Expedia and IShowSpeed partner on travel campaign

Expedia is teaming up with IShowSpeed on a travel campaign that will see him produce livestreamed content from destinations around the world.

IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., will kick off the campaign with a 12-hour broadcast travelling across four Caribbean destinations – Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Maarten – in a single day. Further content is planned across North America.

The partnership builds on Watkins’ reputation for high-energy travel content. Earlier this year, his 28-day, 20-country tour across Africa drew millions of live viewers and large in-person crowds across the continent.

As part of the campaign, Expedia has launched Exspeedia.com, a dedicated site where fans can follow his travels, watch clips, book trips and vote on future destinations. Fans in the US, Canada and Mexico who book through the site can also enter a competition to meet him.

Expedia said it wants to reach younger audiences through the partnership. “Travel inspiration today comes from creators who bring their audiences along in real time,” said Natalie Wills, SVP of brand marketing at Expedia.

Watkins similarly said the partnership is about making travel feel more accessible. “My fans come from everywhere, and a lot of them don’t always think seeing the world is possible,” he said.

The deal is one of several high-profile partnerships Watkins has landed in recent months, as tracked in The Daily Influence Dealbase.

In December, Beats by Dre made him the centrepiece of its first major livestream creator campaign, followed in February by a creator-led product launch with PepsiCo alongside Dude Perfect. Earlier this month, Big Shot Pictures said he would voice and lend his likeness to the lead character in a new anime-style series.

Watkins has more than 153 million followers across YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Instagram.

This development is featured in Dealbase. Explore more here.