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Forbes
11 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
What Content Creators Can Expect On A Brand Trip
Jenny Roso Photography Whether you follow your favorite influencers and brands on TikTok or watch their YouTube channels, you may have seen them go on brand trips. Brand trips are when a brand invites a content creator or group of influencers to experience a place and/or products. Brand trips can span two days or last several weeks. Brands have different objectives for hosting trips. From increasing brand awareness through storytelling to accessing specific creators' audiences and building relationships with them, there are plenty of reasons why brands invest in inviting creators on a trip. As a full-time creator, I've been on three brand trips in the last two months. I spent nine days in Peru with Intrepid as part of a tour group, one week in Tokyo with Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines with a group of influencers, and a solo weekend with Travel Portland. Here are some key insights on what happens behind the scenes of a brand trip: Paid vs. Gifted Brand Trips In 2025, brands are offering both paid and gifted brand trips. Content creators and influencers may receive payment in the form of the experience itself, as brands offer to cover expenses such as flights, lodging, transportation, and meals. Brands are also paying influencers to participate in brand trips, as many of these trips come with a required statement of work. Influencers may be necessary to create and post a set of deliverables within a specified timeframe. What Brands Expect On A Brand Trip: Timeline & Deliverables In my last three brand trips, all my brand partners have requested short-form video content. Most brands are still prioritizing short-form videos (Reels on Instagram or TikTok videos). However, depending on the creators' channels and platforms, brands may still request that photos. Brands may also ask influencers to create multiple flights of content. Emma's Edition In addition to agreeing to the required deliverables, content creators and influencers still must work towards a timeline. During my nine-day trip to Peru with Intrepid, I submitted Instagram story content daily for approval. I also created multiple flights of content. If you have content going live each day, you're balancing the daily itinerary with capturing content, editing, writing copy, and sending in the content. Staying organized with your content during a brand trip is also helpful. For my brand campaigns and trips, I use Google Drive to store each brand campaign, creating a separate folder for each deliverable. That way, a brand knows exactly where each required asset is located. What's Covered On A Brand Trip Depending on the brand's budget and the length of the brand trip, brands may cover flights, transportation, food, activities, and lodging. Brands may or may not cover the cost of a plus-one. If you're a content creator invited on a brand trip, it's helpful to ask what will be covered by the brand. For example, for my partnership with Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, I was allowed to bring a plus-one to help me shoot content. We had a jam-packed schedule exploring Tokyo, and it made a world of difference having my photographer help me shoot short-form videos and photos at each location. Where Do Brand Trip Opportunities Come From Brand trips may occur due to a product launch, a new flight route, a new partnership with another business, or a city or region seeking to build awareness and increase tourism. Brands may reach out directly or via their public relations agencies. For my partnership with Travel Portland, their objective is to promote their current partnership and weekend giveaway with the Little Free Library. As a Seattle-based content creator, I encouraged my audience to look for the golden bookmarks in Little Free Library locations around Seattle to win a weekend getaway in Portland. Brand Itineraries Brand itineraries vary greatly. Some brands may have every meal, activity, and transportation planned out daily. Other brands may provide a recommended list of things to do in their city or region, leaving it up to the creator's discretion to determine what to experience, film, and share. For my nine-day trip to Peru with Intrepid, I was the only content creator in the tour