Luxury Escapes, an Australian travel brand, specialises in offering discounted luxury travel packages globally. Recognised for providing exceptional value, the brand faced unprecedented challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the uncertainties, our collaboration with Luxury Escapes aimed to not only weather the storm but also emerge stronger by leveraging strategic thinking and tactical execution.
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The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 dealt a severe blow to the travel industry. With international borders closed and restrictions on interstate travel, Luxury Escapes, like many others, faced an immense challenge.
Our task was to navigate this crisis, identifying the opportune time to re-enter the market and strategically position the brand for success amid the uncertainties of a global pandemic.
Digital Minds swiftly pivoted the mindset and account strategy, recognizing the need to align with what was best for Luxury Escapes’ business and its customers.
As travel searches began showing signs of recovery in May 2020, we strategically launched a six-week test campaign. This initiative aimed to establish Paid Search as a viable marketing channel during the lockdown period, utilizing a small but significant test budget of approximately 20% of the pre-Covid spend.
The strategy included a highly segmented approach, focusing solely on the domestic Australian market. We tailored creative messaging and ad copy to highlight booking flexibility, addressing concerns around future travel bookings.
Leveraging search trend data, our team identified increasing travel interest and prioritized campaign spend based on performance across key search term categories and geo segments. Google’s travel intent signals played a crucial role in targeting users in-market for travel bookings.
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The outcomes exceeded expectations on multiple fronts. The six-week test period not only achieved a Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) well above the target but also saw the total business revenue return to 2019 levels by the end of the campaign. This exceptional success, amidst a global pandemic, validated Paid Search as a robust and highly effective marketing channel for Luxury Escapes.
The campaign’s effectiveness was further recognised in the 2021 APAC Search Awards, where it won the prestigious ‘Best Use of Search – Travel & Leisure’ award, demonstrating the impact of strategic thinking, tactical smarts, and seamless execution even in the face of unprecedented challenges.
