Travelocity Turns to Infomercials to Sell Package Vacations

Travelocity is swapping the usual 15-second TV spots for 15-minute infomercials in one of its first TV campaigns since being acquired by Expedia in January 2015.

Expedia had already been running much of the Travelocity operation behind the scenes, but prior to the acquisition Travelocity still did its own marketing. The $280 million acquisition gave Expedia control over all of the company, including its marketing efforts. Expedia always intended to retain the Travelocity brand.

The back-to-back 15-minute spots will run for six weeks and focus on Travelocity’s vacation package products. Travelocity’s research revealed that customers believe package booking limits choice, therefore, the ads focus on the benefits of package booking. And for it, they are turning to the original direct-response medium in TV, the infomercials.

"We know that the long-form ad is an unusual medium for a travel company, but the extended format is an ideal vehicle for informing the traveling public that there is a better, easier and less expensive way to plan their journeys,” says Brad Wilson, vice president and general manager of Travelocity.

Travelocity has long advertised on TV  and its continuation under the Expedia framework isn’t a surprise given Expedia’s active TV ad campaigns for its Trivago, Hotwire, Hotels.com, and Expedia brands.