group. My sister and I accompanied our tour group throughout the entire trip. While we had a few free afternoons and evenings, we experienced Machu Picchu, wandered around Lima, and explored Lake Titicaca as a tour group. Emma's Edition @emmasedition The Brands Point of View: I spoke with Travel Portland, Alaska Airlines, and Intrepid Travel to offer both the creator and brand perspectives. Here's what I learned from both sides of the itinerary. The Decision To Host An Influencer Trip Travel Portland Created its "Golden Bookmark to Portland" campaign to elevate a part of the city's culture that is often overlooked: its literary scene. MORE FOR YOU "We wanted to showcase Portland's vibrant spirit, diverse culture, and particularly our literary scene," said Sylvia Choi from Travel Portland. "We created space for broader storytelling—inviting creators to connect with the city through their lens, whether that was books, neighborhoods, or food." Alaska Airlines saw the launch of its first international route from Seattle to Tokyo as a milestone worth amplifying. "Influencers help us reach audiences in a non-traditional, authentic way," said April Johnson, Senior Manager of Brand Marketing at Alaska Airlines. "It's not just about the experience in the air — it's about making people want to travel to a destination like Tokyo and hopefully fly Alaska to get there." Intrepid Travel has been exploring influencer marketing for a decade, but now approaches it with more structure and global strategy. "We see influencer marketing as part of a broader storytelling ecosystem — one that helps us grow, strengthen, and protect the brand," said Mikey Sadowski, VP of Global Communications. "It's about trust, relevance, and long-term value." Jenny Roso Photography Creator Selection Process Across the board, brand partners emphasized the alignment of values over vanity metrics. Travel Portland takes a holistic approach: "We're looking for alignment — creators who naturally fit Portland's culture," Sylvia said. "That could be a book lover, a plant parent, a thrifting enthusiast, or a foodie." Alaska Airlines considers a mix of audience, geography, and professionalism. "We look at everything from location and reach to content style and brand fit," said April. "For Tokyo, we prioritized creators tied to Seattle or the Pacific Northwest. But being easy to work with also matters — that kind of professionalism goes a long way." Intrepid Travel integrates its brand values into every trip: "We select creators based on how well they reflect our values: impactful, real, together," said Mikey. "We aim for representation across our six traveler personas and prioritize inclusive storytelling, with at least 50% BIPOC participation in influencer campaigns." Goals & Metrics Of A Brand Trip How do brands know a trip is successful? All three brands measure both traditional and deeper engagement metrics as well as impact and reach. Travel Portland tracks reach, saves, and shares—but also values how well content tells the city's story and sparks ongoing creator advocacy. Alaska Airlines looks at earned media value, watch time, and how creator content performs in paid ads. Intrepid focuses on both brand lift and how content supports the full customer journey—from discovery to word-of-mouth referrals. Pitching Advice For Creators All three brands encourage creators to pitch with intention and strategy. Travel Portland recommends a personalized approach: "Keep your media kit to 1–2 pages. Show you've done your homework," said Sylvia. "Highlight past content that aligns with our city, and suggest how your story fits with Portland." Alaska Airlines echoes that sentiment: "Tell us what campaign you're interested in and share an idea. Even something like, 'I saw you launched a new route to Seoul, and I'd love to create beauty content there' — that stands out," said April. Intrepid emphasized value-driven storytelling: "Be intentional. Be clear about what you want to create and why it benefits our audience," said Mikey. "We're already planning 2026, but we're always open to great pitches that fit the brand." Whether you're preparing for your first brand trip or looking to pitch for the next one, understanding how brands think is essential. Brand trips are more than bucket-list experiences — they're strategic partnerships rooted in shared values, mutual respect, and the power of storytelling.
