Articles tagged “advertising”

Google deserves to get paid for advertising services rendered. The company could have used the coronavirus crisis to engender some much-needed goodwill among its legions of advertisers, with a degree of flexibility during the months the music died. Opportunity lost.

With parent company Alphabet generating $79 billion in revenue in the first half of 2020, Google is relentlessly rolling out new travel products. Not to mention, it is dictating content-licensing and advertising terms to cash-strapped partners while a pandemic rages. Enough said.

The most popular travel ads on TV in the United States in July were aspirational, but they also emphasized booking flexibility and low pricing. Pandemic formulations.

Vrbo is benefiting from a ton of direct traffic because vacation rentals are having a moment, and competitors' paid marketing through Google fell off a cliff. The brand will likely get some sustainable benefit from the lift, but the dynamic can change in a heartbeat.

Trivago was glad to see that Booking Holdings kept on advertising, however modestly, and upped its bidding in Trivago auctions while many other partners went silent. If Booking is gaining a bit of market share, it is far from seeing a clear path to recovery as travel demand's trajectory remains a crapshoot.

Digital advertising is an essential component of the online travel industry. But now, with business as usual disrupted by Covid-19, this tried and true playbook needs a refresh. In this video from Skift’s recent online travel summit, we learn how online travel companies are adapting their digital ad strategy for this period of uncertainty.

Google's travel ad chief said companies that aren't seeing enough advertising benefits with Google probably shouldn't spend as much as they are. Few big travel companies would drop out of Google knowing it might sabotage their businesses, but probably an increasing number are desperate for alternatives.

While other online travel companies, such as Expedia Group, pursued robust media businesses over the years, Tripadvisor neglected it. In turn, it's now trying to make good on an unrealized opportunity. Shedding non-core assets could help with the focus.

"The Open Road Is Open Again." With that message to tap Americans' pent-up demand to get the hell out of the house and escape lockdowns, Choice Hotels went big on U.S. TV and was the most-seen brand. Being in the right place at an opportune moment helps, but backing it up with effective creative wins the month.

Online travel agencies, like many other sectors of the travel industry, have been hard hit by the effects of Covid-19. In this preview for our upcoming Skift Online Travel Summit on July 23rd, we speak with Criteo’s Lisardo Ruiz about the surprising role that smart advertising strategies will play in helping put OTAs on the path to recovery.