Expedia is leaning into the idea of meaningful travel excursions – like seeing the aurora borealis –  in new 360 campaign work that includes a Super Bowl spot and massive out of home.

In 2022’s Super Bowl LVI, Expedia came to life through a spot featuring Star Wars‘ Ewan McGregor, while this year, it is telling an intergenerational, rather than an intergalactic, tale of a woman helping her daughter and grandma fulfil a bucket list trip to see the norther lights in Norway.

The 30-second spot was created in-house by the Expedia creative team and will make its debut in Canada on February 11 during Super Bowl Sunday during the pre-game and during the game. The spot will then begin airing in the U.S, UK and Australia as of February 12.

In mid February, the travel booking site is doing a takeover at Lower Manhattan’s World Trade Center, with a creative execution running on the 280-foot gallery wall, promising a captivating and immersive experience to viewers.

Expedia’s VP of brand marketing, Chandreyi Davis says the activation is “extending the aspiration and dream that so many of us have to chase the aurora,” and is about helping travellers realize that they can actually achieve their travel dreams.

“We know how deeply a bucket list trip it is,” Davis says, and that the World Trade Center will really “immersively bring this to life.”

The vastness of the screen will allow for a visually stunning display of the northern lights, tell the intergenerational story, and offer a bucket-list moment of escape and wonder for busy crowds.

To extend the Canadian campaign storytelling and provide helpful resources for travel planning, the company is partnering with two lifestyle content creators: U.K.-based @joshpkohler and Canada-based @gnarstie to create original destination and how-to content to be shared on Expedia’s social media channels.

“We are doing quite a bit with influencers,” Davis says, adding that Expedia also wants to inspire and entice through OOH, which is located at Pearson Airport.

“We are trying to be intentional about where we tell travel stories,” she says. Some tell the story of the northern lights, but Expedia says it also wants to tell a breadth of travel stories.

Expedia’s 360-marketing campaign includes hosting journalists from six countries in two of the top destinations to view the northern lights at Yellowknife, Canada, and Tromsø, Norway, referenced in the hero spot. The company will also release an Expedia Northern Lights Insider Guide, which will include data insights, savings hacks, photography tips, and ideal itineraries to help travellers plan.

There’s also a shoppable Expedia Magazine Northern Lights feature, with a mixture of in-depth editorial features packed with practical insights and recommendations.

The company “continues to invest in Canada,” which is a key market for Expedia. The company’s internal media buy is responsible for this work.