Lonely Planet chooses iris for global youth digital strategy

“We’ve identified Generation Y and Z as key audiences for us for future growth, so we need to make sure all our digital platforms are the best they can be," said Jason Shugg, head of product marketing and consumer insight at Lonely Planet. iris, he added, was selected for its understanding of how Gen Y interacts with content. "We want to tap into this."

Dan Pankraz

According to Dan Pankraz, regional planning director at iris' Sydney office, the agency will not only be working with Lonely Planet to create a bespoke digital youth strategy but also to develop a range of digital products and services which will help the brand rethink its business model.

Pankraz, who will be leading the work on this account, told Campaign Asia-Pacific that Lonely Planet approached iris for the project based on the agency's previous youth-targeted work with brands like adidas and Sony Ericsson. "Their business problem was that, according to some views, Lonely Planet has lost track with the young generation of travellers who want more than just a guidebook," Pankraz said.

"The task is to reshape their brand and product offering to cater to a digitally powered traveller," he said, adding that the work was more about product innovation than about a marketing campaign. 

"Lonely Planet already has eBooks and apps, and those will stay," he said. "This is about creating new revenue streams for them, particularly around personalised content, which is what today's youth really want." 

The agency will work with Lonely Planet on a project basis and the work will be rolled out over the coming months.