Lonely Planet – Ultimate Travel List Campaign
The first of two campaigns for Lonely Planet in 2020, supporting the launch of the 2nd edition of their Ultimate Travel List - a glossy, coffee table book of the top 500 experiences across the world.
The Brief
In autumn of last year, we were tasked with the first of two campaigns for Lonely Planet – supporting the launch of the 2nd edition of their Ultimate Travel List. A glossy, coffee table book of the top 500 experiences across the world.
There were three key objectives within the brief to meet, including:
- Generate positive PR coverage through travel, lifestyle, book review and shopping guide media
- Re-affirm Lonely Planet’s position as a travel authority and thought leader, and voice of positivity during a time of crisis for the travel industry.
- Drive traffic to the campaign landing page and convert to sales
The book, ranking 500 cultural, outdoors and wildlife experiences on the planet, was also to be positioned as the perfect gift from a beloved brand for travellers and armchair travel dreamers in the UK and Ireland, providing inspiration for when travel resumes.
The Solution
To maximise the potential for success, we knew that solid preparation was key. This included creating an activity plan, a bespoke media list to target travel (lifestyle, regional, book review and gift guides), and establish a media monitoring service.
To maximise impact, we also coordinated an outreach programme to identify joint PR opportunities with key tourist board partners such as: Visit England, Tourism Ireland, Visit Cumbria, Visit Jordan, Slovenia Tourism, Visit London, and Visit Scotland. As well as with tour operator partners: Intrepid Travel, G Adventures, Responsible Travel, Trailfinders, and Kuoni to source packages for the Top 10 and coordinate joint communications.
The uptake was fantastic. In print, we secured 60-pieces, including the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Sun, and Metro.
Online, we placed 113 pieces including Harper’s Bazaar, the Mail Online, Refinery29, the Metro, The Scotsman, RTE, and The Irish Times.
On the broadcast side, we secured 12 pieces, including interviews with Lonely Planet personnel for BBC News and Talkradio.
In addition to the push for print and online media coverage, we arranged for Lonely Planet’s spokesperson to speak at a prominent content creators digital conference and worked with 21 prominent travel influencers to review and giveaway copies of the book on their channels.
We also partnered with glossy magazines, including Prima, on reader giveaways and supported high street travel agencies with further giveaways.
Below is a breakdown of some of the results.
Results
Total Pieces of Coverage Generated – 184
Total Media Value Achieved – £989,390
Total Audience Reach – 205,201,610
Broadcast UK & Ireland
Total Pieces – 11
Impressions – 1,415, 284
Influencer Activity UK & Ireland
Total Partnerships – 21
Impressions – 683,438
