Tripadvisor is taking its first-party traveler data in a new direction. This week, the online travel company announced the formation of Wanderlab, an in-house studio that performs creative and media duties for brands both inside and outside the travel category.

“Brands are looking to get ahead on trends and we’re able to provide intel from a global travel landscape,” said Christine Maguire, VP and general manager of Tripadvisor Global Media Business, noting that Tripadvisor’s large global audience provides insight that allows the company to engage in predictive modeling for brands. Pre-pandemic, Tripadvisor reported roughly half a billion monthly unique users, according to a spokesman, who noted that though the company no longer reports such data, it still has hundreds of millions of monthly visitors.

Maguire joined the Needham, Massachusetts-based brand three years ago to spearhead Tripadvisor’s foray into the media business. Wanderlab, which has a team of 50 and is headquartered in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, is the next iteration of that business. The studio aims to function as a media buyer and creative studio for a host of travel and non-travel brands in categories such as automotive and beauty. Wanderlab’s capabilities include creating content for voice marketing, connected TV, long-form video, out-of-home, artificial reality, influencer and sampling campaigns.

Tripadvisor is not the only marketer branching out to provide marketing services to other brands. Liberty Mutual's in-house studio, a 5-year-old entity called Copper Giants, recently began working with Harpoon Beer. Serving outside clients gives brands new ways to monetize their own data and knowledge. In some cases, it pits brands as competitors against traditional creative agencies.

Tripadvisor has not yet determined if Wanderlab will be marketing the Tripadvisor brand, or if it will solely serve outside brands, a spokesman said. In the past, the company has worked with the likes of Johannes Leonardo and Supermoon.

He also said that prior to Wanderlab's formation, Tripadvisor has been testing campaigns and new forms of advertising with outside clients such as Cutwater and Ford. Early in 2023, Wanderlab will begin a $1.5 million campaign for San Diego Tourism Authority, the studio’s official "inaugural client." The push will include an interactive out-of-home mural component with an AR feature as well as digital marketing and a sweepstakes to encourage visitors.

“We will have a tangible element creating some kits or boxes through a sweepstakes—items from San Diego to share outside of market,” said Anna Askman, creative director at Wanderlab.

The campaign will be co-branded with Tripadvisor, like the vast majority of Wanderlab’s work, according to Maguire. She said that future brand opportunities with Wanderlab could include collaborating with automotive clients around electric vehicle education, and spirits marketers on canned cocktail kits.

These are things we are  “solving for non-endemic brands, but they are kind of near-endemic to travel—things you’re purchasing or doing while experiencing some trip or restaurant or local attraction,” said Maguire.