Expedia is making a move to reposition its brand strategy as the company looks to assist the consumer travel segment with increased attention instead of focusing only on booking volume.
“For the past 25 years, we’ve been focused on volume and transactions as our way of growing our business. What we’ve found, however, over the past year, is that our customers want more from a travel company,” Shiv Singh, senior vice president and general manager, Expedia Brand, said in a press release on Monday (April 19).
Singh added that the company wants to become the trusted partner “who is there with them every step of the way” as helping travel consumers “get the most out of their trips.”
As consumers start to plan vacations again following the COVID-19 pandemic, the travel booking company is updating the user experience of its app and websites to concentrate on working with what people need most. A global ad campaign is also in the works to accompany the new focus.
The new brand positioning includes a new tagline, “It matters who you travel with,” and represents Expedia’s largest marketing investment in five years.
The change comes following the pandemic, which triggered one of the hardest times for the travel sector. The industry saw a drop-off of 42 percent in spending — about $500 billion — from 2019 to 2020, according to the U.S. Travel Association, CNBC reported.
Further, global excursions overall declined about 76 percent and business travel fell 70 percent. As vaccinations continue distribution, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said last week that the company will need new hosts to meet demand.
The U.S. Travel Association said earlier this month that 2020 closed with $1.1 trillion in losses, a 42 percent decline from the previous year, which dropped to $1.5 trillion from $2.6 trillion. Travel industry employment was around roughly 65 percent of all U.S. job losses during the pandemic.
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