TRIPADVISOR | FROM BOOMER PARADISE TO GEN Z HOTSPOT

How Tripadvisor revamped social strategy to capture Gen Z

Travel Tripadvisor United States

OBJECTIVE

Tripadvisor needed to reconnect with a generation that discovers the world through swipes, creators, and community–not guidebooks. The challenge: evolve a brand long associated with Boomers into a social-first travel companion for Gen Z and Zillennials.

Through social listening and trend analysis, we uncovered an emerging persona–the Type C traveler: socially connected, humor-driven, and inspired by niche communities. To reach them, Tripadvisor’s social ecosystem needed a full reinvention: a new tone of voice, creator partnerships rooted in genuine cultural relevance, and content that felt like travel inspiration before the suitcase ever comes out.

STRATEGY

We built a social strategy that speaks with Gen Z, not at them.

→ Create a new cultural identity: Shape a playful, witty, highly social-native brand voice tailored to Type C travelers.
→ Partner where culture is happening: Activate creators already inside Gen Z communities – Sydney Jo (“The Group Chat”), The Welsh 5, Jalen Brown, Demi Lovato and more.
→ Turn community into content: Treat comments, DMs, and interactions as story starters, making the audience co-authors of the brand.
→ Stay always-on: Use humor, trends, and relatable travel moments to keep Tripadvisor present even when audiences aren’t traveling.

EXECUTION

The brand transformation unfolded across creator-led storytelling, always-on social, and scaled community engagement.

→ Creator collabs: Co-created content, not sponsorships, that place Tripadvisor at the center of culturally relevant narratives.
→ Humor-forward content series: Snackable formats highlighting travel hacks, hidden gems, and universally relatable travel chaos.
→ Community-first approach: Audience interactions have become the foundation of new posts, series, and creator opportunities, fueling a +61.5% increase in community engagement.