The vacation booking website Expedia recently celebrated its 15th anniversary by rewarding vacation-deprived Canadians who haven't traveled in 15 years. They were each surprised with an unexpected vacation.
According to Expedia's "vacation deprivation" survey, Canadians will receive an average of 17.5 vacation days next year but will only use 15. Canada is statistically a vacation-deprived country, whereas countries like France, Spain and Denmark take an average of 30 vacation days, doubling the Canadian average.
Expedia was able to find three sets of people who haven't traveled in 15 years and sent them off to some of the most vacation-generous countries in the world. In creating the video, Expedia wanted to attach an emotional response to its ad by humanizing Canada's staggering vacation statistics.
Vacation-Rewarding Campaigns
Expedia Rewards Vacation-Deprived Canadians with Well-Deserved Trips
Trend Themes
1. Vacation-deprivation Awareness - Companies raise awareness about vacation deprivation and incentivize employees to take time off.
2. Surprise-travel Campaigns - Brands surprise consumers with free vacations to generate positive emotional reactions and increase brand loyalty.
3. Associative Marketing - Brands link themselves to social causes or pressing issues to create an emotional response and connect with consumers on a deeper level.
Industry Implications
1. Travel and Tourism - Businesses in this industry can create vacation-rewarding campaigns to incentivize travel and promote their brand while raising awareness about vacation deprivation.
2. HR and Employee Benefits - Companies can use vacation-rewarding campaigns to incentivize employees to take time off, reducing burnout and increasing job satisfaction and productivity.
3. Marketing and Advertising - Marketing agencies can create surprise-travel campaigns for their clients to generate positive emotional reactions and increase brand loyalty.