DI GI TA L EX PERIE NCE C ASE S TU DY
Partnering with USA TODAY Travel Media to
Launch their New Collection of Digital Experiences
The Opportunity. Gannett wanted to accelerate the timeline for the release of a new digital product that delivers premier
travel content to readers of its biggest newspaper, USA TODAY. Digitally, the USA TODAY Travel Media Group sites rank
among the top ten most-visited travel information sites in North America. A proposed new collection of websites for the
publication’s Experience Travel brand would host customized content based on user vacation interests, and boost company
revenue through additional advertising opportunities. At press, the USA TODAY Experience Travel collection includes an
Experience site for each of the following themes: America, Beach, Caribbean, Cruise, Food and Wine, and Las Vegas; however,
the roadmap for 2014 plans to launch seven more sites by late summer.
.
USA TODAY Travel
Media Group
Develops products and solutions
for travel partners and on-the-go
audience by reaching travelers
every step of the way in their
planning experience –from
research to booking to travel to
reviews.
Experience Travel is a collection
of expert travel planning tools,
video, photos, and “best-of”
recommendations around top
travel destinations and themes.
Other properties of USA Today
Travel Media Group include:







USATODAY.com/travel
The Point
10Best.com
Reviewed.com Cruises
Tripology
DealChicken Travel
HotelMe.com
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The Obstacles
To meet sponsor expectations and advertising contracts, USA Today faced
accelerated launch cycles of only three to four weeks per site. Additionally, the project
included a hard requirement of leveraging internal frameworks to work with the
complex variation of site themes. As the platform continued to evolve, project
stakeholders sought a Django-savvy digital partner that could work seamlessly with its
own teams to get the products to market within the tight timeframe.
The Acceleration
A digital Scrum team from Celerity, composed of project management, architecture,
Django and front-end development, was embedded directly within the client
environment to launch each new site in rapid succession. We worked as one team to
build a new web platform that would host the travel sites on top of Gannett’s content
management system. This custom platform allows USA TODAY to launch the travel sites
directly from its own platform, making replication fast and easy when building new
sites. The new platform:

Aggregates all existing travel articles from USA TODAY’s content management
system to make each site compelling and original

Features video capabilities and high-definition image galleries that introduce
a more interactive, stimulating user experience

Presents custom content based on user profile category

Contains easily updateable templates that USA TODAY’s digital product team
can use to launch new travel sites quickly

Makes it easy for content editors to make global changes to all sites in one
place

Features interactive maps that allow readers to select travel searches by
geographic location
DI GI TA L EX PERIE NCE C ASE S TU DY
Partnering with USA TODAY Travel Media to Launch a New Collection of Digital Products

Integrates commenting features from social media, encouraging
community-sharing and engagement

Connects users with travel agents through tripology.com

Presents customized widgets to display partner deals and promotions
Technologies Used

Makes contextual recommendations for other, related content the user
may be interested in
 Javascript/Backbone.js
• Django
Lasting Results
Due to a close working relationship between Gannett Digital, USA TODAY, and
Celerity, we were able to launch six new travel sites (one per month) over the
course of six months. There are another seven sites on the horizon.
The new sites:

Allow site visitors to easily plan the ultimate vacation experience, with
travel ideas, tips and deals from the experts at USA TODAY Travel

Generate revenue for Gannett through advertising opportunities and
speed-to-market

Integrate the ability to launch new sites directly from Gannett’s content
platform
About Celerity
Celerity is a business
acceleration consultancy
delivering integrated digital
solutions and the all-star talent
needed to fuel them. With
$90m in revenue in 2013,
Celerity has over 500
employees in 8 regional
offices
CONTACT
Jill Lawson
Account Executive
jlawsonr@celerity.com
Corporate Headquarters
P. 703.848.1900 F. 703.848.2139
3/2015
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