The Booking Sites Taking Advantage of the Latest Trending Terms on Social

Travel booking and tools sites with large audiences on Twitter and Facebook did not take advantage of big events and trending terms over the past four days — Cinco de Mayo, The Kentucky Derby and Star Wars Day — to connect with consumers.

While it may not always be a natural fit, being part of a larger conversation can help brands build awareness and develop relationships. It may be difficult to strike a balance between being fun and promotional but being present is key. Here’s a closer look at who was talking about what and where.

On Twitter, three of ten brands — American Express, Travelzoo and Expedia — talked about Cinco de Mayo. While both American Express and Travelzoo reminded their followers about the upcoming Mother’s Day, AAA shared awareness about Bike Month. From our research, Travelzoo, Expedia, and Orbitz were the only brands that tweeted about promotions.

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Activity on Twitter

Travelzoo’s relevant promotional tweet:

Happy #CincodeMayo! Plan a trip south of the border. $899pp all-inclusive from 9 cities. http://t.co/8FZM5lo793 #travel #beach

— Travelzoo (@Travelzoo) May 5, 2014

In comparison, four of the brands on Facebook were inspired by Cinco de Mayo, while Priceline congratulated California Chrome, the Kentucky Derby winner. Travelzoo did not repeat its content on its Facebook page but did publish a promotion. Lastly, none of the brands talked about the coming Mother’s Day (sorry, mom, no last-minute flight deals).

Activity on Facebook

Hotels.com published a video on Facebook (and Twitter) with their campaign star, Captain Obvious.

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