Orbitz

The Objective

Creating awareness with LGBTQIA+ travelers

For over 20 years, Orbitz (a part of Expedia Group) has led the way in advocating for LGBTQIA+ equality and inclusion in travel. As part of this commitment to help create a world in which all people can travel freely, safely, and confidently, Orbitz launched the #TravelAsYouAre campaign to drive positive awareness and engagement among the LGBTQIA+ community via TikTok's diverse, engaged community.

The Solution

Partnering with TikTok travel creators to inspire users to travel on their own terms

Orbitz extended its new campaign to TikTok with #TravelAsYouAre to focus on building community on the diverse platform that encourages self-expression. To maximize awareness, the brand partnered with LQBTQIA+ creators on authentic content to inspire the community while promoting travel among its target audience.

The two-phase campaign launched with a custom song where creators like @victo_willy showcased their travel adventures while openly celebrating their identities. Orbitz then helped celebrate Drag Day with TikTok queens like @venusenvydrag, who took viewers through their travel hacks and favorite essentials while encouraging people to “travel freely, queens!” Meanwhile, others like @princekiyah and @jansportnyc12 encouraged TikTok travel lovers to pack their confidence and be themselves.

Orbitz then used Spark Ads to extend the reach of the creator content to reach the mass awareness the brand was after. The exciting and inspiring native content helped drive positive awareness and engagement, helping leave an impression on the TikTok community. Orbitz also used broad, travel, and recommended interest targeting while letting the TikTok algorithm find the most relevant engagers. The Spark Ads included a “Book Now” call-to-action, allowing users to click through to the Orbitz LGBTQIA+ hub, a go-to resource for finding LGBTQIA-welcoming hotels that have signed Orbitz’ pledge of inclusivity and planning your next vacation with queer travel guides, products, and advice.

The Results

Engaged and inspired to travel freely

Orbitz's foundational values empower the LGBTQIA+ community to travel on their own terms, and the brand found its match on TikTok with the #TravelAsYouAre campaign. Orbitz's inspiring message and creator-led videos resonated with the TikTok community — notably, the Drag Day content engaged viewers and far exceeded benchmarks, with viewers watching the content 128% longer than the average watch times on TikTok.

The upper-funnel awareness campaign helped spread Orbitz’s vision for a world where all travelers are welcome — no matter who they are, who they love, or where they’re going. A post-campaign brand lift study showed a lift in ad recall (+2.2%), awareness (+4.6%), and familiarity (+4.4%), reflecting that content created by the community for the community can have a strong, positive impact on results.

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