Wealthiest Dog
• Country Living (DA 83): Everything You Should Know About Taylor Swift’s Three Cats

We all love our pets – and brands know this. This is why pet-related content, campaigns and surveys always do well. They’re highly newsworthy, relatable and shareable to boot.

But what really made this campaign stand out is the concept of a rich list – but for pets . While traditional rich lists focus on human influencers and celebrities, focusing on pet-influencers’ financial success makes the concept even more entertaining and ultra-shareable. Who would’ve thought a single German Shepherd could be worth $500 Million?

Including the pets of top celebrities like Taylor Swift and Oprah Winfrey gave the campaign even more widespread appeal by attracting their fans’ attention and making news outlets even more likely to pick up the story.

This resulted in an endless list of celebrity-focused headlines like ’Taylor Swift’s Cat Olivia Benson Is Richer Than All of Us’ and ‘Taylor Swift’s cat is reportedly the third-richest pet in the world, worth $97 million’.

Expedia: 2024 Air Travel Hacks for Smoother Travel

Travelling isn’t always plain-sailing, with unpredictable flight prices, delays and cancellations increasingly rocking the boat. Thankfully, Expedia came to the rescue back in October, with its 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report.

Their report shares data-backed tips and strategies to help consumers around the world to save money on flights, avoid delays, and all in all, make travel a smoother, more enjoyable experience.

This campaign generated 196 links to its landing page to date, from a mixture of UK and US national publications, as well as plenty of sites within the travel niche.

• Mirror (DA 94): Expedia reveals the best day to book cheap flights including Spain and Turkey
• Daily Mail (DA 94): Expedia Air Travel Hacks Report: How to save a fortune on your holiday from Australia by booking on a Sunday and taking off on a Friday after 3pm
• CNBC (DA 93): Students can book $25 holiday flights with Amazon Prime — plus 4 other ways to save
• Time Out (DA 91): This is the absolute cheapest day of the week to book a flight
• Thrillist (DA 88): The Cheapest Day to Book Your Next Flight Isn’t Tuesday
• Travel + Leisure (DA 88): The Best Time to Book a Flight for Domestic, International, and Summer Travel

Maybelline: Fake mascara that hoodwinked the public

Global beauty brand, Maybelline, had the whole world fooled with its 2023 mascara stunt.

Back in the summer, the beauty giant released a TikTok video showing London tubes and buses – both London icons – with false eyelashes on. As they pass by a huge tube of Maybelinne ‘Sky High’ Mascara (rumoured to be the size of a pub garden parasol) attached to a billboard, the eyelashes get a swipe of mascara. 

As the TikTok gained traction, city go-ers quickly tried to find the billboard around London – and completely failed. Why? Because the whole thing didn’t actually exist – it was just a CGI video.

That didn’t stop the press from picking up on it, though. Before anyone figured out that the entire thing was just a stunt, the video had garnered millions of views alongside hundreds of pieces of press coverage from national and regional press, as well as beauty/cosmetics industry and marketing/PR publications too.

• Evening Standard (DA 93): People are losing their minds over this mascara brand stunt on the London Underground
• Metro (DA 92): Maybelline Tube stunt sends Londoners into meltdown
• My London (DA 80): How viral makeup ad that shows London Underground train and bus using mascara was created
• Creative Bloq (DA 87) : Hold on, those clever Maybelline ads weren’t real?
• Glossy (DA 65): What Maybelline’s ‘faux OOH’ ads say about the future of advertising in augmented reality
• Cosmetics Business (DA 59): The story behind Maybelline’s viral London underground advert

Maybelline claimed the campaign’s aim was to shock the consumer and make them question whether something is real or fake – and they certainly achieved this.

The idea of a tube or bus being donned with fake lashes and receiving a swipe of mascara every time they drove past is comical and ultra-unique – no brand has done this before. This meant it went viral almost instantly, even before it was discovered that it was, in fact, a digital stunt.

Tying their digital videos to physical locations (which included both London and New York) also gave the campaign a regional angle, leading to locals swarming to the perceived locations, discovering it didn’t exist and creating even more hysteria.

And once consumers, TikTokers and the press did realise it wasn’t real, coverage came in even thicker and faster, with endless speculation about how Maybelline produced something so realistic and comments like “Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s just the jubilee”.

Even better? The whole scenario echoes the vision behind the actual product, the ‘Sky High’ mascara. The CGI stunt made consumers question if something was real or fake – and Maybelline claims people will be wondering if your lashes are real or fake once you’ve applied their mascara.

IKEA X Shelter: IKEA Transform Showrooms To Reflect UK Housing Crisis

Affordable furniture brand, IKEA, launched a campaign in partnership with Shelter, the UK housing and homeless charity, to highlight the UK housing crisis.

As well as transforming their showrooms to reflect the current conditions some people in the UK are living in, they launched their ‘Duvet That Does Good’, where £1 from every duvet sold between 16th October to 24th December was donated to Shelter and their national charity partners.

The campaign generated 23 links to its landing page to date, most of which came from regional titles across the UK:

• Wales Online (DA 90): IKEA roomsets show reality of homelessness as 11million fear losing their home
• Hull Daily Mail (DA 81): IKEA room sets show reality of homelessness as 11 million fear losing their home
• Devon Live (DA 80): IKEA room sets show reality of homelessness as 11 million fear losing their home
• Fundraising (DA 55): IKEA launches ‘Duvet That Does Good’ initiative, & other fundraising product news
• Insight DIY (DA 39): IKEA’s ‘Duvet That Does Good’ Goes On Sale In Support Of Shelter

Why it didn’t work

This was a surprise to us, as it’s a relatively small amount of coverage for such a well-known brand, especially considering they’re highlighting a cause that people genuinely care about.

It was also highly visual, with their showroom images a far cry from their usual polished rooms packed with brand new furniture, in a bid to help highlight the conditions people across the UK find themselves living in.

Could it have been considered disingenuous as IKEA were promoting their duvet as part of the campaign? Or, perhaps, it simply didn’t come at the right time. The campaign didn’t launch until October, but they sent their press release out in March – so it might have been that journalists didn’t find it particularly newsworthy at the time. 

Despite only landing 23 links, this campaign highlighted a very important message and raised money for charity. Plus, regardless of the number of links gained, the initiative undoubtedly generated plenty of offline awareness and conversation due to the sheer volume of people passing by their showrooms daily.

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