Background

Online travel booking is one of the most competitive categories. While Booking.com is the category leader in Europe, in the U.S., they follow Expedia and Airbnb. And they are typically thought of for international stays, not domestic hotels or homes, which make up the largest share of American travel.

Our brief was to build affinity among American travelers by dramatizing Booking.com’s wide range of domestic accommodations. We needed to make this choice meaningful and differentiating despite similar claims from every online travel agent (OTA). We also had to stand out on the world’s biggest advertising stage, the Super Bowl, with an American traveler over-familiar with the inspirational, and often worthy, conventions of travel advertising.

Idea

There are simply too many accommodations on Booking.com for celebrity spokesperson Tina Fey to promote on her own. So she hires ‘body doubles’ to help her, including 30 Rock co-stars Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer and the iconic Hollywood actress Glenn Close.

Set in the bright, vibrant and distinctively Booking.com world Tina was the perfect spokesperson not just for Booking.com, but for our stressed-out target.

Results

·      Most watched Super Bowl Ad on YouTube

·      130 million views to date

·      High volume of earned media coverage, with more than 2,900 stories

·      Brand with the biggest jump in consideration post-campaign (YouGov)

·      Super Bowl’s most effective ad by global research firm (Kantar)

o   Impact (91)

o   Enjoyment (88)

o   Likelihood to drive Brand Equity in the long term (89)