Expedia Media Solutions, along with other groups from Expedia, Inc., descended on Las Vegas this week for the annual Expedia Partner Conference. We had the opportunity to host an Insights Summit for the seventh year in a row, for over 600 of our global partners. During our time together, we shared our latest custom study findings and a look at how our first-party proprietary data and digital media tools enable marketing partners to engage travelers throughout the path to purchase.
We also heard from several of our marketing partners sharing their own success stories and how Expedia Media Solutions helped them reach their marketing objectives whether it was expanding their brand presence in a new region, driving bookings during slower seasons or showcasing a destination in a new way through hotel partnership. We also hosted a panel of our top Expedia, Inc. brand marketing leaders to tap into their expertise on reaching and resonating with today’s consumers, and what is next for digital marketing.
If you are subscribed to our blog, you have probably seen a sampling of our recent research with Northstar Research on generational travel trends across the globe. We have previously explored European, North American and Asia Pacific differences between countries and generations – from Generation Z to Baby Boomers – and at the Insights Summit this week we got to share a new version of the research. This time, looking across three large travel markets around the world – the U.S., U.K. and China – to uncover differences in how travelers are influenced, how they shop for and book travel.
Here are a few key insights – make sure to download the full study here.
- Trip Types: British and Chinese travelers opt for relaxing and sightseeing vacations. In the U.S., Millennials and Gen X are most likely to take relaxing trips, while the youngest and oldest generations are taking trips to visit family.
- Planning Priorities: Across all generations, trip activities are priority number one for American and British travelers, followed closely by once in a lifetime experiences for American travelers and cultural experiences for British travelers.
- Budget Basics: Younger generations are consistently the most open to inspiration; nearly 80 percent of British Gen Z travelers are deciding between multiple destinations or don’t have a destination in mind. Baby Boomers, however, are the most decisive – nearly 55 percent from the U.S. and China have already decided on a destination.
- Advertising Influences: Approximately half of all travelers, and more than 70 percent of Chinese Millennials, said ads with appealing imagery can be influential, while younger generations in the U.S. and the U.K. are more likely to be influenced by advertising with appealing deals.
Our Head of Product Marketing Christine Walker Scarce then shared our top digital marketing tools for travel marketers and brands to reach and inspire travelers. You can read more about some of these best practices and tools in our recent blog post on “How to Influence and Engage Travelers Along the Path to Purchase: The Four Things You Need to Know.”
Some of the best brand marketing talent across Expedia, Inc. joined together on stage to share their insights, strategies and best practices for marketers. Our very own Hari Nair hosted the panel of marketing masterminds, which included Bruce Horner, head of media & alliances from Travelocity and Orbitz; Josh Belkin, Hotels.com’s global vice president of marketing; and Vic Walia, Expedia.com’s vice president of global brand marketing. Expedia, Inc. operates as a global marketplace, which means brands like Hotels.com, Expedia.com and Orbitz are competing against each other for business and by doing so we can identify areas of efficiency and opportunity, and allow the best marketing tactics to rise to the top.
Click here for more findings and insights that marketers can leverage to better reach, engage and convert travelers.
