CASE STUDY: Expedia shows how apps can work as a branding tool

Aim

To raise awareness of the Expedia brand through a research-driven campaign ‘The Future of Travel’ about the travel habits of people from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand

Execution

In December 2013, Expedia initiated its global study ‘The Anatomy of the Digital Traveller’. The study traced the travel habits of technologically sophisticated people.

Expedia then launched the Interac-phic app for travel planning on-the-go. Once users visit the site (hosted on the markets’ respective Expedia homepage and their respective Facebook pages), they can explore the seamlessly activated app and click on items to reveal certain travel trends. For example, clicking on the laptop will show how often travellers use their mobile devices while on a holiday. Who knew that only 4 per cent of travellers in Singapore are keen on in-flight Wi-Fi?

Furthermore, once users do a short quiz, they can compare the findings with their own travel habits, allowing them to see how they fare against family and friends. For even more user personalisation, they can compare it against others within their own country, as the data shown differs from users across different countries in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Results

The interac-phic app received more than 400 views in less than a week, and about 1,000 views in one month. The app and the campaign’s PR outreach (interviews with national broadcasters and dailies) collectively was seen by over 3 million eyeballs in Singapore alone.