Travel + Leisure magazine debuts local-focused show on IGTV

Brief:

Travel + Leisure magazine began airing a short-form series called "Locals" on IGTV, the video-sharing and streaming app that Instagram started in June. The series, which aims to show viewers how travel destinations look through the eyes of locals, this week premiered with "Eat Ramen Like a Local," according to an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
The Meredith-owned magazine will release a new episode of "Locals" every month. Each episode will focus on one destination and feature an interesting resident who shares their personal story and connection to the locale.
Litty Flynn, lifestyle executive producer at Meredith, said the series aims to reveal the "true, authentic appeal" of travel destinations. Travel + Leisure has a global reach of more than 16 million consumers, according to its announcement.

Insight:

Travel + Leisure's video series on IGTV is a good fit for Instagram, whose audience consists of young adults who seek authentic experiences they can share on the app. The series marks the first byproduct of a partnership announced last month between Meredith and Instagram parent Facebook to develop ten original series for IGTV, as reported by Digiday.

The programming may appeal to advertisers seeking to reach younger audiences who spend less time watching TV or are canceling cable subscriptions for digital and mobile alternatives. National broadcast TV ad sales last year fell 2.2%, but showed signs of stabilizing this year as the U.S. economy grew the fastest in four years, per Magna, the ad-buying and media analytics unit of IPG.

Travel programming is well-suited for the youth-focused IGTV push. U.S. millennials are very likely to engage with social media while they travel. "Travel bragging" is common among younger adults, with 66% of 18- to 29-year-olds saying they would rather upload a selfie than a picture with their loved ones (62%) while vacationing, per a study by Travelocity's sister company. Not to be outdone, the younger Generation Z is highly likely to seek travel ideas from social media, including recommendations from friends and influencers, according to a survey by online travel company Expedia. Travel-related advertisers like hotels, airlines and resorts have the power to influence Gen Z travel decisions through mobile platforms.

IGTV's expanded programming comes as rival Snapchat builds out its original video content with its "Snap Originals" shows. The 12 series let viewers swipe up on their smartphone screens to open virtual "show portals" and step inside augmented reality (AR) scenes from the shows. Each series has about eight to 12 episodes, and the shows are released daily.