Skift Take

Giving travelers a peek at what happens behind the scenes by sharing their staff's personal take is one way to build brand affinity.

Oftentimes, brands position themselves to connect with consumers through their well-designed logos, immersive website, television ads, or social media posts.

It has been a trend to see travel brands sprinkle content that introduces their team members on-the-job to facilitate personal connections. The videos below are a mix of half commercials, half human resources fodder. Kudos to Expedia, Condé Nast Traveler, Lyft, Uber, and JetBlue’s crew for sharing what they care about, their thoughts on travel, and work life.

Expedia

Another social media adaptation on the chain letter is making its rounds. #GiveThem20 is cutting across verticals to build awareness to salute veterans. Starbucks egged Expedia on to do so, by dropping down, doing 20 pushups and challenging two other companies. After Tucker Moodey, led Expedia’s team in Bellevue, WA; Springfield, MO; and Las Vegas, NV through the tribute, they challenged Delta and Holland America Line to do the same.

Condé Nast Traveler

What else is on the minds of those people who write articles about properties, destinations, and travel tips for travelers to dream about? Condé Nast Traveler’s editors went on camera and shared their travel mottos like: “go early and go often,” “try anything twice,” “go for it,” and “always say yes.” There are two other videos that get the editors’ take on crowd sourcing and where they travel.

Lyft

Lyft published a slew of videos crowd sourced and curated from its drivers’ video selfies called #WhyILyft. Lenie, a smiling woman from Atlanta shared that she “Lyfts” so she can take care of her children who harmonized on the word “me” in the background. Although the videos are of low quality and not retouched, it gives you a sense that Lyft is trying to substantiate its company by helping real, everyday people earn a side income by driving people from point A to point B.

Uber

https://youtu.be/-NZcQogYjR8

Uber got heavy with its branded version of a political campaign ad against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. It showed two lines of people trying to get city permission to drive with Uber and outtakes of their reactions to show the current backlog and what might happen should Uber’s growth be capped. Similar to its competitor Lyft, it positions itself as a beacon for people to make extra cash.

That said, we’d believe this ad more if the presence of so many drivers would eliminate surge pricing—which we all know won’t happen.

JetBlue

On a lighter note, JetBlue’s exaggerated flyer behavior at the boarding gate from the crew’s perspective teaches travelers about proper etiquette and why. People are crowded around the gate—in true “gate lice” fashion—like it’s the last flight on Earth before the meteor hits. Their changing facial expressions and luggage being toppled over in slow-motion is LOL-worthy. “How to Board a Flight,” is its fifth video in the ‘Flight Etiquette’ series.

smartphone

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

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Tags: conde nast traveler, expedia, jetblue airways, lyft, skiftadsweek, uber, video

Photo credit: JetBlue crew members' tongue in cheek take on flyer behavior from its latest "Flight Etiquette" series about how (not) to board a flight. JetBlue

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