Travel ads targeting psychographics

AFAR magazine, a relatively recent entrant in travel publishing, is attracting a new kind of advertising that appeals to psychographic profiles (psychographic variables are any attributes relating to personality, values, attitudes, interests, or lifestyles). In our opinion, advertisers are doing a great job – many ads were compelling and engaging. 

The formula?

1.  appeal to special experiences for holidays, festivals, events, etc.
2.  special interests such as culinary, the arts, train travel
3.  great content, mostly in small blocks of copy with a variety of colorful images that pop

Good examples:

• Spain ran a two page spread on Christmas in Madrid, with a call to action – an online sweepstakes to win a holiday experience
• Austria highlighted cooking school, music and nature tourism
• The Cayman Islands invited readers to experience its culinary month
• “Incredible India” beckoned travelers to experience its train travel and festivals
• Always-a-step-ahead in innovation and understanding their visitors is the Netherlands – their one page ad highlighted what’s new, from film festivals and design, to restaurants, culture and hotels.

Almost all the ads touted experiences - e.g. Scottsdale’s western experience; Macau’s multi-cultural experience; Lindblad Expeditions’ Galápagos 360 “one of the most complete experiences you can have.”

In our speeches over the last couple of years we’ve been talking about how psychographics would trump demographics, with consumers forming “tribes” based on special interests and passions. That trend continues to gain momentum and will only continue to do so, facilitated by the growth of social communities, on and offline.