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Advertising
Strategy
Ekaterina K.
Mukovnikova,
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Background
Wotif.com is Australia’s favourite online travel destination that offers great value travel choices
(Wotif, 2015). Back in the early days around year 2000, Wotif was driven by the primary
objective of transforming the travel industry in Australia. People love great travel deal, so Wot
[If] we provide them with great travel deal? Simple. Today, Wotif is internationally recognized
online travel brands as well as a leader in online travel (Wotif, 2015).
Wotif Brand Positioning
For 18-30 year old Australian travellers who love great travel deals, Wotif.com offers great value
travel choices locally and around the world as well as provide information of hotel details for the
next three months. Unlike many other travel websites provide limitless list of hotel details and
flights (StartupSmart, 2014).
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Wotifia
The wonderful world of Wotifia | Wotif.com is a paradise
where world-wise passionate travellers can find over 2,154
airports, 13 million hotel rooms and 350,000 kms of beautiful
coastline (Ricki, 2014). Showing the adventure of two young
guys as they discover the wonderful world of Wotifia in one
place has encouraged the brand to create strong emotional
bonds and engage its target audience with the fictitious
world. “It is fun to be a visita” in the world of fun, in the
world of Wotifia.
The objective of the campaign was to rejuvenate the brand image of Wotif.com. Wotif’s general
manager of marketing, Michael Betteridge, says that the campaign is designed to reach “next
generation” of travellers as well as introduce them to the brand, range of travel products,
experiences and show fun approach to travel (Mann, 2014). Re-positioning of the iconic brand
was essential in order to encourage travellers to feel excitement and fun to experience “down-toearth” heritage of the wonderful Wotifia world (Mumbrella, 2014). Overall, the campaign is
“bold and brave”, quirky, impious and has brought “a new life” into the Wotif brand through
encouraging imagination and heritage fun (Mumbrella, 2014).
Alternatively, Wotif could not crack the market and meet wants of “next generation of
travellers”. “Next generation of travellers” did not want to experience the wonderful world of
Wotifia, moreover they were not willing to “use Wotif ever”; they commented “terrible ad” and
“ad irritates so much” (YouTube). As a result, Wotif made a strategic decision to re-position the
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brand from being the wonderful world of Wotifia to “the home of holidays”. Today Wotif is
trying to crack another market by targeting older consumers with “bold” and “damn” ads that
consumers are trying to block.
Assessment
SWOT Analysis Matrix
S
W
Leader in online accommodation, #1 in
Australia for accommodation,
Wotif offers flights and holiday rentals,
Every month 5.3 million people visit Wotif.com
and make 252,000 bookings = reach of the
audience,
Good brand awareness – 66% (Mumbrella,
2014),
Responsible corporate/ethical,
Secure website,
Customer service,
User-friendly website, easy-to-use,
Discounts, gift vouchers, promotions,
Selling exclusive deals unavailable elsewhere,
The best price guarantee,
The biggest range of accommodation,
Price/Value.
Dependence on relationships with travel suppliers and
travel distribution partners (Marketline, 2014),
Brand is associated with “selling distressed hotel
rooms” (Mumbrella, 2014),
Low brand awareness among young people who do
not perceive the brand congruent to their personality,
Consumers’ perception of Wotif as the brand that
offers only domestic accommodation (Refer Google
Trends, 2015)
O
T
Breath new life into the Wotif brand,
Changes in the search engine algorithms and dynamics
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Showcase that Wotif offers a world of travel
possibilities,
Engaging and reaching a new generation of
travellers,
Looking beyond its core accommodation
business,
Growing outbound travel from Australia,
could impact the company’s business,
Stringent regulations,
Intense online competition,
Table 1. SWOT Analysis Matrix of Wotif.com
Competition
Positioning
USP
Agoda
Go smarter. Go agoda.
