LuckyTrip

The Objective

Boosting brand awareness to increase app downloads with TikTok

Brothers Tiff and Alex Burns launched LuckyTrip in 2016. It’s the result of a simple yet brilliant idea. Wouldn’t it be good if you could just tap a button to find and book an amazing trip?

With their app, you quickly set your budget and preferences, and just tap the Lucky button. Instantly a personalised trip to an amazing destination with the cheapest flights, handpicked accommodations, and unique experiences appears. not happy with the trip presented? Simple, just tap again.

Partnering with some of Europe’s biggest airlines, tourist boards, and tour operators as well as being backed by Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and booking.com, LuckyTrip scours the web high and low to find you your perfect deal.

LuckyTrip’s ease of use is what sets it apart. It removes the stress by planning your entire trip for you. Remember that panicked feeling of searching for the perfect room only to find out its way out of budget? Well, LuckyTrip takes the pain away. As a result, it’s now the fastest-growing travel inspiration app in Europe.

New to TikTok, LuckyTrip were using the platform to showcase some of the top destinations and hidden gems available on the app, but they could see untapped potential in reaching its target audience. They planned a TikTok campaign that would boost brand awareness and increase app downloads and conversions among its target audience.

The Solution

Running split tests to find the creative sweet spot

Together with their Brighton-based agency partner, GEN Z TALENT and their TikTok Account Manager, they sat down to work out campaign parameters and their plan of attack. The primary aim was to increase traffic and drive app installs. This would naturally boost brand awareness and conversions would follow. Running for three weeks the campaign targeted a UK-based Gen Z and millennial audience.

To generate the most engagement and traction the campaign focused on using influencer-created content and user-generated content (UGC) for the majority of the campaign creative.  

Then to determine which creative content resonated the most they employed a test-and-see approach. Jumping on trends let the team quickly trial different styles of creative and find out what was most effective.

Alongside this, selected creators sourced through GEN Z TALENT’s network were also sent off on actual trips designed to showcase the app’s functionality and ease of use. For this, they chose travel niche-specific influencers and then more generic influencers. Creators within the travel niche created more informative travel-themed content, while the more generic influencers used trends to excite TikTok users about LuckyTrip.

LuckyTrip’s campaign deployed and made excellent use of Spark Ads. These were perfect as they let LuckyTrip boost its reach by leveraging organic posts for publishing ads using Creator accounts they had partnered with. By using posts from real TikTok accounts, Spark Ads ensure that all views, comments, shares, likes, and follows gained from boosting campaign creative get attributed to the organic posts.

The Results

Producing top results with Spark Ads

Measured against their KPIs the campaign was a massive success. In just three weeks they racked up a staggering amount of app downloads. While the campaign was running, they took the top spot as the most downloaded travel app in the UK Apple App Store and the third most downloaded app out of all apps. Temporarily, LuckyTrip was more downloaded than TikTok itself!

As if that weren’t enough to shout about, their campaign was so successful that it was shortlisted for the official TikTok “Greatest of All Time” (G.O.A.Ts) performance award and was highly commended by the panel. Along with the recognition, the team’s approach gave them some valuable insights. It highlighted the effectiveness of testing multiple creative approaches and trusting the algorithm. 

By running a split test, the team could quickly see which creative led to the most app downloads. Armed with this knowledge they could then invest the remainder of the campaign budget into these high-performing videos and maximise their return on advertising spend (ROAS). 

Not content with resting on their laurels the team are already looking at how they can incorporate their campaign learnings into their future campaigns.