Skift Take
Will TripAdvisor be able to break through as it starts its TV campaigns around the world? Trivago has a big advantage. At this juncture in its life, Trivago is focused on gaining share while profit concerns take a back seat.
Fresh off returning to U.S. national TV advertising after a two-year sabbatical, TripAdvisor has been outspent by hotel-search rival Trivago over the last two weeks by a margin of nearly three to one.
That's according to an estimate by TV advertising analytics firm iSpot.tv, which pegs Trivago's spend at some $18 million in the U.S. from June 21 to July 4 compared with the second-largest spender, TripAdvisor, at nearly $6.8 million.
In contrast to TripAdvisor's bathrobe-clad owl as its central character, the alternating Trivago Guy and Trivago Woman are drawing more attention with an average view rate during the period that's some 7 points higher than the owl's.
As you can see from the following chart, which depicts iSpot.tv's top 10 booking-site spenders on U.S. national TV advertising, TripAdvisor's three ads are running about one-third as often as Trivago's 26 commercials.
Trivago's 26 spots seemingly have an advantage over TripAdvisor's trio of ads because viewers may