How Viator is Using Influencer Marketing to Build a Household Name in Travel
From the VMAs to Viator, Carmela Luzzi has had a dynamic career at the intersection of entertainment, brand, and culture. Now serving as Brand Director at Viator (a TripAdvisor company), she’s on a mission to transform the travel experiences platform into a household name.
You’ve worked at MTV, VH1, and VICE… What brought you to Viator?
After years in entertainment, integrated partnerships, tentpole events, and brand marketing, I wanted to switch to the brand side and build something from scratch. Viator was looking to grow brand awareness quickly, and the idea of helping shape a brand in a still-emerging category like travel experiences was really exciting to me. There was no existing full-funnel marketing infrastructure, so I had a real opportunity to build.
How do you reach a mass audience in today’s fragmented, niche-driven culture?
It starts with knowing who your audience is. Travel is broad, but we had to be strategic. Once we nailed our target audience, we leaned into traditional channels like the NFL while also investing in a strong influencer strategy. We work across tiers: A-list, VIP, mid-tier, and micro, and we’ve seen the most down-funnel impact come from the smaller creators who really drive engagement and consideration.
What’s behind the shift in trust? Why do consumers prefer hearing from influencers over brands?
People talk to each other. They’ve become more informed and skeptical. And honestly, it’s easier to talk about a bad experience than a good one. We do a lot of social listening and have a Voice of the Customer program where we sit in on customer service calls to understand pain points. Creators help us rebuild trust and reflect that we’re working through these issues—and they do it in a way that resonates.
Where do you stand on trend-hopping?
Just because a trend is happening doesn’t mean we should jump on it. Sometimes not engaging is the strategy. If it doesn’t align with our brand voice or product, we sit it out. But when there’s cultural relevance—like Pride or Black History Month—we show up in a way that’s authentic to our platform, like featuring local tours that celebrate Black culture.
Creator content is everywhere now—not just social. Are you expanding usage beyond organic posts?
Definitely. Podcasts have become huge for us, and we’ve expanded into using influencer content across digital, CTV, and even audio. It’s great for marketers because the production value is high, and with the right usage rights, we can get more value from the content we’re already investing in. Whatever performs well organically, we feed into paid.
Influencer marketing is effective, but often underfunded. Why is that?
There’s a pressure to show ROI immediately—and influencer work takes time. Not every dollar converts on day one, and that’s a hard message in a boardroom. But we’ve been aggressive with our influencer budget and it’s paying off. We use promo codes for direct attribution and conduct quarterly brand health studies with Ipsos. In our latest study, people specifically recalled seeing Viator’s influencer work on TikTok. That’s impact.
What lessons have you learned about working with creators?
As brand marketers, we’re trained to push brand messages. But creators have their own tone and their own relationship with their audience. You can’t force it. We’ve had to unlearn some habits and give creators the space to tell our story in their voices. That’s when it really works.
What’s your personal For You Page look like?
Travel tips, outfit inspo, hotel-room-friendly fitness hacks, and lots of recipes I’ll probably never make.
If you were a creator, what would your niche be?
Professionally, travel. But in reality? Martini reviews.
What is the best advice for someone starting in marketing?
Be curious. The only constant is change, and the marketers who embrace it are the ones who succeed.
For more from our Culture Creators series, head [here].
Want more updates? Subscribe to our newsletter at www.linqia.com/subscribe to never miss what’s new in influencer marketing and social media.