Smarter hotel booking
Airbnb
Belong anywhere
Feel ordinary with us
Flight Centre
The Airfare Experts
Unbeatable
Helloworld
Experts in everywhere
Booking.com
Planet Earth’s #1 Accommodation Site
Hotels.com
The obvious choice
Wake up happy
Lastminute.com.au
Love every last minute
STA Travel
Start the adventure
Experience the wonder
Webjet.com.au
Quickbeds.com
Great hotel at great rates
…Find the right place to stay
Stayz
Your stay, your way
Expedia
Where you book matters
Your trip, your way
Table 2. Competitors Analysis based on USP and positioning strategies
As can be seen from the table above, most of the online travel sites are positioning their brands
as being “unbeatable”, “smarter”, “cheaper” and “being #1 accommodation site”, whereas it is
more important to engage customers and create emotional bonds with them by showing them
that the experience matters. Thus, for Wotif.com it would be an effective communication
strategy to differentiate its brand from being #1 Online Accommodation Site to being #1 Great
Travel Experience provider. Looking beyond its core accommodation business (Refer SWOT
Analysis Matrix) and showing that the wonderful world of Wotifia is so much more than online
travel site, it is a world of imagination and travel possibilities.
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Market trends
Table 3. Market trends. Adapted from Euromonitor International, 2014
Consumer trends
Table 4. Consumer trends. Adapted Euromonitor International, 2014
The Psycho-Dynamics of the market: YOLO
You Only Live Once/life is a highway is a motto of young travellers. They say: “get fun if you
want it”, “live fast now” and “youth is a limited-time offer” (G Adventures, 2015). Young
Online travel sales to Australians
grew by 13%, as Australians
become increasingly accustomed to
booking their travel needs online
(Euromonitor International, 2014)
Online travel sales to Australians is
beginning to mature, online travel
has been embraced by young innercity progressives
The major players are expanding
their offerings, re-positioning
towards selling “experiences”
Increased appetite for more
international experiences, more
affordable transportation prices,
fewer political and cultural barriers
and ease of travel among younger
travellers
Mobile use is high, with
43% using their phones
every 5 minutes – SoLoMo
Important features such as
tasty food and friendly
locals underline the
traveller’s desire for local
experiences
Top travel motivators are
to experience everyday life
in another country and
increase knowledge
23% are keen to hang out
with as many nationalities
as possible while travelling
Family and friends are the
most influential source of
travel information for 67%
travellers
Travel is getting easier all
the time, and people’s
curiosity and knowledge
about the world is
increasing all the time
(Bazilian, 2015)
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travellers relate emotional to the purchase, they are looking for experience, living for today and
enjoying each moment before settling into a work routine. Additionally, they are price sensitive
and remain high-involvement process with regard to find a “better travel deal”. They are willing
to have a good time with their “mates”, not an expensive time. As an example, youth travellers
believe that you can travel the world only in one case – if you are rich. To support the psychodynamics of the market, The Best Youth Travel Blogger who was crowned during the Global
Youth Travel Awards 2015 Gala dinner in Cape Town, Aileen says that it is absolutely possible
to travel the world even if you are not rich, and even if you have limited passport (Aileen, 2015).
Thus, it should be taken into account that the campaign should focus on providing
fun/unforgettable travel experience with a good value for money in order to meet wants of
passionate and independent Australian travellers. In other words, putting a premium on value
and cost control is crucial for Wotif.com to target “next generation of travellers”.
Objectives and goals of the advertising campaign
Marketing objectives
To increase number of bookings made by 18-30 year old Australians by 5%,
To increase penetration and generate 10,000 new unique subscribers for Wotif.com newsletters,
To increase the website leads, as can be seen from Google Trends, interest is slightly decreasing
(Google Trends, 2015).
Communication/behaviour change objectives
To increase awareness of the brand among 18-30 year old Australians by 15%,
To persuade, stimulate interest and change attitude and behaviour 18-30 year old Australian
travellers,
To strengthen emotional bonds with young travellers.
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Target audience
Let’s go and explore. Let’s stand out. Let’s make a difference. YOLO [you only live once] and
SoLoMo [social local mobile].
