StorePoint Expandables combine rich media content and micro-site functionality to better engage with travel consumers
BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 22, 2009 – Expedia® Media Solutions, the advertising sales division of Expedia, Inc., today introduced StorePoint Expandables, a new advertising product that combines rich media functionality with engaging micro-site content, offering a fresh way for travel and non-travel brands to interact with consumers on Expedia.com®, the world’s most visited travel website.
“StorePoint Expandables bring brand advertisers and travel destinations a more powerful way to connect with consumers through relevant, content-rich and targeted experiences,” said Doug Miller, global vice president of Expedia Media Solutions. “StorePoint Expandables go beyond traditional online advertising, giving users an interactive environment with detailed, valuable information that truly helps them plan and prepare for their trip.”
Featuring a user-initiated design that expands over page content for easy navigation, StorePoint Expandables enable consumers to engage in an information-rich, micro-site experience without leaving the original page or the transaction funnel. Functionality of the new product includes interactive maps, video and audio capabilities, exclusive travel promotions, calendar reminders, RSS feeds and other dynamic activity.
In a recent pilot program for the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, StorePoint Expandables proved its potential, driving a 19 percent increase in room nights booked in San Diego the first month of the campaign and a 45 percent increase during the second month of the campaign.
“We were amazed with the success of the initial StorePoint Expandables campaign and definitely plan to partner with Expedia Media Solutions again,” said Tania Leichliter with San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. “With StorePoint Expandables we were able to bring our message to millions of travel shoppers visiting Expedia.com in a way that provided compelling content about San Diego, and served as a helpful tool for consumers planning travel.”
StorePoint Expandables builds on Expedia Media Solutions’ growing product portfolio, which also includes PassportAdsTM, a behavioral advertising product launched in February 2009, and TravelAds, a bid for placement product introduced in 2008. PassportAds allow advertisers to reach a highly qualified audience of anonymous Expedia users as they browse the Web, while TravelAds offer hotel partners the ability to differentiate their property by bidding for premium placement within hotel search results on Expedia.com and Hotels.com®.
With myriad advertising and sponsorship opportunities, Expedia Media Solutions offers a viable marketing platform for advertising partners to reach the 64 million worldwide monthly unique visitors that visit Expedia, Inc. Web sites.¹ For more information on Expedia Media Solutions and StorePoint Expandables, please visit www.advertising.expedia.com.
About Expedia Media Solutions
Formed in 2007, Expedia Media Solutions is dedicated to building online and offline media partnerships for travel and non-travel brand advertisers and to enable them to leverage the unique media value of Expedia’s network of leading travel brands and global points of sale. For more information, visit www.advertising.expedia.com.
About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the largest online travel company in the world, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes some of the world’s leading online travel brands, including:
• Expedia.com®, the world’s largest full service online travel agency, with localized sites in 31 countries
• Hotels.com®, the hotel specialist with sites in more than 60 countries
• Hotwire®, a leading discount travel site that offers opaque deals in 13 countries on its 12 sites in North America, Europe and Asia
• Egencia®, the world’s fifth largest corporate travel management company
• eLongTM, the second largest online travel company in China
• Venere.comTM, the online hotel reservation specialist in Europe
• trivago®, a leading online hotel search company with sites in 39 countries
• Expedia Local Expert®, a provider of in-market concierge services, activities and experiences in 18 markets worldwide
• Classic Vacations®, a top luxury travel specialist
• Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®, one of North America’s leading retail cruise vacation experts
The company delivers consumers value in leisure and business travel, drives incremental demand and direct bookings to travel suppliers, and provides advertisers the opportunity to reach a highly valuable audience of in- market travel consumers through Expedia Media Solutions. Expedia also powers bookings for some of the world’s leading airlines and hotels, top consumer brands, high traffic websites, and thousands of active affiliates through Expedia® Affiliate Network. For corporate and industry news and views, visit us at www.expediainc.com or follow us on Twitter @expediainc.
¹Customized comScore data August 2009