If you needed another sign of travel’s resurgence from COVID-19, you need only turn on the television, where total incremental online engagement for travel TV ads was up 47% for the 12-month period ending in June, according to a new report from EDO, a platform for measuring the immediate impact of television advertising.
EDO measured online consumer engagement to uncover the $1.2 trillion travel industry’s most effective advertisers, creatives and media environments from the past year across five categories: hotels and resorts; air travel; cruises; car rental and sharing; and travel websites and services.
As demand for travel has surged, so has ad spending, the report found. By the fourth quarter of last year, travel ad investment surged past pre-pandemic levels, up 44% compared with the previous year.
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“Generally, the travel industry has overcome its pandemic-induced challenges in the last two years, as global restrictions lessen and travelers take back the seas, skies and roads,” said Laura Grover, senior vice president and head of client solutions for EDO. “We’re seeing the bounce back reflected in TV ad performance across most travel categories, from cruises to hotels and travel sites. Advertisers have taken notice of the increased demand and are optimizing TV campaigns accordingly.”
The report found that ad impressions and engagement volume in the travel services and websites category declined from July to October in the past two years before climbing again in December when travelers looked for winter getaways and planned trips for the coming year. The top performing brands in the category were Trivago, Priceline and Vrbo, which stood out for its “house to yourself” campaign.
In the air travel category, increased consumer demand to fly meant advertisers didn’t have to spend as much, leading to a 46% dip in ad investment year over year. Southwest Airlines stood out for its engagement rate with its “Want to get away?” campaign, including a spot with a man finding himself in a bank heist getaway car instead of the ride service he’d called.
The hotels and resorts category saw a doubling in year-over-year engagement, with Great Wolf Resorts standing out along with Marriott for its “Where can we take you?” campaign.