Brief:
- Travelocity, the Expedia-owned travel site with an estimated 12 million monthly users, is running a contest on the mobile dating app Tinder, according to a press release.
- Tinder users can win a 10-day Caribbean vacation for two by interacting with a "Roaming Gnome" statue appearing on Tinder's profile cards, which resemble the pages of users seeking dates. By swiping right on the card to respond, people are invited to enter the "Be My Gnomie?" contest where they try to convince the brand mascot to pick them as a travel mate.
- The contest is also open to people who don't use Tinder by following the @RoamingGnome and @Travelocity accounts on Instagram. People can enter by submitting a photo or video post explaining why they would be the perfect travel companion and including the hashtag #BeMyGnomieContest.
Insight:
The Be My Gnomie? campaign with Tinder is a fun way for Travelocity to raise its profile among the dating app's predominantly young-leaning users. While Travelocity is promoting the contest with a branded Tinder profile card, the company is also running display banner ads on other dating sites such as Match.com, OKCupid and PeopleMedia. Tinder is incredibly popular with millennials, a consumer group that's been shown to spend a lot on travel. By including ads that can provide value to users — in this case, potentially winning a tropical vacation — Travelocity could connect with an audience that's usually tough to reach and engage.
3Headed Monster, the agency behind the campaign, is leveraging user-generated content by retweeting amusing video or photo entries and engaging with selected entrants, according to MediaPost. The agency will also post a series of daily videos from the winners' vacation. The prize includes stays at three newly opened hotels in Montego Bay, Jamaica; Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas; and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
This isn't the first time Tinder has partnered with a travel company. In June, the dating platform worked with Delta to print iconic locations from across the globe on a building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where selfie-takers could snap photos to appear as world travelers and enhance their online dating profiles. Both partnerships might seem like unusual pairings, but their working together also underscores how more major brands are leveraging third-party app partnerships to extend their reach into new markets.
Travel is a popular activity for U.S. millennials who have disposable income and are seeking experiences they can share on social media.
