HomeAway unveils "Whole Vacation" campaign

AUSTIN, Texas – As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary, HomeAway, Inc. introduces a new brand platform and announces a global integrated marketing campaign that brings to life the joy of “a whole vacation” for the entire family – no matter how you define “family.”
 

The new marketing approach shows the undeniable way vacation rentals create a more holistic, memorable vacation. Traveling with “the whole family” and staying together in “the whole house” are the core benefits upon which HomeAway® and the vacation rental category are built.
 

“A vacation rental is at the heart of a whole vacation experience – it provides space and privacy to truly bond and create lasting memories,” says Chief Marketing Officer Mariano Dima, who joined HomeAway in September 2014. “If the walls of HomeAway vacation rentals could talk, they’d tell 10 years worth of tales of dinners, dance parties, laughter-filled conversations and other experiences that can only be fully appreciated if you’re staying in a vacation rental. It’s those moments that fuel our passion for growing the category and our increased investment in marketing.”
 

Dima developed the campaign and its core message of “The whole house. The whole family. A whole vacation.” in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi in London and the brand platform with Landor in Paris and New York City. The creative launches globally starting March 16 and will reach consumers using a spectrum of media, including digital, social and TV. ZenithOptimedia handled the media planning and buying.
 

“The changing dynamics of families is a driving force behind HomeAway’s campaign and platform,” says Katrien De Bauw, chief operating officer of Saatchi & Saatchi London. “Millennials’ buying power is growing, kids are more informed and opinionated on travel than ever, and the word ‘family’ has expanded to include groups of friends. The goal is to connect with these influencers and bring them together.”

 

The campaign’s digital imagery features five scenes from various HomeAway properties, demonstrating both modern families and the excitement and experiences that can only take place when the group is together in a vacation rental. It will be used in advertisements and is currently live on HomeAway’s website, mobile app and social channels. Travelers are urged to follow the campaign on social media using #WholeVacation.
 

The unique 360-degree vacation imagery captures the entire experience and is animated in some executions; for example, changing from day to night based on the web user’s mouse position.
 

Thirty-second TV ads tell the two halves of a whole story of a young girl, Emma, who feels incomplete when her dog, Biscuit, isn’t brought on the family vacation. The first ad is told from the perspective of Emma, whose family travels to an incredible HomeAway property. The second follows Biscuit’s epic journey to reunite with Emma.
 

Alex Sattlecker and Linda Weitgasser at Saatchi & Saatchi London, with Chief Creative Officer Kate Stanners, wrote and art directed the ads, while Martin Krejci at Stink, a marketing and advertising firm in London, served as the director.
 

The campaign also extends beyond traditional media by asking online influencers to explore topics surrounding the platform. For example, rapper and activist Prince Ea, best known for his movement “Make ‘SMART’ Cool,” and his viral hits, “Can we autocorrect humanity,” and “Why I think this world should end,” will create his own online film examining the “whole vs. half vacation” conundrum and share it with his millions of YouTube and Facebook subscribers.
 

He will explore the increasing trend of leaving paid vacation time on the table and the sad reality that families today spend more time with technology than with each other.
 

“We want to evangelize the importance of disconnecting from everyday life and spending your precious vacation time reconnecting with those you love the most,” says Dima.