To counter other, more gimmicky spots, Hotwire taps award-winning documentarian Errol Morris to capture consumers' love of scoring a great travel deal.
SAN FRANCISCO – Hotwire.com, a leading discount travel site, unveiled a new brand centered on the happiness all types of travelers experience when scoring a fantastic deal. Along with a new logo and the new “Hotels. Deals. Happiness.” tagline, the travel site has also launched two distinct TV campaigns – one of which was directed by award-winning documentarian Errol Morris. The campaigns, which are inspired by hundreds of real travelers’ feedback, have their own distinct narrative to illustrate how any traveler, seasoned Hotwire customers and new users alike, can reap the joyous benefits of discounted travel through the site. In conjunction with the brand rollout, Hotwire has launched re-designs of its website and suite of mobile apps for iOS and Android.
“Our goal with this new brand campaign is to bring the positive experiences our customers have booking on our site to life and illustrate how travelers feel when discovering they can use Hotwire to get the very best travel deal,” said Henrik Kjellberg, president of the Hotwire Group. “We are thrilled to showcase these experiences in two distinct campaigns that show travelers’ happiness while planning their next getaway, especially at the moment of booking and realizing they just saved up to 60 percent.”
Both launch spots broke on June 2, 2014 and will run on major cable networks in the U.S. over the next several months. In the first TV spot, “Hotwire 180,” the travel site highlights the functional benefit of using the site for travel; Morris himself interviews real travelers with hesitation toward blind booking sites and converts them to Hotwire believers once they learn that they can save up to 60 percent on a 4-star hotel, even at the last minute. In the second spot, “How it feels to Hotwire,” the emotional benefits booking on Hotwire are showcased, with in-the-moment celebratory reactions being montaged of customers realizing the incredible deal received at the time of booking.
The campaigns were created by Tiny Rebellion in Santa Monica, CA. The “How it feels to Hotwire” spot was directed by The Mercandentes duo Daniel Mercadante and Katina Hubbard, whose work evokes a more artful approach. The “Hotwire 180” spot was done by award-winning director Errol Morris.
“Hotwire customers have unique and personal reasons for booking travel,” said Lucas Donat, Founder and CEO of Tiny Rebellion. “But the one thing they can all agree on is how finding a great deal makes them feel. That’s the beauty of this campaign.”
Starting today Hotwire’s award-winning website and mobile suite for iOS and Android are completely re-skinned to reflect the new brand. The website also features a visual call-out of the deal/star-upgrade received and allows travelers to search for hotels by name from Hotwire’s Fare Finder feature.
The mobile products have been updated to highlight the percent saved on each booking, and also include images of the hotel booked once confirmed.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
