Dive Brief:

• Lufthansa is launching an artificial intelligence-powered advertising experience in partnership with IBM Watson Advertising, as part of the airline’s #SayYesToTheWorld brand campaign, according to a news release. The effort is reportedly the first Watson Ads campaign from an airline. 
• The interactive ad lets consumers interact with Lufthansa for general airline questions and travel content focusing on 15 European destinations. The ad includes a destination explorer to highlight each location with travel facts, tips, tailored image galleries, videos and an option for a flight reservation. The ad is running on the IBM-owned weather.com and The Weather Channel app, and across Lufthansa’s digital ad platforms. 
• As users interact with the ad, it gathers information to provide insights to help inform future Lufthansa marketing strategies. The #SayYesToTheWorld campaign also includes digital, out-of-home, mobile, print, social and cinema ads. 

Dive Insight:

Lufthansa joins a growing list of travel and hospitality brands leveraging AI to provide personalized experiences, recognizing that travel and adventure is not a one-size-fits-all purchase. By using AI to analyze behaviors, travel sector hopes to offer more value to consumer and drive engagement. The destination-focused information from the airline could appeal to millennials, whose purchases are often experience-driven. 

AI's appeal for marketers is on the rise as the technology becomes more sophisticated and easier to use. IBM recently unveiled several new AI marketing solutions at Advertising Week 2018, including Watson Ads Omni, a version of Watson Ads that lets marketers add AI-powered interactive placements on any digital site. Other tools include the IBM Media Optimizer that leverages MediaMath’s cloud-based demand-side platform and data management platform to optimize programmatic media spend, and Predictive Audiences, which uses deep learning with neural networks and LiveRamp’s IdentityLink.

Along with Lufthansa, Best Western also partnered with IBM Watson Advertising on an AI-powered ad that offers tailored travel tips and accommodation recommendations based on travel preferences. Consumers can book a hotel room, take a virtual 360-degree tour of a location and learn about the company’s rewards program. Emirates Vacations also integrated AI-powered chatbots into display ads that let users type in questions and receive answers to travel and tip questions based on select destinations. During a 30-day test of the ads, Emirates Vacations saw an 87% engagement lift compared to average click-through ads following the test.