Alexis Sitaropoulos, vice-president of marketing at Contiki Holidays – which is aimed at 18-35-year olds – advised that as travel is an “intangible product” that cannot generally be sampled before being purchased, it was “vital” for brands to capture consumers’ imaginations and “get them engaged from their very first steps [with the company]”.
In the conference, which was moderated by TTG editor Sophie Griffiths, Sitaropoulos highlighted the youth specialist’s own #NoRegrets pledge, tapping into millennials’ sense of adventure and positioning the brand as “more than just a holiday provider”, revealing that a number of customers have even gone on to get the slogan tattooed on their bodies.
“When consumers take a message like that onboard and make it their own, as a marketer you know that you’ve been able to do something meaningful,” he added.
Sitaropoulos urged delegates to adhere to the well-worn mantra “content is king” when it comes to the millennial demographic, and revealed that Contiki measured its marketing and lifestyle content not just against fellow travel companies, but against brands such as BuzzFeed and Vice.