Time Magazine
a day ago
- Business
- Time Magazine
Alaska Airlines IT Outage Disrupts Hundreds of Flights
Hundreds of Alaska Airlines flights and thousands of passengers' travel plans were disrupted over the weekend and well into Monday following a 'significant IT outage' that resulted in the grounding of planes for about three hours. The airline has since resumed flights, but the company said in a statement late Monday that the effects of the grounding could result in possible additional disruptions as well as delays. Travelers have reported waiting for hours in ticketing queues and sleeping in airports because of the outage. 'We appreciate the patience of our guests whose travel plans have been disrupted. We're working to get them to their destinations as quickly as we can,' the airline said in its statement. Here's what to know. What happened? Flights were grounded at 8 p.m. PT on July 20 after the outage. Alaska Airlines said a 'critical piece of multi-redundant hardware,' which was manufactured by a third party, suddenly failed. The unexpected failure affected the airlines' systems, requiring the ground stop. The stop was lifted at 11 p.m. PT, Sunday. The Seattle-based airline assured that the IT outage is not a cybersecurity event and is 'not related to any other current events'—including the recent worldwide Microsoft hack. It also said the safety of its flights remain unaffected. Since Sunday, the airline cancelled more than 200 flights, with 116 cancellations on Monday—affecting some 15,600 passengers. What can you do if you're an affected passenger? The airline advised passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport. Alaska Airlines said it offers a 'flexible travel policy' for those who wish to change or cancel their flights. According to its website, Alaska Airlines will provide hotel accommodations, arrange ground transport, and distribute meal vouchers for those affected by the outage. It may also help arrange flights for another air carrier to the passenger's destination. These IT outage-related measures apply only to tickets purchased on or before July 20, with original travel dates between the 20th and the 23rd. New travel dates are expected to be from Monday, July 21, until July 28. How common are airline IT outages? Tech-related flight disruptions are common, though they are usually resolved in hours. Many airlines have long relied on aging computer systems, and the aviation industry has been criticized for failing to modernize swiftly. Last year, a massive Microsoft IT outage caused the grounding of flights worldwide. In January 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of all departing flights nationwide for 90 minutes because of a computer issue that prevented airports from updating safety notices that help warn pilots of potential flight hazards. The FAA found no evidence of a cyberattack, instead tracing the issue to a corrupt file. And in December 2022, Southwest Airlines cancelled thousands of its flights over more than two weeks, stranding more than 2 million travelers at the height of the holiday season. The airline's operations were stymied by a winter storm, but the issue snowballed after the storm overwhelmed its crew-rescheduling system.
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
Alaska Airlines Grounded, Showing Fragility Of Flight Infrastructure
Alaska Airlines grounded its jets during a sudden systemwide halt in operations, highlighting ... More growing concerns over aviation cybersecurity and digital infrastructure resilience. Late Sunday, Alaska Airlines grounded all of its mainline aircraft due to what it described as a 'technology issue.' Operations halted at approximately 8 p.m. Pacific Time and resumed just before 11 p.m., but delays rippled into Monday morning, a peak travel period across U.S. airports. Horizon Air, Alaska Airlines' regional partner, was also affected. The timing, the scale and the abruptness of the incident set off alarm bells in the aviation and cybersecurity communities. Although the airline has since confirmed that the outage was not caused by a cyberattack, the incident still raised urgent questions about resilience in the face of digital disruption. The FBI issued a chilling warning in June that America's airlines are under active cyber threat. That warning now appears increasingly justified. The Alaska Airlines outage, while now confirmed as unrelated to malicious activity, initially bore the hallmarks of the kind of disruption federal agencies have been cautioning against. The Alaska Airlines technical problem was not an isolated glitch in airline, aviation and airport systems. It was the latest and most visible example of the growing digital fragility that now defines modern infrastructure. It may also be the clearest signal yet that the airline industry must be treated as critical infrastructure, not just in policy but in cybersecurity investment, threat modeling and coordinated response planning. The Cracks Are Widening This is not the first time Alaska Airlines has faced operational turbulence linked to technology. In April, a weight and balance software failure led to a full fleet grounding. In January 2024, a door plug detached mid-flight, exposing deep flaws in inspection protocols. And in August 2024, a major cyber incident at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Alaska's primary hub, triggered a temporary airport shutdown. Flights were delayed, baggage systems failed and