Paid search: How can travel brands leverage search ads this summer?
For The Drum's Travel and Tourism Focus Week, the IAB UK sat down with members from their Search Group to understand why paid search is so important for the success of travel brands.
In the not-too-distant past, booking a holiday often involved visiting your local travel agent and sifting through glossy brochures. But in today’s digital era, most planning now starts with a few words typed into the search box.
Given the slow start to summer experienced here in the UK, how can travel brands utilize search ads and position themselves for success over the summer months? Here, members of the IAB UK’s Search Group explain why paid search is the passport to success for any brand.
With half of all UK digital ad spend invested in search, why do you think paid search ads are so important for travel brands?
Paid search is optimized for holiday shopping
Melanie Meikle (partner – paid search, dentsu): “Paid search should be a core part of any travel brand marketing strategy because people actively spend time searching on search engines for holidays, accommodation, flights and more.
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“The intent is there, so being in front of a potential customer at that point can only be beneficial. The booking window is typically longer than buying cycles such as retail, so there are a whole host of opportunities to engage with your customers across search touch points and inventory.
“Search products are offering increasingly visual ads, such as incorporating videos and image extensions. From Microsoft’s MMA to Google’s Demand Gen campaigns, brands have the chance to showcase their ads through engaging formats, inspiring customers with holiday destinations, hotels and travel routes to book.”
Search converts travel inspiration into tangible bookings
Sophie Le (head of search, MG OMD): “Travel inspiration can take many forms, whether that’s the spike in interest in Sicily from White Lotus fans, or the growth in wellness tourism fueled by social media. Despite these influences, consumers still rely on search, with “flights anywhere” searches 2x pre-pandemic levels, and +30% “solo travel” searches. Search converts inspiration into bookings, catering to personal requirements, and addressing macroeconomic and sustainability concerns with high impact formats such as Google's PMAX and Demand Gen campaigns. Studies from Ebiquity rank search as the most effective channel after TV, making it crucial for brands to prioritize search in their media strategies for success.”
What are your top tips for travel clients over the summer months?
Prioritize full funnel planning
Thomas O’Donnell (global independent agencies director, Microsoft Advertising): “It's prime time to capture the 'last minute' customers who are on the lookout for time-sensitive deals where the average consumer decision journey is 29 days. Brands should be adaptable and ensure their brand stands out in a multi-channel environment.
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“Full funnel planning is the key to success, creating a seamless connection between the consumer's decision journey and your marketing efforts across CTV, video, native ads, AI chat, search and more. Beyond this moment, our travel team recommends preparing for the 2025 January peak, making use of first-party data and audience insights to navigate the post-cookie landscape ensuring they can continue to deliver relevant promotions and deals to a highly engaged audience, at the right time and in the right place.”
Capitalize on the demand for the new
Ellen Dunkley (head of paid performance, Havas): “There is a trend of travelers wanting to explore new destinations. Fresh adventures to budget-friendly alternatives in Europe, including Portugal and Turkey amongst others, have seen impressive YoY demand. Additionally, deals matter – with consumers are more likely to book if they have found a deal or discount. This is understandable with travel costs 30% above pre-pandemic levels.
“Travel clients should monitor evolving, ‘flight path less trodden’ destinations and home in on top converting offer messaging. Optimizing PMAX and search campaigns to capture shifting destination demand and hero unignorable deals, is our top tip for travel clients this summer.”
Be quick on the mark with trends
Jimisha Thakrar (head of organic performance, MG OMD): “Maximize summer bookings by analyzing trends and identifying popular destinations ahead of time. Create content that reflects current travel trends and regulations and include specifics like "summer 2024" in titles, meta descriptions and body content. Highlight emerging "hidden gem" destinations to attract travelers seeking unique experiences away from crowds.
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“We’re seeing increasing demand for these locations. Use long-tail keywords and local SEO to capture specific search queries. Optimize images with descriptive alt text and ensure your site is mobile-friendly for on-the-go users. Being quick when monitoring analytics to adjust strategies will enable you to stay ahead of trends and boost bookings across various destinations.”
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