Airlines Lead Travel Advertising on TV, But Cruise Lines Are Growing Fast
Photo Credit: Still from Southwest Airline's new "transfarency" campaign. Southwest Airlines
Skift Take
TV advertising is an ever-more-essential part of major brands' advertising mix and trends so far this year indicate the rich -- airlines, cruise lines and online travel agencies -- are getting richer.
If the first three weeks of 2016 are a barometer, then this is going to be a banner year for U.S. travel industry TV advertising, which jumped 54.1 percent to $88.8 million.
That's according to an analysis provided to Skift by iSpot.tv, which tracked airline, cities and destinations, hotels and motels, resorts and theme parks, travel websites, and cruise lines' advertising January 1 to 21, 2016 versus the same period last year. The whopping numbers don't include car rental or sharing economy advertising.
During the first three weeks of 2016, nine airlines spent $22.4 million in U.S. TV advertising, and that was a 69.7 percent increase over what j