communication networks were severely disrupted. The breach was later attributed to a foreign adversary targeting airport infrastructure, and although no lives were lost, the impact on travel, commerce and public confidence was significant. These incidents may differ in origin, but they reveal an industry with the same underlying vulnerability, and increasingly dependent on digital systems with limited resilience and redundancy. Airlines today are digital-first operations. Every flight dispatch, crew assignment, maintenance record and gate assignment depends on software. When that software fails or is compromised, the damage is not measured in lost productivity alone. It affects lives, safety and the stability of national infrastructure. Salt Typhoon And The Expanding Cyber Battlefield While Alaska Airlines has now confirmed that this particular disruption was not caused by a cyberattack, many in the cybersecurity community continue to watch closely. One name that had surfaced early in speculation was Salt Typhoon. Salt Typhoon is a Chinese state-sponsored threat actor linked to the Ministry of State Security. It has built a reputation for targeting telecom networks, government systems, and infrastructure operators across the United States and allied nations. In 2024, the group successfully infiltrated nine major American telecom providers, gaining access to surveillance routers, administrative credentials and internal metadata flows. Even more alarming was Salt Typhoon's breach of a U.S. Army National Guard unit. That intrusion began in March 2024 and remained undetected until December. The attackers quietly exfiltrated sensitive configuration files, administrator credentials, internal network diagrams and personnel rosters. According to federal briefings, the attackers had access to virtual private network appliances and domain controllers. That level of penetration enabled not just espionage, but the potential for real-world disruption of military readiness. The Department of Homeland Security responded with a chilling warning: all U.S. military units must now operate under the assumption that their networks are compromised. This is not theoretical. It is a national security posture shift. Salt Typhoon's specialty lies in stealth and persistence. Its tools are designed for long-term access, manipulation of edge infrastructure, and preparation for future sabotage. They do not need to launch a full-scale attack immediately. They simply need a foothold. And they are increasingly gaining those footholds in the same types of routers, VPNs and network layers that civilian airlines rely on every day. The fact that Salt Typhoon has demonstrated the ability to compromise military networks for nearly a year without detection should raise serious questions about the aviation sector's preparedness. Because in today's threat landscape, the line between military and civilian infrastructure is thinner than ever. Airlines Critical Infrastructure Soft Targets The Alaska Airlines incident was confirmed not to be a cyberattack, but the conditions remain absolutely ripe for one. Commercial aviation checks every box for high-value critical infrastructure and yet remains one of the most exposed Alaska Airlines incident may not ultimately be confirmed as a cyberattack. But the conditions are absolutely ripe for one. Commercial aviation checks every box for high-value critical infrastructure and yet remains one of the most exposed sectors. To make matters worse, support from the federal government is diminishing. Recent cuts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have left fewer resources to assist or intervene. That pushes more responsibility onto private carriers without the tools or funding to keep pace. Airlines are essential. They are everywhere. And they are underprepared. Unless aviation is treated like the critical infrastructure it is, the next outage may not be a warning. It may be a wake-up call too late. Responsibility Is Shifting To Private Sector As federal cybersecurity resources tighten, the private sector must step forward. Airlines, airports, maintenance providers and travel technology companies must now act as if they are on the front lines of national defense. Because they are. We are entering a new era where IT outages can serve as camouflage for cyberattacks. Where a grounded fleet may be the canary in the coal mine. And where securing our skies will require more than airport screenings and reinforced cockpit doors. This situation is not unprecedented. The defense industrial base has already faced similar vulnerabilities. In response, the Department of Defense created the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, to establish a scalable and certifiable framework for cybersecurity across contractors. Airlines would benefit from adopting a similar model. CMMC principles offer a structured path forward: Cybersecurity in aviation can no longer be viewed as optional. A single weak link in the chain is all it takes to compromise a fleet. The only path forward is a unified industry-wide commitment to resilience, accountability and protection. A Wake-Up Call At Thirty Thousand Feet The Alaska Airlines outage is not just another IT incident. It is a warning. A fragile digital backbone. A growing global threat. A clear sign of unpreparedness across one of the nation's most essential industries. It is time to formally designate airlines as critical infrastructure. It is time to implement cybersecurity frameworks like CMMC across the aviation ecosystem. And it is time to invest in the tools, talent and systems required to protect not just networks but lives.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
