IShowSpeed and a Mannequin Hit the Road (and Waves) for Expedia

Elements of their trip are bookable through the travel platform

An Expedia campaign starring IShowSpeed? That could work. It’s shoppable? Even better. Speed’s sidekick is a goofy mannequin rocking the brand’s colors and logo? Now we’re in the zone!

The results—with snappy bits filmed in Corvettes and speedboats—are awfully amusing, as the pair hop around from place to place on their giddy getaway.

“The idea was built around having a physical representation of the traveler on a trip with Speed,” allowing viewers to imagine themselves going along for the ride, Expedia SVP, brand marketing and creative Natalie Wills tells Muse. Most sequences feature a stunt actor wearing a costume, though AI sweetened some of the takes.

Expedia’s parent company has found its groove of late, notching strong Q1 bookings and revenue growth. This new work seeks to build on that momentum and reach younger travelers who embrace creators as sources of inspiration.

Created by Mother L.A. and Iconoclast directors Gustavo Moraes and Marco Lafer (aka Alaska), the approach feels quirky enough to cut through. And folks can book activities shown in the film via Exspeedia.com. (See what they did there?)

“We’re showing up for travelers in the spaces they’re already engaging in, in a format that feels native to how they explore and get inspired today,” Wills says. “By meeting them there, in a voice and environment they trust, the work is naturally more compelling and drives stronger consideration. Our work with IShowSpeed is a clear example of that in action, embedding Expedia into his content in a way that drives relevance and keeps us in the consideration set from the very start.”

The push follows Speed’s 15-hour livestream across five Caribbean countries in one day. That stunt tallied 400 million viewers and yielded a 70 percent bump in search demand for St. Maarten, plus 50 percent for Guadeloupe and 35 percent for Dominica, Expedia says. Now, the brand hopes quirky storytelling and celebrity charisma will juice interest.

“What made it especially unique is that it was built as a true partnership from the start, rather than a traditional campaign where a creator is brought in at the end,” Wills says. “Speed and his team were involved throughout the process, shaping the creative in a way that felt authentic to his world.”

“There was a constant energy and spontaneity that mirrors how Speed creates content, which made filming feel as much like one of his live moments as it did a traditional shoot. We worked closely with his team to layer in nods and Easter eggs that his audience would instantly recognize—like his ultra fan Denise reference—which help deepen that sense of authenticity.”

Along with the :90 hero film, cut-downs will run across social media and online video.