AmaWaterways will place influencers front and centre of a new marketing push, partnering with Jerne to tap social media marketing talent.
The river line said through Jerne, approved creators would be able to apply to experience and create content promoting AmaWaterways’ river cruise product to new audiences around the world.
It said the new partnership would "complement and support" the line’s "strong relationships with the travel advisor community", potentially helping them reach new-to-river clients.
Jerne represents creators working across dozens of platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and blogging.
AmaWaterways said quality recommendations, such as those coming from influencers, were becoming increasingly important to consumers – particularly when considering or seeking new experiences.
Citing a study by Nielsen, more than 70% of consumers trust advertising opinions and product placement from content creators, with the channel being particular popular in the luxury sector.
"This efficient and innovative platform provides AmaWaterways with an opportunity to work with a broad range of talented content creators and influencers, who provide an incredible amount of additional targeted marketing reach - essentially building awareness and providing inspiration to encourage an entirely new group of travellers to discover river cruising," said AmaWaterways chief marketing officer Janet Bava.
Jerne chief executive Tim Morgan added: "Whether created by influencers, bloggers, or others, user generated content is an increasingly important and economical channel for influencing the buying decisions of travellers. Recognised as a innovator within the river cruise sector, AmaWaterways embraced this new platform and became the first to embed a creator economy strategy into its overall corporate vision."
The platform gives businesses control over all aspects of their relationship with creators, from verifying their credentials to agreeing strategy, managing content distribution and monitoring return on investment.
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