Home Podcast Social Distancing With Friends TripAdvisor’s Christine Maguire Leads With Empathy During A Pandemic

TripAdvisor’s Christine Maguire Leads With Empathy During A Pandemic

SHARE:
Social Distancing With Friends

Travel has been one of the hardest-hit businesses during the pandemic. TripAdvisor, with the bulk of its business coming from travel brands, felt that impact mightily.

The company is forecasting virtually no Q2 revenue and had to make heavy cuts to its staff in an effort to weather the storm as shelter-in-place orders took effect around the globe.

Pre-pandemic, Christine Maguire, TripAdvisor’s VP of global advertising, was looking forward to one of the best quarters in year-over-year growth in recent memory. She was leading a diversification strategy to attract more nontravel brands to TripAdvisor.

Then COVID-19 hit. And this challenging time for her and her team altered her leadership style.

“I am typically very business- and action-oriented,” Christine says. “This time has made me take a step back and lead with empathy.”

With the economy reopening, TripAdvisor is starting to see interest in travel return – although the flavor has changed.

When TripAdvisor examines behavior across its properties, there is a focus on daytrips, road trips and the outdoors. And those who weren’t planning to travel with family are now planning more family trips, perhaps because they’re keeping to their quarantine pods.

Advertisers are hungry for this data. Brands that once approached TripAdvisor with finalized advertising plans instead want to hear how consumers are feeling about travel before shaping creative messaging and campaigns.

TripAdvisor is listening, too – and avidly planning for travel’s eventual return: “We’re in a good spot to rebuild for what we think this iterative future state of travel will be,” Christine says.

Must Read

Conversion APIs Are Becoming Table Stakes – But Not All Brands Have Bought In

Over the past few years, CAPI integrations have moved from a nice-to-have to a necessity for anyone operating within walled garden environments. Now they’re laying the groundwork for an outcomes-driven ad ecosystem.

Peppa Pig

The Media And Retail Deals Behind The Peppa Pig Franchise Expansion

Peppa Pig is everywhere. Whether or not you have children, you likely know the little girl pig from the kid’s cartoon show. But the Peppa media franchise is just getting started.

How A For-Profit College Is Using CTV Ads To Win Over New Students

The American College of Education partnered with performance TV company MNTN to better reach its audience of adults seeking higher education.

Privacy! Commerce! Connected TV! Read all about it. Subscribe to AdExchanger Newsletters

Critics Say The Trade Desk Is Forcing Kokai Adoption, But Apparently It’s Up To Agencies

Is TTD forcing agencies to adopt the new Kokai interface despite claims they can still use the interface of their choice? Here’s what we were able to find out.

Why Big Brand Price Increases Will Flatten Ad Budgets

Product prices and marketing budgets are flip sides of the same coin. But the phase-in effects of tariffs, combined with vicissitudes of global weather and commodity production, challenge that truism.

The IAB Tech Lab Isn’t Pulling Any Punches In The Fight Against AI Scraping

IAB Tech Lab CEO Anthony Katsur didn’t mince his words when declaring unauthorized generative AI scraping of publisher content “theft, full stop.”