At ITB 2018, iambassador and Traveldudes presented an overview of the State of Travel Blogging and case studies of pioneering partnerships.

1. THE STATE OF
TRAVEL BLOGGING
Keith Jenkins & Melvin Boecher
ITB Berlin, 8th March 2018

2. Award winning influencers
Global audience
Quality + Reach
A global network of leading online travel
influencers.
About

3. Our clients

4. TRAVELDUDES is an industry leader within the field
of travel influencer marketing.
In partnership with clients we create cost-effective,
inspirational and engaging travel content for digital
and social platforms, reaching an audience of over
four million travelers each month!

5. TRAVELDUDES Video Campaigns
✘ 685,000 total followers & readers
✘ 4 million reach per month
✘ 6 - 9 minutes average watch time on video
articles
✘ Geo-tagging for different locations
✘ Exclusive tip section for partners
✘ Show relevant travel offers
✘ Section for affiliate partnerships
✘ SEO friendly
✘ YouTube & Facebook video versions

6. Immediacy Long shelf-life
Value of travel bloggers
Personal
Perspective
Social Media
Reach
Interaction
& Trust
Multi Media/
Channel Content

7. Emergence of networks

8. Code of Ethics
STS Code of Ethics
iambassador.net/about/code-of-ethics/
(translated into French and Portuguese)
Based on:
Created by RBK in German

9. Community-building
229,000 Likes on Facebook
685,000 Total Followers & Likes
4 Million reach every month

10. Emergence of teams
Editors
Photographers
Videographers
Managers/Agents
Assistants
Social media managers

11. Brand & Destination ambassadors
David @MalaysiaAsia
With Sabah Tourism
and Sarawak Tourism
Ana
@MrsOAroundTheWorld
With Sovereign Travel
Matt @ExpertVagabond
with LifeProof

12. Collaborations with travel media brands
Dave & Deb @ThePlanetD
& @AbigailKing with Lonely Planet
Lola @LolaAkinmade
With National Geographic Traveler

13. Affiliate kings
(Some) influencers have mastered the art
of affiliate sales, earning $5/6-figure
incomes.
Products include:
• Accommodations, flights and tours
• Travel insurance
• Travel gear

14. Tours
Some influencers
are organizing their
own branded tours.

15. Back to print

16. Television & podcasting
Rachelle – The Travel Bite
US Daytime TV, national coverage
Michael @TimeTravelTurtle
Leaders of Travel podcasts

17. Partnerships
that drive value & ROI
Case studies

18.  40 M campaign impressions-opportunities-to-see (OTS)
 1.600 campaign mentions on social media
 300.000 views of the campaign video
 2017 Cannes Tourism & Cultural Film Festival nomination
 2017 World Travel Awards WINNER ‘Europe’s Leading Marketing Campaign’
 25 campaign articles/blogposts, 50 HD photographs, 7 YouTube videos
 5 international influencers, 6 days of campaign
 700.000 € Advertising-Value-Equivalent (AVE)
#EuroFoodTrip

19. 24 Hours in the UK
One video every hour for 24 hours
Amazing moments across the UK
32 videos in total
• 10 influencers
• 72m OTS in two weeks
• >0.5m Facebook video views
• 3m accounts reached

20. • 9 influencers from chosen markets
• 3 teams on 3 different routes
• 5,001,951 reached people
• 42.7 million OTS
• € 585,056 AVE (Advertising Value
Equivalent; source: Brandseye.com)
#LutherCountry – Germany

21. Amberlair
The world’s first
crowdsourced
& crowdfunded
boutique hotel.
• Bloggers as brand
ambassadors
• Bloggers spearhead
campaigns
Crowdfunding
62% reached after 1 week

22.  52.3 M campaign impressions/opportunities-to-see (OTS)
 a year-on-year increase of 100% in flight bookings
from London Heathrow to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
 35 campaign articles/blogposts, photographs and videos
 1 cinematic video
 6 UK influencers
 1.1 M USD Advertising-Value-Equivalent (AVE)
 2015 Travel Media Awards WINNER ‘Travel Media Innovative Campaign & Content of the Year’
#LoveSabah

23. Amadeus Video Solutions

24. Graz Christmas Experience
• 12 Christmas markets
• 9 minutes average watch view time on
video article
• 344,602 reached people
• 57,922 engagements
• €0,02 per view
• & 1 Krampuslauf experience

25. Krampuslauf in Graz
Video URL > 32,000
views

26. Ingredients for
Successful Partnerships

27. Research
Do your RESEARCH both online/offline
Read the blog/social posts
Ask for a media kit
Ask about a blogger’s interests/strengths
Meet in person (if possible)

28. Objectives
What are your OBJECTIVES?
Content? Engagement? Conversion?
Match these with a blogger’s strengths

29. Create ideal conditions
Exchange ideas
Create a relevant itinerary
Flexibility
Agree deliverables & timelines
Reporting

30. Relationship
Build a mutually-beneficial relationship
Think of brand ambassadorships
Think of other ways to collaborate

31. STS Think Tank reports
Visit: thesocialtravelsummit.com

32. THANK YOU!
Questions?
Find us at:
iambassador.net
TravelDudes.org
Velvetescape.com