Booking.com’s Vice President of Brand on driving US growth in 2023

Brand marketing has always been a key ingredient for business, but it has grown to be even more important in recent years. Customers today have more options than ever before, so creating a strong brand that stands out is crucial for driving demand.  

Stepping into my role at Booking.com, it was exciting to see how passionate the business is about building a brand that truly encapsulates its mission of making it easier for everyone to experience the world.

But building a truly visible brand takes time, consistency and investment. 

Driving growth in the US 

Last year, we relaunched our Booking.yeah campaign, featuring Idris Elba, with our first ever ad at the “big game”. The year-long campaign contributed to accelerated brand growth and awareness, evident by Booking.com being the most downloaded online travel platform app in the US (and globally) in 2022. 

Following this success, we were excited to once again have a presence at this year’s “big game” to further propel our US growth. Becoming synonymous with local culture is a key part of our US brand strategy, and the “big game” is an extremely iconic cultural moment. It’s also one of the most-watched television events in the US, with over 112 million people tuning in last year – up 14% from the year before. This made it a perfect moment to tap into an engaged audience of US bookers, and encourage them to discover your properties. 

February also tends to be a key month for US travellers to start planning their vacations. And our research reveals that the majority (73%) of Americans are overwhelmingly optimistic about travelling in 2023. This gave us the opportunity to increase brand awareness among high-intent customers, with the aim of driving significant demand for you. 

Introducing our 2023 brand campaign 

Knowing that Booking.yeah resonates so well, I was excited to evolve the campaign with a brand new concept this year. Featuring American actress and producer Melissa McCarthy, our new campaign is built on the idea of anticipatory joy, showcasing that booking a trip is half the fun. Check out the video below – apologies in advance if you can’t stop humming “Somewhere, Anywhere” after watching!

One thing we’ve seen resonate well in our advertising is that we don’t take ourselves too seriously as a brand. Though we do take our business seriously. So while the tone of the ad is comedic, joyful and fun, it also inspires confidence that we help travellers get the booking right – whether they’re booking a vacation rental, a hotel, a car or a flight. 

In the past, we treated the Booking.yeah feeling as a single moment in time; the moment you arrive at the accommodation and realise you got the booking right. But we realise that while we’re making travel easier, our partners are the ones who make it unforgettable by delivering exceptional stay experiences. So this year, we’re bringing our advertising back to our product and focusing on what we can truly deliver on – an easy, reliable and fun booking experience. 

The main message we want to resonate with Americans is that the best and easiest place to book a stay in the US – and find the widest choice of accommodations – is through Booking.com. 

Maintaining momentum throughout spring 

We understand that it will take more than one advertisement to move the needle, which is why we’ll continue to maintain momentum following the “big game”. To drive year-long demand for you, we’ll continue to push campaign communications throughout spring while dialling up different offerings and features, such as vacation rentals and verified reviews.

To continue building domestic relevance among US travellers, we’ll also have dedicated messaging around domestic accommodations – highlighting our US-based partners and the wide variety of properties they offer customers. 

Taking a multi-channel approach, the messaging will be amplified across a range of paid, owned and earned marketing channels to further increase brand exposure and engagement.

Building a loved travel brand

Brand marketing gives us the opportunity to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. That’s not only important for attracting more customers, but also for retaining them. If someone loves a brand, they’re more likely to stay loyal to it. 

But brand marketing doesn’t stand alone. It works closely with all the various areas of the business – from performance marketing to demand partnerships – that have proven to be successful in converting high-intent travellers. 

The key difference with brand marketing is its focus on low-intent travellers, who may not be ready to book a holiday right this second. For this audience, brand marketing is incredibly important in increasing awareness so when they do move into that high-intent space, our platform and your accommodations are top of mind. 

Ultimately, investing in our brand marketing helps to generate a constant flow of demand for you. This is important because as much as we want to be a brand travellers love, we also want to be a brand you are proud to be associated with.