How Exceptional ALIEN is shaping the future of travel and destination marketing

Exceptional ALIEN (EA) is a somewhat new name that has risen to the forefront of modern travel content creation thanks to its refreshing approach to destination marketing.

Established in 2019, EA was founded by Michael Canning, a two-time Cannes Lions Grand Prix award recipient, and Justin Drape, the founder of the mega advertising agency, The Monkeys.

Canning and Drape set out to create a platform where its audience can be transported by creativity, both physically and mentally, sharing experiences through the eyes of an expert.

And… They’ve done it!

The jewel in the crown of EA is the travel playbook series, which it describes as, “A personal play-by-play curation of recommendations from inspiring creators around the globe.”

Wanna-be globe trotters and wanderers alike can seamlessly explore the Travel Playbook website and discover the destinations of their dreams through the eyes of a hand picked creator.

Highlights include superstar singer, songwriter Meg Mac’s top Sydney picks, or world surfing champion Mick Fanning’s must do’s in the Gold Coast.

“We just wanted to really focus on the experience of a place and a destination through the lens of a creator or someone that’s tapped into that place culturally,” co-founder, Exceptional ALIEN, Justin Drape, said.

“They provide, in the travel playbooks, five gems, (generally, there could be more,) and it’s really up to you how you want to go and experience those, but you’re trusting the Creator.

“I guess they’re putting their name to something. So there has to be an authenticity to it.”

Fresh of the back off winning a SKIFT award for being an ‘industry innovator’, Drape told us how honoured he (and the brand is) to be recognised for their work.

“[It was] for innovation, which was a really nice thing to wake up to,” he said.

“So that was for the exceptional South Africa series that we did. We’re sitting alongside some reasonable brands, some global brands. So that was really good to be acknowledged for that.”

Speaking to Justin (and I am sure Michael would have given me the same impression), it is clear that the vision for Exceptional Alien comes from a desire to change the way things are done in and continue to evolve.

For instance, take the process of sourcing talent for a new ‘Playbook’.

Drape explained that the last question in every Playbook interview asks the talent to nominate another person they see as ‘Exceptional’.

“So we initially started by working with our existing network of creators that we know and we’ve met along the way throughout our career,” Drape, said. 

“And then we’re asking their creators to nominate people that they think are exceptional. So it’s the community really building itself.” 

At the time of our chat, a week or so ago, Drape also alluded to a landmark announcement that Exceptional ALIEN had slated for later in the month.

So here it is….

Exceptional ALIEN partners with Skyscanner

Apart from the ground breaking content and marketing strategies applied to the Playbook series, EA is doing a top job in developing strong relationships with industry leaders.

Having already partnered with the likes of South Africa Tourism, Atout France and Tourism New Zealand, a new feather has been added to the cap in the global travel marketplace that is Skyscanner.

This is a first-of-its-kind partnership for Skyscanner and will see curated travel guides from Exceptional ALIEN creators hosted on skyscanner.com.au and skyscanner.ca (Canada), providing travellers with exclusive, insider experiences in iconic cities frequently visited by consumers, allowing them to explore the cities they thought they knew in unexpected ways.

Cities involved with the new partnership include London, Los Angeles, Sydney, New York, Rome and Paris.

Together, the brands continue down EA’s path of fostering creative travel, steering clear of the SEO driven listicle approach and striving to promote the very best experiences a destination has to offer.

“By pairing Exceptional ALIEN storytelling & travel inspiration with Skyscanner’s marketplace, we’re enriching the travel booking experience with trusted insights and recommendations, that we hope will lead to more rewarding experiences for all travellers,” Drape, said.