Young, independent, passionate, digitally connected
Australian travellers aged 18-30. Today they are more
confident and empowered, with a larger disposable income
from either parents or part time employment. They stay
hungry, curious and ready to go and explore the world. They
are diverse generation, tolerant with sense of community and
accepting of multiculturalism and internalisations.
Their lives have been programmed and over-managed by
their parents. Sports, dancing, painting, studying…they
are bored and would like to take control over their lives
and find themselves by exploring this beautiful world
outside the box [circle] because the magic does happen.
Often indulged by their parents, they are considered to be
less rebellious. As they were given high expectations by
their parents they did not have time to think about what do they want that is why they are trying
to find it out. Moreover, they are not prepared for the real world, but for the “online world”.
Parents, grandparents, friends are expecting from them certain actions: study-work-familypaying loan-planning-retirement, they do not want to think about it, they would like to make a
difference and impact, find themselves in this big and beautiful world. No scripts from
parents/grandparents; life is not a theatre or a movie, thus they believe that by exploring the
world and finding themselves first, they can make a difference and write their own script…script
of their life.
Additionally, they are demanding consumers with high expectations of themselves and others.
They are not brand loyal and do not have any switching costs, as a result they can turn quickly to
the “next big thing” as brands and products go in and out of fashion (Euromonitor International,
2007). Thus, creating emotional bonds with them is highly important for Wotif.
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onsumer insight
Young people are travelling to grow as individuals, experience new cultures and return home
with a better understanding of the world and themselves (Edensor, 2015a). One of the main
benefits young people get from travel is the thirst to discover even more (The Telegraph, 2013).
They believe that:
The experience does matter, not the evidence.
Being authentic, being original does matter. Being wot[if]able.
No fantasy, make your reality that matters.
The stories should be what matter.
Additionally, the research has revealed that life experiences and cultural enrichment are the new
priority (Sunshine Coast Daily, 2015). Experiencing a new culture and eating the local foods
inspire young travellers to discover even more. Travel is becoming more accessible, youth
travellers have grown up in a globally connected community where anything is possible and
attainable (Edensor, 2015a). Still they are looking for quality budget style trips to ensure their
“dollars goes further”, they love to take risk and embrace social media. Travelling for them is
life experience and cultural enrichment that “float their boat” (Edensor, 2015a).
“Just to see different places
and to meet new people” –
Karen (24 y.o.) from
Germany
“I never thought you can
make such good friends
while you are travelling” –
Balkaran (26 y.o.) from
India
“…and you know how I
changed since I’m in
Australia, I just see people
and things different now” –
Martina (22 y.o.) from Italy
“To experience this amazing
world and make a difference
one day” – Laura (22 y.o.)
from New Zealand
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Comfort, connectivity, accessibility and social atmosphere remain the most important attributes
that drive purchasing decision among young travellers.
Connectivity
Comfort
Accessibility
Social
atmosphere
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Creative strategy
Currently the Wotif brand is positioning itself as #1 Accommodation Site, but in order to achieve
its marketing and communication objectives, the company should re-position the brand in the
minds of consumers and become #1 Travel Experience Site. With target consumers who believe
that youth is limited-time offer and YOLO [you only live once], experience does matter.
Duration of the plan
It is the launch campaign and it will last three months; the advertising campaign is to increase
sales for summer holidays, increase brand awareness and change consumers’ perception towards
the brand and deliver value to young travellers. The campaign should be launched in May 2016
to July 2016.
The objective is to inspire action through Attention-Interest-Desire.
The BIG Idea
Travelling is the ultimate Australian dream as was revealed by the research conducted by Yellow
Brick Management (Warden, 2015). Moreover, travelling is becoming more adventurous and
young travellers are seeking new experiences (Euromonitor International, 2011).
For young people trying new things, taking the road less travelled and sharing their experiences
via social media is “core to how they enjoy life” (Gianatasio, 2015). Thus, the campaign should
emphasize on getting real experiences rather than on enjoying the “fantasy” online life. Life is
Wot [if] able, isn’t it?
