Cleartrip boosts festive ad spends by 25% YoY to woo affluent millennials

Flipkart-owned online travel agency Cleartrip has unveiled a multi-faceted marketing campaign for the festive season to challenge the conventional perception that vacations are occasional luxury. The “Life Mat Jhelo, Bas Niklo” (Don’t Endure Life, Just Go) campaign marks the third iteration of the brand’s annual The Big Billion Days sale since Flipkart acquired it in 2021.

The concept of the campaign is simple: life is tough. And sometimes, you have the choice and the ability to take a break and walk away. The communication for the campaign is particularly unconventional  in the context of the Indian online travel agency (OTA) market, where competition is fierce and the battle is often fought on price points, discounts, and sales. 

Tavleen Bhatia, chief marketing officer at Cleartrip, shares insights into the campaign’s inception and the company’s strategic approach to the festive season.

“Travel is a high emotional involvement category. Our message is simple: stop ‘jhelo-ing’ your life and just get out. Sales announcements, particularly in travel and other categories, typically highlight discounts and offers. We wanted to go beyond that because travel is not just an expense but a necessary break from life’s daily frustrations, particularly for the younger generation, who are increasingly questioning the hustle culture,” Bhatia explains.

Campaign films and execution

The campaign films, created by Cleartrip’s creative team in-house, vividly illustrate its core message—to escape from routines and enjoy travel’s renewing impact. Besides the ‘Mat Jhelo, Bas Niklo’ advert, the brand has also released a series of ad films as part of the larger campaign.

Bhatia elaborates on the storyline of the films: “Our in-house team has done an exceptional job capturing the essence of our message. The film showcases relatable scenarios of daily life frustrations and contrasts them with the liberating experience of travel. It’s not just about selling a product; it’s about promoting a lifestyle change that we believe is crucial for overall well-being.”

Power of the print

SW Network (Sociowash) ran a print ad for Cleartrip in The Economic Times to complement the film. The ad allows readers to fold the page into a paper plane, scan a QR code, and symbolically throw their stress away.

Youngun, a meme and creative marketing agency, created a humorous out-of-home (OOH) ad for Cleartrip’s Big Billion Days Campaign to expand its reach.

The ‘meme-fied’ billboards at DLF Cyber Hub/Cyber City target Delhi and Gurugram corporate employees.

On these collaborations, Bhatia says, “We like to work with agencies that have specific strengths. Youngun came on board because they’re excellent with innovative, clutter-breaking work. For example, they helped us with these outdoor activations, and SocioWash worked with us on our print innovation. We don’t rely on one agency but prefer working with specialised teams for each medium.”

Partnerships and offers

Cleartrip has curated special deals with airlines, hotels, and transit operators to support the promotion. These partnerships include select luxury hotel chains in India and airlines that fly to long-haul international destinations in Europe, Canada, and the USA, making travel more accessible to a broader range of consumers.

Bhatia points out that by strategically timing these deals, customers can make advance bookings and prevent price surges during the festive and year-end seasons. “This year, we’ve focused on making luxury and long-haul travel more affordable. Our partnerships are designed to open up new possibilities for our customers,” she says.

Targeting affluent millennials and early-career Gen- Z

Cleartrip’s campaign primarily targets affluent millennials and early-career Gen-Z. Bhatia elaborates on the brand’s target audience: “Our core target group is affluent millennials. These are typically people aged 30 to 42 years old, living in metro and tier-1 cities, with mid- to high affluence. They’re at a stage in life where they’re earning money and spending significantly on travel.”

However, Cleartrip is also looking to expand its reach. “Increasingly, we want to push more towards the early job or Gen-Z demographic, those aged 22 to 27 years old,” Bhatia adds. “This group represents an important emerging market for travel experiences.”

Media strategy and increased marketing spend

To reach this demographic, Cleartrip has developed a media mix heavily focused on digital channels, including the Google ecosystem, Meta platforms, and content-driven strategies on social media. The company has also significantly increased its marketing budget for the festive season.

“Our overall media budget for the festive season is 20-25% higher compared to last year,” Bhatia reveals. She also shares their annual strategy for media allocation. “We typically do two to three sales events where we focus our media efforts. In a year, roughly 30 to 40% of our media budget goes toward these events. We dedicate the remaining funds to enhancing brand marketing and establishing our reputation.”

Changing travel trends

Cleartrip’s campaign also addresses evolving travel trends. As per Bhatia, there is a notable increase in spontaneous, short-term bookings, particularly during sale events. “We’ve seen a spike in two distinct categories: short-term impulse bookings of 2–5 days and long-term bookings of 15+ days or more. This reflects a broader trend toward impulse travel, similar to how quick commerce is reshaping purchasing patterns in other sectors.”

New international destinations are also gaining popularity. Vietnam, Baku, and Bali are becoming more attractive destinations alongside Dubai and Bangkok.

Future focus

Looking ahead, Cleartrip plans to grow and innovate. The company plans to focus more on Gen-Z travellers and grow in foreign travel and hotels.

“From a consumer cohort perspective, we want to focus more on Gen-Z, as they travel differently and are not yet meaningfully catered to by OTAs,” Bhatia stated. “Market-wise, we’re looking to grow two parts of our business: international travel, where we see significant potential, and our hotel business, which is still developing. These are the key areas where we aim to innovate and grow disproportionately.”

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