TikTok Made Me Book It: Deconstructing the New Marketing Funnel

For decades, the marketing funnel has been a reassuringly linear concept. A potential customer could be warmed up from awareness and interest to desire and ultimately, action.

Brands built entire strategies around this methodical customer journey. They strategised, they planned, and they executed with a certain level of predictable control. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but that level of control is now an illusion.  It's the wild wild west out there now, so grab your best Stetson hat, ask Alexa to play Cowboy Carter on Spotify and saddle up. 

In its place is the chaotic and lightning-fast world of TikTok, a platform that has not just reshaped the marketing funnel but blasted it so far into space it may as well be a pop star hoping to cling on to their relevancy. For Gen Z, the path to purchase is no longer a straight line; it’s a constant feedback loop of discovery, desire, and social proof all powered by 15-second videos and trending audio. For hospitality, understanding this new ecosystem isn’t just an option, it's imperative for survival. 

The Collapse of the Linear Journey

The fundamental flaw in applying the traditional funnel to this new landscape is its assumption of a passive audience waiting to be told where to go. I hate to say anything negative about Millenials (no I don’t, your generation is responsible for some of the worst crimes against culture; geek chic, side partings and the use of the word ‘adulting’ - these are just a few, my list is comprehensive and can be published upon request) but with the digital landscape booming at key moments in your adolescence, brands acted as cultural lighthouses telling you what to wear and where to go. Gen Z, however, are not passive consumers; they are active and curate their own digital and real-world experiences. I know how w*nky that sounds but hear me out for a sec; we aren’t looking for glossy ads and food styling, we want authenticity and we’ll search high and low to find it.

A slick heavily produced promotional video may garner polite interest but, a raw, unpolished clip of a guest capturing the specific ‘vibe’ of a hotel (the way the morning light hits the balcony, the aesthetic coffee art, the soundtrack of the lobby) can generate an intense, immediate desire that bypasses the entire consideration phase. Why? It’s authentic - and authenticity is your new currency. When done correctly it becomes a powerful blend of virality and velocity that the old model simply cannot account for.

Actionable Strategies.

Navigating this requires a radical shift in mindset, moving from broadcasting a controlled message to facilitating moments of discovery.

1. Embrace the creator economy as your new creative department

The power has shifted from brands to individuals. The pull of a partnership with a huge travel influencer is hard to resist but I would strongly encourage you to start looking at micro-influencers. With a following typically between 10,000 and 100,000, the power of these creators comes from their highly-engaged audiences, often built around a specific niche or aesthetic. Their audiences would view their endorsement as more of a genuine recommendation from a trusted friend, than a paid ad. The key to this partnership is to hand creative freedom over to them to capture - they know their audience, you want their audience so let them be your wingman. 

2. Engineer spontaneity

When a user sees a TikTok and thinks, ‘I have to go there now’ the window of opportunity is minuscule. Any friction in the booking process will shatter the impulse. Is your booking engine mobile-first and seamless? Can a user click from a creator's ‘link in bio’ and book a stay in under two minutes? Consider creating specific, time-sensitive offers for TikTok users to capitalise on viral moments. The goal is to make acting on an impulse as effortless as the scroll that sparked it.

3. Join the conversation authentically

The most successful brands on TikTok ditch the strict brand guidelines and let loose, becoming more like active participants in the culture. This means staying up to date with trending sounds, video formats and challenges but finding clever, on-brand ways to join in. It’s not about a forced dance challenge; it's about using a trending audio clip to showcase your bartender mixing a signature cocktail or using a popular format to give a mini-tour of your most unique suite. It signals that you are not just aware of the culture; you are a part of it.

The enduring promise of an offline experience

Ultimately, the goal is not just to get the booking; it is to deliver on the promise that the TikTok clip made. As we’ve explored before, offline is the new luxury. The digitally-driven desire that you’ve created must culminate in a tangible, unforgettable real-world experience.

TikTok may be the new storefront, travel agent and word-of-mouth, all rolled into one but the magic it sells must be waiting for the guest when they put down their phone and walk through your door. The brands that will thrive in this new era are those that understand how to master this paradox: using the most fleeting of digital moments to sell the most enduring of real-world memories.