Shorthand Case Study

How Tripadvisor took Shorthand from content tool to certified pitch winner

Tripadvisor reaches hundreds of thousands of travel-curious readers and wins more client pitches with its impressive Shorthand stories.

Sample imagery from Tripadvisor's digital reports and feature stories.

Goal

Create rich, on-brand travel campaigns and make persuasive client pitches.

800,000+ views on annual transparency reports
shorter close window for client pitches

Problem

Custom-coded web pages created production bottlenecks.

Solution

Adopted Shorthand for digital publishing:
Brand campaigns
Sponsored content
Client pitches
Research reports

Goal

Create rich, on-brand travel campaigns and persuasive client pitches.

Problem

Custom-coded web pages created production bottlenecks.

Solution

Adopted Shorthand for digital publishing:

Brand campaigns
Sponsored content
Client pitches
Research reports

800,000+ views on annual transparency reports
shorter close window for client pitches

Tripadvisor uses Shorthand to run rich storytelling campaigns on its own site, and to build partner pieces and pitches through its Wanderlab creative agency — a relationship that goes back to 2018. Before Shorthand, the team had been custom coding content, using producers rather than designers, which slowed everything down.

Switching to Shorthand freed up producers and empowered designers to create stories themselves, with no coding knowledge required.

It's a critical tool, for us, for building business.

Tripadvisor uses Shorthand to run rich storytelling campaigns on its own site, and to build partner pieces and pitches through its Wanderlab creative agency — a relationship that goes back to 2018. Before Shorthand, the team had been custom coding content, using producers rather than designers, which slowed everything down.

Switching to Shorthand freed up producers and empowered designers to create stories themselves, with no coding knowledge required.

The perfect solution

Shorthand was perfect; “It saved us time and gave us more custom functionality,” says Sara Jeong, Creative Manager, Design, at Tripadvisor's Wanderlab agency.

Today, “It's in almost every campaign that we do,” from material for Tripadvisor's global audience, to creative pitches for client brands.

Screenshot from a digital story with the copy 'The Journey of a Review'

Tripadvisor's 2023 Transparency Report.

Tripadvisor's 2023 Transparency Report.

The perfect solution

Shorthand was perfect; “It saved us time and gave us more custom functionality,” says Sara Jeong, Creative Manager, Design, at Tripadvisor's Wanderlab agency.

Today, “It's in almost every campaign that we do,” from material for Tripadvisor's global audience, to creative pitches for client brands.

Screenshot from a digital story with the copy 'The Journey of a Review'

Tripadvisor's 2023 Transparency Report.

Tripadvisor's 2023 Transparency Report.

The 2023 Review Transparency Report is one Shorthand piece that makes the Tripadvisor team particularly proud.

It's nice to use for the pitch phase so clients can actually see how the page will flow.

It has racked up 813,000 views in English alone, and is published in six languages. Its full-width video and striking photography, combined with simple, on-brand data visualisations, give it a distinct visual identity — a testament to what the Tripadvisor team can produce with Shorthand when they lean into their brand.

Shorthand stories “Really make our research more digestible and engaging to read,” says Jeong.

The 2025 report is no different. It's beautifully branded, data-rich, and brought to life with interactive scrolling elements.

Screenshot from an online transparency report, with a range of images and data points.

Tripadvisor's 2025 Transparency Report, built with Shorthand.

Tripadvisor's 2025 Transparency Report, built with Shorthand.

The 2023 Review Transparency Report is one Shorthand piece that makes the Tripadvisor team particularly proud.

It has racked up 813,000 views in English alone, and is published in six languages. Its full-width video and striking photography, combined with simple, on-brand data visualisations, give it a distinct visual identity — a testament to what the Tripadvisor team can produce with Shorthand when they lean into their brand.

Shorthand stories “Really make our research more digestible and engaging to read,” says Jeong.

The 2025 report is no different. It's beautifully branded, data-rich, and brought to life with interactive scrolling elements.

Screenshot from an online transparency report, with a range of images and data points.

Tripadvisor's 2025 Transparency Report, built with Shorthand.

Tripadvisor's 2025 Transparency Report, built with Shorthand.

Wanderlab: bringing breathtaking sponsored content to travellers

Wanderlab, Tripadvisor's creative content marketing agency that launched in 2022, helps client brands connect with travel-curious adventurers the world over. Wanderlab has partnered with Corona, Doordash, Disney, Ford, Hilton, and “dozens, and dozens, and dozens more”, says Anna Aksman, Director of Global Creative Operations at Tripadvisor.

'Seek New in Newcastle' partner campaign story.

'Seek New in Newcastle' partner campaign story.

The more beautiful and interactive our pitch phase is, the shorter the 'close' window is.

One great example campaign is 'Seek New in Newcastle'. Dynamic video and inviting photography encourage readers to scroll through the page, which lists a selection of Tripadvisor experiences they can book. It curates an experience across distinct sections — beaches, nature, food, nightlife, culture.

