• by Tanya Gazdik , February 2, 2022

Three travel brands are using celebrities in their national and regional Super Bowl efforts.

Booking.com is enlisting actor Idris Elba for its first Big Game spot from Horses & Mules. The brand released a teaser spot featuring two advertising icons: Jonathan Goldsmith, aka Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man In The World,” and Old’s Spices’ “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” Isaiah Mustafa.

The travel website and app is also offering a sweepstakes giving away up to half a million dollars in vacations -- 100 trips at up to $5,000 each -- during the game.

When viewers see a destination in any commercial -- not just Booking.com's -- running during the game, they are instructed to tag @bookingcom on social media with #SendMeThere and #Sweepstakes to be entered for a chance to win a vacation bookable on Booking.com. 

Expedia, an in-game advertiser in the Super Bowl for the first time in over a decade, announced its spot from Anomaly will star travel enthusiast and actor Ewan McGregor.    

Creative aims to communicate that experiences are greater than things. Expedia is also planning to give away travel experiences in real time, inspired by places and things in the ads.

During the game, the brand will award 20 prizes in the form of Expedia Rewards points, valued at a total of $120,000, with 19 of the prizes valued at $5,000 and a grand prize valued at $25,000. 

Viewers must be signed on as an Expedia Rewards member to win. To enter, viewers must follow @Expedia on Twitter and quote retweet a tweet from Expedia on @Expedia relating to the commercial spots airing during the entry period including the hashtag #TravelTheAds. 

Finally, Alaska Airlines is debuting “The Care Coalition,” featuring television personality Tan France and TikTok influencer Nick Cho (@yourkoreandad) alongside Mother Nature, Grandma, Dog, Snuggie (voice of Eric Wareheim), and the nostalgic Care Bears’ Funshine Bear. 

Created by long-time creative partner Mekanism, the effort centers around the brand’s care to customers, the places they fly, the environment and the communities served. 

Spots will run on the West Coast during the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl, with takeovers of Alaska’s airport terminals, social media, OOH, print and radio in the coming months.