Skift Take
It’s no secret that the pandemic’s extreme measures have turned advertising on its head, but travel advertising is moving back and forth in leaps, from TV to internet, then back to TV. In 2022, travel brands are showing even more dedication to television, countering all speculation that national TV is coming to an end.
Delta Air Lines has recorded $70.4 million in national TV advertising spend in the first quarter, landing the top spot in travel tv ad spenders of this year so far, according to U.S. TV analytics firm iSpot.tv. The airline was followed by cruise holding company Royal Caribbean, with a spend of $33.5 million, and Airbnb, last year’s top tv ad spender, with a spend of $27.3 million.
Total travel national TV ad spend in the first quarter of 2022 stands at $351.5 million, a minimal gain from $321.7 million in the same period last year.
Delta Air Lines
Not surprisingly, Delta’s highest spend tv advertisement for this year is akin to Delta’s many Olympics campaigns, which are celebrated for their inspiring and motivating messaging. At a spend of $15.7 million, the ad titled “The Will To Fly Is A Universal Language” is an uplifting montage of gratifying moments in sports life, and encourages viewers to find joyful achievement through hard work and undying dedication.
Like Delta’s brand image, the video speaks to universality — commonalities of passion that cross international borders and dreams that are accomplished through perseverance. Not only is the video nostalgic and emotionally charged, but the tone of the ad is familiar to audiences of both national tv or internet video, making it a prime choice to be the most funded of Delta’s TV ads.
While Delta Air Lines was nowhere close to the top five spenders of last year’s first quarter, the brand, a famous sponsor of the Olympics and Team…