The piece understands the balance between inspiration and action, and was named the Best Shorthand Tourism and Travel Story of 2025.

Wanderlab: bringing breathtaking sponsored content to travellers

Wanderlab, Tripadvisor's creative content marketing agency that launched in 2022, helps client brands connect with travel-curious adventurers the world over. Wanderlab has partnered with Corona, Doordash, Disney, Ford, Hilton, and “dozens, and dozens, and dozens more”, says Anna Aksman, Director of Global Creative Operations at Tripadvisor.

'Seek New in Newcastle' partner campaign story.

'Seek New in Newcastle' partner campaign story.

One great example campaign is 'Seek New in Newcastle'. Dynamic video and inviting photography encourage readers to scroll through the page, which lists a selection of Tripadvisor experiences they can book. It curates an experience across distinct sections — beaches, nature, food, nightlife, culture.

The piece understands the balance between inspiration and action, and was named the Best Shorthand Tourism and Travel Story of 2025.

From pitch to partnership

The traffic enjoyed by stories like the Transparency Report is only one part of the value for Tripadvisor and the Wanderlab team. Shorthand has also been a major boon in pitching work to clients. “Using this as a sales tool is really important,” Aksman says.

“Anecdotally, the more beautiful and engaging and interactive our pitch phase is, the shorter the 'close' window is, and the more inclined people are to say yes,” says Aksman. “So it's a critical tool for us, for building business.”

Sponsored content for Moxy Hotels' 'Any Ones Welcome' campaign, created with Shorthand.

Sponsored content for Moxy Hotels' 'Any Ones Welcome' campaign, created with Shorthand.

Showcasing the functionality not just to creative teams, but also to managers and a broader range of stakeholders is invaluable. “It's nice to use for the pitch phase so clients can actually see how the page will flow, and we can actually scroll through the preview link rather than having just a small static mock on the slide,” says Jeong.

It's not a particularly steep learning curve. It feels quite 'turnkey' as far as builders of this calibre go.

The inherent value of beautifully-designed and memorable storytelling is not lost here. Sometimes performance isn't even a thing in those conversations, says Aksman. Clients are seeing how purposeful the co-branding is, and how immersive the pages are. We have a lot of excitement from brands internally at their companies.

So what are Tripadvisor's tips for other teams doing premium visual storytelling? For Jeong it has to do with rolling up the sleeves and getting started. “It just takes being on the platform a lot, trying out different tools, looking at all the different sections. The Inspiration page about how other brands are using Shorthand is really helpful. Using Shorthand almost every day helps you explore all the different features.”

'The Road to 100 Years' page commemorating Route 66's anniversary.

'The Road to 100 Years' page commemorating Route 66's anniversary.

From pitch to partnership

The traffic enjoyed by stories like the Transparency Report is only one part of the value for Tripadvisor and the Wanderlab team. Shorthand has also been a major boon in pitching work to clients. “Using this as a sales tool is really important,” Aksman says.

Anecdotally, the more beautiful and engaging and interactive our pitch phase is, the shorter the 'close' window is, and the more inclined people are to say yes.

“So it's a critical tool for us, for building business.”

Showcasing the functionality not just to creative teams, but also to managers and a broader range of stakeholders is invaluable. “It's nice to use for the pitch phase so clients can actually see how the page will flow, and we can actually scroll through the preview link rather than having just a small static mock on the slide,” says Jeong.

Sponsored content for Moxy Hotels' 'Any Ones Welcome' campaign, created with Shorthand.

Sponsored content for Moxy Hotels' 'Any Ones Welcome' campaign, created with Shorthand.

The inherent value of beautifully-designed and memorable storytelling is not lost here. Sometimes performance isn't even a thing in those conversations, says Aksman. Clients are seeing how purposeful the co-branding is, and how immersive the pages are. We have a lot of excitement from brands internally at their companies.

So what are Tripadvisor's tips for other teams doing premium visual storytelling? For Jeong it has to do with rolling up the sleeves and getting started. “It just takes being on the platform a lot, trying out different tools, looking at all the different sections. The Inspiration page about how other brands are using Shorthand is really helpful. Using Shorthand almost every day helps you explore all the different features.”

'The Road to 100 Years' page commemorating Route 66's anniversary.

'The Road to 100 Years' page commemorating Route 66's anniversary.

Simplicity and speed to mobilisation

On introducing the Shorthand platform to new members of the team, Aksman has also noticed “it's not a particularly steep learning curve.”

“It feels quite 'turnkey' as far as builders of this calibre go.” Shorthand's speed to mobilisation is powerful. “Being able to move quickly and make work that's impressive in a short period of time is going to be really important,” she says.

Simplicity and speed to mobilisation

On introducing the Shorthand platform to new members of the team, Aksman has also noticed “it's not a particularly steep learning curve.”

It feels quite 'turnkey' as far as builders of this calibre go.

Shorthand's speed to mobilisation is powerful. “Being able to move quickly and make work that's impressive in a short period of time is going to be really important,” she says.

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