Making Travelers Smile: The Strategic Role of Humor in Travel Marketing

Mike Rush

Should the travel and tourism industry take a page from the insurance industry’s playbook and lean into humor? Some of the most memorable brands in insurance have built their identities around humor. Think Allstate’s Mayhem, Progressive’s Flo, or Liberty Mutual’s Doug and Limu Emu. Their success isn’t accidental. Some may argue “no”: insurance is a relatively low-interest category, whereas travel is one of the most aspirational and emotionally charged categories in marketing. Yet in crowded markets, humor—if done right—can create memorability.

Travel has traditionally relied on a different set of emotional triggers. Over the last decade, messaging has centered on wellness, sustainability, bleisure, and stand-out or “bucket list” experiences. Those themes remain important, but as competition for attention intensifies, travel brands are discovering that joy, playfulness, and a well-placed wink can be equally powerful tools.

The reason is simple: people remember what makes them feel something.

Research consistently shows that humor increases attention, emotional engagement, and recall. Oracle found that 90 percent of consumers are more likely to remember a brand associated with humor, while 72 percent say they would choose a humorous brand over its competitors. Other research from Kantar has found that humorous advertising drives stronger emotional connection, engagement, and distinctiveness than the average campaign.

For travel marketers, those findings are particularly relevant. Consumers are exposed to an endless stream of destination imagery, hotel openings, airline announcements, and travel recommendations every day. Beautiful photography has become table stakes. The challenge is creating something people actually remember.

That doesn’t mean every campaign should be a comedy routine. In fact, one of the biggest misconceptions about humor in marketing is that it requires brands to become something they’re not. For premium, luxury, and heritage brands, there is often a legitimate concern that humor could undermine credibility or cheapen brand equity. The risk isn’t humor itself. The risk is using humor that doesn’t align with the brand.

The most successful campaigns establish those guardrails before creative development even begins. One lesson we’ve learned across clients is that breakthrough ideas must have clear approval structures. We define in advance what kinds of risks a brand is willing to take:

• Can the brand authentically embrace humor?
• Are unexpected partnerships fair game?
• Can real customer stories be featured?
• Is cultural commentary on the table?
• What is explicitly off-limits?

When we define those boundaries early, agencies can move faster and creative ideas can be evaluated against a clear framework. We’ve also found that approval ladders can dramatically improve the process. Instead of presenting fully developed campaigns and hoping for buy-in, teams build alignment in stages. First, approve the insight. Then approve the strategic territory. Next, approve the campaign platform. Finally, approve the executions and amplifications. By the time creative concepts reach a brand’s leadership team, stakeholders have already bought into the foundation behind the work.

360PR+ introduced a dash of fun for two clients with the ultimate travel pet package that drove headlines and bookings: a VIP treatment at Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport in partnership with Wellness Pet Company. Furry friends with Boston-inspired names (think Fenway, Dunkin, Bruin, Wally, Sully and more) unlocked extra-tail-wagging rewards made just for local legends.

When done thoughtfully, humor can help brands create stronger emotional connections without compromising their positioning. We recently saw this with Wellness Pet Company’s partnership with Omni Hotels & Resorts in Boston. Rather than simply promoting pet-friendly accommodations, the campaign celebrated the joy people experience when traveling with their dogs. Guests traveling with pets named after Boston icons, such as Fenway or Dunkin, received special perks including room upgrades, late checkout, and dental treats as part of a playful

“Get Unready With Me” bedtime ritual. The campaign worked because the humor felt authentic to both the brand and the audience. It wasn’t trying to be funny for the sake of being funny. It celebrated a truth pet parents already recognize: traveling with pets is often messy, unpredictable, and incredibly rewarding.

The same principle applies at the premium end of the market. For Virgin Atlantic’s new Clubhouse at Los Angeles International Airport, the brand wanted to spotlight its wellness-focused experience designed specifically for travelers preparing for overnight flights. Wellness messaging is hardly a new concept in travel. To create a more distinctive story, we partnered with actor Alan Cumming, who shared his own pre-flight rituals before reading travelers a bedtime story. The concept maintained the sophistication and personality Virgin Atlantic is known for while introducing a sense of warmth, charm, and cheekiness that helped the campaign stand apart.

Neither campaign relied on slapstick comedy. Neither abandoned the core brand proposition. Instead, both used humor and joy as a way to make the story more memorable.

As travel brands look ahead, the opportunity is to recognize that joy itself can be a strategic advantage. In an industry built around experiences, memories, and human connection, the brands that make people smile often have an edge over the brands that simply inform.

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Mike Rush is Partner at 360PR+.