Kayak's new ad blitz isn't the world's most political ad campaign but it is still good to see a company unafraid of standing up for what it believes in.
Whether to feature a Trivago Guy or Trivago Woman, or both, on TV commercials is a serious strategy and business question for the hotel-search site. For now, it is opting for two actors in the U.S., as it has done elsewhere, for targeting and other purposes.
TripAdvisor may be making progress on personalization and the balance between searching and booking, but we're not sure whether it has found a message that will resonate with consumers -- one that's different from Kayak's and Trivago's.
Facebook is challenging online advertising heavyweight Google by offering innovative products that target travel brands (and other sectors). Expect the social network to seize some market share but how much remains to be seen.
Did the U.S. Trivago Guy just get William Shatnered? Like Shatner for Priceline.com, actor Tim Williams, who had become omnipresent on TV in the U.S. for Trivago, has hardly been seen over the last couple of weeks. It's good for brands to freshen things up and female empowerment ads are trending.
It's all but certain that TripAdvisor is going to get back on TV in some form in 2017. It really needs to unless the company wants to push the launch into next year pending product changes and improvements. Past TV campaigns haven't moved the needle. The decision-making this time is all-important.
The Priceline Group continues to put up strong growth numbers despite its large size. Its massive advertising budget combined with improving conversion and growing inventory position the company to take further share of online and offline bookings.
Even if TripAdvisor can straighten out its Instant Booking feature, it still faces the daunting task of changing consumer perceptions in the face of Expedia, Booking.com and others, which are saturating digital media and broadcasting.
Facebook will be cracking down on how many ads it includes in newsfeeds, which could impact some brands' ad performance. Instagram, however, is a promising bet to make if brands are thinking longer term about ads, who they'll reach and how they'll be seen.