Online travel is easily one of the most competitive industries around: new travel-related websites launch nearly every week. So making client Travelocity stand out on a daily basis is a daily challenge for us. (Even more so when you consider the competition outspends them $4 to $1 in online advertising.) But we prove we're up for the challenge time and again through an ever-optimized mix of compelling, relevant and original creative and media planning. It's the only way to make our client heard above the din in this very noisy category.
The success of our creative and media goals for Travelocity is measured in increased travel bookings (with the highest marginal revenue per booking). To attain this we put together a media and creative campaign for Travelocity that utilized banner ads, email sponsorships, text links and integrated placements. A sponsorship of Yahoo!'s Messenger IMVironment also allowed us to reach targets in a fun, new way. Using Motif and PointRoll rich media technologies in ad banners, we maximized creative impact. We tested dynamic messaging with real-time pricing, cross-selling multiple products through units based on a user's recent purchases. We even geo-targeted users and tested ways to target behaviorally.
In the end, we exceeded all expectations for 2005. Overall earnings were 125% above goal, with a 120% year-over-year improvement. Average margins per booking were 141% above goal, with a 113% year-over-year improvement. Plus, media negotiations hit record low cost-per-click levels. The Yahoo! Messenger IMVironment sponsorship delivered almost 57 million messages with an unbelievable 11.28% CTR. Users spent one million+ hours engaged with the Travelocity brand through the IMVironment – a brand opportunity unreachable by other media. We nailed profitability. And brand metrics? More consumers are recognizing our campaign than ever before, while our competitors' positioning continues to slip.