We heard over and over again that a diverse mix of publishers sustained many brands through the bleakest periods of the pandemic by offering a way to reach customers who dearly needed advice about safe destinations and travel protocols. Success in variations of publisher models continues to pave the way for more partnership opportunities and CJ’s Recruit Partners tool can help to discover specific publisher and advertiser KPIs such as customer location, top-performing categories, and audience reach.

To help travelers complete a booking, Buy Now Pay Later models are popular with bigger “revenge travel” budgets that can be paid off over time. And as an alternative to hotels, vacation rentals are the front-runner line of business for influencers, many of whom have added affiliate links to their travel-related content. 

We also know that global activation is top of mind for brands, and publisher recruitment has proven to be a key to gaining traction in new markets. New publishers can bring local-market insights that enable brands to adapt promotional messaging that resonates locally and uncovers new opportunities. Working with diverse publisher models provides a means to showcase a brand while travel still recovers and people have their wallets open to book. With the rich insights available in CJ’s Affiliate Customer Journey reporting, brands can identify publishers reaching travelers in the Discovery and Evaluation phases of trip planning when it’s crucial to be present, and ideally, find the incentive needed to book.

Booking behaviors are constantly and rapidly shifting which means that travel brands need to be nimble with their affiliate program strategy. Campaign launches now require flexibility on the part of both advertisers and publishers to assess and evaluate trends and adjust strategies to achieve greater success. Taking advantage of tools such as Situational Commissioning will help to maximize ROI on targeted SKUs by profitability.

For example, this past summer travel season, all countries, but especially Europe, saw compounding problems with airport logistics due to issues outside the control of travel. Such volatility and its impact on cancellations, last minute and otherwise, have reinforced consumers’ interest in flexible rates and travel options that have less risk and more upside.

Working with as many publisher models as possible will provide a greater opportunity to connect with and showcase your brand while travel still recovers. Capture share of wallet while people have their wallets open to book travel. Consider assessing which publishers are getting consumers in the Discovery and Evaluation phases of their travel planning by leveraging CJ’s Affiliate Customer Journey reporting—these consumers are shopping around, and it’s crucial that they see your brand’s offers, and ideally, your incentives to book travel.