SkiftAds of the Week: Kayak, Expedia, airBaltic, Arizona, and Omni Hotels

For all of our SkiftAds of the Week collection, check out our archives here.

We continue our weekly video ad roundup with two booking websites, one psychedelic tourism board, the culinary chefs of a trendy hotel chain, and an Eastern European airline that explores travelers’ thoughts.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhcZ4wcmcmA]

KAYAK Roommates by KAYAK: KAYAK’s new ad is quick and to the point, which we appreciate since it’s trying a just little to hard to be funny. It targets millennial bookers, but isn’t clever enough to go viral among the demographic.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3vfJaa7jLg]

Southwestern Philosophy by ArizonaTourism: Arizona looks to brand itself as the land where travelers can explore and understand the ‘southwestern philosophy.’ A wise voice says, “To find the right path, one must travel many trails, drive many roads, cross many waters, climb many peaks, embrace many wonders. Master you inner vacation in Arizona.” (Vacation..vocation.. get it?)

The video ends by prompting viewers to visit Arizodiac.com, a landing page that ties the night sky to the ‘southwestern philosophy’ in Arizona. It seems strange that the ad doesn’t feature some of the night sky that the campaign is ultimately centered around. A half-baked idea with a video to match it.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFgh69uujkk]

Find your perspective by Expedia: Expedia tries a new strategy with its ‘perspective’ ads; the video lasts just 30 seconds in comparison to the previous two clips that ran for 3 minutes each. Happily, it still delivers an emotional impact by showing real lives impacted by travel. “Expedia helps 30 million travelers a month find what they’re looking for, one traveler at a time.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWq-H13a4D4]

Simply Street Food by Omni Hotel and Resorts: We honestly wish the Omni cut out the chef cameos and just showed us a stream of dishes and their preparation; the images alone could turn a foodie into a guest at an Omni Hotel.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Fx9Mnbc74]

Happy Holidays by airBaltic: We know its already past the holidays and we try to keep ads as recent as possible, but this one was too good not to share. airBaltic’s simple drawings and earnest voice gets right to core of what drives the best of journeys. It also juxtaposes the state of travel today, carryon luggage and screening processes against a more romantic image of ships and desert islands.