The short-term renting portal Vrbo witnessed a marked increase in YouGov BrandIndex Ad Awareness scores in April to be named the US Travel Advertiser of the Month. The Expedia-owned brand’s scores rose from 5.7 percentage points at the end of March to 7.7 on April 30.
On the back of a widespread and successful vaccine rollout program in the US, consumer concerns around travel appear to be declining. Amid growing consumer confidence, Vrbo has upped the ante in 2021, spending almost 10 times more than industry leader AirBnB on advertising, according to a report.
In the middle of March, it partnered with Netflix to launch a family-oriented campaign called ‘Yes Day Stays’. Picking up the theme from movie ‘Yes Day’, the campaign appeals to parents to have their kids make the rules for a day out on a vacation. The advert, shot at a spacious villa, aims to capture the fun and frolic that are possible when the younger ones call the shots.
Vrbo’s advertising efforts haven’t been directed at just the customers. It has launched a ‘Fast Track’ program to lure hosts away from competitors with a promise of extra promotion for 90 days. The offer is extended exclusively to hosts who have a rating of over 4.5 stars on rival platforms and who have earned more than $3000 over the past year. It has supplemented this promotional campaign with other adverts.
The efforts appear to have paid off in April. The brand’s Ad Awareness scores peaked at 8.5% on April 16 and April 19 before settling at 7.7% at the end of the month. April was a milestone month for Vrbo because it was the first time the brand’s Ad Awareness score crossed 8% since YouGov began tracking it in late 2018.
As more consumers within the US get vaccinated, it is likely that travel demand will continue to rise. The likes of Vrbo and AirBnB have already begun experiencing high traffic. The challenge for travel brands is to tap into the surge in demand. YouGov’s connected data enables brands to gauge consumer sentiments and attitudes across 24 different markets, empowering them to create meaningful advertising and measure its efficacy.
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Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Airbnb’s Ad Awareness score is based on the question, “Which of the following hotels or accommodation services have you seen an advertisement for in the past two weeks?” and delivered as percentage. Scores are based on an average daily sample size of 967 US adults from January 1 – April 30, 2021. Figures are based on a 2-week moving average. Learn more about BrandIndex.
