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Travel companies are increasingly turning to video-sharing app TikTok to build brand awareness and attract new customers. Tik Tok, the most downloaded app for two consecutive years, holds the promise of global reach, with its video format allowing travel providers to transport viewers to destinations while showcasing their brand personality.
Although the app has been wildly popular for a few years, some travel brands are eagerly entering the world of TikTok to engage with new audiences.
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Booking.com launched its first TikTok-centric campaign, TikTokMadeMeBookIt, on July 20. The company is offering seven trips. To be eligible to win, TikTok users must live in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany or Japan, like the video, follow @bookingcom – and be able to checkout within 48 hours.
With TikTok’s debut, Booking.com aims to inspire people to travel, create positive brand interactions and make people see themselves as the leaders of travel, said Laura Kaye, director of social media for Booking.com.
“The TikTok community is already actively engaged in travel content – #travel has over 90 billion views – so it’s only natural for Booking.com to be an active part of this,” Kay says.
The company’s experience with the app will be as much an opportunity for Booking.com to learn about TikTok users as the app’s users will learn about Booking.com.
“We’re curating content for TikTok in a way that lets our brand personality shine through.”
Matt Clarke – Kayak
“We don’t really know what the TikTok community wants,” Kay said. “We’re using the launch to build an audience, and we’re attracting people by offering trips and putting out different content to see what resonates.”
Kay finds video to be the most effective format for promoting travel brands: “You can really describe the travel experience – from the flight, to the landing, to the sunset while sipping a cool drink.
Booking.com is working with influencers, also known as “spokespeople”, who the company typically defines as having one million followers or more.
“We’re paying influencers to tell their communities about Booking.com-focused messages, but we’re asking them to tell the story that their audience really wants to hear.”
The online travel agency is partnering with content creators with an audience of less than 100,000. Content creators produce and share content on Booking’s TikTok channel rather than their own channels. “We’re using them as content producers — not for their audience,” says Kaye.
Test and learn
For Kayak, also owned by Boking Holdings, the Metasearch brand is also learning. Matt Clark, Kayak’s vice president of marketing for North America, said the company’s marketing strategy is to connect travelers wherever they are, and that means TikTok. Kayak’s goal, Clark says, is to connect with a new audience — travelers who might not naturally think of kayaks when planning a trip.
“We’re still trying and learning what works best for our travelers, so our approach is mostly organic,” Clark said.
Clark first compared it to Facebook: “We had to do some significant testing to figure out how we could use it to drive places — and that’s going to be our goal here. People come to Tiki Talk for entertainment, and we try to provide that with our videos.
Clark points to a successful campaign from this year’s Super Bowl. With the help of TikTokers, Kayak’s TikTok Super Bowl video received more than 150,000 views and 20,000 likes — “more than we’d see if we did it on other platforms,” Clark says. A priority metric for Kayak is engagement, including views, shares, and comments.
“Gone are the days of creating a few TV spots and reaching 75% of travelers,” says Clark. “We’re curating content for TikTok in a way that lets our brand personality shine through.”
Kayak’s marketing is always “funny” and humorous, which “works to our advantage on TikTok,” says Clarke.
Love relationship
Matt Lupoli, senior manager of public relations at Carnival Cruise Line, said the company creates TikTok videos to promote cruises and carnivals to new audiences. Real-time on-board videos are the brand’s most popular posts.
“We’re focused on bringing the same energy to Tik Tok that our guests get from the ship’s directors and Fun Squad[activities and sports hosts],” says Lupoli. Even if you’re not currently on one of our ships, we still want to put that same smile on your face, and TikTok is one way to do that.
Additional travel brands exploring TikTok include Skyscanner. According to the spokesperson, TikTok is a great way to connect with travelers in the discovery phase of their journey. The Metasearch brand hasn’t posted videos yet, but it plans to make its TikTok channel in-house and with influencers.
“We want Skyscanner to be top of mind when travelers start thinking about taking a vacation, especially as flights are often one of the first things travelers consider when deciding which particular destination to visit,” the spokesperson said.
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