Best Travel Ads This Week: Using Creativity to Send a Brand Message

This week’s ad roundup features a few of the most creative videos we’ve seen so far this year. Each video attempts to brands itself by connecting general themes of freedom, innocence, and relaxation to a place or service.

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Skyscanner‘s ‘Born Honest‘ ad tries to bring innocence into the travel experience by making flight search and booking as easy as we imagined it would be when we were children. The majority of 30-second add is a cartoon-like graphic that creatively highlights global attractions and the breadth of Skyscanner’s network.

South Dakota Department of Tourism posted this very creative, but slightly creepy, video in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. The video follows the four faces of Mount Rushmore as they rush around New York City in hopes of falling in love with Lady Liberty. Disappointed by their venture, they head home and welcome New Yorkers to come visit them in South Dakota.

Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau does not do its city service with this bland new ad. Boulder is one of the most popular cities in the U.S. right now, but this video treats it like an unknown Midwestern town. A faster pace, brighter graphics, and more upbeat music would be better for turning interested travelers into actual visitors.

Austrian Airlines advertises its new in-flight amenity bag with this cute new video. The ad highlights the country’s small size and flag colors, shows off the contents of the amenity bag, and suggests its post-flight uses.

South Australia brands itself as an open and creative destination in this unique new video. The tourism board uses words like “freedom” and “bohemian,” both adjectives that come across in the video. The only challenge with such a video is making sure that viewers know where the video represents.