A Comparative Analysis with 750 Marketers, Including 38 Sector Specialists

This report explores how Travel & Transport companies are using experiential marketing to create memorable experiences and stay competitive in a dynamic market.

Our research draws from interviews with 15 C-suite executives and comprehensive surveys of over 750 senior brand marketers across more than 12 industries. 

38 of these specialists work directly in the Travel & Transport industry, providing a focused perspective on how this sector is leveraging experiential marketing to build strong customer relationships and enhance brand loyalty.

The complete study, featuring expertly visualized data and comprehensive analysis, will be available on our website soon. In the meantime, we've crafted an exclusive preview, tailored specifically for the Travel & Transport industry.

Revenue Realities and Marketing Investments in the Travel & Transport Industry

In our survey, 76.31% companies in the industry report revenues between $50 million and $1 billion. This is significantly higher compared to the 40.98% of companies in other industries that fall within the same revenue range.

This suggests that while the companies are sizable, they tend to operate within a narrower revenue band, likely reflecting a more fragmented industry with fewer global conglomerates. This is a sector where even the largest players often have regional focuses, making it harder to achieve the massive revenues seen in more consolidated industries.

This contrasts with industries like Entertainment and Beauty & Skincare, where a significant portion of companies are mega-sized with revenues over $1 billion.

• Marketing Allocation: The industry demonstrates a substantial commitment to marketing, with companies typically allocating 10-50% of their top-line revenue to these efforts.

• Experiential Focus: Within their marketing budgets, companies are investing heavily in experiential marketing, dedicating up to 30% of their marketing spend to this area. This indicates a strong belief in the value of creating immersive and engaging brand experiences, which are crucial in a customer-centric industry.

• Pauline, Gradient's CEO, says: “Successful marketers integrate experiential elements into all channels, creating a holistic brand experience that resonates with consumers, fostering community, and staying true to the brand.”

71% of Travel & Transport companies reported an increase in their experiential marketing budgets (22% increased significantly, 49% increased slightly).

While this is slightly lower than the overall average of 82% across other industries, it’s is still a significant proportion, indicating that a strong majority of companies in this sector are actively investing more in experiential marketing

Overall Impact: The combination of a robust marketing budget and a significant investment in experiential marketing suggests that the industry focuses on differentiating themselves through unique customer experiences. This strategy is likely aimed at enhancing brand loyalty and standing out in a highly competitive market where consumer experiences can make or break a brand’s success.

Pauline says, “It’s easy for brands to think of ‘experience’ first but place experiential marketing last. The potential value increases drastically if experiential discussions and experts are introduced earlier.”

• Comparison: Travel & Transport ranks slightly below average in budget allocation to experiential marketing but has a comparable rate of budget increases.

Evaluating ROI: 71% Highlight Consideration as Crucial, Doubling the Cross-Industry Average

The Travel and Transport industry demonstrates a strategic focus on key ROI metrics that significantly differ from other sectors. 

• Notably, Consideration, Loyalty, Lead Generation, and Sales are the primary areas of emphasis, with 71% of respondents highlighting Consideration as Important or Most Important, nearly double the average across all industries. 

This suggests that Travel and Transport companies prioritize being in the consideration set of potential customers more than other sectors, possibly due to the competitive nature of the industry and the high stakes involved in customer decision-making. 

Similarly, Loyalty is a critical focus, with 50% of respondents valuing it highly, indicating a strong emphasis on customer retention and the importance of fostering long-term relationships.

In contrast, the industry places significantly less emphasis on Awareness and Advocacy, with only 39% and 13% of respondents marking these as Important or Most Important, respectively. This is particularly notable when compared to industries like Beauty & Skincare or Tech & Digital, where Advocacy is a crucial metric. 

Measuring Campaign Success: Engagement Over Immediate Sales

The Travel & Transport industry places a strong emphasis on metrics that reflect engagement and visibility, such as Earned Media Value (59%) and Social Engagement (43%). These figures are slightly above the average across other industries.

This comparison suggests that businesses prioritize public perception and media coverage slightly more than other sectors, likely due to the industry's reliance on maintaining a positive brand image in a highly competitive market.

In contrast, industries like Retail and Fashion also emphasize Social Engagement but show a stronger focus on Sales Impact (41% and 39%, respectively). 

Sales Impact is a key success metric for only 19% of companies, compared to a higher focus in other industries. This suggests that while immediate financial returns are crucial in sectors like Retail, in this case companies are more focused on long-term brand building and customer engagement.

Objectives of Experiential Marketing Campaigns: Focusing on Relationships and Retention

There is a strong emphasis on fostering long-term customer relationships through experiential marketing. 54% of companies prioritize Relationship-Building, and 49% focus on Customer Retention, both higher than the industry averages. 

Brand Awareness (41%) and Sales (33%) are less emphasized compared to other sectors, reflecting a targeted approach centered on existing customers. Lead Generation (37%) remains important, showing an ongoing effort to attract new customers. 

Overall, the industry prioritizes deepening customer connections over immediate sales or broad brand reach.

Pauline says: “The shift to experiential is not merely a trend but a strategic imperative driven by the need for genuine in-person connections. This approach is particularly significant for younger generations, who prioritize experiences over products.”

Challenges

Internal cross-collaboration (57%) and measurability (57%) are the biggest challenges for Travel & Transport, similar to the averages of 55% and 53%, respectively, in other industries.

Conclusion

The Travel & Transport industry aligns closely with other industries in many aspects of experiential marketing, with notable differences in budget allocation and ROI focus. 

While they emphasize awareness and relationship-building more than others, their integration practices and challenges are broadly consistent. Improvements in early integration and cross-collaboration could further enhance their experiential marketing efforts.