Still, young and independent travellers would like to integrate social media into their travel
plans, in other words they want to boost the level of interaction with like-minded individuals
(Edensor, 2015b). As they are digitally connected travellers, turn on mobile devices to plan and
book travel is increasing (Refer “The market and consumer trends”). Alternatively, the campaign
will be focused on interaction with young travellers online, but moving them from the online
May –
Attention
•Focus on social media platforms: FB, YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr
•Internet marketing
June –
Interest
•Outdoor advertising
•PR, Publicity and travel blogging
July –
Desire
•YouTube viral marketing campaigns
•Facebook, Instagram viral campaigns
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world to the wot[if]able world, where everything is possible because the world is full of
opportunities. We want them to ask wot [if] I risk, wot [if] I make a difference, what if I become
a wot[if]able?
Creative strategy statement
To convince young consumers that it is better to be wot[if]able than SoLoMo. Real experience
does matter. The world is yours; explore the real world not online. Because you are wot[if]able,
where the key is “able”. We want them to ask themselves wot [if]? Because they are able to
make a difference today.
Who is Mr Wotif [the world of opportunities that I can discover to its fullest]
Mr Wotif is a new brand character. He is “the hero” and “the explorer”. He is young,
independent and passionate individual who loves travelling, exploring the world and willing to
stand out and make a difference. He chooses a completely different path, embracing the journey
rather than the destination; he lives not in the online world, but in the wonderful world of
Wotifia (Bonnell, 2015).
USP/Distinctive Feature
Wotif.com is so much more than just #1 Australia’s online travel destination. Wotif offers
unlimited destinations to explore, but youth is a limited-time offer. Wot [if] you imagine, Wot
[if] we make it true? Be wot[if]able.
Persuasive strategy/Single minded proposition
A brand new wot[if]able experience.
Be wot[if]able.
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Tone of the advertising
Tone of the advertising should be inspirational, friendly and motivating in order to get young
travellers to start exploring this beautiful world and being wot[if]able.
Recommended advertising activities
Launch the viral campaign on Instagram and Facebook. A unique algorithm will be used
to find and respond to popular hashtags, such as:
#travel #instatravel #travelling #trevelgram #mytravelgram #traveller #travelphotography
#travelingram.
The comment above will be posted as a response to hashtags on Instagram and Facebook, after
that people can click on this comment and go to the landing page where they will be asked
different questions, such as Wot [if] you were a hero what would you do? Wot [if] we can make
your dream come true, what would it be? The viral campaign should be promoted through
different communication channels to reach the target market. We should let people choose the
best answer, the most creative, but it should be led with legacy and make a positive
impact/difference. The competition will last for three weeks and then two wines will be chosen,
who will participate in YouTube reality/contest show.
In order to continue our viral marketing campaign on Facebook and Instagram, Wotif
will launch a reality/contest show on YouTube so-called “Wot [if]”. It is like a travel
game, where two people that were chosen from the previous viral campaign from
different parts of the world will go to Budapest, for example. Rules of the game are
simple.
Wot [if] you imagine, Wot [if] we make it true?
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They will be offered to play “toss-up” and who wins will receive American Express Platinum
Card, another person receives $100 to spend. They will have three days in Hungary and they
should explore the country. According to the psycho-dynamics of the market, many travellers
believe that you can travel the world only if you are rich, but our campaign is aimed to show that
money does not play any role as soon as you are wot[if]able. Being wot[if]able means that you
are able to discover and even $100 is not a limit. As it is an online show, our wot[if]able
travellers will go to different countries and play the same game.
Media strategy
Broadcast
It would be suggested to use radio Pandora and Spotify in order to reach target audience.
Outdoor
Wot [if]?
Two People
One Country Hungary
Sam
American
Express
Platinum Card
Lee
$100
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Internet marketing/Blogging
Paid banners listings would be effective. 18-49 age markets represent 58 per cent of the online
audience. Thus, it would be recommended to place banners, targeted ads on Fcaebook and online
travel communities.
In addition to this partnering with bloggers will help the brand to build trusted relationships with
target market. For instance, Wotif can partner with famous young travel bloggers, such as Liz
(Young Adventuress) and Aileen.
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