“That's a really interesting trend that wasn’t as prominent in the past,” Mering tells The Current. “And we’re tapping into that psychology with the creative messaging we’re putting out.” Issues such as measurement and attribution, meanwhile, are also taking center stage. “Pre-pandemic, we looked at things like likelihood to visit,” he says. “Now, we’re tracking behavior, perception, brand tarnish — all of these have become more amplified. And it’s the collection of all this data that we’re using to inform our decision making.”
Leaning into data is also giving airlines insights as to how people are traveling. The uncertainty caused by the Delta variant, for instance, has travelers booking their trips at the last minute. “If you think about people booking zero to 15 days out — we’re definitely seeing a peak there.” Seema Bissa, manager of performance marketing and strategy at Canada-based WestJet airlines, tells The Current.