Online Travel Agency Exoticca Launches Campaign With Movie Trailer-Like Ads

Exoticca, a Barcelona-based online travel agency focused on affordable luxury tours and vacation packages, launched its first-ever brand campaign this year. The campaign, titled What a Time to be Alive, debuted in early January with TV spots in Canada and the United Kingdom and digital ads in the United States, Mexico and Spain.

The movie trailer-like ads feature a man motivated to make major changes in his life after surviving a harrowing moment. He then looks to Exoticca for help, and the company turns “the protagonist of a normal life” to “the director of an extraordinary one.”

“We’re not telling people that they’re doing something wrong with their lives or that they are boring and should be traveling the world,” said Exoticca Brand Director Thibaud Vincent-Genod, who joined the company in April 2022 after having spent six years at automobile brand Cupra.

“Exoticca’s position is that our daily lives are fine, but it’s good to be reminded why we’re here. We can live extraordinary moments, and that travel is one of the ways to do that.”

Vincent-Genod wanted to flip the script on traditional travel branding that pushes a particular brand and instead focus exclusively on the consumer’s perspective, which he believes shows Exoticca understands why travel is important.

“We reflect this in an emotional way, but there’s also a rational component. There is a very clear call to action regarding price and where to go on the website,” he said.

Exoticca partnered with Barcelona-based brand communication agency &Rosàs on the campaign. Vincent-Genod acknowledged that this marketing effort was different from others he’s been involved.

“Normally, when you produce a TV commercial, you have a storyboard and know exactly which shots you’re getting. You have a very clear production plan,” explains Thibaud.

“Here, it was a bit different. We had a storyline and knew what we wanted to do, but we also allowed ourselves to get surprised and capture things. Many of the moments in the (television commercial) and long-form video were not necessarily planned.”

Although it’s too soon to measure the marketing campaign’s full impact, Vincent-Genod is optimistic it will accomplish its goal.

“We’re democratizing something that used to be considered luxury or premium, which wasn’t accessible to everyone.”