New UK Immigration rules from July 22: What's changing and how it matters
The UK government has published a sweeping Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules, due to take effect from 22 July 2025, marking the first wave of reforms from the government's landmark immigration white paper. The agenda? Build an immigration system that supports economic growth while drastically reducing net migration and UK businesses' reliance on overseas labour. While the broader white paper outlines systemic changes, the rules rolling out primarily target the Skilled Worker route, which is the pathway for migrant professionals. For employers and licensed sponsors, these changes will have a significant impact on hiring strategies, visa processing, and long-term workforce planning. So what exactly is changing? And what can employers do to prepare? Read more: Visa-free isn't always free: Countries that still charge entry fees and travel taxes Skills thresholds are rising From 22 July, the minimum skills threshold for Skilled Worker roles will increase substantially. All roles must now be at RQF Level 6—equivalent to a bachelor's degree. This update disqualifies a swathe of previously eligible jobs. What this means: Around 180 occupations will be removed from the eligibility list, affecting sectors such as hospitality, logistics, and care services that often rely on roles below the degree level. However, employers still have a short window to act. If a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is issued before 21 July 2025, even for roles that won't be eligible post-change, the application can still proceed under current rules. Salary thresholds are increasing too In addition to changes in skill level, salary thresholds are also being revised upwards across multiple work visa categories, including: Skilled Worker visa: From £38,700 to £41,700 per year Global Business Mobility and Scale-up routes will also see updated minimum salary requirements. All Skilled Worker applicants seeking indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after 22 July 2025 must meet the new salary criteria—even if they applied under the old salary threshold. No transitional relief applies to salary changes—employers must ensure compliance immediately. Read more: Travel disruptions mount after Alaska Airlines grounds fleet; all key details here What employers should do now With less than a week left, employers need to move fast to stay compliant and minimize disruption. Here are key actions businesses and sponsors should take: Fast-track CoS issuance: Aim to submit any new or renewal applications under the current rules by 21 July 2025. Audit job roles: Check if your sponsored occupations meet the new RQF Level 6 criteria. Realign salary structures: Update offers, budgets, and HR systems to meet the new salary minimums. This applies immediately—no grace period. Map your workforce: Identify employees who will benefit from transitional provisions—i.e., those already sponsored under the Skilled Worker route before the changes. Rethink recruitment: The government wants employers to focus on domestic talent development. Revise hiring strategies and consider investing in upskilling programmes. Communicate with current visa holders: Ensure your existing sponsored workers understand how the new rules could affect their status, settlement timelines, or extensions. Consult legal experts: With increased scrutiny and compliance checks expected, seeking immigration legal advice could prevent costly errors. More changes are coming This July rollout is only the beginning. The white paper outlines further developments expected later this year, including: A hike in the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) Revised English language eligibility criteria A reworked family visa framework A shorter Graduate Visa validity—cut from 2 years to 18 months A proposed (but unconfirmed) doubling of the settlement period for Skilled Workers—from 5 to 10 years For employers, this is a wake-up call. A reactive approach will no longer suffice. With more complex compliance requirements and a shrinking pool of eligible overseas workers, proactive workforce planning is now essential. In short, if your business relies on global talent, this is the time to act—review your hiring processes, revise your visa pipeline, and prepare your teams for what's coming. The cost of inaction could mean losing access to key talent, or worse, falling foul of new immigration regulations.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
Alaska Airlines resumes flights after equipment failure at a data center grounds all its planes
Alaska Airlines has resumed flights after the failure of a critical piece of hardware forced the airline to ground all its planes for approximately three hours, but the effects will linger into Monday, the company announced. The carrier issued a system-wide ground stop for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights around 8 p.m. Pacific time Sunday. The stop was lifted at 11 p.m., the Seattle-based company said in a social media post. More than 150 flights have been canceled since Sunday evening. The FlightAware tracking site reported 84 cancellations and nearly 150 delays Monday.
