Though challenged by established competitors and a powerful newcomer, this travel hub remains a must-visit destination. Expedia isn’t really a content site, it’s a travel store. “The whole site is
designed as a market platform where users search for and price travel, and find information to plan trips,” says Mitch Robinson, marketing manager.
Thus, the advertising isn’t a separate element,
as it is on content sites--it is the content. Offers from travel suppliers appear as content on Expedia pages and can be clicked for more information or to purchase.
The site features deals
pages, store pages, and search pages, with advertiser listings on each one. A page called Top Travel Deals features deals on vacation packages, hotels, air fares, vacation rentals, and cruises, with a
few links in each category to specific advertisers. The Miami store page includes a featured hotel category, with an ad from the Wyndham Miami Beach Resort; an Activities category, with an ad from the
Kennedy Space Tower; and other categories. The search page, where users plug in personal information and search for travel deals, includes a large-size unit called Air Deals with listings from British
Airways, Air Canada, and other airlines. “You won’t see clutter,” Robinson says. “It’s all about editorial relevance and making sure we service the needs of customers and advertisers. We don’t sell
any non-targeted advertising. Every campaign is constructed to make sure it’s the most responsive buy it can be.”
While most of the advertisers are travel-related, non-travel advertisers use the
site, too. “They want to speak to travelers. It’s a good demographic fit,” Robinson says.
A survey participant says Expedia succeeds because of the way it integrates advertising into the content.
“You’re saying it in text to the user instead of a banner.”
Unique audience: 9.9 million Time per person: 18 minutes 2001 ad revenue, through Sept: Unavailable