Hotels.com & Captain Obvious Give New Meaning to Skipping Ads

Hotels.com today introduces Captain Obvious, the US cult character, to the UK in the brand's summer advertising campaign from CP+B London – helping travellers make the obvious choice. 

“Thanks, Captain Obvious” has for decades been a pop culture reference in the US, brought to life by Hotels.com in 2014 in the US market as a super fan in order to show why Hotels.com is the obvious choice for booking hotels. A loveable eccentric, Captain Obvious revels in pointing out the self evident.

With the TV campaign kicking off today, Captain Obvious can be seen in series of scenarios, specially created for the UK market, where he unknowingly falls foul of British ways, having taken people literally at their word (asking Sherlock Holmes to physically get off his (suit)case, telling a waiter he doesn’t want 'soldiers' with his boiled egg as “I think I can tackle it myself….”).

The first spot sees Captain Obvious demonstrate his linguistic prowess, bantering with Japanese and Russian tourists, only to be unwittingly stumped by a couple of Geordie lasses – “I love the Danish”.

It is this launch spot which viewers on  All 4, Channel 4’s online platform, can choose to ‘skip’ – with surprising, never seen before consequences. Click here to view (and skip!) the spot.

Aude Ducharme, senior marketing manager EMEA, Hotels.com brand commented: "Captain Obvious has become a household name in North America and we're excited to introduce this now iconic character to the UK. He is fresh, fun and engaging and represents the brand perfectly, making travel straightforward and highlighting the obvious choice. We can't wait for the UK to meet him."

The ads will be shown across a range of TV channels including ITV, Channel 4 and Sky as well as digital platforms such as ITV Player, All 4 and SkyGo. The original idea for Captain Obvious came from agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky in the US and this UK-specific campaign has been created by CP+B in London. The campaign was directed by Michael Clowater, from Smuggler, whose directorial credits include projects for brands such as Belvita, Cheerios and Skittles. In the UK, the media planning and buying is managed by mSix.