Roll out the red carpet! With the Oscars coming up, we’re celebrating some of our favorite Oscar-worthy video content in the travel marketing industry:
Best Story 🏆
From unhinged memes to heartwarming team spotlights, these videos make the most of creative storytelling concepts under 60 seconds:
airBaltic - hopeless core PSA for passengers
We’ve all been there, whether you’re the passenger in question or a passenger relating to this flight attendant! We love how airBaltic hopped on this “hope(less) core” trend where you make a fake cheesy motivational PSA. This is a great script that really taps into emotions and pain points with humour. Who else wishes this could play at the end of every flight? 🙋🏻♀️
Visit Milwaukee - Charli XCX “what’s in my bag?”
Mentally, we’re still in BRAT summer! Visit Milwaukee’s video is such a great example of a travel brand hopping on a trending audio of Charli XCX showing off what’s in her bag, and making it truly their own with an iconic destination landmark, cute swag, and local eats!
Hawaiian Airlines - Mother’s Day
Get out the tissues because this one’s so sweet: as part of their #31DaysOfLei campaign, Hawaiian Airlines employees gave lei to their mothers for mother’s day. This is such a sweet way to celebrate the faces and families that make a brand so personable.
Children’s Museum - Taylor Swift friendship bracelets
To celebrate Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour coming to town, The Children’s Museum in Indianapolis got super creative and transformed their dinosaur statues into Swifties with huge friendship bracelets! This is such a great photo and video moment for visitors, and we also love how they showed the behind-the-scenes of the team putting it all together.
Best Cinematography 🏆
These videos feature great camerawork that capture the big picture and unique details:
UP Travel - Capture Everything
It’s called range sweetie 💅 This is such a stunning combo of video and still photography by CrowdRiff Creator Ruffa for UP Travel. We love the idea of showcasing the unique beauty of a nature spot during both day and night!
Expedia - Detour Destination
Talk about making the most of a short runtime! We love how this video from Expedia shot by Christine FitzPatrick features a variety of shots: you’ve got the classic walking POV, the static relaxing shots, framing that shows off the scale of the majestic surroundings, and playing with light and shadow. Chef’s kiss!
Tourism Jasper - Sunwapta Falls
This is a short but stunning reveal of a waterfall view shot by CrowdRiff Creator Sarah Magyar for Tourism Jasper. And not to mention the soothing ASMR sounds of the water — no trending audio needed here!
G Adventures - Sunrise in Cappadocia, Turkey
This video featured by G Adventures is such a smart way to keep your viewers watching, because the wait is totally worth it for this dreamy view of hot air balloons at sunrise. The smooth drone footage by EA Videography makes this feel extra magical!
Best Actor 🏆
Those brave souls aren't afraid to get in front of the camera — and get silly!
Tempe Tourism - The office is on fire!
We love this amazing ensemble performance from Tempe Tourism Office! Absolutely incredible use of props and participation of an entire enthusiastic team, which is no easy feat.
citizenM Hotels - Get your gifts outside the hotel!
Anything that involves physical activity of any kind, especially sprinting, deserves an award. Check out that amazing form! Kudos to the citizenM Hotels staff for showing off their space and sharing a PSA in a truly entertaining way.
Visit Alamosa - Gen Z marketing script
It was so hard to choose just one of these, but Visit Alamosa’s Volunteer Travel Counselor and local celeb Sandy Ortega absolutely slayed. Pop off, queen! 👑
Southwest Airlines - Charli XCX apple dance and cover
Not only do we have three brave souls from Southwest Airlines doing a viral dance, we have an exclusive cover of Charli XCX’s song with custom lyrics to avoid copyright problems. Gotta love the legal creativity!
Best Picture 🏆
It’s impossible to narrow it down, so we’re just shouting out a few of our many favorite videos in the travel space that have gone viral:
Fairmont Banff Springs - Grizzly Bear sighting
Fairmont Banff Spring’s amazing April Fools joke features security camera footage of a grizzly bear having a ball. This is such a creative way to show off the space and amenities. Shout-out to the talented bear wrangler and actor. We love it when brands commit to the bit!
Rijksmuseum - matching artworks with TikTok sounds
When you start a TikTok edit, the app automatically adds some music to try and match its vibe. We love how Rijksmuseum used this to highlight their exhibits in a fun way! It was so successful that they even did a part 2 by popular demand in the comments.
United Airlines - The Story About You
We love how United Airlines uses a mix of professional footage, handheld shots, vertical phone videos, and casual selfies! It really makes this TV spot feel more authentic and dynamic.
Visit Salt Lake’s Winter Wonderland
This whimsical video from Visit Salt Lake has over 1.5M views and features some content by CrowdRiff Creators! We love how these shots capture both the stunning scale and tiny details of all the holiday magic.
That brings us to the end of our Oscars round-up! Give these travel brands a standing ovation 👏 Thanks to all the amazing travel brands and creators for your amazing work, and thanks to the Academy and our viewers for tuning in!
