Priceline and Expedia Are Google's Two Most Important Advertisers


Skift Take

Travel industry digital ad spending is heavily skewed toward driving transactions because online travel agencies, which are primarily interested in converting lookers into bookers, are calling the shots.
Researcher eMarketer has just released a report on U.S. trends in digital advertising spending, but one thing isn't changing in 2014: the Priceline Group will indisputably be the largest spender, and Expedia Inc. won't be too far behind. In other words, In U.S. travel industry digital advertising spending, there is Priceline, Expedia -- and everyone else. That's the conclusion you can reach from the latest eMarketer report, "The U.S. Travel Industry 2014: Digital Ad Spending Forecast and Trends." The report notes that the Priceline Group, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Kayak and rentalcars.com, shelled out $1.8 billion on digital advertising spending globally in 2013, according to a Securities and Exchange Commissiion filing, "representing more than half of the U.S. travel industry's digital