Hotels.com receives EFFIE Award

24 Jun 2010

Hotels.com has been revealed as a recipient of the Bronze marketing and Communications award by the EFFIE Worldwide Organization in the Travel, Tourism and destination category for its SMART campaign.

"Hotels.com continues to separate itself from other online travel companies with unique promotions and imaginative campaigns, and the SMART character personifies that powerful, yet fun brand advocate that we knew our customers could identify with," said Vic Walia, Sr. director north America brand marketing for Hotels.com. "This recognition by EFFIE is a true testament to the original thinking and cutting-edge efforts of everyone involved in the creation of SMART and we're truly humbled by the response this campaign has received from customers and industry leaders alike."

Hotels.com, in conjunction with marketing partners Y&R Chicago and TargetCast, developed a theme that's purpose was to reassure hotel consumers that Hotels.com is "A Smarter Way to Book" - that consumers are being smart without having to spend hours looking for travel deals. By leveraging Claymation technology to create an animated spokesperson called "SMART," voiced by actor Ed Helms of The Hangover and NBC's The Office.

Through the use of broadcast and cable buy-ins, combined with digital media efforts, four commercials were developed starring SMART. Each video integrated the advantages of booking with Hotels.com. Additionally, SMART appears at every possible touch-point where travel is top-of-mind for consumers, including appearances on TV, in rental cars, and even in New York Times Square.

The EFFIE Awards are presented yearly by the New York American Marketing Association and are universally recognized as the leading indicator for honoring programs that positively contribute to a company's brand success in the continually changing world of marketing communications.

About Hotels.com:
As part of the Expedia group which operates in all major markets, Hotels.com offers more than 100,000 quality hotels, B&Bs and serviced apartments worldwide, covering all major US and international tourist destinations, including many Miami hotels, hotels in New York, hotels in Boston and Chicago hotels. If a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will match it. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry negotiating the best rates for its customers, plus there are 1.8m reviews from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure customers make an informed choice when booking. Hotels.com won the Gold Award for best hotel booking site in Webuser magazine in February 2009.