Expedia Taps IShowSpeed's 184 Million Followers, Driving 70% Search Jump for Caribbean Islands
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Aug 13
Expedia Taps IShowSpeed's 184 Million Followers, Driving 70% Search Jump for Caribbean Islands
3 articles · Updated · Forbes · Aug 13
Summary
Expedia made IShowSpeed its official travel partner after an April 12-hour livestream across Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Maarten that embedded the brand into his unscripted travel content.
400 million people saw the Caribbean campaign across social platforms, Expedia said, and destination searches rose 70% for St. Maarten, 50% for Guadeloupe, and 35% for Dominica in the following days.
184 million followers give Darren Watkins Jr. unusual reach with younger travelers, a group Expedia says increasingly chooses destinations on social media before ever visiting a booking site.
57% of Gen Z and millennial travelers use social platforms to plan trips, Expedia said, versus fewer than 10% who start on a traditional travel website, pushing the company to treat creators as a booking channel.
Exspeedia.com and a June 90-second shoppable film extend the campaign from inspiration to booking, though Expedia is betting an unpredictable livestream style can convert attention into actual travel sales.