Skift Take

SkiftX is our in-house group of designers, storytellers, directors, and coders that are redefining the way the travel industry approaches advertising and content.

Today we’re announcing the official launch of SkiftX, Skift’s in-house content studio. Our group of designers, storytellers, directors, and coders are redefining the way the travel industry approaches advertising and content.

SkiftX works with brands that want to reach the world’s largest userbase of the global travel industry’s decision makers. Through video, articles, research, mini-sites, and events SkiftX creates integrated content marketing programs for brands that align with the trends shaping global travel through stories that engage audiences.

We work with brands which understand that they are marketing to the most advertised-to people on the planet, who understand that it’s time to think beyond banner ads and one-off campaigns and instead build a platform that truly gets their messaging across.

Here are some highlights of the work that came out of SkiftX in 2015:

Defining the City of the Future

For MasterCard, SkiftX created Future Cities, a platform exploring the challenges and opportunities facing some of the most visited destinations worldwide. We told the story through a mini-site, animated videos, and in-depth reporting of five forward-thinking cities innovating in the wake of rapid urbanization. We tied it together with a speaking engagement at Skift Global Forum, where MasterCard’s Chief Product Officer gave a talk about the travel industry’s role in shaping the city of the future.

The program was called “imaginative and razor-sharp” by Contently and won HSMAI’s 2016 Adrian Award for best digital marketing campaign.

“When we wanted to create a branded content series around global cities Skift was our first choice – as Rafat and his team combine real insights with a fresh approach to storytelling.” -Bernhard Mors, VP Worldwide Communications, MasterCard

 

Engaging the Travel Tech Startup Community

For Amadeus, SkiftX created The Takeoff, a video series featuring interviews with founders and CEOs on the entrepreneurial journey. We paired the videos with a lead-generating report, 5 Takeaways for Startups Building the Future of Travel. At Skift Global Forum 2015, we played clips of The Takeoff on the main screen and had Amadeus’ CMO join Skift CEO Rafat Ali on stage for a panel. To top it off, we started 2016 with a Twitter Chat, netting over 1,300 mentions via Twitter in an hour.

Exploring Rising Trends in Travel Video

For Travel Channel, SkiftX created Moving Images, a mini-site and content series about the platforms, technology and creative processes shaping the new era of travel video. We published over a dozen articles, covering everything from Facebook video strategies to the rise of GoPro to interviews with creative executives at hotels, media companies, and destinations. The program concluded with a speaking engagement from Travel Channel’s head of programming at Skift Global Forum 2016.

It’s time for travel brands to reimagine the way they approach marketing. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

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Photo credit: SkiftX is Skift's branded content studio.

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