Skift Take

As content becomes less branded, it becomes more entertaining to viewers and visitors who can then approach the brand as lifestyle facilitator rather than asset provider.

Brands have become publishers, creating content that engages and entertains consumers without hammering viewers with the brand throughout. These are great examples of travel brands reaching out to customers to spread their message of discovery and adventure rather than tours and flight details.

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Airlines go crazy for the holidays, adding a festive touch to every inch of their marketing from surprise flights that turn into viral videos to in-flight safety videos designed specifically for this time of year. Delta’s new holiday in-flight safety video features characters like Scrooge, Santa Claus, and snowmen in an effort to lighten flyers’ spirits and hopefully offset delays and frustrations.

Air Canada went for a more dramatic holiday stunt when it arrived in a London bar in late November with plans to surprise dozens of Canadians with tickets home for the holidays. The entire process is taped and turned into a viral video, reaching more than two million views in one week. Fellow Canadian airline WestJet was one of the first to turn a holiday surprise into a viral hit last year.

In honor of Walt Disney’s birthday this month, Disney Parks selected a team of teenagers to direct their own short film. This film, one of three to be released, is about a little boy who, inspired by a poster of the Astro Orbiter attraction in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom, built a rocket to fly to a Disney park. This kind of content, which connects consumers to a destination with indirect branding, is becoming more popular in an oversaturated online media environment.

This gorgeous hyperlapse video of Kangaroo Islands in south Australia captures the natural landscape and incredible colors. The music relays what the South Australia tourism board calls, “the almost spiritual feeling that you get on the island from switching off and reconnecting with that is really important in life.”

This video is part of the Local Eyes Film in which local filmmakers showcase their own backyard. This sequence was put together with more than 7,356 photographs.

A smart collaboration between Airbnb and KLM was announced with this video, which brings viewers on a tour of an plane-turned-Airbnb rental. It’s incredible to see the space inside a redesigned plane and its smart design reflects Airbnb’s messaging of unique, welcome accommodations. KLM is now posting Airbnb rentals on its site as part of the partnership.

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The Daily Newsletter

Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.

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Tags: marketing, skiftadsweek

Photo credit: South Australia publishes a hyperlapse video of Kangaroo Island as part of its Through Local Eyes project. South Australia Travel / YouTube

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