“9/10 of us spend around a month researching before booking. That’s a long time in online ad terms.”
In what is forecast to be a record breaking year for travel, it’s worth reflecting where we sit in terms of advertising for travel brands right now, how we got here and what the immediate future is set to bring.
The latest research from the IPA shows that 75% of us will take a holiday this year – and peak booking time for holidays abroad is just around the corner in April.
Significantly, it also shows that almost all of us (9/10) spend around a month researching before booking. That’s a long time in online ad terms —a window of opportunity to engage, but also a risk of overwhelming potential customers. A lot of banners, a lot of messaging, and a fine line between capturing interest and frustrating potential loyal customers.
In general, the ad market has become more mindful about overloading consumers with over intrusive tracking and retargeting. Still, around 70% of the UK population are ‘masking’ their data to avoid being tracked. An update to our original research that uncovered that number last year, found that in gen Z and high net worth segments the number could be more like 85% or even higher.
What Conclusion for Travel Brands?
There are various other markers and datapoints out there – not just our own – which point to the fact that, given half a chance, consumers will always exercise their right to opt out of profiling and people-based targeting. What conclusion should travel brands draw from this?
- IDs and other targeting methods that claim to be ‘100% addressable’ may simply be narrowing in on specific groups which remain addressable to them.
- The most obvious example of this is the aftermath of Apple’s Safari browser banning third party cookies back in 2020. Many bidders simply shifted focus to Chrome – but in doing so, did they overlook a key, affluent audience? And would clients even realise if they had?
With eMarketer predicting cookie coverage across the web to plateau at around 10%, there is clearly a choice to be made about new tactics. But if the option you solely focus on is relying on a ‘cookie 2.0’ solution, or worse, repeating past mistakes, will only lead to further limitations.
Intent – A Range of Data Signals
Intent targeting incorporates a range of data signals not threatened with shut down by big tech, legislation or opposition from the public due to privacy intrusions. From contextual, to estimated search terms, time of day and device to placement-level performance insights, none involve profiling or following around and creeping people out.
Intent targeting has a genuine claim to the original promise of programmatic – of reaching the right person, at the right time, in the right context. In part, because it relies on live, real-time information, rather than data inferred from past actions. And it promises to make serendipitous connections for advertisers – not alienate those like the 70% or more who mask their data from profiling.
In the month or so when 9/10 of UK consumers are actively researching their next holiday destination, the opportunity lies in understanding their intent rather than chasing their identity.
As signal loss accelerates and consumer behaviour continues to shift, travel brands face a choice: keep chasing dwindling addressable audiences or embrace an approach that is a genuine way forward for better advertising. The path of least resistance is clear.
To find out more about how Nano can help your next travel campaign stand out, without overwhelming potential customers, get in touch.
