Visit Anaheim recognized for transforming influencer marketing into a measurable performance channel by connecting creator content directly to trip planning and booking.
KIRKLAND, Wash. and ANAHEIM, Calif., Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Steller, the travel technology platform that connects creator content to trip planning and booking, and Visit Anaheim, the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Anaheim and Garden Grove, California, have won U.S. Travel Association’s 2026 ESTO Digital Brilliance Award for a campaign that redefined how destinations can measure the impact of influencer marketing.
The Visit Anaheim campaign, developed in partnership with its agency of record, Miles Partnership, paired five travel creators with experiences throughout Anaheim in late 2025, showcasing the destination’s diverse attractions, restaurants, and entertainment. But rather than stopping at social media awareness and engagement, the campaign was designed to move the influencers’ audiences from inspiration to booking. The result was measurable travel intent and impact: Hundreds of trips to Anaheim were planned within 90 days, representing $791,800 in potential economic impact for Visit Anaheim.
Steller Connect was the engine behind the campaign, turning the creators’ content into an actionable, measurable traveler journey. Visit Anaheim, having run 39 influencer campaigns in 2024 alone, brought significant experience in the channel and recognized a challenge facing the entire industry: determining whether influencer marketing drives visitation. Steller Connect linked the five influencers’ content directly to interactive trip planning, automated marketing, and booking. Embedded Steller Connect Players on VisitAnaheim.org then extended that content beyond the social feed. For the first time, Visit Anaheim could connect influencer engagement to trip planning and booking and quantify its economic impact on the destination.
“Creator marketing has evolved far beyond likes, views and engagement,” said Wesley Kirkpatrick, Social Media Director, Visit Anaheim. “Through our partnership with Steller, we’ve been able to show that creators aren’t just inspiring people to visit Anaheim, they’re influencing real travel decisions and generating measurable economic impact. This recognition reinforces the growing role creators can play in destination marketing.”
“For years, destination marketers have invested heavily in influencer marketing because we know authentic creator content inspires travel and builds trust, but proving what happens after someone sees that content has been incredibly difficult,” said Pete Bryant, CEO of Steller. “Visit Anaheim saw an opportunity to change that. Together, we connected creator content to the rest of the traveler journey, giving people an immediate way to turn inspiration into a planned trip while giving Visit Anaheim visibility into the economic impact that content generated. Winning the Digital Brilliance Award validates what we believe is the future of influencer marketing: content that doesn’t just inspire, but drives measurable travel and real economic impact.”
The U.S. Travel Association’s ESTO Digital Brilliance Award recognizes digital-first campaigns and transformations that use platform-native strategy to drive measurable engagement and business impact. Entries are judged primarily on measurable impact, alongside strategy and creativity.
About Steller
Steller, headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., is the market-leading travel planning platform that guides travelers from inspiration to planning and booking through authentic experiences of their favorite creators. The patent-pending platform helps destinations transform creator content into actionable, measurable experiences, demonstrating the economic impact of destination marketing. Through the Steller Distribution Network, Steller distributes millions of pieces of bookable travel content to more than 500 million travelers worldwide. Learn more at www.steller.co and stellerforbusiness.com
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SOURCE Steller
